SmartSimple Software Ltd. Response to State of Wisconsin DOT REDACTED.pdf

Submitted By

Dan Eardley

President, North America deardley@smartsimple.com

SmartSimple Software Response

To

State of Wisconsin

Department of Transportation

Transit Grant Management System

RFP #510512

SmartSimple Software Ltd.

Head Office U.S. Office

SmartSimple Software Inc.

4576 Yonge Street, Suite 606, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 6N4, Canada

38 W. Fulton Street, Suite 301, Grand Rapids, MI

49503, USA

This response is on behalf of SmartSimple Software Ltd., SmartSimple’s US operating company.

RFP Contact Details

RFP response prepared by: Edward Ng

On behalf of: Dan Eardley

Title: President, North America

Email Address: deardley@smartsimple.com

Toll Free: 1-866-239-0991

Website: http://www.SmartSimple.com

Wiki: http://wiki.SmartSimple.com

Recipient acknowledges and agrees that

1. Recipient will treat this document, and any related attachments as containing strictly confidential information;

2. Recipient will maintain this document, and any related attachments in a secure place and limit access to only those employees or agents of Recipient to whom it is necessary to disclose the strictly confidential information in furtherance of Recipient's review of SmartSimple's services and the Request for Proposal process;

3. Recipient will prevent disclosure of any confidential information by any employee, agent or representative of Recipient to unauthorized parties and assumes liability for any breach of this confidentiality, or for any other unauthorized disclosure or use of the confidential information by it or any of its employees, agents, or representatives; and

4. Recipient and its employees, agents, and representatives will not use any confidential information in any way other than in connection with its review of SmartSimple's services and the Request for Proposal process.

Copyright Notice

This document is copyrighted and SmartSimple Software reserves all rights. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 4

Proposer Information and Solutions 5

5.1 Experience 5

5.2 System Requirements 6

5.3 Organizational Capabilities 8

5.4 Staff qualifications 11

5.5 Core Business Requirements 12

5.6 Solutions Requirements 20

5.7 Subrecipient Grant Application Requirements 29

5.8 Grant Funding and Management Requirements 35

5.9 Grant Administration Requirements 38

5.10 Subgrant Management Requirements 44

5.11 Asset Management Requirements 48

5.12 Subrecipient Reporting Requirements 51

5.13 Compliance Oversight Requirements 54

5.14 Department Data Access and Reporting Requirements 55

5.15 Subrecipient Agency Data Access and Reporting Requirements 59

5.16 System Deployment Requirements 61

5.17 User Training and Support Requirements 66

5.18 System Integrity Requirements 72

5.19 Service Level Agreement (SLA) 79

5.20 System Access and Security Requirements 80

5.21 Infrastructure Requirements 101

5.22 Data 103

Executive Summary

SmartSimple Software is pleased to present our proposal for the State of Wisconsin, Department of

Transport’s Transit Grants Management System (GMS). With over two decades of experience providing comprehensive grant management solutions, we offer a highly configurable, cloud-based platform designed to meet the specific requirements and objectives of the Department.

Key features of our proposal:

Efficient Grant Lifecycle Management: SmartSimple Cloud seamlessly streamlines every stage of the grant management process. From application submission to post-award reporting, the platform ensures that all activities are efficiently tracked and managed in a centralized system. This end-to-end support significantly reduces administrative burdens, allowing the Department to focus on its core mission.

Automation Capabilities: Our solution offers robust automation capabilities to streamline processes and reduce manual intervention. You can automate repetitive tasks, such as assigning reviewers and setting up review criteria, saving valuable time and improving overall operational efficiency. With automated notifications and reminders, applicants, reviewers, and internal stakeholders can stay informed about application status, deadlines, and updates, fostering clear communication and ensuring timely actions.

Advanced Communication Tools: SmartSimple emphasizes enhanced communication with subrecipients through real-time, transparent channels. Our platform facilitates collaboration, ensuring that all stakeholders are well-informed and engaged throughout the entire grant lifecycle.

User-Friendly Portal: A key highlight of SmartSimple Cloud is its intuitive and user-friendly portal. Grant subrecipients, reviewers, and staff will find the platform easy to navigate, minimizing training time and ensuring a seamless experience. The portal's accessibility enhances engagement and encourages collaboration among all stakeholders.

Scalability: SmartSimple Cloud offers seamless scalability, allowing organizations to effortlessly expand their operations and resources to meet growing demands while maintaining optimal performance and user experience.

SmartSimple's extensive experience in providing grant management solutions to organizations across various sectors positions us as a reliable partner for the State of Wisconsin. We are confident that our platform can significantly enhance your grant management processes, promoting transparency, accountability, and successful outcomes.

We look forward to the opportunity to work with the State of Wisconsin in implementing an efficient and effective transit grant management system that allows you to drive impactful change. SmartSimple is committed to your success and stands ready to support you every step of the way.

Proposer Information and Solutions

5.1 Experience

Describe your organization’s experience providing web-based grants management system solutions to U.S. state departments of transportation and/or other clients operating within the transportation sector.

SmartSimple has over 20 years of experience in delivering web-based grants management solutions across various sectors including transportation, showcasing our commitment to innovation and client success.

Our client-centric approach underscores our commitment to understanding and addressing the specific requirements of each organization. We prioritize building lasting partnerships by delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations.

SmartSimple Cloud is a unique platform independent solution for managing processes in an integrated manner that cannot be provided by off-the-shelf applications. The system is not programmed, but rather, configured through a web interface to meet the process needs of each client. SmartSimple offers a fully web-based solution for Grants Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Scholarship Management, requiring no installed software. More importantly, SmartSimple Cloud is also used as an operational system to help build communities.

SmartSimple Software has successfully provided its platform solution to multiple US federal, state, and municipal entities. Our experience in implementing similar solutions includes the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. A sluggish paper-based system hampered the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s nuanced and complex government-funded granting process. With all the detailed work required to manage federally funded grants, they wanted to move to an electronic-based system.

SmartSimple Cloud helped them centralize their process into one platform enabling them to invoice, manage projects, and track program impact in an all-in-one platform. Our team was able to successfully implement the platform within the agreed timelines and budget.

Another similar example is the Oregon Department of Transportation. The implementation of SmartSimple Cloud for Grants Management transformed their grants management. The platform's customizable forms and workflows streamlined applications, while robust document management centralizes their data. Automated approval processes enhanced efficiency, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations. Collaborative tools facilitated seamless communication among stakeholders.

Other examples of similar experience implementing SmartSimple Cloud includes

● Pennsylvania IOLTA Board

● Enterprise Ireland

● Delaware Office of Highway Safety

● Merz North America

● The Coca Cola Foundation

● SickKids Foundation

5.2 System Requirements

Describe your organization’s proposed system. In your description, explain how your system:

a) exists presently in a usable, fully operational form.

SmartSimple Cloud is a robust and fully operational cloud-based platform since 2002 that is currently in active use by over 500 diverse organizations across various industries. The platform has been meticulously developed and refined to meet the evolving needs of clients, offering a comprehensive suite of features and capabilities.

b) is currently used, or has been used recently, by one or more state agencies.

SmartSimple Cloud is being used by many state agencies to manage their grants management needs and enhance operational efficiency. A sample list of state agencies is mentioned below:

● Washington Traffic Safety Commission

● Pennsylvania IOLTA Board

● Ontario Trillium Foundation

● City of London, Ontario

● Enterprise Ireland

c) will be hosted on the State’s behalf.

SmartSimple provides the full gamut of hosting options including Multi-tenant (public cloud), Single-tenant (private cloud) and On-premises (enterprise license). Public and private cloud is hosted through our partner - Amazon Web Services (AWS). The following table depicts the physical regions that are used to host.

Customer Location Production Region Backup Region

Europe EU (Dublin, Ireland) EU (Frankfurt, Germany)

United Kingdom London Region London Region

Asia Pacific` Asia Pacific (Sydney) Asia Pacific (Sydney)

Canada Canada (Central), Montreal Canada (Central), Montreal

United States US East (N. Virginia) US West (Oregon)

United States Federal GovCloud (US) GovCloud (US)

It is SmartSimple’s corporate policy to store all client data in the same jurisdiction as the client’s head office unless the client explicitly requests the data to be stored in another jurisdiction. With SmartSimple you retain complete control and ownership over the region in which your data is physically located, making it easy to meet regional compliance and data residency requirements.

d) is web-based, is accessible through a web browser, and is fully compatible with current versions of commonly used web browsers.

The platform is delivered as a secure, cloud-based, Software as a Service (SaaS), thus it can be accessed anytime, anywhere, and from any device from a specified URL. The platform was designed to only require a supported and functional browser for secure access. No additional software, plugins, or add-ons are needed. This approach ensures OS support for all popular systems including Mac, Windows, Linux, and others.

Currently the following browsers and versions are supported:

Windows, Mac and Linux

● Firefox: two most recent versions

● Chrome: two most recent versions

● Safari: two most recent versions

● Chromium Edge

IOS and Android

● iOS (Safari) and Android (Chrome)

e) authenticates all users before providing access.

SmartSimple ensures the authentication of all users before providing access. The platform employs robust authorization measures by assigning each user a unique username and ID for login purposes. Additionally, SmartSimple offers enhanced security through mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Users can utilize convenient authenticator tools like Google Authenticator to generate one-time passwords. The platform supports various MFA methods, including email and text, providing clients with a comprehensive approach to user authentication.

f) encrypts all data at rest and in transport.

We utilize industry-standard encryption techniques to safeguard sensitive data both at rest and in transit.

Data is encrypted in transit over secure HTTPS (port 443) utilizing SSL protocols and algorithms. Current encryption standards are SSL encryption using TLS v1.2 with SHA256 certificate. Data is encrypted at rest using the AWS Key Management Service (KMS). Current encryption standards are using an AES algorithm with a 256-bit key

g) can accommodate a minimum of 2,000 unique user accounts

The platform can accommodate 2000 unique user accounts. The platform is designed to scale according to the user requirements, ensuring sufficient capacity for managing diverse user accounts effectively.

There is no limit on the number of unique user accounts that can be created in the system.

h) can accommodate at least 250 simultaneous users without causing availability and responsiveness to fall outside service level agreement standards.

The platform was designed to handle high volumes of data requests and user access concurrently. An efficiently configured platform combined with load balancers, the ability to scale server capacity as required, and other innovations, provides clients with a solution that is robust and scalable. The end-result is that page load times will perform within acceptable limits even at peak usage times.

The platform deploys AWS load balancers. These virtual servers can scale to provide high-level performance. This technology is used to support popular services like Facebook and Twitter.

Special server configurations have supported up to 10,000 concurrent users with expected load times.

The department can let us know if your expectations surrounding concurrent users and we can provide tailored solutions to your needs.

5.3 Organizational Capabilities

● Describe your company’s experience and capabilities providing transit grant management systems, including experience providing such systems to a large, dispersed set of users and working with governmental entities.

With over two decades of experience, SmartSimple has been at the forefront of delivering robust grant management systems including transit grant management systems. Our extensive expertise includes successfully implementing these systems, catering to a diverse and widely dispersed user base. We take pride in our ability to navigate the complex landscape of governmental entities, ensuring seamless integration and compliance with regulatory frameworks. SmartSimple's proven track record in providing tailored solutions to transit grant management underscores our commitment to addressing the unique needs of our clients. Our experience and capabilities position us as a trusted partner in driving efficiency, transparency, and innovation within the realm of transit grant management.

As mentioned above in Section 5.1, we have successfully implemented SmartSimple Cloud for multiple transportation entities including:

● Washington Safe ty Highway Commission

● Oregon Department of Transportation

● Delaware Office of Highway Safety

As a trusted partner, SmartSimple stands ready to continue advancing the field of transit grant management, ensuring our clients' success and facilitating impactful outcomes within the dynamic realm of transportation.

● Describe your company’s practices for managing accounts and customers, including handling transitions that result from reassignments and/or departures of staff members. Be specific, detailing no more than three (3) projects/contracts. Include a description of the work and provide dates, locations, and results.

At SmartSimple, we prioritize a seamless and client-centric approach to account and customer management. Our practices are designed to ensure continuity, even in the face of staff reassignments or departures.

Each client is assigned a dedicated account manager who serves as the primary point of contact. This ensures that clients have a consistent and reliable connection with our team. In the event of staff changes, a smooth transition plan is activated to maintain continuity.

Further, there is a transition from implementation project to post-implementation support. Once the project is implemented and the client go-live, the project team transitions the client to the support team.

The implementation team (or that portion of their time) are re-assigned to other projects. They would not be managing the client’s day-to-day support that falls on the Support Team.

The following describe the scenarios where a team member might need to transition:

1- An Implementation consultant leaving/ getting sick on the project. Every project has an Implementation

Consultant and an Implementation Delivery Manager. That way if one leaves the other can step in so the project doesn't get delayed.

2- Project Manager Re-assignment. Client requesting to work with a more experienced project manager.

SmartSimple can Re-assign resources to match the client's needs.

While it is not common for projects to reassign implementation team members, below are few cases where SmartSimple reassigned team members:

Example 1: Project Name: The IOLA Fund of the State of New York

Reason for reassignment: Client requested a senior Project Manager

Description and results: The client was looking for a centralized online grant management system. IOLA lacked a streamlined, efficient system of tracking grantee communications, including integral qualitative and quantitative reports, and miscellaneous internal tracking by the IOLA grants staff.

Using a series of meetings and product demonstrations, our team ensured the system met all the IOLA

Fund of The State of New York requirements in terms of processes, workflows, information architecture and reporting. Functionality was delivered through the configuration of native SmartSimple technology, with little need for “customization” or third party tools. Pre-deployment testing phases ensured the success of the project.

Our solution provided data access to all relevant IOLA Fund of The State of New York stakeholders while protecting this information with the strongest security controls currently available in this type of application. The platform provided them with the capability to handle all grant activities, initiatives and

IOLTA Giving, in a timely and cost-effective manner.

We also maintain a post-implementation relationship, where the IOLA Fund of The State of New York and all associated stakeholders rely on SmartSimple for training and support.

Dates: 2018

Location: Pennsylvania

Example 2: Robins Foundation

Reason for reassignment: BA left the organization

Description: The Robins Foundation had an entirely manual grant application process that was managed by the use of separate Excel spreadsheets. Understaffed and under- resourced, they decided to modernize and digitize their entire process through one central and unified platform. They not only needed a solution that made their grant application process more streamlined, but they also required something intuitive that would give them robust reporting capabilities.

SmartSimple provided them with a full service, end-to-end platform solution that was easy to manage and was adaptable to their evolving needs. Once Robins Foundation migrated their data over to SmartSimple

Cloud for Grants Management, all staff were able to collaborate on one, unified platform, enabling everyone to have access to the same, real-time data vastly improving how efficiently the team worked.

Robins’ new system also helped streamline the application process by standardizing the method in which applications were collected. Overall, SmartSimple has helped Robin’s future proof their grants process by providing them with a grants management solution that can evolve and change as the foundation’s needs and requirements change.

Dates: 2015

Location: Virginia

Example 3: National Commercial Bank of Jamaica

Reason for Reassignment: Implementation Consultant had medical emergency

Description: The National Commercial Bank of Jamaica (NCB) Foundation was managing their grants programs with a disjointed process. Applications were cobbled together with a combination of manual and digital processing methods and there was no effective way of consolidating all of the applications and data they were gathering.

An immediate solution was needed in order to simplify the process and centralize all related activities under one system that could manage it all. Within two weeks, SmartSimple delivered a robust grants management system that provided a solution to NCB’s immediate needs all while leaving them with the flexibility to grow and scale their system as their needs became more complex.

Dates: 2018

Location: Jamaica

5.4 Staff qualifications

● Identify key staff members your company would assign to fulfill the contract requirements, indicating who would be contract manager(s) and what rolls the others would serve.

Provide resumes showing educational and work experience for each key staff member who would be assigned to a WisDOT contract. Estimate the number of work hours required of each key staff member to fulfill the contract requirements. Provide an organizational chart for your company and/or its relevant business unit.

SmartSimple would assign the following staff members to fulfill the contract requirements:

REDACTED

Please see attached SmartSimple Team Resumes for key individuals' profiles.

Organization Chart

SmartSimple Project Team

*The green blocks represent the SmartSimple team and blue blocks represent the WisDOT team.

● Identify any subcontractors that you would use, and detail the services they would perform.

If subcontractors are to be used to fulfill the above contract requirements, the Proposal must clearly explain their participation. The Supplier will be responsible for Contract performance regardless of whether subcontractors are used. When subcontractors are used, they will be required to abide by all Contract terms and conditions.

For this contract, SmartSimple is not using any subcontractors.

5.5 Core Business Requirements

Describe how your company will provide the Department with a means for efficiently conducting its core business activities, including, but not limited to:

● managing subgrant applications (e.g., application distribution, submittals, reviews, and approvals)

SmartSimple Cloud supports full granting life cycle through its various modules enabling application distribution, submission, review and approval. The modules described below demonstrate the ability of SmartSimple Cloud to handle all of your specific requirements and beyond.

The Program Manager Module of the platform is used to define any number of programs based on funding priorities, selection criteria and outcomes criteria. Multiple funding sources can be connected to each program.

Figure: Program Manager Module displaying all programs

The program budget, the amount of money available for a program, can be managed in the Program Manager module. This approach may not be sufficient if there is a complex relationship between many budgets and many programs. In these circumstances an additional module, the Budget Allocation Manager is used.

In addition to the Program Manager, the Workflow Subsystem will automate most program-related communications. These include welcome emails, confirmation of receipts, in-system reminders and notifications, print communications (approval/decline letters), and more.

Self-Registration pages are used to provide applicants with the ability to create their organization as well as individual profile.

● Our platform supports multiple self-registration pages plus the related approval processes.

● At the point of self-registration, organizations can be automatically validated against tax authority databases (IRS, watch lists etc.).

● Once registered, applicants are provided with login credentials in order to access the system via an applicant portal.

● Where multiple self-registration pages are needed, a Routing page is used to provide the applicant with links to each of the registration pages

Figure: Registration Pages: Routing Page

Application Process

The Submission Manager module is used to support the grant application process. This module is linked to the Program Manager such that information from each applicant is aggregated (for example:

application count, total value of application budgets) to the related program.

● Fields - any number of custom fields can be defined for each program.

● Documents and other supporting files can be uploaded to the application.

● Video and other media can be uploaded to the applications.

● Project Budget - generally the applicant is required to provide a project budget that can be created by the applicant online or extracted into the application from a predefined MS Excel spreadsheet.

The programs available to the applicants can be configured to be displayed using different configuration layouts.

Other key features that support the program application process includes:

● Status Based – each type of application form is associated with a set of statuses and the form’s behavior can be different at different statuses.

○ Applications can be saved in a draft format with no validation and completed up to the program deadline. Once the application is submitted it is still visible to the applicant but locked from any changes by the applicant.

● Application Version – each application form can be version controlled. This provides the ability to create a future version of the form while the existing form is still in use.

Review Process

The review process may consist of multiple stages for example, technical review, internal review, external review, board review. WisDOT can establish as many review steps as required.

Our platform supports different types of review forms that are completed by one or more reviewers and attached to each application. These review forms support scoring and any number of different review forms can be used. Both narrative and questions that generate a score can be used.

The platform also supports review meetings and panel-based reviews and scoring processes using the Committee/Panel Manager Module. This module allows you to easily create and manage multiple panels/committees, assembly of application and review documentation required for panel meetings. The module also allows for the use of the invitation feature for inviting contacts to collaborate through an email invitation process:

● Contacts that currently exist within the system, and potential new contacts, can be invited through this process.

● Invited contacts can accept or decline the invitation to associate them to a system record.

● An invitation that is accepted by a contact who does not exist within the system will be directed to a contact self-registration page to facilitate the registration and assign the appropriate roles.

Grant Awards

SmartSimple Cloud supports the award process once a decision has been made. The key features include:

● Generation of Award Documentation- The award documents are generated by the system and can be easily accessed by the grantees anytime.

○ The award documentation has the capability of merging WisDOT’s current award templates with information gathered from the applicant profile, the grant application, documents attached to the grant application, information gathered from the review and board approval documentation.

○ Where the grant requires a schedule of grant payments (dates, amounts) and grantee reports (dates, report types), this information can also be referenced in the award documentation.

Figure: Grant Agreement attached to a record

● E-Signature of Award Documentation – the completed package of award documentation can be automatically routed in sequence for signature. Most popular e-signature vendors are supported including DocuSign, Adobe Sign (requires a separate subscription for these services as these are not included in SmartSimple’s platform subscription).

○ Once the award documentation has been signed by the designated parties the completed documentation is automatically attached to the grant.

● Generation of Payment Schedule: The platform can integrate with your existing accounting software as well as 3rd party services to connect your financial operations with the grant processes.

○ The platform can be configured to automatically create a payment schedule and will be used to support the integration of the system with your ERP/ accounting system.

Post Award Monitoring

Once the award has been made, the system supports the post award monitoring through the following features.

● The payment schedule manages payments to the grantee. Payment records are exported to facilitate the actual disbursement of the funds using your ERP (or accounting system).

● Organization generated reports such as on-site visits are tracked within the system through the use of additional reporting templates.

● Email and other correspondence are stored with the award.

● Report Schedule: The report schedule will be used to provide grantees with individual records for each report. These records contain the individual report requirements; date to be submitted by, fields to be completed, documents to be uploaded.

○ Reminder emails are triggered to alert the grantee to forthcoming reports due.

○ Payment and report records can be linked together to ensure that payments cannot be made whilst there are reports outstanding.

The payment and report schedules are also accessible to the grantees.

Grant Closure

This is the final stage and the support involves an assessment of grant accomplishments through a final report, a separate financial report and a final payment. Each of these activities are managed within the system as activities associated with the grant.

● receiving and reviewing subrecipient invoices

SmartSimple Cloud facilitates the seamless receipt and review of subrecipient invoices. Through the platform's flexible configuration options, administrators can create customized forms with over 50 available custom fields. These forms are designed to capture detailed invoice information, including necessary attachments. Once submitted, the workflow subsystem within SmartSimple automates the routing of the invoice for review, ensuring a streamlined and efficient process for receiving and evaluating subrecipient invoices.

● managing federal/state grant and subgrant finances

SmartSimple Cloud includes a Budget Manager module that can be configured to manage federal/state and subgrant finances. Grants are funded from one or more of federal/state budgets with the ability to track any grant payment back to its underlying budget(s). Also supported is the ability to track budgets in hierarchical categories and program areas based on client-defined criteria.

Our solution can:

● Generate an invoice report, to do invoicing in bulk,

● Keep records of all payments, repayments, etc.

● Send invoices and vouchers, etc. as pdf attachments

● It does not make payments itself, and must integrate with a 3rd accounting or payment software to do so.

The budgets, defined in the Budget Manager, are used to fund the award. Payment records are automatically generated for each grant and linked back to the budget. These payment records are used as the basis for integration with the external accounting system.

Also supported, is the ability to track budget amounts, commitments, variances, and payments for each program area with configurable reporting.

The Budget Manager supports “what-ifs” (budget projections) through the use of allocations (not linked to any grant but rather general thematic or sub-budget areas) as well as actual allocated amounts to actual grants. Accruals are managed in a similar manner. This provides for both real-time reporting as well as forecasting capabilities.

The Budget Manager provides the ability to base budgets on prior year budgets as a starting point, and supports various timeframes and multi-year budgeting. In addition, organizations receive the ability to perform pipeline planning, to estimate and track future grants, and carry forward previous year budgets to the next year.

● preparing documents required when applying to FTA for federal fund apportionments

The platform allows the ability to configure forms that align with the requirements of FTA. This ensures that documentation aligns with FTA guidelines, providing a tailored approach to the application process. Furthermore, the platform supports a streamlined review and approval process allowing department staff to review documentation before final submission.

● grant accounting by funding source

SmartSimple Cloud supports comprehensive grant accounting by funding source. The platform's budget manager enables organizations to track and manage funds allocated from different sources with precision.

WisDOT can designate funding sources for specific grants or projects, allowing for accurate budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting. The budget manager provides the tools needed to maintain transparency, compliance, and accountability in grant accounting, ensuring that organizations can effectively manage their financial resources across various funding streams.

● satisfying federal reporting requirements

The platform provides robust reporting and data management capabilities that facilitate compliance with federal reporting standards. SmartSimple allows WisDOT to create custom reports tailored to specific federal reporting requirements. The SmartSimple platform can track and report on all data within its system and can be configured to provide high-level and granular data reporting and analytic services through its native reporting system. The reporting capabilities are extensive, flexible, and real-time, and enable dynamic analysis across related data objects based on simple and advanced query logic. WisDOT can define data parameters, filters, and formats to generate reports that align with regulatory guidelines.

The system can be configured to incorporate progress reports, enabling the collection of pertinent progress data from subrecipients to meet reporting obligations. By leveraging these features, SmartSimple Cloud empowers organizations to efficiently manage, track, and report data in alignment with federal reporting requirements.

● monitoring subrecipient compliance (through a combination of continual desktop and virtual compliance reviews, data analyses, and ad-hoc assessments)

SmartSimple Cloud offers comprehensive subrecipient compliance monitoring by providing the capability to configure progress report forms that align with your specific requirements. This ensures that the reporting process aligns with your organization's needs and captures the necessary information effectively. The platform offers over 50 custom fields that can be tailored to gather the necessary information, including the option to attach relevant documents.

Furthermore, the platform's functionality includes sending automated reminders to grantees when their progress reports are due. This feature streamlines the monitoring timeline and helps grantees stay on track with their reporting obligations.

This integrated system provides a robust framework for ongoing monitoring and assessment, promoting transparency and adherence to compliance standards.

Figure: Sample Progress Report

● collecting and analyzing subrecipient service performance & financial data

SmartSimple Cloud facilities collection and analysis of subrecipient service performance and financial data. The platform allows the setup of custom forms and fields to capture specific service performance metrics and financial information. Additionally, with the platform’s native reporting systems WisDOT can examine collected data for better insights into subrecipient performance. The platform also offers graphs, and charts to help better visualize the data and present dashboards to users.

● maintaining and managing subrecipient asset inventories

SmartSimple Cloud supports maintaining and managing of subrecipient asset inventories. The platform allows the configuration of custom forms tailored to the requirements of tracking subrecipient assets. These forms can include fields for asset details such as description, acquisition date, condition, location, and any other relevant information.

The platform offers an extensive document management facility allowing users to upload supporting documents or images related to each asset. This helps in maintaining a comprehensive record for each item in the inventory.

Moreover, SmartSimple's workflow subsystem can be utilized to automate processes related to asset management. For example, automated notifications or reminders can be set up for periodic audits, depreciation updates, or other required actions.

By leveraging these features, SmartSimple Cloud ensures a streamlined and configurable approach to managing subrecipient asset inventories, meeting the diverse needs of grant management processes.

● conducting strategic planning and policy analyses, to include assessing statewide and regional mobility needs, and identifying service gaps and coordination opportunities)

SmartSimple Cloud supports organizations in conducting strategic planning and policy analyses by providing a configurable and flexible platform.

SmartSimple Cloud offers the ability to create custom forms with tailored fields. WisDOT can design forms specific to the data required for strategic planning and policy analyses. This may include fields for mobility needs, service gaps, and coordination opportunities. With SmartSimple’s native reporting system, WisDOT can report on the collected data. The platform allows you to create customized reports and dashboards Configurable to visualize key performance indicators, trends, and insights related to mobility needs and service coordination. This supports informed decision-making during the strategic planning process.

● maintaining Subrecipient agency contacts and issuing targeted mass communications

SmartSimple Cloud supports maintaining Subrecipient agency contacts and issuing targeted mass communications through its comprehensive features.

Contacts are core to the system. Each contact is associated with one or more client-defined roles. Contacts inherit additional fields based on fields that have been added for all contacts, plus fields that are the property of a specific role(s) for that contact. All contacts are users – provided you activate their access.

Once a contact logs into the system, they are provided with an interface defined by their role(s). Each contact is associated with one or more organizational entities.

Additionally, the platform supports email broadcast functionality allowing WisDOT to send targeted mass communications. Organizations can create and manage customized recipient lists, ensuring targeted communication to specific groups. Furthermore, the platform allows the ability to set up automated workflows to trigger email broadcasts based on predefined events, milestones, or schedules, ensuring timely and consistent communication.

5.6 Solutions Requirements

Please describe how your organization will meet the following requirements:

● Allow both Department and external users to create, access, update, and exchange agency staff contact information, transit service details, subgrant-related financial information, and transit service operational data. It must provide external users with differentiated access to active grants applications (based on the grant programs for which their organization is eligible) and allow them to complete, revise and submit such applications.

SmartSimple Cloud facilitates seamless collaboration between Departments and external users, enabling the creation, access, update, and exchange of critical information. Each user is provided with a unique portal to facilitate their core activities. Within the portal users can access and update any information, see defined dashboards, lists of outstanding tasks and activities, communications, and other relevant information for each defined user role.

SmartSimple Cloud ensures differentiated access based on user roles and permissions. With role-based access control, administrators can define permission levels. The platform also supports eligibility screeners showcasing only grant programs for which their organization is eligible. These typically manifest as forms configured using the point and click user interface.

Within their portal, external users can seamlessly access, complete and revise and submit grant applications. The platform provides a user-friendly interface for external users enhancing the efficiency of the application process.

Figure: Sample Applicant Portal

The platform facilitates smooth information exchange and collaboration between Departments and external users. SmartSimple Cloud offers multiple communication tools including emails, email broadcast, group email (group-based), quick messages, web surveys and pin boards. Real-time updates and notifications keep all stakeholders informed of changes, ensuring transparency and accountability. In addition the platform offers notes and annotation functionality. Any number of Note Types can be created and these are controlled by role. This determines who can create, view or edit that type of note, meaning that only appropriate users can see the specific note types.

Annotations work in a similar manner to notes but are more granular as they provide for the annotation of any highlighted text, field or set of fields.

Figure: Sample Annotations

● Electronic operating environment for its core business functions, and must permit electronic management of data related to both WisDOT-administered transit programs and other users’ transit services. It must present Subrecipients and other users with a secure web-based electronic interface that serves as the primary means of exchanging data and managing grant applications.

SmartSimple offers an advanced web-based electronic operating environment that seamlessly integrates with the core business functions of transit program management. The primary interface for Subrecipients and other users is a secure web-based environment, serving as the central hub for exchanging data and managing grant applications.

● Web-Based Interface: Our platform is accessible through web browsers using a specified URL, providing users with a secure and user-friendly interface for interacting with transit-related data and grant management functions.

● Document Management: SmartSimple includes robust document management capabilities. All relevant documents and files can be securely uploaded, stored, and managed within the platform.

Everything is stored in context, ensuring that data is organized and easily retrievable within the platform. This promotes efficiency and helps users find information related to specific grants or transit programs seamlessly.

● User-Friendly Application Process: Applicants can easily complete and submit grant applications through our intuitive interface. The platform is designed to simplify the application process, enhancing the experience for users. Within their portal, applicants easily track the status of their applications providing them transparency.

● Review and Post-Grant Award Management: The platform ensures that staff members can easily navigate through the system, review applications, provide approvals, and efficiently manage awards. The intuitive design promotes a seamless workflow, allowing staff members to focus on the core aspects of their roles without unnecessary complexities

SmartSimple Cloud offers a comprehensive electronic operating environment that not only meets the specific needs of WisDOT-administered transit programs but also provides a secure and collaborative platform for managing transit services across various users.

● Accommodate design and functionality updates in response to both technological changes and changes in Department program administration needs – including the addition of new Department-administered grant programs – over the Contract term. (Administrative needs could change, for instance, due to revisions to state or federal policies or programs that impact process, reporting, auditing, performance, planning requirements for the Department and its stakeholders.)

SmartSimple is committed to providing a flexible and adaptive solution that can accommodate design and functionality updates in response to technological advancements and evolving program administration needs. The platform is designed with scalability and modularity in mind, allowing seamless addition of new features and functionalities to meet the changing requirements of the Department.

The solution is modified based on configuration not customization. Everything within the system is configurable, including the data model, forms and applications, custom field types and attributes, workflows, and the user portals. The configurable nature of the system means that no programming or coding is required to modify or extend the solution. Configuration is performed through an intuitive point and click user interface by permissioned users.

The result of our approach and technology is a software platform that is truly flexible, enabling our clients to quickly react to inevitable (seen and unforeseen) business process changes.

● Integration capabilities with other reporting and data systems supporting Department functions, through defined interfaces. At a minimum, it must be capable of integrating with the State’s financial management system. This capability must include secure, automated two-way exchange of financial record information. All System integration capabilities must conform to Department-specified protocols and design standards.

SmartSimple Cloud is a modern web-based platform and is designed to integrate with other services.

SmartSimple Cloud integrates with any system, provided there is a mechanism available to us (typically through secure file transfer or API). Through a dozen different internal platform import and export features, and combined with platform APIs, SFTP and OData, SmartSimple Cloud provides organizations with a solid information exchange environment.

We have several import/export techniques available as well as a clear and documented schema supporting integrations with financial packages/accounting systems, internal systems, other databases/data warehouses/data lakes, CRM software, HR systems, websites, as well as other systems.

Integration with accounting software is typically done by file transfer.

Figure: Illustrated above are some SmartSimple’s many integration points and partners

SmartSimple maintains the following APIs:

1. OData – recommended for data extraction and data integration purposes. This API provides access to data on a read-only basis.

2. RESTful JSON – Recommended for most interactions with the system.

3. SOAP/XML – Legacy API used by some older implementations

SmartSimple Cloud can integrate with the State’s financial system through secure file transfer. To ensure payments are processed against the correct vendor in the Accounting Software, there must be a common and “unique identifier” attached to both records (i.e. the vendor record in the accounting system and the organization/payee record in SmartSimple). This must be in place prior to payments being processed.

Typically payment requests are a two-step process including a payment request made from the grants system to the accounting software followed by a payment details update process from the accounting software to the grants system.

This commitment to interoperability empowers WisDOT to leverage SmartSimple Cloud’s capabilities while maintaining consistency with its broader technological ecosystem.

● Support the above core activities in a way that minimizes redundant data entry and unnecessary data manipulation. (For instance, the System must not require Department users to reenter or extensively manipulate data entered in a subrecipient’s grant application in order to complete grant administration, reporting, or financial management activities.)

SmartSimple Cloud’s design philosophy prioritizes efficiency and minimizes redundant data entry or unnecessary data manipulation for users. The platform allows pre-population of applications, forms, and data objects with any field value within the system. This capability significantly reduces the need for manual text and data entry, enhancing operational efficiency. The platform employs strict role-based access control, attribute-based access control, and granular data categorization, ensuring stringent data visibility rules down to the field level.

Additionally, with the platform's workflow subsystem, tasks can be automated providing a seamless flow of data across various stages.

The platform's streamlined approach enhances user productivity by automating repetitive tasks and maintaining data consistency across various functions. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors associated with manual data handling.

● Provide electronic communication functionality allowing the Department to easily send mass emails, update programmatic calendars, and post reminders or other notifications for subrecipients.

SmartSimple Cloud offers multiple communication tools including emails, email broadcast, group email (group-based), quick messages, notifications, reminder, web surveys and pin boards. All email tools support branded templates and can pull data from any record to personalize the message (i.e. persons name, relevant date, message type etc.). Perhaps most important is the ability to automate messages around roles and statuses based on workflows. These communications can be automated to match timelines such as “upcoming deadline”, factoring in business logic such as “remind applicants three days before the deadline” or “remind applicants on June 7th”. Workflows can also be set to notify the appropriate person when an application has changed status or been altered, such as when a document has been uploaded.

Figure: Sample email broadcast (mass email)

Additionally, the platform provides tracking capabilities around emails, such as number of readers, individual read…