S000000364 RFP Online Training Courses - FINAL.pdf

STATE OF ARKANSAS

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

501 Woodlane St., Ste. 220

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1023

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: S000000364 Solicitation Issued: October 4, 2024

Description: Online Training Courses

Department: Arkansas Public Broadcasting System (AR PBS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Proposal Opening Date: October 23, 2024 Proposal Opening Time: 3:00 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.

LIVE PROPOSAL OPENING INFORMATION

Teams Meeting Link: Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 212 046 141 625

Passcode: NZid4C

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

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Procurement Specialist:

Kimberly Haywood Procurement Specialist’s Direct Phone Number:

501-683-2222

Email Address: Kimberly.Haywood@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_YjgxNjVkYWMtZDc4YS00YTIxLTk4NWEtYjU2MWNiN2IyYjJj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%225ec1d8f0-cb62-4000-b327-8e63b0547048%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22d9090c76-7a45-4534-8343-2b68ab648322%22%7d https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com/6b6513dc-a034-48d2-8d06-7e711c4ecc0b?id=719036839 https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/

Rev 5/2024

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 Arkansas Public Broadcast Systems (“AR PBS” or “Department”) to obtain pricing and a contract(s) for Online Training Courses.

Contract 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 Department.

1.2 TYPE OF CONTRACT

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

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract is January 1, 2025, 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.

1.3 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.

I. “System” means the hardware, software, and enterprise architecture responsible for delivering the product, online training courses, as defined in this RFP.

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 October 4, 2024

Deadline for Prospective Contractor Questions October 10, 2024

Answers to Questions Posted to ARBuy* October 17, 2024

Proposal Due Date October 23, 2024

Initial Proposal Evaluation* October 28, 2024

Interviews* November 6 – 7, 2024

Final Proposal Evaluation* November 7, 2024

Discussions Kick Off Meeting* November 13, 2024

Finalize Discussions* November 22, 2024

Post Anticipation to Award* November 25 – December 9, 2024

Award Contract* January 1, 2025

1.5 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 Requirements that precludes The Prospective Contractor from submitting a Responsive 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.

1.6 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.

https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/

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 Department 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.

• 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

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.

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/

C. Redacted copy of the Technical Proposal Packet

1. One (1) redacted (marked Redacted) copy of Prospective Contractor’s proposal response (see Proprietary Information), if applicable.

D. Prospective Contractors should not alter language in Solicitation document(s) or Official Solicitation 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.

SECTION 2 – REQUIREMENTS

2.1 CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

When AR PBS has provided access to a Contractor’s services for specialized computer science training courses and other specialized trainings in the past, Users completed a total of approximately 600-1400 of those trainings per year. AR PBS expects if these Courses are offered as PD, usage would increase.

2.2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Arkansas PBS seeks a qualified vendor to deliver up-to-date, asynchronous, self-paced computer science, technology, and other specialized online training courses to K-12 educators.

Arkansas PBS develops Arkansas-specific content for educators as required by state law and would like to offer additional computer science, technology, and other specialized online training courses (hereinafter referred to as “Courses”) as professional development (PD) hours for educators as well. In lieu of developing these Courses in-house, Arkansas PBS has determined that outsourcing content for the Courses is most beneficial for the State.

Arkansas PBS requires that Course content be provided so that it may be integrated into the Arkansas PBS ArkansasIDEAS learning management system (LMS) as part of a developed course which may include Arkansas-specific assessments, certification, and tracking.

In addition to the required PD for educators Arkansas PBS will, in partnership with the vendor, offer optional Courses to help educators keep up with current trends in technology, including in areas such as e-learning, blended learning, teaching online, desktop and office publishing/productivity suites, internet safety, privacy and security trends as related to student and data safety, large language model A.I.

programs, and more.

2.3 PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A. The Prospective Contractor shall, at minimum have at least three (3) years of experience in supplying online educational coursework or professional development courses for adults in the professional workforce with at least a similar size and scope required by this RFP.

B. The Prospective Contractor’s system must have been successfully used by another educational or professional entity for at least three (3) years.

2.4 SYSTEM ACCESS

A. The Contractor shall provide user access to the system through a secure, web-based portal.

B. The system must provide a user-friendly administrative interface with automated workflows for common functions.

C. The S2S should stress consistency across all the different modules so that the process is easy to learn and understand.

D. The S2S must be browser and operating system agnostic for all user types and should function accurately on common modern browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

E. The S2S must not require additional browser plug-ins, add-ons, or helper applications.

F. The S2S must have a Responsive User Interface (RUI) and be accessible and function normally from mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, and chrome books. This must include, but is not limited to, iPhones, iPads, and Android based phones and tablets.

G. The online portal must be accessible to Users via single sign on (SSO) login capabilities through the ArkansasIDEAS LMS.

H. Users must be tied to their ArkansasIDEAS unique User identification and to their organizations (including child organizations) and organization local education agency (LEA) numbers.

2.5 TRAINING CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall provide Courses that must cover the following content topic and subtopic list, at minimum:

Content Topics Content Subtopics

Operating Systems Chrome, Windows, and Mac operating systems (most recent versions)

Devices iOS and Android operating systems

Chromebooks

Document Cameras

Cameras

Video Cameras

Digital White Boards

Game Systems

Internet of Things (IoT) devices

3D Printers

Learning Management Systems

Moodle

Canvas

Blackboard

Google Classroom

Adobe Systems Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Lightroom

Capture

Premiere Pro

Microsoft Office Suite of Programs

Word

Excel

Access

Publisher

PowerPoint

Outlook

Mac Applications Preview iMessages

Garage Band iMovie iTunes iBooks

Mail

Google Suite Google Docs

Google Drive

Google Maps

Google Sheets

Google Hangout

Google Classroom

Internet Safety and etiquette

Privacy and data security

Large language model A.I. programs

Web browsers

Webinars and Video Conferences

Cloud functionality

Social media Apps

Marketing

Ads

Safety and Privacy

Video Editing Software

Final Cut

Adobe Premiere

Avid

After Effects

Other Animation, Graphic Design, and 3D Graphics

Adobe programs

Autodesk

Maya

3ds Max

Canva

Gimp

Blender

Web Design HTML

JavaScript

CSS

Computer Programming

Java

C

C++

C#

Objective-C

.NET

Visual Basic

PHP

Python

Ruby

SQL

Additional Relevant Topics

E-learning, blended learning, and teaching online

Automation and Robotics

Content Topics Content Subtopics

Computer network architecture and engineering

A/V Technology and Communications, including Digital Art

Architectural/Engineering CAD

Hardware setup

Drones

Digital Marketing

Business Development, Accounting, and Finance

Staff/Human Resource Development

B. Content must be consistent with current needs of Arkansas educators.

C. Content offered must be covered at varying levels such as beginner, intermediate, and master.

D. Content must be engaging, utilizing either video learning, interactive learning, game-based learning, animations, or a combination thereof.

E. Trainings must include a measurable format to verify User interaction. Verification may include reading of material(s) and/or viewing video(s) and completing interactive activities or structured assessments (i.e. multiple choice, true/false, problem solving, short answer and/or essay)

F. The Contractor shall provide updated versions of the courses as they become available during the terms of the resulting contract and shall update course topics regularly to maintain relevance regarding new technology technical updates and changes (i.e., providing updated courses on the Windows operating system when a new version becomes available).

G. The Contractor shall notify Arkansas PBS when any new content is added

H. Arkansas PBS will advise the Contractor of changes to State rules and regulations pertaining to course offerings, professional development requirements, computer science and technology requirements, and topics relevant to educators’ professional development needs.

I. Course collection must allow for tailored restrictions for any course topics that do not adhere to Arkansas Law, including but not limited to laws regarding educational content for K12 students.

Requests for additional restrictions on course topics available to our users shall be granted as needed throughout the contract period, with a 10-day turnaround from when the "client" made the request.

2.6 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

A. Courses must be compatible with Totara software.

B. The Contractor shall comply with all relevant copyright laws, rules, and regulations and shall provide evidence of compliance as requested by AR PBS.

2.7 ARKANSASIDEAS LMS LINK

A. The Contractors shall provide a link to AR PBS that will be integrated into ArkansasIDEAS, allowing

Users to access the online portal utilizing their ArkansasIDEAS Usernames and passwords.

B. User profile and login information must remain synced between the Contractor’s online portal and ArkansasIDEAS.

C. The Contractor shall comply with all ArkansasIDEAS LMS system upgrades (i.e., the upgrade from Totara 11 to 15).

D. Video must be able to be embeddable into webpages in a Totara LMS.

2.8 ASSESSMENTS

A. The Contractor shall verify User learning results through an assessment or in the form of a certificate.

B. The Contractor shall provide Users access to completed assessment and certificate information that is downloadable, printable, or both.

C. The online portal must require ArkansasIDEAS assessments be passed at an 80% or above for certificate obtainment.

D. Certificate information must include the name of the User, the course completed, the date and time of completion, the certificate issuer, and the credit hours awarded by the certificate.

E. Certificates must include a unique identification number, visible on the certificate whether viewed within the account, downloaded, or printed.

F. The system must require users to be logged in to his or her secure account in order to view his or her certificates of completion.

G. Seat time must be determinable for each training.

1. Seat time allows ArkansasIDEAS to know how many professional development credit hours to award per course and is established using the video length, number of assessment questions, and number of words in the reading materials (if the reading materials are assessed).

2. If the Contractor establishes seat time, the Contractor shall share with ArkansasIDEAS how the seat time is established.

3. If the Contractor does not establish seat time, the Contractor shall provide information requested by AR PBS to determine seat time.

2.9 MANDATORY OPTIONAL CONTENT INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS

A. AR PBS wants to consider proposal pricing that would allow for AR PBS to obtain a Shareable

Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) package (or similar option) from Contractor with Course content to be uploaded into ArkansasIDEAS. This would allow AR PBS to offer these Courses as PD to Users.

B. AR PBS understand the Course content would remain the property of Contractor but would be available to AR PBS under a use license.

C. The Contractor shall provide pricing for this option in Table Two (2) the Official Bid Solicitation Sheet.

D. The Contractor shall provide online courses via the ArkansasIDEAS online LMS through the use of either Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), Totara’s content marketplace integration, or SCORM that is provided by the Contractor.

E. The Contractor shall authorize AR PBS to create assessments and certifications around the Course content.

2.10 VIDEO PRODUCTION AND QUALITY

A. Video content must be playable with accessibility controls in a web browser across all major desktop and mobile platforms.

B. Video content must be made available via a content delivery network supporting adaptive bitrate streaming allowing Users with fast connections to view high quality video while Users with slower connections or limited screen sizes to view a lower quality stream.

C. All video content must be playable across desktop and mobile devices (Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android) sold in the past five (5) years.

D. Video content must be playable on WIFI, cellular, and wired networks with bitrates as low as 1Mbs.

2.11 CONTENT ACCESSIBILITY

A. The online portal must support basic accessibility features, such as compatibility with common assistive technologies and support for alternative input methods. Please reference website: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/.

B. Upon AR PBS request, Contractor shall provide closed captioning for content that does not have closed captioning.

C. Within one (1) year after contract award, ninety-five percent (95%) of coursework delivered must comply with Content Accessibility Guidelines—closed captioning.

D. If upon contract award more than ninety-five percent (95%) of available coursework does not meet the guidelines, the Contractor shall submit a plan to Arkansas PBS outlining how and when the coursework will be updated to meet the guidelines. The plan may be submitted in PDF format via email. The plan should be submitted within three (3) months after contract award unless otherwise approved by AR PBS in writing.

2.12 ONLINE PORTAL UPTIME & PERFORMANCE

A. The Prospective Contractor shall provide a proposed System Uptime and Performance Plan during the Discussions Phase that must address the online portal’s system uptime and performance under a resulting contract. The System Uptime & Performance Plan must, at minimum, meet all requirements set forth in this section of the RFP.

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

C. The online portal must be capable of supporting concurrent Users.

D. The Contractor shall provide a monthly System Usage and Performance Report which must include, at minimum, data related to the Requirements set forth in this section of the RFP.

1. The System Usage and Performance Report must be provided to AR PBS's designee on the first business day of the month following the previous reporting period in a Microsoft Excel format.

E. The online portal must maintain a high-level functionality rate. Functionality is determined by the materials and videos in a Course functioning properly (i.e. the proper PDF opens from the corresponding link, the correct video plays with appropriate volume, there are no missing videos or materials), the assessment scores accurately (i.e. the correct answers are not improperly identified), and the assessment reports the correct score.

F. The online portal must be available to ArkansasIDEAS Users 24/7 excluding scheduled downtime for maintenance

2.13 IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING

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

Discussions phase that must, at minimum, meet all requirements set forth in this section of the RFP and must include, at minimum, the following:

1. Project Initiation

2. Project Planning

3. Actual Implementation

4. Testing

5. Release/Go Live

B. Implementation must include the install with ArkansasIDEAS with quality assurance testing, in which the courses are tested by the ArkansasIDEAS staff and vetted via the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

C. The Contractor shall ensure successful incorporation and delivery of the courses via the ArkansasIDEAS LMS through a series of system tests.

D. In the event that the system does not conform with contract requirements, the State may:

1. Give the Contractor an opportunity to repair and/or modify the system and restart the testing, during which Contractor shall repair and/or modify the system and restart the testing; or

2. Upon mutual agreement, perform additional acceptance tests until the system(s) have operated within the Requirements as stated in the contract for thirty (30) consecutive days; or

3. Accept minor deviations from the Requirements; or

4. Terminate the contract in its entirety.

2.14 TRAINING

A. The Prospective Contractor shall provide a proposed Training Plan during the Discussions phase that must, at minimum, meet the requirements set forth in this section of the RFP.

B. The Contractor shall provide all training sufficiently in advance to the Go-Live of the proposed system such that ArkansasIDEAS staff are sufficiently able to use the system.

C. The Contractor shall provide User training materials following confirmation that the system is implemented and activated appropriately.

D. The Contractor shall provide online tutorials such as video presentations about how the system works.

E. The Contractor shall provide online new User training available throughout the life of the contract.

F. The Contractor shall provide a plan for follow-up training for new upgrades or changes to course delivery.

2.15 MAINTENANCE & SUPPORT

A. The Prospective Contractor shall provide a proposed Technical Support Plan during the Discussions

Phase that must, at minimum, meet the requirements set forth in this section of the RFP.

B. The Contractor shall provide technical support to ArkansasIDEAS staff, who will provide direct support to ArkansasIDEAS users.

C. Within thirty (30) days following contract award, Contractor shall provide a toll-free telephone help desk number or email address for use by ArkansasIDEAS staff to issue trouble tickets.

D. The help desk must be available during ArkansasIDEAS Help Desk business hours, Monday through Friday 7:00a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (CST), excluding State holidays, https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/about-the-office/media-center/news/state-holiday-calendar.

E. Help desk personnel shall be native English speakers and Spanish speakers available on request and must be ADA accessible.

F. The Contractor shall report trouble tickets by email to ideas@myarkansaspbs.org when an issue is opened, updated, and resolved. Arkansas PBS will assign points of contact after contract award.

G. The ticket report must include problem determination, resolution, and escalation process.

H. The Contractor shall maintain and own trouble tickets reported by ArkansasIDEAS until those trouble tickets are resolved.

I. The Contractor shall provide ongoing maintenance of the system for the life of the contract.

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

K. The Contractor shall communicate changes and downtime to Arkansas PBS, via methods to be determined and approved by Arkansas PBS.

The Contractor shall notify ArkansasIDEAS via email of any scheduled maintenance to the system, with a minimum forty-eight (48) hours’ notice.

2.16 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall supply designated Arkansas PBS Staff with User tracking and reporting features filterable by date ranges and User organizations (including child organizations); including, but not limited to:

1. Active Users (filterable by organization when desired)

2. New Users

3. Total Users

4. Logins

5. Distinct Courses Viewed

6. File Downloads and videos viewed

7. Hours Viewed

8. Assessment/Certificate Results

B. All reports must be printable and have the capability to be exported as either Microsoft Excel or comma separated value files.

C. The Contractor shall provide a means for ArkansasIDEAS Staff to examine each organization or each individual User’s assessment results and activity.

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

2.17 DATA SECURITY

A. The Contractor shall provide a proposed Data Security Plan during the Discussions Phase. The Data

Security Plan must, at minimum, meet all requirements set forth in this section of the RFP.

B. The Contractor shall adhere to all applicable regulatory and statutory security requirements, including but not limited to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-53 Rev

5. Framework (https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/a/r5/final), moderate baseline, or later revision.

(https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/b/upd1/final).

C. The Contractor shall establish and provide points of contact in relation to security matters. In the event of a known or suspected Security Breach, any unauthorized access to ARPBS information, or unauthorized disclosure of data must be reported within twenty-four (24) hours of discovery

D. All data in transit and at rest must be encrypted with AES-256 minimum.

E. The system must include a complex or strong password requirement.

F. The system must be configurable to lock out a user after a State-assigned number of failed attempts to log in.

G. The security controls employed within the system must meet or exceed requirements specified within this RFP and any other applicable regulatory requirements.

H. The system must provide for system and transactional logging. Logs must be available for export in standard formats for use in security investigations.

2.18 DISASTER RECOVERY

A. The Prospective Contractor shall provide a proposed Disaster Recovery Plan during the Discussions phase. The Disaster Recovery Plan must, at minimum, meet all requirements set forth in this section of the RFP.

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

https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/a/r5/final) https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/b/upd1/final

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

C. The Contractor shall notify ArkansasIDEAS in a timely manner when the online portal is unavailable.

2.19 DATA OWNERSHIP AND CONTRACT TRANSITION

A. The State shall retain sole ownership, right, title, and interest to all data collected and stored by

Contractor under a resulting contract, excluding intellectual property and exclusions governed by applicable State and Federal laws.

B. At the end of the contract and after confirmed transfer of 100% of the State-owned data, deliverables, and products Contractor has created, developed, produced, and managed while performing the services outlined in this RFP back to the State or their designee, the Contractor shall destroy all copies of the State-owned data the Contractor possesses.

C. The Contractor shall ensure all data received as part of the Contract is 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 AR PBS designated representative or as otherwise required under applicable State and Federal laws.

D. Upon termination or expiration, should any subsequent contract for this or similar services be awarded to a provider other than the Contractor, the Contractor shall, to the greatest extent possible and reasonable, cooperate with the AR PBS in initiating a smooth and orderly transition to the next the Contractor.

E. The Contractor shall not use or distribute user information (name, email address, etc.) without permission from Arkansas PBS.

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, 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 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, the 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, the Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification and/or additional information as specified by the request.

B. A Department-appointed Evaluation Committee will evaluate and score Responsive Proposals.

Evaluation will be based on the Prospective Contractor’s response to the Information for Evaluation section included in the Technical Proposal Packet and the pricing submitted by The Prospective Contractor.

1. Cost information will be provided to the members of the Evaluation Committee (Evaluators) to allow them to determine which proposal(s) is the most advantageous to the State.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. The final individual scores of the Evaluators will be recorded on the Consensus Scoresheets and averaged to determine the group or consensus score and rank for each proposal.

6. 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 Consensus Scoresheet, if they feel that is appropriate.

a. The final individual scores of the Evaluators will be recorded on the Consensus Scoresheets and averaged to determine the group or consensus score and rank for each proposal.

4. Should the State receive only one (1) Responsive Proposal, the State may forgo the interview portion of the evaluation if the proposal has received the Maximum Weighted Score Possible for the Experience, Solution, and Risk subsections.

a. In this scenario, the proposal would automatically receive the maximum weighted score possible for the interview subsection.

D. 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.

E. 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 subsections.

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

2. The Department has assigned Weighted Percentages to each subsection according to its significance.

INFORMATION FOR EVALUATION

SUBSECTIONS

MAXIMUM

RAW

POINTS

POSSIBLE

SUBSECTION’S

WEIGHTED

PERCENTAGE

* MAXIMUM

WEIGHTED

SCORE

POSSIBLE

Experience 10 30% 210

Solution 10 30% 210

Risk 10 20% 140

Interview 10 20% 140

Total Technical Score 40 100% 700

*Subsection’s Percentage Weight x Total Technical Maximum Weighted Score = Maximum Weighted Score Possible for the subsection.

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

(A/B)*C =D

A = Actual Raw Points received for subsection in evaluation

B = Maximum Raw Points possible for subsection

C = Maximum Weighted Score possible for subsection

D = Weighted Score received for subsection

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

3.3 COST SCORE

A. When scores are applied to pricing, the maximum amount of cost points will be given to the proposal with the lowest seven (7) year total cost as shown in Table One (1) on the completed Official Solicitation Price Sheet. (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 SUBSECTIONS OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A. Experience

1. The Experience subsection 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 subsection 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 subsection 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, 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 the 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 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 CONTRACTORACCEPTANCE 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…