S000000295 Call Center Software Services REVISED RFP.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

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

CHANGES TO THIS RFP ARE DISPLAYED IN RED FONT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: S000000295 Solicitation Issued: January 31, 2024

Description: Unemployment Insurance (UI) Call Center Software and Services

Department: Division of Workforce Services

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Proposal Opening Date:

March 1, 2024 February 23, 2024

Proposal Opening Time: 10:00 AM, 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.

LIVE PROPOSAL OPENING INFORMATION

Teams Meeting Link: Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 226 251 480 804

Passcode: nQbMv6

Call in (audio only): 501.244.3310 or find a local number

Phone conference ID: 330 646 188#

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Procurement Specialist:

Julie Robnolt Procurement Specialist’s Direct Phone Number:

501-371-6070

Email Address: julie.robnolt@arkansas.gov TSS OSP’s Main Number: 501-324-9316

TSS OSP Website: transform.ar.gov/procurement/ https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/ https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MzMyNDNkM2ItZDFkMy00Nzc0LTk2ZGUtZmRhZjAxMjZiMTNk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%225ec1d8f0-cb62-4000-b327-8e63b0547048%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a5e9cf20-c478-4e36-8fed-351f1ae086e2%22%7d https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com/6b6513dc-a034-48d2-8d06-7e711c4ecc0b?id=719036839 mailto:julie.robnolt@arkansas.gov https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/

Rev 11/2023

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 the Division of Workforce Services (“DWS” or “Division”) to obtain pricing and a contract(s) for Call Center Software and Services.

Contract(s) will be awarded 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 Division.

1.2 OBJECTIVE AND GOALS

The Division seeks to receive bids for Call Center Services Management Software for their Unemployment Insurance Call Center.

1.3 BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

The Division currently has a contract that was procured during the COVID pandemic as an emergency procurement. During the pandemic, the call center was staffed solely by the Contractor. Currently, the call center is solely operated by agency staff and the Contractor provides the call center software plus two full-time administrative staff. The staff from the Contractor perform the following services:

• Conduct staff training

• Provide reports

• Record and switch out messages when requested

• Monitor and add queues to software

• Troubleshoot software issues

• Field staff software-related questions, etc.

1.4 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 April 22, 2024, 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 Division, 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.

1.5 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.

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.

1.6 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 [Dates are provided for reference]

ACTIVITY DATE

RFP Release to Prospective Contractors January 31, 2024

Deadline for Prospective Contractor Questions February 7, 2024

Answers to Questions Posted to ARBuy* February 14, 2024

Proposal Due Date February 23, 2024March 1, 2024

@ 10 am

Initial Proposal Evaluation* February 26, 2024

Interviews* February 28-29, 2024

Final Proposal Evaluation* February 29, 2024

Discussions Kick Off Meeting* March 6, 2024

Finalize Discussions* March 20, 2024

Post Anticipation to Award* March 22, 2024

Award Contract* April 2024

1.7 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 Table A.

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

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 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.

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

2. 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 Official Solicitation Price Sheet attached to the Solicitation 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.

• The State may order more or less than the estimated quantity on term contracts, and the Contractor shall sell to the Division quantities ordered at no more than the submitted price.

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 adjustments may be negotiated at the time of contract renewal/annually/quarterly.

• A request for a price increase must include supporting documentation demonstrating that the increase in contract price is based on an increased cost to the Contractor and that the proposed pricing is still competitive in the marketplace. The State has the right to approve or deny any request for a price adjustment.

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)

3. 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

4. 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), if applicable.

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.

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/

SECTION 2 – REQUIREMENTS

2.1 BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

DWS currently contracts with Maximus to provide a third-party Genesys web-based call center software.

The system also utilizes Jabber to allow the system to process calls via the computer without the use of phone lines or Voice over IP (VOIP). The current system was procured as an emergency during the COVID 19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the call center was staffed solely by the Contractor.

Currently, the call center is solely operated by agency staff and the Contractor provides the call center software plus two full-time administrative staff. The staff from the Contractor perform the following services:

• Conduct staff training

• Provide reports

• Record and switch out messages when requested

• Monitor and add queues to software

• Troubleshoot software issues

• Field staff software-related questions, etc.

2.2 OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

The Division seeks to receive bids for Call Center Services Management Software for their Unemployment Insurance Call Center.

Initially, the Division will require licenses for one hundred twenty-five (125) agents with the future requirement increasing to two hundred (200) licensed agents.

2.3 PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A. The Contractor shall have five (5) years of experience with projects of similar size and scope as detailed in this RFP.

2.4 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

A. The system must allow for agent’s schedules to be integrated into the software and be accessed by designated staff.

B. The system must allow for agents to work remotely.

C. The system must operate 100% through the computer without the use of desk phones or VOIP.

D. The system must allow for agents to have voicemail.

E. The system must allow the claimant the ability to leave their phone number for a call back and not lose their spot in the line.

F. The Contractor shall use the pre-existing toll-free phone number that is currently being used by the Division and is printed on all published documents.

G. The system must be able to transcribe calls to text.

H. The system must be able to track call volume and estimate peak periods.

I. The system must record and house messaging provided by DWS as well as provide the Spanish translation for the messages.

1. DWS will provide the text/script for the Contractor to record and add to the system. Scripts must be recorded by a person, and not be computer generated.

2.5 INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall set up Interactive Voice Response (IVR) flow that will mirror the current hotline environment to ensure streamlined transfer of calls without any downtime (see Attachment A: Phone System Workflow).

B. The system must house special IVR scripts to be used for cases such as 1099s, increased call volume, inclement weather, and hotline closure due to state holidays and it must allow DWS to switch out the messages when required.

C. The system must be able to run more than one IVR at a time.

D. The Contractor shall assist DWS with adding new IVRs as needed.

2.6 PHONE QUEUING AND TRANSFERRING REQUIREMENTS

A. The system must allow DWS to construct or reconstruct all queues, including, but not limited to, queues with different skill levels.

B. The system must transfer calls out of the queue to another tier within the queue, to another queue, or to another phone number.

C. The system must use a phone tree system through the main number to link to other programs.

D. The system must allow for the use of a custom, built-in directory for ease of transferring calls between programs and units.

2.7 CALL RECORDING REQUIREMENTS

A. The system must record all incoming and outgoing calls and store the data for one (1) year.

B. The system must have the capacity to store up to 30,000 calls per month.

C. The system must allow DWS to flag certain call records for longer storage.

D. The system must store calls and the Contractor shall provide the data to DWS upon request.

E. The system must allow calls to be pulled individually or in batch (For example, all calls processed by a specified employee over a designated time period). If the system does not include functionality that allows DWS to pull call recordings as described, the Contractor shall be responsible for pulling specified calls for DWS upon request.

2.8 TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall provide a proposed Training Plan during the Discussions phase.

B. Contractor shall provide all training sufficiently in advance to the “Go-Live” of the proposed system such that all users required to be trained have had a sufficient amount of exposure to capably use the system.

C. The Contractor shall create existing agent profiles and conduct virtual training on Call Center

Software.

D. The Contractor shall create the training plan so that it’s staggered between all UI Service Centers:

Adjudication, Benefits Accuracy Measurement, Benefit Payment Control, Tax, and Information Desk staff for training on the new system.

E. The Contractor shall assist with setting up new agent profiles and provide additional training upon request from DWS.

F. The Contractor shall train ADWS staff to pull Ad-hoc reports as needed for various purposes.

2.9 IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING

A. The Contractor shall provide a proposed Implementation and Testing Plan during the Discussions phase.

B. The Contractor shall provide a plan by which all implementation and testing activities are complete, and the system Go-Live date is no later than July 1, 2024.

2.10 REPORTING AND AUDIT FUNCTIONALITY

A. The Contractor shall ensure the system provides a robust ad-hoc and pre-defined reporting functionality for DWS use.

B. The Contractor shall ensure DWS has the ability to define new reports in the system and edit as needed without assistance or ongoing support from the Contractor.

C. The system must be able to export report data to a variety of formats including, but not limited to the following:

• Microsoft Excel

• .csv

• .txt

• .pdf

D. If the Contractor’s proposed solution requires the use of a third-party reporting tool such as Crystal Reports, the costs of any and all required licenses to operate the reporting tool with the system must be included in the licensing cost proposed in the Official Bid Price Sheet.

E. AUDIT FUNCTIONALITY

1. The system must track all inquiries and data changes including, but not limited to, the following:

a. Date and time of inquiry/modification

b. Type of activity

c. Identification of the user

d. All fields inquired and/or modified

2. The system must provide a searchable log of every record viewed, including the above information.

3. Authorized State Business Managers shall have the ability to login and view the audit details online.

2.11 HOSTING

A. All servers and data associated with the Arkansas instance of the Contractor Hosted system must reside in the continental United States.

B. The State prefers the proposed system be hosted on a private cloud or a virtual private cloud. For the purposes of this RFP, a private cloud is either a single-tenant environment where the hardware, storage, and network are dedicated to the State, or a virtual private cloud, a multi-tenant environment with network isolation and private subnets. Contractors may propose other types of cloud in their proposal, but preferential scoring will be given for private or virtual private cloud.

C. The system must be FedRamp compliant.

D. Contractor shall perform all work on the system from within the continental United States of America.

The system must not be accessed from outside of the U.S.

E. The Contractor shall be responsible for the acquisition and operation of all hardware, software, and network support related to the hosting services being provided.

F. The Contractor shall develop and implement the system and all dependent hosted hardware in such a manner that allows for direct network communications with the Contractor’s Solution and the exchange of data via approved industry standard protocols for interfacing with other State of Arkansas systems as deemed necessary.

G. The Contractor shall keep all hosting related software current and up to date.

2.12 SYSTEM UPTIME AND PERFORMANCE

A. The Contractor shall provide a proposed System Uptime and Performance Plan during the Discussions Phase.

B. Dedicated bandwidth will not be provided for the proposed solution and the system must not negatively impact or interfere with services from other existing systems.

2.13 SYSTEM ACCESS

A. The system must provide a user-friendly administrative interface with automated workflows for common functions (referrals, applications, eligibilities, plans, performance-data collection, reports, etc.).

B. The system should stress consistency across all the different modules so that the business process is easy to learn and understand.

C. The system must be browser and operating system neutral for all user types and function accurately on common modern browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

D. The system must have a Responsive User Interface (RUI) and be accessible and function normally from mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, and chrome books.

E. The system must allow users to login using their email address.

2.14 USER ROLES

A. The system must authenticate and assign the appropriate level of access to users based on the appropriate user roles.

B. DWS shall have the ability to administer access rights.

C. System Administrators shall be able to create custom user roles with security parameters that define access.

D. The system must support multiple access levels within the system (i.e., read-only, read/write, approval, etc.).

E. Configuration parameters must be editable and extendable without system redeployment.

F. The system must be capable of central management by virtual location.

2.15 MAINTENANCE & SUPPORT

A. The Contractor shall provide a proposed Maintenance & Support Plan during the Discussions phase.

B. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing ongoing maintenance of the system for the life of the contract.

C. The Contractor shall ensure that any system updates or maintenance will not compromise or negatively impact or interrupt any configurations or customizations made by the Contractor to the solution.

D. The Contractor shall provide corrective action regarding problems or issues that are identified and logged by DWS or its designee.

E. The Contractor shall provide ongoing user and technical support via telephone and email to DWS staff beginning at the time of Go Live and continuing for the life of the contract. The Contractor shall:

1. Provide English speaking Telephone Support Staff.

2. Provide properly trained User and Technical Support staff in sufficient quantities to support DWS.

F. Technical issues must be designated Emergency, High, Medium, or Low Priority. The Contractor shall provide proposed response/resolution times to DWS for approval during Discussions phase.

G. The Contractor shall dedicate a resource after four (4) business hours of down time.

2.16 DATA SECURITY

A. The Contractor shall be required to provide a proposed Data Security Plan during the Discussions phase.

2.17 DATA CONVERSION

A. The Contractor shall work directly with DWS and/or current vendor to assist in transfer of call and account data into the new system.

B. The current data being collected includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Phone numbers

2. Voice recordings

3. Claimant names

4. Potentially claimant SSNs

5. Address information

6. Payment information

7. Wrap up codes which indicates what issue was addressed

C. The current volume of data collected:

1. Total storage usage is approximately 78,000 GBs (collected since November 2021)

2. Estimate an additional 30,000 GBs before June 30, 2024.

D. The current format for file data:

1. Microsoft Excel

2. .csv

3. Text

4. MP3 voice recordings

2.18 DISASTER RECOVERY

A. The Contractor shall provide a proposed Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan during the

Discussions phase.

B. The Contractor shall include the following in the final plan(s):

1. Plan Objectives

2. What situations and conditions are covered by the Plan

3. Technical considerations

4. System fail over plans

5. Roles and responsibilities of Contractor staff

6. How and when to notify the Contract Monitor

7. Recovery procedures

8. Procedures for deactivating the Disaster Recovery Plan

2.19 DATA OWNERSHIP AND CONTRACT TRANSITION

A. The State shall retain sole ownership, right, title and interest to all data stored in the Contractor-hosted solution. 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 DWS Chief Information Officer.

C. Upon termination or expiration, should any subsequent contract for Call Center Software & Services 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 DWS in initiating a smooth and orderly transition to the next Contractor.

2.20 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

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.

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 30% 210

Solution 10 35% 245

Risk 10 10% 70

Interview 10 25% 175

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 seven (7) year 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 shall provide all documents required during Discussions.

1. Should a Prospective Contractor not provide the required documents within timeframes requested by TSS OSP or choose not to engage in the Discussions process, the Prospective Contractor’s proposal will be considered withdrawn and will not be subject to further consideration in the Solicitation process.

E. If Discussions necessitate material revisions of proposals, each responsible Prospective Contractor reasonably susceptible of being awarded a contract will be provided an opportunity to revise its proposal for the purpose of submitting a best and final offer.

F. During the Discussions Kick Off Meeting, the Prospective Contractor shall provide the following documents to the State:

1. A detailed scope of work clearly identifying the Prospective Contractor’s understanding, implementation, and performance of services required in this RFP, including all activities required by the Contractor and all activities expected by the State/Participating Entities

2. A Risk Management Plan intended to mitigate any risks, including but not necessarily limited to, the risks identified in the Risk Plan submitted in the Prospective Contractor’s Technical Proposal Packet

3. A proposed financial summary, including:

a. The completed Pricing Response and Recommended Options Form submitted in the Prospective Contractor’s Technical Proposal Packet

b. A proposed payment schedule

4. Proposed project management and reporting templates

G. During the Discussions Kick Off Meeting, the Prospective Contractor shall address questions and/or concerns the State may have to the satisfaction of the State.

H. During Discussions, the Prospective Contractor shall revise the discussions documents until agreement is made and the State has provided final approval.

1. The Prospective Contractor shall attend follow up Discussions meeting as determined necessary by the State. Reasonable effort will be made to accommodate scheduling conflicts.

I. During Discussions, the Prospective Contractor shall present a final draft of the Discussions documents to the State, including, at minimum:

1. A summary of all plans and scope of work developed during the discussions process and mutually agreed upon by the State and the Prospective Contractor

2. A detailed scope of work clearly identifying the Prospective Contractor’s implementation and performance of services required in this RFP, including all provisions negotiated and agreed upon by the State and the Prospective Contractor since the Discussions Kick Off Meeting

3. Description of deliverables in terms of simplified metrics

4. The Risk Management Plan

5. Project management and reporting templates

6. Financial summary, including:

a. The completed Pricing Response submitted in the Prospective Contractor’s Technical Proposal Packet

b. A list of agreed upon and accepted recommended options (with impact to price)

c. A payment schedule

d. Contact information for the Prospective Contractor’s key personnel

J. During Discussions, the Prospective Contractor shall present the final drafts of the items and shall summarize the coordination and planning completed during the discussion process.

K. Once approved by the State, final drafted documents will become part of the resulting contract.

L. The Prospective Contractor may determine which key personnel will attend the Discussions meetings.

3.7 ANTICIPATION TO AWARD

A. Once an anticipated Contractor has been determined, the anticipated award will be posted to the

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

1. It is the responsibility of Prospective Contractors to check the ARBuy website for the posting of an anticipated award.

B. Anticipated awards will generally be posted for a period of fourteen (14) days prior to the issuance of a contract. These notices are anticipated awards only and are subject to protest.

C. A contract resulting from this Solicitation is subject to State review and approval processes prior to award, which may include Legislative review.

3.8 PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR ACCEPTANCE OF EVALUATION TECHNIQUE

The submission of a Technical Proposal Packet signifies the Prospective Contractor’s understanding and agreement that some subjective value judgments will be made during the evaluation and scoring of the technical proposals.

SECTION 4 – SOLICITATON TERMS AND CONDITIONS

4.1 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.

4.2 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. The Prospective Contractor represents and warrants that, prior to being awarded any executed contract resulting from this solicitation, the Prospective Contractor has taken or shall take all actions necessary to receive payment from the State through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for the services and/or commodities to be provided under any such contract. This includes, without limitation, the following actions:

1. Signing documents authorizing the State to make EFT payments into a bank account designated by the Prospective Contractor.

2. Providing all information requested by the State to set up EFT payments, including either a voided check or a letter from their financial institution that contains the following information:

a. Account holder’s name

b. Account number

c. Routing number

d. Financial institution official’s contact information and signature

3. In the event the EFT information changes, the Contractor shall be responsible for providing the updated information to the State. No interest or late payment penalty will apply if payment is https://www.ark.org/contractor/index.html delayed because of the Contractor’s failure to initially provide or update information necessary for the State to make EFT payment.

C. Pursuant to Arkansas State Procurement Law, the Contractor shall certify that, unless they offer to provide the goods or services for at least twenty percent (20%) less than the lowest certifying Prospective Contractor:

1. 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),

2. They are not engaged in and shall not, during the aggregate term of the resulting contract, engage in a boycott of an Energy, Fossil Fuel, Firearms, or Ammunition Industry (Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-1-1102).

D. Pursuant to Arkansas Procurement Law, the Contractor shall certify that the Contractor does not employ or contract with illegal immigrants and that the Contractor shall not employ or contract with illegal immigrants during the aggregate term of any contract with the State or any of its departments, institutions, or political subdivisions (Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-105).

E. 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.

F. 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.

G. 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.

H. The Prospective Contractor shall certify that they are not a company owned in whole or with a majority ownership by the government of the People's Republic of China (a “Scrutinized Company”) and that they do not and shall not during the aggregate term of the resulting contract employ a Scrutinized Company as a contractor (Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-1-1203).

I. This RFP incorporates all terms of the Services Contract (SRV-1) Fillable Form (found here).

1. The contract template is attached to the Solicitation in ARBuy as a sample for your information only.

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

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

J. The Prospective Contractor agrees and shall adhere to all terms, conditions, and Requirements if selected as the Contractor.

1. Items may only be modified if the legal requirement is satisfied and approved by the State during Discussions.

4.3 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 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…