S000000268 Video Tape Archive Digitization Project RFP REVISED.pdf

STATE OF ARKANSAS

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

501 Woodlane St., Ste. 220

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1023

REVISED

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (MAP)

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

CHANGES TO THIS RFP ARE DISPLAYED IN RED FONT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: S00000268 Solicitation Issued: September 19, 2023

Description: Video Tape Archive Digitization Project

Department: Arkansas Educational Television Network

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Proposal Opening Date:

October 06, 2023 October 11, 2023

Proposal Opening Time: 2:00 PM, Central Time

Proposal submissions for this Request for Proposal must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system. It can be accessed at arbuy.arkansas.gov. Proposals received after the submission deadline may be rejected as untimely. See Section 1.2 for information regarding Live Proposal Openings.

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Procurement Specialist: Tiffany Maddox Procurement Specialist’s

Direct Phone Number: 501.324.9320

Email Address: Tiffany.Maddox@arkansas.gov TSS OSP’s Main Number: 501.324.9316

TSS OSP Website: transform.ar.gov/procurement/ https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/ https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the TSS Office of State Procurement (TSS OSP) for AETN dba Arkansas PBS to obtain pricing and a contract(s) for Video Tape Archive Digitization Project.

Contract(s) awarded will be made to the Prospective Contractor determined to have submitted the proposal that is the most advantageous to the State. Direct all questions, comments, or concerns regarding this solicitation to the TSS OSP, not the Department.

1.2 LIVE PROPOSAL OPENING

Use the information below to view the proposal opening online.

Teams Meeting Link: Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 254 484 982 372 Passcode: qvoLTT Call in (audio only): 501 244 3310 or find a local number Phone conference ID: 213 921 774#

1.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this RFP, TSS OSP intends to award a contract to a single Contractor.

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract is November 20th, 2023, except that the actual contract start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the State for up to three (3) calendar months. By submitting a signed proposal in response to the RFP, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants that it will honor its proposal as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

C. The initial term of a resulting contract will be for one (1) year. Upon mutual agreement by the Contractor and Department, the contract may be renewed by TSS OSP for up to six (6) additional one-year terms or portions thereof, not to exceed a total aggregate contract term of seven (7) consecutive years.

1.4 SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

For informational purposes, TSS OSP is providing a Solicitation Schedule; however, dates listed and noted with an asterisk (*) are anticipated dates only and are subject to change at the discretion of the State. All times are listed in Central Time.

TABLE A: TENTATIVE SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

ACTIVITY DATE

RFP Release to Prospective Contractors September 19, 2023 Bidders Conference September 22, 2023 @ 2:00 pm Central Deadline for Prospective Contractor Questions September 25, 2023 Answers to Questions Posted to ARBuy* September 29, 2023

Proposal Due Date October 06, 2023 @ 2 pm Central October 11, 2023 @ 2 p.m. Central

Initial Proposal Evaluation* October 9, 2023 Interviews* October 12-13, 2023 Final Proposal Evaluation* October 13, 2023 Discussions Kick Off Meeting* October 18, 2023 Finalize Discussions* October 25, 2023 Post Anticipation to Award* October 27, 2023 Award Contract* November 20, 2023 https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OGIwNzA1ZDgtZTEwYi00NjVlLTg5ZTctZDYzMDcxNmEzZTFh%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%225ec1d8f0-cb62-4000-b327-8e63b0547048%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229e90e135-bbe1-4767-b7b7-ba808ff42eae%22%7d https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com/6b6513dc-a034-48d2-8d06-7e711c4ecc0b?id=719036839

1.5 BIDDERS CONFERENCE

A. TSS OSP will host a bidders’ conference to provide additional information and clarification regarding the RFP.

1. The conference will take place on the date and time listed in Section 1.4, Table A.

2. The conference is important for Prospective Contractors to understand the tasks a Prospective Contractor shall complete when submitting a proposal (“Submission Requirements”).

3. Prospective Contractors may attend the conference via Teams.

Teams Meeting Link: Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 256 436 239 23 Passcode: gLHoaG Call in (audio only): 501 244 3310 or find a local number Phone conference ID: 518 946 636#

4. The bidders conference presentation will be posted to the Solicitation posting in ARBuy.

1.6 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. Submit questions requesting clarification of information contained in this Solicitation via the

Solicitation posting in ARBuy by the date and time listed in Section 1.4, Table A.

1. For each question submitted, Prospective Contractor should reference the specific Solicitation item number to which the question refers.

2. Prospective Contractors’ written questions will be consolidated and responded to by the State as deemed appropriate. The State’s consolidated written response is anticipated to be posted to the Solicitation posting in ARBuy by the close of business on the date provided in Section 1.4, Table A. If Prospective Contractor questions are unclear or non-substantive in nature, the State may request clarification of a question(s) or decline to answer.

B. The Prospective Contractor should notify the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist of any term, condition, etc., that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a compliant, Responsive Proposal. Prospective Contractors should note that it is the responsibility of the Prospective Contractor to seek resolution of all such issues, including those relating to the terms and conditions of the contract, prior to the submission of a proposal.

C. Prospective Contractors may contact the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist with non-substantive questions at any time prior to the proposal opening.

D. An oral statement by TSS OSP will not be part of any contract resulting from this Solicitation and may not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless it is reduced to writing and expressly adopted by TSS OSP.

E. Only an addendum written and authorized by the State will modify the Solicitation.

1. An addendum posted within three (3) calendar days prior to the proposal opening may extend the proposal opening and may or may not include changes to the Solicitation.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same meaning herein.

B. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsible offeror who submits a proposal in response to this Solicitation.

C. The terms “Request for Proposal,” “RFP,” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this document.

D. “Requirement” means a term, condition, provision, deliverable, Specification, or a combination thereof, that is obligated under the Solicitation, resulting contract, or both.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDJlZDM2OWQtOGE1Yi00OWY4LTk5MzYtNTcxNjIyN2FjNmI2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%225ec1d8f0-cb62-4000-b327-8e63b0547048%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229e90e135-bbe1-4767-b7b7-ba808ff42eae%22%7d https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com/6b6513dc-a034-48d2-8d06-7e711c4ecc0b?id=719036839

E. “Responsive Proposal” means a proposal submitted in response to this Solicitation that conforms in all material respects to this RFP.

F. “Shall” and “must” mean the imperative and are used to identify Requirements.

G. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a description of any Requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for delivery.

H. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any obligation of the State under a contract that results from this Solicitation, that obligation is limited to the Department using such a contract.

1.8 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. All proposal responses must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system. The system can be accessed at arbuy.arkansas.gov.

1. Prospective Contractors must be registered in ARBuy to submit proposals responses.

B. Technical Proposal Packet

1. Responses within the Information for Evaluation must not contain the Prospective Contractor’s name or any other identifiers, including without limitation names of staff members, projects, clients, products, and addresses.

2. Prospective Contractors shall utilize the Technical Proposal Packet to submit their responses.

3. The following items are proposal Submission Requirements and must be submitted as part of a Prospective Contractor’s proposal response.

a. Signed Proposal Signature Page; signature may be ink or digital.

b. Technical Proposal response to the Information for Evaluation section included in the Technical Proposal Packet, which must be in the English language.

c. Completed Pricing Response: Official Solicitation Price Sheet attached to the Solicitation posting in ARBuy.

i. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

ii. Quantities stated are estimates only and are not guaranteed. Prospective Contractor must submit unit price on the estimated quantity and unit of measure specified.

iii. If pricing documents do not allow for accurate pricing, Prospective Contractor should notify the OSP Procurement Specialist at least seventy-two (72) hours before the proposal opening time.

iv. Prices must be firm offers and shall not be subject to escalation.

v. Discount from list pricing is not acceptable unless requested elsewhere in the Solicitation.

vi. State or local sales taxes should not be included in the price. Trade discounts should be deducted from the unit price and the net price should be shown in the Pricing Response.

d. Recommended Options Form

i. The Recommended Options form included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to identify any recommended options or optional service ideas that may benefit the State that were not included in the Requirements and the proposed solution.

e. Copy of Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/

i. Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-104, OSP requires a Prospective Contractor bidding on a state contract to submit a copy of the Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity (EO) Policy.

ii. Prospective Contractors not required by law to have an EO Policy must submit a written statement to that effect.

f. Proposed Subcontractors Form (see SRV-1, section 14)

4. The following items, which must be submitted prior to a contract award to the Prospective Contractor, may also be included with the Prospective Contractor’s proposal:

a. EO 98-04: Contract and Grant Disclosure Form (see SRV-1, section 11)

b. Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), if applicable

5. Prospective Contractors should not include any other documents or ancillary information, such as a cover letter or promotional/marketing information.

C. Redacted copy of the Technical Proposal Packet

1. One (1) redacted (marked “REDACTED”) copy of the Prospective Contractor’s proposal response (see Proprietary Information)

D. Prospective Contractors should not alter language in Solicitation document(s) or Official Proposal Price Sheet provided by the State.

E. Prospective Contractor’s proposals cannot be altered or amended after the proposal opening except as permitted by law or rule.

F. Prospective Contractors may submit multiple proposals.

1.9 ACCEPTANCE OF REQUIREMENTS

A. A Prospective Contractor's past performance with the State may be used to determine if the

Prospective Contractor is responsible (OSP Rule R8:19-11-229).

1. Proposals submitted by Prospective Contractors determined to be non-responsible will be rejected.

B. A single Prospective Contractor must be identified as the prime contractor.

1. The prime Contractor shall be responsible for the resulting contract and jointly and severally liable with any of its subcontractors, affiliates, or agents to the State for the performance thereof.

C. By submission of a proposal, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants:

1. That the prices in the proposal have been arrived at independently, without any collusion with another competing Prospective Contractor.

a. Collusion violates Arkansas Procurement Law and can lead to suspension, debarment, and can be referred to the Attorney General’s officer for investigation and appropriate legal action (Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-240 and 19-11-245).

2. That the Prospective Contractor has not retained a person to solicit or secure the resulting contract upon an agreement or understanding for a commission, percentage, brokerage, or contingent fee, except for retention of bona fide employees or bona fide established commercial selling agencies maintained by the Prospective Contractor for the purpose of securing business.

D. Prospective Contractor should not discuss the Solicitation or proposal response, issue statements or comments, or provide interviews to public media during the Solicitation and award process.

E. Qualifications and services must meet or exceed the required Specifications as set forth in the Solicitation.

F. The State will not pay costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal.

https://www.transform.ar.gov/wp-content/uploads/Services-Contract-SRV-1-Fillable-Form-V.3.6.27.22.pdf https://www.transform.ar.gov/wp-content/uploads/Services-Contract-SRV-1-Fillable-Form-V.3.6.27.22.pdf https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat/

1.10 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A. The Contractor must be registered as a vendor to receive payment and may register online by visiting https://www.ark.org/contractor/index.html and clicking the Start Here button.

B. Pursuant to Arkansas State Procurement Law, the Contractor shall:

1. Certify that they do not employ or contract with illegal immigrants and shall not employ or contract with illegal immigrants during the aggregate term of a contract (for services contracts, Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-105).

2. Certify that they are not engaged in and shall not, during the aggregate term of the resulting contract, engage in a boycott of Israel (Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-1-503).

C. To comply with the provision of Act 954 of 1977, relating to unfair employment practices, the Contractor:

1. Shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, sex, color, age, religion, handicap, or national origin.

2. In all solicitations or advertisements for employees, shall state that all qualified applicants shall receive consideration without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, handicap, or national origin.

3. Furnish such relevant information and reports as requested by the Human Resources Commission for the purpose of determining compliance with the statute.

4. Failure of the Contractor to comply with the statute, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and this nondiscrimination clause shall be deemed a breach of contract and it may be cancelled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part.

5. Shall include the provisions of above items (1) through (4) in every subcontract so that such provisions shall be binding upon such subcontractor or Contractor.

D. Specifications, drawings, technical information, dies, cuts, negatives, positives, data, other such item furnished by the State to the Contractor, or a combination thereof hereunder or in contemplation hereof or developed by the Contractor for use hereunder shall:

1. Remain property of the State.

2. Be kept confidential as permitted or required by law.

3. Be used only as expressly authorized.

4. Be returned at the Contractor's expense to the F.O.B. destination point provided by the State, as requested by the State.

a. The Contractor shall properly identify items being returned.

E. The Contractor shall invoice the State as required by the Department and should not invoice the State in advance of delivery and acceptance of any goods or services (Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-4-1206).

1. The Contractor should invoice the agency by an itemized list of charges. The Department’s purchase order number and/or the contract number should be referenced on each invoice.

2. Payment will be made in accordance with applicable State of Arkansas accounting procedures upon acceptance of goods and services by the Department.

3. Payment will be made only after the Contractor has successfully satisfied the Department as to the reliability and effectiveness of the goods or services purchased as a whole.

F. The Contractor should be able to accept the State’s authorized VISA Procurement Card (p-card) as a method of payment. Price changes or additional fee(s) must not be levied against the State when accepting the p-card as a form of payment.

https://www.ark.org/contractor/index.html

G. Unless a Prospective Contractor expressly and conspicuously identifies exception(s) to the terms, conditions, Requirements, or a combination thereof in this RFP, Prospective Contractor agrees and shall adhere to all terms, conditions, and Requirements if selected as the Contractor.

1. This RFP incorporates all terms of the Services Contract (SRV-1) Fillable Form (found here) and attached as a sample for your information only.

2. Prospective Contractor’s proposal may be rejected if a Prospective Contractor takes exception to any terms, conditions, or Requirements in this RFP.

1.11 GUARANTEES, SAMPLES, AND BRAND NAME REFERENCES

A. All items bid or proposed must be newly manufactured and merchantable, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the Solicitation.

1. By submitting a proposal, the Prospective Contractor implicitly represents and warrants that goods its sells to the Department under a resulting contract must be merchantable.

B. Samples or demonstrators, when requested, must be furnished free of expense to the State.

1. Each sample should be marked with the Prospective Contractor's name and address, proposal or contract number, and item number.

a. If requested, samples that are not destroyed during reasonable examination will be returned at Prospective Contractor's expense.

b. After reasonable examination, all demonstrators will be returned at Prospective Contractor’s expense.

2. Tests may be performed on samples or demonstrators submitted with the proposal or on samples taken from the regular shipment.

a. If products tested fail to meet or exceed all conditions and Requirements of the specifications, the cost of the sample used and the reasonable cost of the testing must be borne by the Prospective Contractor.

C. Unless otherwise specified in the Solicitation, a catalog brand name or manufacturer reference used in the Solicitation is descriptive only, not restrictive, and used to indicate the type and quality desired.

1. Proposals on brands of like nature and quality will be considered.

2. If proposing on other than referenced specifications, the proposal must show the manufacturer, brand or trade name, and other descriptions, and should include the manufacturer's illustrations and complete descriptions of the product offered.

a. The State shall have the right to determine whether a substitute offered is equivalent to and meets the standards of the item specified, and the State may require the Prospective Contractor to supply additional descriptive material.

b. The Prospective Contractor shall guarantee that the product offered will meet or exceed specifications identified in the Solicitation.

c. Prospective Contractors not bidding or proposing an alternate to the referenced brand name or manufacturer shall furnish the product according to brand names, numbers, etc., as specified in the Solicitation.

1.12 TECHNOLOGY ACCESS

A. When procuring a technology product or when soliciting the development of such a product, the State of Arkansas is required to comply with the provisions of Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-26-201 et seq., as amended by Act 308 of 2013, which expresses the policy of the State to provide individuals who are blind or visually impaired with access to information technology purchased in whole or in part with state funds. The Contractor expressly acknowledges and agrees that state funds may not be expended in connection with the purchase of information technology unless that technology meets the statutory Requirements found in 36 C.F.R. § 1194.21, as it existed on January 1, 2019 (software https://www.transform.ar.gov/wp-content/uploads/Services-Contract-SRV-1-Fillable-Form-V.3.6.27.22.pdf applications and operating ICSs) and 36 C.F.R. § 1194.22, as it existed on January 1, 2019 (web-based intranet and internet information and applications), in accordance with the State of Arkansas technology policy standards relating to accessibility by persons with visual impairments.

B. Accordingly, the Contractor expressly represents and warrants to the State of Arkansas through the procurement process by submission of a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for 36 C.F.R. § 1194.21, as it existed on January 1, 2019 (software applications and operating ICSs) and 36 C.F.R. § 1194.22, that the technology provided to the State for purchase is capable, either by virtue of features included within the technology, or because it is readily adaptable by use with other technology, of:

1. Providing, to the extent required by Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-26-201 et seq., as amended by Act 308 of 2013, equivalent access for effective use by both visual and non-visual means.

2. Presenting information, including prompts used for interactive communications, in formats intended for non-visual use.

3. After being made accessible, integrating into networks for obtaining, retrieving, and disseminating information used by individuals who are not blind or visually impaired.

4. Providing effective, interactive control and use of the technology, including without limitation the operating system, software applications, and format of the data presented is readily achievable by nonvisual means.

5. Being compatible with information technology used by other individuals with whom the blind or visually impaired individuals interact.

6. Integrating into networks used to share communications among employees, program participants, and the public.

7. Providing the capability of equivalent access by nonvisual means to telecommunications or other interconnected network services used by persons who are not blind or visually impaired.

C. State agencies cannot claim a product as a whole is not reasonably available because no product in the marketplace meets all the standards. Agencies must evaluate products to determine which product best meets the standards. If an agency purchases a product that does not best meet the standards, the agency must provide written documentation supporting the selection of a different product, including any required reasonable accommodations.

D. For purposes of this section, the phrase “equivalent access” means a substantially similar ability to communicate with, or make use of, the technology, either directly, by features incorporated within the technology, or by other reasonable means such as assistive devices or services which would constitute reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar state and federal laws. Examples of methods by which equivalent access may be provided include, but are not limited to, keyboard alternatives to mouse commands or other means of navigating graphical displays, and customizable display appearance. As provided in Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-26-201 et seq., as amended by Act 308 of 2013, if equivalent access is not reasonably available, then individuals who are blind or visually impaired shall be provided a reasonable accommodation as defined in 42 U.S.C.

§ 12111(9), as it existed on January 1, 2019.

E. If the information manipulated or presented by the product is inherently visual in nature, so that its meaning cannot be conveyed non-visually, these specifications do not prohibit the purchase or use of an information technology product that does not meet these standards.

F. The proposed commodities, services, or both must comply with the State’s shared Technical Architecture Program which is a set of policies and standards that can found here. Only those standards that are fully promulgated or have been approved by the Governor’s Office apply to the solution.

1.13 MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS

https://www.transform.ar.gov/information-systems/policies-standards/

A. A minority-owned business is defined by Arkansas Code Annotated § 15-4-303 as a business owned by a lawful permanent resident of this State who is:

• African American

• American Indian

• Asian American

• Hispanic American

• Pacific Islander American

• A Service-Disabled Veteran as designated by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs

B. A women-owned business is defined by Act 1080 of the 91st General Assembly Regular Session

2017 as a business that is at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned by one (1) or more women who are lawful permanent residents of this State.

C. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission conducts a certification process for minority-owned and women-owned businesses. If certified, the Prospective Contractor’s Certification Number should be included on the Proposal Signature Page.

1.14 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

A. The release of public records is governed by the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (Arkansas

Code Annotated § 25-19-101 et. seq.).

B. Submission documents pertaining to the Solicitation become the property of the State and are subject to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

C. In accordance with FOIA, and to promote maximum competition in the State competitive sealed proposals, the State may maintain the confidentiality of certain types of information described in FOIA. Such information may include trade secrets and other information exempted from public disclosure pursuant to FOIA.

D. Consistent with and to the extent permitted under FOIA, any Prospective Contractor may designate appropriate portions of a proposal as confidential by submitting a redacted copy of the proposal. By so redacting any information contained in the proposal, the Prospective Contractor warrants that, after having received such necessary or proper review by counsel or other knowledgeable advisors, it has formed a good faith opinion that the portions redacted are not considered public records under

FOIA.

E. If a Prospective Contractor deems part of the information contained in a response not to be a public record, the Prospective Contractor should submit one (1) complete copy of the submission documents from which any proprietary or confidential information has been redacted in their proposal response. Except for the redacted information, the redacted copy must be identical to the original copy, reflecting the same pagination as the original and showing the space from which information was redacted.

F. The Prospective Contractor is responsible for identifying all proprietary information and for ensuring the electronic copy is protected against restoration of redacted data.

G. The redacted copy will be open to public inspection under the FOIA without further notice to the Prospective Contractor. If the State deems redacted information to be subject to a public record request under FOIA, the State will endeavor to notify the Prospective Contractor prior to release of the redacted record.

H. The State has no liability to a Prospective Contractor with respect to the disclosure of Prospective Contractor’s confidential or proprietary information ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to FOIA or other applicable law.

SECTION 2 – REQUIREMENTS

2.1 BACKGROUND

ARPBS owns a video tape archive of historical works (“assets”), including finished programs, raw footage, interviews, graphical and audio elements, and miscellaneous other content, dating back to 1966.

These works are currently stored in 31 different tape formats of varying length. It is estimated that there are 26,000, 15,000 already inventoried and 10,000 being inventoried, tapes containing approximately 22,553 hours of content to be digitized.

2.2 OBJECTIVES & GOALS

To obtain a Contractor to transfer video and audio content from tape formats to digital formats for preservation purposes.

2.3 PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A. The Contractor shall have five (5) years of experience within video tape digitization industry, ten (10) years preferred.

B. The Contractor’s facilities must be located within the Continental United States.

2.4 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, materials, and shipping to convert tape assets to required digital formats and return both original tapes and newly digitized files in the form of LTO-9 data tapes to ARPBS.

B. The data tapes must be LFTS formatted.

C. The data tapes must be labeled with a unique LTO barcode label that matches the tapes formatted serial number.

D. The Contractor should ship all data tapes to ARPBS by April 30, 2024.

E. The Contractor shall be responsible for all shipping costs and associated insurance for shipping.

F. The Contractor shall create one (1) set of digital files per physical unit.

G. If timecode is present, Preservation Master files must contain identical regenerated continuous digital timecode.

H. The Contractor shall generate checksums, preservation, and technical metadata as per the specifications in this RFP and should deliver this metadata via email.

I. The Contractor shall rigorously inspect all encoded files and file packages for quality and data integrity, employing the measures and procedures listed in this RFP. Monthly written quality control reports ("QC Reports") detailing the results of all QC inspections must be delivered via email to ARPBS on the day that each monthly batch is shipped.

J. The Contractor shall generate MD-5 checksums for all created files.

K. In the case that the Contractor encounters media that is too fragile or damaged to be safely transferred, the Contractor shall record all preservation metadata up to the point of failure (i.e., inspection notes, cleaning notes, etc.) and shall indicate at which point the media failed transfer criteria and why.

L. The Contractor shall store, preserve, and make available to ARPBS all asset data for a period of sixty (60) days after all contract deliverables are met.

2.5 QUALITY ASSURANCE

A. The Contractor shall conduct all encoding operations in a clean, dust-free environment.

B. The encoding area and equipment including playback machines must be cleaned, dusted and vacuumed regularly.

C. The Contractor shall follow the guidelines laid out in ISO 18933:2012 to the extent practicable when handling magnetic media.

2.6 ASSET TRACKING & METADATA

A. ARPBS will deliver a spreadsheet with inventory metadata about the source materials, including a unique identifier present on the tape/disc label, to the Contractor.

B. The Contractor shall follow the naming convention provided by AETN.

C. Photographs of the original tape case, tape label(s), and any documentation inside the tape case, must be taken for each asset. All photographs for each asset must be stored in a single digital file, i.e., one (1) photograph file per asset.

D. The Contractor shall provide a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or .csv file that contains a complete asset listing by asset number which must include the following:

1. Asset Number: Must include one (1) row in the asset listing.

2. Preservation Filename: Must have the Asset Number and file type embedded in the filename.

3. Access/Proxy Filename: Must have the Asset Number and file type embedded in the filename.

4. Photograph Filename: Must have the Asset Number and file type embedded in the filename.

5. Mezzanine Filename: Must have the Asset Number and file type embedded in the filename.

2.7 VIDEO PRESERVATION FILE

A. The Contractor shall digitize each original tape asset to a Video Preservation File which must, at minimum, meet the following specifications:

1. 10-bit JPEG2000 reversible 5/3 in a .MXF Op1a wrapper with all audio channels captured and encoded

2. Image essence coding: 10-bit JPEG2000 reversible 5/3 (aka “mathematically lossless”)

3. Interlace frame coding: 2 fields per frame, 1 KLV per frame

4. JPEG2000 Tile: single tile

5. Color space: YCbCr (If source is analog NTSC (YIQ), PAL or SECAM (YUV), it must be converted to YPbPr for digitization, which converts to YCbCr in digital)

6. Video color channel bit depth: 10 bits per channel

7. Native raster: archive file must match analog original, which maps to 486 x 720 for 525-line (NTSC) sourced material, and 576 x 720 for 625 line (PAL & SECAM) sourced material

8. Aspect ratio: AFD (Automatic Format Description) values must be provided. 4:3 material shall use the AFD 4:3 code; 16:9 materials shall use the 16:9 code

9. Native frame rate: the frame rate of the original must be preserved in the file with no conversion (29.97 shall remain 29.97, 25 as 25, etc.)

10. Native color space: If the material is analog sourced, YIQ shall be converted to YPbPr before digitization, YUV (PAL & SECAM) to YPbPr before digitization. YPbPr material shall be maintained. RGB analog material must be maintained as RGB.

2.8 VIDEO MEZZANINE FILE

A. The Contractor shall digitize each original tape asset to a Video Mezzanine File which must, at minimum, meet the following specifications:

1. Apple ProRes 422 HQ

2. 10-bit uncompressed HD (1920x1080)

3. 29.97 fps

2.9 VIDEO PROXY FILE

A. The Contractor shall digitize each original tape asset to a Video Proxy File which must, at minimum, meet the following specifications:

1. Video Codec: h.264/AVC

2. Codec ID: avcl

3. Alternate Name: Advanced Video Codec

4. Format profile: Main@L3.0

5. Format settings, GOP: M=1, N=30

6. Bit rate: 711 Kbps for SD; 1.5 mbps for HD

7. Width: 480 pixels for SD; 640 pixels for HD

8. Height: 360 pixels

9. Display aspect ratio: 4:3 for SD; 16:9 for HD

10. Color: YUV, 4:2:0, 8 bits

11. Scan type: Progressive

12. Audio Codec: AAC 48.0 KHz / 128 Kbps

13. Codec ID: 40

14. Other Name: Advanced Audio Codec Format profile: LC

15. Channel(s): 2 channels

16. Wrapper: MPEG-4 (.mp4) wrapper

B. When the original content is anamorphic, the video essence the Preservation Master must be encoded at its native 720x486 resolution, and the MXF wrapper must be flagged for a 16:9 display aspect ratio; the Mezzanine and Proxy files must be resized with rasters of 854x480 and 640x360 respectively.

2.10 AUDIO PRESERVATION FILE

A. The Contractor shall digitize each original tape asset to an Audio Preservation File which must, at

1. Preferred: BWF (Broadcast WAV) RF64, PCM Coding, 96 kHz, 24-bit sampling.

2. Acceptable: Original File Format

2.11 AUDIO PROXY FILE

A. The Contractor shall digitize each original tape asset to an Audio Preservation File which must, at

1. 192 kbps MPEG-1

2. Audio Layer 3 (48 kHz / 16 bits)

3. Codec ID: 0x55

4. Channels: 2

5. Wrapper: mp3

2.12 ASSET CONVERSION

A. The Contractor shall provide an Asset Conversion Plan during the Discussions Phase. The Asset

Conversion Plan must, at minimum, address the following:

1. Shipping and receiving assets

2. Asset check-in, tracking, monitoring

3. Technical evaluation and damage assessment of assets

4. Video/Audio Technical Infrastructure

5. Restoration process (if needed)

6. Digitization Process

2.13 QUALITY CONTROL & DISASTER PROTOCOLS

A. The Contractor shall provide a Quality Control & Disaster Protocol Plan during the Discussions

Phase. The Data Security & Disaster Protocol Plan must, at minimum, address the following:

1. Facility Specifications including HVAC, Humidity Control, and Monitoring Systems

2. Physical and Virtual Storage and Security

3. Fire and Disaster Protection Systems

4. Disaster Protocols

5. IT Storage Infrastructure

6. Power and Backup Power Capabilities

2.16 FILE DELIVERY SCHEDULE AND REPLACEMENT POLICY

A. The Contractor shall ensure that all materials, including storage delivery media, are:

1. Free from defect,

2. Meet all specifications set forth in this RFP

B. The Contractor shall promptly resolve all issues with the materials raised by AETN within the applicable review window without additional cost and to the satisfaction of AETN in their sole discretion.

2.17 DATA OWNERSHIP & END OF CONTRACT TRANSITION

A. The State shall retain sole ownership, right, title and interest to all data stored in the Contractor’s system. At the end of the contract the Contractor shall transfer 100% of State-owned data back to the State or to another Contractor at the request of the State. At the end of the contract and after confirmed transfer of 100% of State-owned data back to the State or their designee, the Contractor shall destroy all copies of the State-owned data the Contractor possesses.

B. The Contractor shall ensure all data received as part of the Contract must be used solely for the purpose of this contract and not shared, reused, or disseminated to any other party or entity without the express written consent of the AETN.

C. Upon termination or expiration, should any subsequent contract for a Video Tape Archive Digitization

Project be awarded to a provider other than the awardee of this RFP, the then current Contractor shall, to the greatest extent possible and reasonable, cooperate with the State in initiating a smooth and orderly transition to the next Contractor.

2.14 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

A. State law requires that qualifying contracts for services include Performance Standards for measuring the overall quality of services that a Contractor shall provide.

B. The State may be open to negotiations of Performance Standards prior to contract award, prior to the commencement of services, or at times throughout the contract duration.

C. Performance Standards shall not be amended unless they are agreed to in writing and signed by the parties.

D. Failure to meet the minimum Performance Standards as specified will result in the assessment of damages.

E. In the event a Performance Standard is not met, the Contractor will have the opportunity to defend or respond to the insufficiency. The State has the right to waive damages if it determines there were extenuating factors beyond the control of the Contractor that hindered the performance of services. In these instances, the State has final determination of the performance acceptability.

F. Should any compensation be owed to the Department due to the assessment of damages, Contractor shall follow the direction of the Department regarding the required compensation process.

SECTION 3 – SELECTION

3.1 SELECTION PROCESS

A. TSS OSP will review each Technical Proposal Packet to verify Submission Requirements have been met. Technical Proposal Packets that do not meet Submission Requirements will be rejected and will not be evaluated.

1. The State may conduct cost checks based on the cost submitted by each Prospective Contractor on the completed Pricing Response.

a. Prospective Contractors submitting Responsive Proposals with a proposed cost that falls twenty-five percent (25%) or more from the average submitted cost may be asked to justify their submitted cost.

b. Should TSS OSP request clarification and/or additional information regarding cost, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification and/or additional information as specified by the request.

B. A Department-appointed Evaluation Committee will evaluate and score qualifying Technical Proposals. Evaluation will be based on Prospective Contractor’s response to the Information for Evaluation section included in the Technical Proposal Packet.

1. Members of the Evaluation Committee (Evaluators) will individually review and evaluate proposals and complete an Individual Score Worksheet for each proposal. Individual scoring for each Evaluation Criteria will be based on the scoring description in Table B: Scoring Table.

TABLE B: SCORING TABLE

SCORE DESCRIPTION

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

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

2. After initial individual evaluations are complete, the Evaluators will meet to discuss their individual scores. At the initial consensus meeting, each Evaluator will be afforded an opportunity to discuss his or her score for each evaluation criteria.

3. After Evaluators have had an opportunity to discuss their individual scores with the committee, the Evaluators will be given the opportunity to change their initial individual scores, if they feel that is appropriate.

4. The final individual scores of the Evaluators will be recorded on the Pre-Interview Consensus Score Sheets and averaged to determine the group or consensus score and rank for each proposal.

5. Other agencies, consultants, and experts may also examine documents at the discretion of the Department.

C. Prospective Contractors submitting Responsive Proposals will be contacted by TSS OSP to schedule an interview.

1. Prospective Contractors shall attend the interview as scheduled by TSS OSP.

2. Evaluators will complete an Individual Score Worksheet for each interview. Evaluation will be based on Prospective Contractor’s responses to questions presented during the interview Individual scoring for each interview will be based on the Scoring Descriptions in 3.1.B.1.

3. During a final consensus meeting, after all interviews are complete, Evaluators will have the opportunity to discuss the interviews and change their individual interview scores on the Post- Interview Consensus Score Sheet, if they feel that is appropriate.

4. The final individual scores of the Evaluators will be recorded on the Post-Interview Consensus Score Sheets and averaged to determine the group or consensus score and rank for each proposal.

D. During the final consensus meeting, cost information will be provided to the Evaluators to allow them to determine if moving forward with the highest-ranking Prospective Contractor is the most advantageous to the State.

E. Should the State request clarification and/or additional information Prospective Contractors’ responses, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification and/or additional information as specified by the State.

F. TSS OSP will submit responses and pricing received from the interviewed Perspective Contractors, along with the Evaluation Committee’s recommendation to the Department for review and approval to move into Discussions.

3.2 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL SCORE

A. The Information for Evaluation section has been divided into sub-sections.

1. Each sub-section has been assigned a maximum point value of ten (10) points. The total point value for each sub-section is reflected in the table below as the Maximum Raw Points Possible.

2. The Department has assigned Weighted Percentages to each sub-section according to its significance.

INFORMATION FOR EVALUATION

SUB-SECTIONS

MAXIMUM

RAW

POINTS

POSSIBLE

SUB-SECTION’S

WEIGHTED

PERCENTAGE

* MAXIMUM

WEIGHTED

SCORE

POSSIBLE

Experience 10 20% 140 Solution 10 30% 210 Risk 10 20% 140 Interview 10 30% 210

Total Technical Score 40 100% 700 *Sub-Section’s Percentage Weight x Total Technical Maximum Weighted Score = Maximum Weighted Score Possible for the sub-section.

B. The proposal’s weighted score for each sub-section will be determined using the following formula:

(A/B)*C =D

A = Actual Raw Points received for sub-section in evaluation B = Maximum Raw Points possible for sub-section C = Maximum Weighted Score possible for sub-section D = Weighted Score received for sub-section

C. The proposal’s weighted scores for sub-sections will be added to determine the Total Technical Score for the proposal.

D. Proposals that do not receive a minimum Total Technical Score of 300 will not be subject to further consideration in the Solicitation process. The pricing for proposals that do not receive a minimum Total Technical Score of 300 will not be scored.

3.3 COST SCORE

A. When pricing is opened for scoring, the maximum amount of cost points will be given to the proposal with the lowest grand total as shown in Table One (1) on the completed Pricing Response. (See Grand Total Score for maximum points possible for cost score.)

B. The amount of cost points given to the remaining proposals will be allocated by using the following formula:

(A/B)*C =D

A = Lowest Estimated Cost B = Second (third, fourth, etc.) Lowest Estimated Cost C = Maximum Points for Lowest Estimated Cost D = Total price points received

3.4 GRAND TOTAL SCORE

The Technical Score and Cost Score will be added together to determine the Grand Total Score for the proposal. The State may move forward to Discussions with the Prospective Contractor determined reasonably susceptible of being selected for award.

MAXIMUM

POINTS

POSSIBLE

Technical Proposal 700

Cost 300

Maximum Possible Grand Total Score 1,000

3.5 EXPLANATION OF THE SUB-SECTIONS OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A. Experience

1. The Experience sub-section included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to differentiate themselves based on their experience, technical capability, and understanding of the State’s specific needs.

2. Prospective Contractors should identify expertise in the form of a claim and provide relevant experience to support each claim.

3. Prospective Contractors should use verifiable metrics (number of accounts, size of accounts, years of experience, customer satisfaction ratings) to support each claim.

B. Solution

1. The Solution sub-section included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to differentiate themselves based on their proposed solution and/or approach to solve the State’s specific needs.

2. Prospective Contractors should provide a high-level overview of the Prospective Contractor’s proposed solution and/or approach to services using the Requirements outlined in the RFP.

3. Proposed solutions should be non-technical and include the Prospective Contractor’s recommendations for meeting the objectives and Requirements of the RFP.

4. Additional service options and recommendations above and beyond those included in proposed solution should be included in the Recommended Options Form.

C. Risk

1. The Risk sub-section included in the Technical Proposal Packet allows Prospective Contractors to identify and prioritize major risks that they reasonably foresee could potentially prevent or impair the Prospective Contractor’s delivery of the solution as offered in the proposal or to otherwise fail to meet the State’s desired outcome, specifications, and performance standards, and how they will mitigate, manage, and/or minimize each risk listed.

a. Prospective Contractors should include sources, causes, or actions that are both within and beyond the control of the Prospective Contractors that they reasonably foresee may cause cost increases, delays, amendments, or dissatisfaction to the State.

b. Risks should be described in simple, clear, and non-technical terms.

c. Prospective Contractor should explain how the Prospective Contractor will mitigate, manage, and/or minimize each risk listed.

i. The Documented Performance cell should include details such as how many times any identified risk was previously mitigated and the impact on the Prospective Contractor’s performance in terms of time, cost, and client satisfaction.

D. Interview

1. The Interview will allow Prospective Contractors to further demonstrate their experience in providing the services outlined in the RFP.

a. Each Prospective Contractor meeting the Submission Requirements will be contacted by TSS OSP to schedule an interview. Prospective Contractors shall attend the interview as scheduled by TSS OSP.

b. Prospective Contractors shall identify one (1) Project Lead at the time of interview confirmation who shall attend the interview as part of the evaluation process.

c. The Evaluation Committee will interview the Prospective Contractor’s identified Project Lead using a pre-determined set of interview questions. Follow up questions may be asked based on responses given by the Project Lead.

3.6 DISCUSSIONS

A. The State will move forward into Discussions with the responsible Prospective Contractor(s) whose proposal(s) have been determined to be reasonably susceptible to being selected for award.

B. Discussions may be conducted with the highest-ranking Prospective Contractor based on the Grand Total Score for each proposal or with multiple Prospective Contractors reasonably susceptible of being awarded a contract.

C. Should the State choose to engage in Discussions with the highest-ranking Prospective Contractor, the Prospective Contractor invited to participate in Discussions shall provide all documents required during Discussions.

1. Should the Department determine, through the Discussions process, that the Prospective Contractor’s solution, approach, timelines, deliverables, expectations of the State, or a combination thereof make the Prospective Contractor no longer reasonably susceptible of being awarded a contract, the Department may abandon Discussions with that Prospective Contractor through a written justification to TSS OSP, and may proceed to additional rounds of Discussions with the next highest-ranking Prospective Contractor.

D. Should the State choose to engage in Discussions with multiple Prospective Contractors contemporaneously, each Prospective Contractor invited to participate in Discussions…