S000000321 QandA .pdf

Question Nbr Question Subject Question Text Answer

1 Terms and Conditions Section 1.6 states the following "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.".

Does this mean that the terms should be negotiated prior to submission of our response.

Request you to publish a time-table of when you expect to receive redlines to terms from vendors and respond with your approval.

Prospective Contractors should notify OSP of any term that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a compliant, Responsive Proposal. Redlines to the General

Terms and Conditions linked in the RFP can be negotiated during the Discussions Phase.

2 S000000321 S4 HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services -

2.1 BACKGROUND

The RFP states that there have been very few strategic initiatives to incorporate new features and functions within AASIS that could leverage the State?s long-term investment in the SAP ERP software.

The pain points shared under Attachment D have been very helpful to better understand where the state is at today. Did the DFA also develop a business case for this transformation initiative, and if so, would it be possible for OSP to share the highlights?

No.

3 S000000321 S4 HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services -

2.2 CURRENT TECHNOLOGY

ENVIRONMENT

Please share SAP Readiness check report, simplification list and details on the custom objects. This will be provided to the awarded Contractor.

4 Section 2.2 Current Technology

Environment - RFP Solicitation document

On Pg 9 of RFP document, system specifications for S/4HANA on-premises systems are provided.

Is State of Arkansas currently using S/4HANA for any application? If yes, what is that application?

Yes, Department of Commerce Division of Workforce Services is using S4 for Cost Allocation.

5 Section 2.2 Current Technology

Environment - RFP Solicitation document

Has State implemented SAP SuccessFactors currently? As per our understanding of RFP doc, Recruiting and Onboarding modules are currently implemented in SuccessFactors. Please Clarify

Recruiting and Onboarding are the modules currently in production.

6 S000000321 S4 HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services.

PDF - Section 2.4

PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR

MIN

PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - "comparable size and complexity" is defined as an annual budget of at least $1 billion and a minimum of 10,000 full time employees ? Since very few ECC 6.0 (Enhancement Pack 7) to S/4HANA projects in the U.S.

meet this size requirement, would the state consider change this requirement to read "of at least

$1 billion or a minimum of 10,000 full time employees"?

No.

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2.6 - BUSINESS PROCESS

SCOPE

What is the scope estimate of the Optional Fleet Management solution? Would you please provide details of the business process scope as well as volume of fleet and expected transaction volumes.

The scope of this optional solution has not been finalized at this time.

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2.7 ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE

Please provide details of agency/departmentwide use of different process areas, i.e., which agencies will use specific business processes in SAP (Plan to report, procure to pay, etc...)?

All agency/departments that are participating will use all the different process areas configured and deployed by the upgrade.

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2.7 ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE

Please provide user count across different processes (Plan to report, procure to pay, etc...) and different agencies.

Current Licensing and roles do not directly align to the procure to pay, plan to report, etc. Our current licensing includes approximately 4,000 SAP Business Suite Professional licenses, approximately 19,000 SAP Business Suite

Employee, and 3,500 SAP Manager Self Service users.

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2.8 MODULE AND BUSINESS

PROCESS SCOPE

For Procurement, what is the intended use of S/4 Procurement vs other eProcurement solution currently in place (Periscope)?

Intended use is to at a minimum provide the procurement functionality currently in use in ECC in S4 and expand on that foundation as re-engineered processes are evaluated for deployment. See Revised RFP Section 2.6.A.9. Business

Process Scope and 2.40 Optional Procurement Module

Implention.

11 Section 2.10 DEVELOPMENT

SCOPE – RFP Solicitation document

Are you looking to retain the current enhancements in the new S/4HANA environment or aiming for a clean core?

We are aiming for a clean core, however, some current enhancements will be kept to meet statutory requirements and other mandatory requirements, including usage of SAP's BTP.

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2.11 CONVERSION SCOPE

Will any legacy system data clean-up be included as a contractor's responsibility? Yes, it is anticipated but has not been fully developed, the state and the selected Contractor will make a final determination as part of the final scope and approach to the upgrade.

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2.11 CONVERSION SCOPE

Are legacy ECC system data archiving, data retention solutions in scope? Yes, it is anticipated but has not been fully developed, the state and the selected Contractor will make a final determination as part of the final scope and approach to the upgrade.

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2.15 ADDITIONAL REPORTING

REQUIREMENTS

The current architecture shows both BW/4HANA (in use) and SAP Datasphere (in the landscape but not deployed). Has the state made a decision on the target reporting architecture and solution approach?

A reporting approach and solution will be developed during the discovery phase.

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2.15 ADDITIONAL REPORTING

REQUIREMENTS

What are the historical data (i.e., data not planned to be migrated into S/4) related reporting needs and solution expectations? Will the current BW/4HANA continue to be used for this or are there any plans to leverage Datasphere?

A reporting approach and solution will be developed during the discovery phase.

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2.17 INTEGRATION SCOPE

Is there any timeline available for New HR / Payroll system implementation? We assume that

HR/Payroll will migrate out of ECC before S/4H project. Is this assumption valid?

Unknown at this time.

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2.18 - DEPLOYMENT

REQUIREMENTS

The RFP states that the Contractor shall finalize the deployment approach (Bluefield vs.

Greenfield, noting that the state does not want to pursue a Brownfield solution, unless there is a persuasive reason to do so).

We understand that Contractor shall finalize the deployment approach. Beyond the pros and cons mentioned under Attachment K, was there any score-carding done around options and is the State leaning more towards one or the other, between Greenfield and Bluefield?

The State did not perform any score-carding.

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2.26 PROJECT TIMELINE, 2.18

DEPLOYMENT REQ

The RFP's Project Timeline appears to show a big-bang release for full scope. Would the state consider a plan for phased deployments and rollouts including the new capabilities planned across various agencies?

Yes, the State would consider compelling alternative deployment plans and/or rollouts based on collaboration with the selected supplier.

19 Section 2.18 DEPLOYMENT

REQUIREMENTS – RFP

Solicitation Document

Does State want to phase out AASIS completely as a part of this upgrade or want to retain some business function in ECC (AASIS) ?

This has not been determined yet.

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2.21 CHANGE MANAGEMENT

The RFP states that the Contractor shall provide a proposed Change Management Plan during the

Discussions Phase based on their proposed methodology.

Can you please provide more insights around change management activities conducted up until now?

DFA has communicated to department CFO's on a monthly and quarterly basis both in person and written form, and conducted workshops with Departments, gathered pain points and requirements.

21 Section 2.26 Project Timeline -

RFP Solicitation document

Are the timelines mentioned on pg. 20 of RFP, the final timelines or an SI can provide an alternate timeline for this upgrade?

The timelines in the RFP are estimated with constraints of implementing during a fiscal year change; a more refined timeline will be developed with the selected supplier.

22 Minimum qualifications Will you accept non-US client references for minimum qualifications? Yes.

23 Existing vendors Who manages your current ECC landscape? In house resources.

24 Budget? Do you already have a budget approved for this project or do you intend to submit budget request based on price proposals from vendors?

This information is not needed to provide a responsive proposal.

25 Prospective Contractor's

Minimum Qualifications

The term ?Prospective Contractor? is defined in section 1.4 as ?a responsible offeror who submits a proposal in response to this Solicitation.? According to section 2.4, the minimum qualifications for the Prospective Contractor include having experience in providing ?S/4HANA project management and implementation advisory services on at least two (2) engagements for the implementation of entity wide S/4HANA.? Lastly, in Terms & Conditions, section 4.4, the RFP states that ?a single Prospective Contractor must be identified as the prime contractor.?

Would the state confirm if subcontractor(s) experience will count toward meeting the minimum qualifications in a bid where multiple contractors enter into an agreement for the benefit of the

State of Arkansas? This will enable the state to receive a broader set of past performance experience and improve competitiveness between Prospective Contractors.

Subcontractor(s) experience will count towards meeting the minimum qualifications.

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Attachment B and Attachment C

In addition to ECC, Enterprise Portal, Fiori Gateway, are there any other systems in scope for

Upgrade?

All systems listed in Attachment B and Attachment C are considered in scope for the upgrade.

27 Attachment D Pain Points.pdf, Pain point – Building Authority

Where is the data for CLM Leases and Real Estate Management currently stored and managed? CLM module is in the current ECC system.

28 Attachment D Pain Points.pdf, Pain point – Travel Management

What is current application being used for Travel Management? No statewide solution is currently in place.

29 Attachment D Pain Points.pdf, Pain point – Travel Management

Is SAP Concur a preferred application for State to implement Travel and Expense Management? Yes.

30 Attachment D Pain Points.pdf, Pain point – Grant and Sub-Grant

Management

How is State managing Grants Management and budgeting today if this is not yet implemented in

SAP? What application are they using? What is the data volume for Grants and Budgeting management?

Different Departments are using different solutions depending on the volume and complexity of their grants.

31 Row 294, Column D, E, F, Attachment F Business Process

Scope mapped to Roles, Modules and Re-Engineering

Candidates.xlsx

In attachment F, under "Manage Human Resources" please clarify if below mentioned master data elements are currently in use/ are BPR candidate(Y/N)?

• Maintain HR master data

• Hire Employees

• Maintain Employees

• Terminate Employment

The elements are currently in use in ECC and, at this time, would be considered as integration point between S4 and a yet to be determined HCM solution.

32 Attachment I Anticipated

Development Efforts - Tab:

Potential Intfc Scope, Potential

Intfc Analysi

Is the interface list in Attachment I the full list of interfaces to consider? Yes, at this time.

33 Attachment I Anticipated

Development Efforts - Tab:

Conversion Scope

Please provide data volumes for conversion data objects listed in Attachment I - Conversion scope.

Scope and size of the data volumes needed for conversion will be reviewed and developed during the discovery phase.

34 Attachment L Requirements

Traceability Matrix Software

Requirements

Attachment L- RTM does not list processes, sub processes for Plant maintenance, Fleet

Management processes. Can you provide more details on the process scope for these areas?

These processes/sub processes are currently not in the ECC system. This will be reviewed during the discovery phase.

35 Attachment L Requirements

Traceability Matrix Software

Requirements.xlsx, Attachment I

Anticipated Development

Efforts.xlsx

Is it a valid assumption that all functional and technical requirements for this Upgrade are

Captured in Attachments I and L provided by State?

The State has done its best effort to identify all functional and technical requirements for this upgrade.

36 S/4HANA Readiness assessment As a part of the RFP, is the State planning to share the S/4HANA Readiness assessment of its current state that includes the custom development objects?

This will be provided to the awarded Contractor.

37 S000000321 S4 HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services

Understanding OSP is requesting pricing for services only. Hardware, software and hosting is not in the scope of this RFP. Would you confirm this is a correct understanding.

Confirmed. Hardware, software, and hosting are not part of this RFP.

38 Official Solicitation Price Sheet Can we add a sheet to the Official Solicitation Price Sheet to note Project Assumptions or would you like us to add them in another area of the response?

OSP will revise the Cost sheet to add a second tab.

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Pricing

Please confirm whether pricing is required for 7 years (from July 2024 till June 2031) or 3 years 6 months (from July 2024 till December 2027)?

Pricing should cover the cost to complete the project based on the State's estimated timeline. The seven years is to allow for contract renewal should the project timeline change.

40 S000000321 Official Solicitation

Price Sheet - Pricing

Please confirm if Table 2: Breakdown of cost by resource is required only until Go-Live. Cost by resource should include total cost for each resource that will be utilized for the milestones in Table 1.

41 S000000321 S4 HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services -

Pricing

Please let us know where pricing assumptions should be included in cost proposal. OSP will revise the Cost sheet to add a second tab.

42 Technical Proposal Packet (as compared to S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and

Implementation Services)

Under RFP Section - Information for Evaluation - Experience, the RFP states that the Prospective

Contractors may expand the space in each table, add a table, or delete a table as needed, but

Prospective Contractors shall not exceed the two-page limit for this subsection. See RFP Section

3.5 for more information about this subsection.

Please confirm whether the State means for Contractors to limit the response to the Experience tables to a maximum of two pages altogether. If yes, would the State please consider increasing this page limit? Given the breadth of the project scope described in 2.5 - 2.25 of S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services, it will be highly challenging to provide sufficient information to address experience in all these areas within two pages. Please consider a limit of at least 10 pages.

Experience page limit will increase to 4 pages.

43 Technical Proposal Packet (as compared to S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and

Implementation Services)

In RFP section Information for Evaluation - Solution, the RFP states that: Using this template, Prospective Contractors should include a narrative to address and provide a high-level overview of the solution and/or approach proposed using the requirements outlined in the Solicitation.

Prospective Contractors shall not exceed the two-page limit for this subsection. See RFP Section

3.5 for more information about this subsection.

Please confirm whether the State means for Contractors to limit the response to the Solution subsection to a maximum of two pages altogether. If yes, would the State please consider increasing this page limit? Given the breadth of the project scope described in 2.5 - 2.25 of

S000000321 S4 HANA Upgrade and Implementation Services, it will be highly challenging to provide sufficient information to address experience in all these areas within two pages - including in the context of a "high-level, non-technical" overview. Please consider a limit of at least 20 pages.

Solution page limit will increase to 10 pages.

44 Technical Proposal Packet (as compared to S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and

Implementation Services)

Regarding the Proposed Subcontractors Form, does the State have a preferred proposal structure/template for a response document to be included with their Technical Proposal Packet, or is it the State's request to submit all documents separately?

The State had provided the template with the Technical

Proposal Packet. They may be altered within the limits set within the templates.

45 Technical Proposal Packet (as compared to S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and

Implementation Services)

Does the State have a naming convention for each section in the Response document and/or each individual document required for submission?

The State does not have a naming convention for each section.

46 Technical Proposal Packet (as compared to S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and

Implementation Services)

Does the State have a preferred font or font size for the response content? The State does not have a preferred font or font size.

However, Prospective Contractors should ensure that their response is easily legible.

47 Technical Proposal Packet (as compared to S000000321 S4

HANA Upgrade and

Implementation Services)

Please let us know how Prospective Bidder should share proposed deviations and under which format.

Proposed deviations should be included in the Technical

Proposal packet, Information for Evaluation - Solution section and will be included in the 10 page limitation.Note that failure to meet mandatory requirements may cause Prospective

Contractor's proposal to be rejected.

48 Technical Proposal Packet

S000000321 ? subsection

Information For Evaluation ?

EXPERIENCE

Would the State consider extending the two-page limit for this subsection to 6 pages? Experience page limit will increase to 4 pages.

49 Technical Proposal Packet

S000000321 - subsection

Information For Evaluation ?

SOLUTION

Would the State consider extending the two-page limit for this subsection to 10 pages? Solution page limit will increase to 10 pages.

50 Technical Proposal Packet

S000000321 - subsection

Information For Evaluation ?

RISK

Would the State consider extending the two-page limit for this subsection to 10 pages? The Risk page limit will remain at 2.