SOS - RFP MCC DEXR3600001.pdf

Maryland Charity Campaign RFP

Solicitation #: DEXR3600001 RFP Document

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page ii of 98

STATE OF MARYLAND

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

(SOS)

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

MARYLAND CHARITY CAMPAIGN

RFP NUMBER DEXR3600001

ISSUE DATE: DECEMBER 26, 2023

NOTICE

A Prospective Offeror that has received this document from the Office of the Secretary of State’s website or a source other than eMarylandMarketplace (eMMA) https://procurement.maryland.gov should register on eMMA. See Section 4.2.

MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES ARE ENCOURAGED TO

RESPOND TO THIS SOLICITATION.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page iii of 98

VENDOR FEEDBACK FORM

To help us improve the quality of State solicitations, and to make our procurement process more responsive and business friendly, please provide comments and suggestions regarding this solicitation.

Please return your comments with your response. If you have chosen not to respond to this solicitation, please email or fax this completed form to the attention of the Procurement Officer (see Key

Information Summary Sheet below for contact information).

TITLE: MARYLAND CHARITY CAMPAIGN

Solicitation No: DEXR3600001

1. If you have chosen not to respond to this solicitation, please indicate the reason(s) below:

Other commitments preclude our participation at this time

The subject of the solicitation is not something we ordinarily provide

We are inexperienced in the work/commodities required

Specifications are unclear, too restrictive, etc. (Explain in REMARKS section)

The scope of work is beyond our present capacity

Doing business with the State is simply too complicated. (Explain in REMARKS section)

We cannot be competitive. (Explain in REMARKS section)

Time allotted for completion of the Proposal is insufficient

Start-up time is insufficient

Bonding/Insurance requirements are restrictive (Explain in REMARKS section)

Proposal requirements (other than specifications) are unreasonable or too risky (Explain in

REMARKS section)

MBE or VSBE requirements (Explain in REMARKS section)

Prior State of Maryland contract experience was unprofitable or otherwise unsatisfactory.

(Explain in REMARKS section)

Payment schedule too slow

Other: __________________________________________________________________

2. If you have submitted a response to this solicitation, but wish to offer suggestions or express concerns, please use the REMARKS section below. (Attach additional pages as needed.)

REMARKS:

Vendor Name: ________________________________ Date: _______________________

Contact Person: _________________________________ Phone (____) _____ - _________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page iv of 98

E-mail Address: ________________________________________________________________

STATE OF MARYLAND

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SOS

KEY INFORMATION SUMMARY SHEET

Request for Proposals Maryland Charity Campaign

Solicitation Number: DEXR3600001

RFP Issue Date: December 26, 2023

RFP Issuing Office: Office of the Secretary of State (SOS)

Procurement Officer: Frederick Smalls

Assistant Secretary of State

Office of the Secretary of State

Administration and Finance

16 Francis Street, First Floor

Annapolis, Maryland 21401 e-mail:

Office Phone:

Frederick.Smalls@maryland.gov

(410)260-3853

Proposals are to be sent to: Proposals will be accepted through the State's eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) e-Procurement system. Instructions on how to submit proposals electronically can be found at:

https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/5-eMMAQRG-Responding-to- Solicitations-Double-EnvelopeRFP.pdf

Pre-Proposal Conference: TBD

16 Francis St.

Annapolis, MD 21401

See Attachment A for directions and instructions.

Questions Due Date and Time January 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm

Proposal Due (Closing) Date and Time:

January 16, 2024, 5:00 pm Local Time

Offerors are reminded that a completed Feedback Form is requested if a no-bid decision is made (see page iv).

December 29, 2023

MBE Subcontracting Goal: 0%

VSBE Subcontracting Goal: 0% https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/5-eMMAQRG-Responding-to-Solicitations-Double-EnvelopeRFP.pdf https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/5-eMMAQRG-Responding-to-Solicitations-Double-EnvelopeRFP.pdf https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/5-eMMAQRG-Responding-to-Solicitations-Double-EnvelopeRFP.pdf

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page v of 98

Contract Type: The Contract resulting from this solicitation shall be firm fixed-price contract.

Contract Duration: 5 years, Commencing on April 1, 2024.

Primary Place of

Performance:

Wineland Building

Office of the Secretary of State

16 Francis Street, 1st Floor

Annapolis, MD. 21401

SBR Designation: No

Federal Funding: No

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page vi of 98

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Minimum Qualifications

1.1 Offeror Minimum Qualifications

2 Contractor Requirements: Scope of Work

2.1 Summary Statement

2.2 Background and Purpose

2.3 Responsibilities and Tasks

2.4 Deliverables

2.5 Optional Features or Services, Future Work

2.6 Service Level Agreement (SLA)

3 Contractor Requirements: General

3.1 Contract Initiation Requirements ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.2 End of Contract Transition

3.3 Invoicing

3.4 Liquidated Damages

3.5 Disaster Recovery and Data

3.6 Insurance Requirements

3.7 Security Requirements

3.8 Problem Escalation Procedure

3.9 SOC 2 Type 2 Audit Report

3.10 Experience and Personnel

3.11 Substitution of Personnel

3.12 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Reports

3.13 Veteran Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Reports

3.14 Work Orders ............................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.15 Additional Clauses ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4 Procurement Instructions

4.1 Pre-Proposal Conference

4.2 eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA)

4.3 Questions

4.4 Procurement Method

4.5 Proposal Due (Closing) Date and Time

4.6 Multiple or Alternate Proposals .................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page vii of 98

4.7 Economy of Preparation

4.8 Public Information Act Notice

4.9 Award Basis

4.10 Oral Presentation ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.11 Duration of Proposal

4.12 Revisions to the RFP

4.13 Cancellations

4.14 Incurred Expenses

4.15 Protest/Disputes

4.16 Offeror Responsibilities

4.17 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

4.18 Proposal Affidavit

4.19 Contract Affidavit

4.20 Compliance with Laws/Arrearages

4.21 Verification of Registration and Tax Payment

4.22 False Statements

4.23 Payments by Electronic Funds Transfer

4.24 Prompt Payment Policy

4.25 Electronic Procurements Authorized

4.26 MBE Participation Goal

4.27 VSBE Goal

4.28 Living Wage Requirements

4.29 Federal Funding Acknowledgement ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.30 Conflict of Interest Affidavit and Disclosure

4.31 Non-Disclosure Agreement

4.32 HIPAA - Business Associate Agreement

4.33 Nonvisual Access

4.34 Mercury and Products That Contain Mercury

4.35 Location of the Performance of Services Disclosure

4.36 Department of Human Services (DHS) Hiring Agreement

4.37 Small Business Reserve (SBR) Procurement

4.38 Bonds .......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.39 Maryland Healthy Working Families Act Requirements

5 Proposal Format

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page viii of 98

5.1 Two Part Submission

5.2 Proposal Delivery and Packaging

5.3 Volume I - Technical Proposal

5.4 Volume II – Financial Proposal

6 Evaluation and Selection Process

6.1 Evaluation Committee

6.2 Technical Proposal Evaluation Criteria

6.3 Financial Proposal Evaluation Criteria

6.4 Reciprocal Preference

6.5 Selection Procedures

6.6 Documents Required upon Notice of Recommendation for Contract Award

7 RFP ATTACHMENTS AND APPENDICES

Attachment A. Pre-Proposal Conference Response Form

Attachment B. Financial Proposal Instructions & Form

Attachment C. Proposal Affidavit

Attachment D. Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Forms

Attachment E. Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Forms

Attachment F. Maryland Living Wage Affidavit of Agreement for Service Contracts

Attachment G. Federal Funds Attachments

Attachment H. Conflict of Interest Affidavit and Disclosure

Attachment I. Non-Disclosure Agreement (Contractor)

Attachment J. HIPAA Business Associate Agreement

Attachment K. Mercury Affidavit

Attachment L. Location of the Performance of Services Disclosure

Attachment M. Contract

Attachment N. Contract Affidavit

Attachment O. DHS Hiring Agreement

Appendix 1. – Abbreviations and Definitions

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page ix of 98

Appendix <<#>>. – <<Title of Appendix>>

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 1 of 98

Minimum Qualifications

Offeror Minimum Qualifications

As part of the determination to be considered reasonably susceptible of being selected for award, the

Offeror must document in its Proposal that, within the last five (5) years, the following Minimum

Qualifications have been met:

The Offeror shall have 3 years of experience managing and operating a workplace giving campaign. As proof of this requirement, the Offeror shall provide, with its Proposal, three (3) references from the past five years attesting to the Offeror's experience in providing technical assistance to a workplace giving campaign and accompanying financial reports for each campaign. Each reference must document the amount of charitable contributions raised during each campaign.

The Offeror shall have demonstrated financial capability to manage and operate a fund-raising campaign in an efficient manner. As proof of meeting this requirement, the Offeror shall provide with its Proposal three (3) financial reports from campaigns it has run that documents the amount of charitable contributions raised.

The Offeror shall have demonstrated public accountability. As proof of this requirement, the

Offeror shall certify that it annually submits to a financial audit by a certified public accountant;

make its audited financial statements, or a summary thereof, available to the public upon request; provide evidence that it has engaged in sound management practices that indicate that contributions donated by the public have been utilized with the utmost integrity.

The Offeror shall have a proven broad base of community support in the State of Maryland and collaborative and cooperative relationships with a significant number of the State’s charitable organizations. As proof of meeting this requirement, the Offeror shall provide with its Proposal, three (3) references from charitable organizations from the past five years able to attest to the

Offeror’s connections to the State of Maryland.

THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 2 of 98

Contractor Requirements: Scope of Work

Summary Statement

The Office of the Secretary of State (the Agency) is issuing this Request for

Proposals (RFP) to provide technical assistance for the State’s Workplace

Giving Campaign, Maryland Charity Campaign (MCC), for State employees and retirees. The MCC allows State employees and retirees to donate to eligible participating charitable organizations through e-check, payroll deduction and online giving. The Contractor will provide the electronic giving capability for all current State employees and retirees. The giving platform will provide employees and retirees the opportunity to make pledges and donations online using payroll deductions, credit card transactions or e-check.

It is the State’s intention to obtain goods and services, as specified in this RFP, from a

Contract between the selected Offeror and the State.

The Secretary of State intends to make a single award.

An Offeror, either directly or through its subcontractor(s), must be able to provide all goods and services and meet all of the requirements requested in this solicitation and the successful Offeror (the Contractor) shall remain responsible for Contract performance regardless of subcontractor participation in the work.

Maryland State and local entities, and not-for-profit entities within the State of

Maryland, as defined in State Finance and Procurement 13-110(a)(5) - (7), may purchase from the Contractor goods or services covered by the Contract at the same prices chargeable to the State. All such purchases by non-executive branch entities, non-State governments, government agencies or not-for-profit entities:

Shall constitute Contracts between the Contractor and that government, agency or not-for-profit entity;

Shall not constitute purchases by the State or State agencies under the Contract;

Shall not be binding or enforceable against the State.

May be subject to other terms and conditions agreed to by the Contractor and the purchaser.

All Contract prices, terms, and conditions must be provided to any Maryland local government or not-for-profit entity requesting services under the Contract. The

Contractor bears the risk of determining whether or not a government, agency or organization with which the Contractor is dealing is a State entity.

Background, Purpose and Goals

Background: The Secretary of State is issuing this solicitation for the purpose of selecting an Operating

Agency to provide technical assistance for the Maryland Charity Campaign (MCC) for State employees and retirees. MCC is an annual workplace giving campaign that allows Maryland State employees and retirees to easily support hundreds of participating charitable organizations through e-check, payroll deduction and online giving. The Secretary of State is authorized to conduct the MCC and select an operating agency pursuant to Executive Order 01.01.1996.07 (the "Executive Order"). All State of

Maryland employees: full-time PIN employees, Contractual employees, University employees, etc. are

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 3 of 98 eligible to participate in the MCC. The number of participants varies and is dependent upon the generosity of State employees and retirees, and their individual capacity to donate. That said, historically, as many as 40,000 State employees and retirees have participated in the MCC. In the past 5 years the data below shows how many state employees and retirees donated.

2022 2021 2020 2019 2018

6,057 6,398 6,983 9,875 11,574

Purpose: To provide state employees and retirees an opportunity to donate to charitable organizations, who meet the criteria of the Executive Order insert EO Reference in an effort to support charities who provide essential programs and services to Marylanders and beyond.

Project Goals

A. The Offeror will be known as the Operating Agency and will provide technical assistance in the program delivery. Technical assistance includes IT, Financial

Management, giving platform, Report Management, training, promotion, recognition, and awards.

Engage State Employees and Retirees in the annual MCC to motivate them to donate to the annual MCC campaigns.

Existing Reporting

A. During the Campaign Season, which runs from Oct-Dec annually, Weekly and

Monthly reports are submitted. These reports provide an update re: fundraising goals.

B. Post Campaign Season, Quarterly reports are received reporting the status of

Quarterly Distribution of funds disbursed to participating charitable organizations.

State Staff and Roles

The State will identify a Project Manager responsible for the Contract administration functions, including issuing written directions, invoice approval, monitoring this Contract to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the

Contract, monitoring MBE and VSBE compliance, and achieving completion of the

Contract on budget, on time, and within scope. The Contract Manager may authorize, in writing, one or more State representatives to act on behalf of the

Contract Manager in the performance of the Contract Manager's responsibilities.

Other State Responsibilities

A. The State will provide normal office working facilities and equipment reasonably necessary for Contractor performance under the Contract. Any special

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 4 of 98 requirements (e.g., reprographic services, computer time, key data entry) shall be identified.

B. The State is responsible for providing required information, data, documentation, and test data to facilitate the Contractor’s performance of the work, and will provide such additional assistance and services as is specifically set forth.

C. Maintain an accurate and up to date list of State agency, department, and university onsite Campaign Coordinators and designated Loaned Executive's, and

Campus Champions.

Responsibilities and Tasks

Adhere to the terms, conditions and requirements of the Executive Order and any amendments thereto in the management and operation of the MCC. Maintain donor privacy of all State employee and retiree requests that their names not be released for donor recognition unless they have requested otherwise.

Implement the MCC in a manner fully consistent with the Executive Order, the

Contract, and any applicable laws and regulations. Cooperate with all boards, commissions, agencies and departments of State government to effectively and efficiently conduct the MCC in a manner that ensures participation by State employees and retirees is voluntary and free of coercion.

The solicitation period for the MCC may not exceed 10 weeks without the advance written approval of the Contract Manager.

Ensure stewardship and access State resources for services such as, but not limited to, campaign videos and printing of campaign materials if needed, contact state agencies that would possibly have the capability to provide services.

The Contractor shall not solicit any individuals or groups of individuals other than

State employees and retirees; such solicitation is strictly prohibited.

Ensures effective stewardship in the management and operation of the MCC.

Meeting Attendance and Reporting Requirements. The Contractor shall not solicit any individuals or groups of individuals other than State employees and retirees.

Attend monthly meetings with the Secretary of State (or designee), Chairperson, Vice

Chairs, and MCC Administrator, Agency specific meetings throughout each

MCC campaign year and until all campaign obligations have been met.

Provide at least one full-time employee dedicated to MCC, who will be a point of contact for the Secretary of State. The contact for the State is the Contract manager.

Provides technical assistance to the Agency in the administration of the MCC including, but not limited to the following activities:

Submit recommendations to the Contract Manager for growth to increase employee participation, to increase total charitable contributions pledged, and to increase on-line pledges.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 5 of 98

Provide technical and administrative assistance to the Agency to maintain the MCC website, social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter

Develop a schedule and timeline for the annual MCC by March 15th.

Develops and delivers training plans, manuals and agendas by July of each year

Provide technical and administrative assistance to the Agency to maintain the MCC website, social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter.

Plan and execute all MCC training and events, including but not limited to the following:

Ensures training of approximately 75 Loaned Executives and Campus

Champions as early as August 1st and conclude no later

August 31st. and training for approximately 400 Campaign

Coordinators by October 1st.

Ensure timely, responsive communications to Loaned Executive's, Campus Champions and Coordinators.

Ensures all Loaned Executive's, Campus Champions and Coordinators have the tools necessary to succeed including but not limited to the training manual, printable posters, and all related forms other necessary forms to complete the work. Ensures all Loaned Executive's, Campus Champions are provided and has access to review reports of the Departments assigned exclusively to them.

Provides logistics and support for the campaign kickoff no later than then August 1st of each year.

Ensure planning of the annual Thank You event for Loaned

Executives, Campus Champions and Executive Committee held in December and Thank You event for Coordinators held after the conclusion of the each campaign no later than the end of March. These events shall be included in the

Contractors yearly budget along with the purchasing of awards at the Coordinator Thank You event. All planning of these events are subject to the Contract Manager’s approval.

Recommend gifts for donors yearly, approved by the Contract

Manager. Purchase gifts and assist with distribution to Les, CCs and/or Coordinators in each agency, as needed.

Quantity of donor Thank You gifts are purchased at five (5) percent higher from the final number of the donors from the previous year.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 6 of 98

Provide SOS data at the end of the MCC season to determine awards.

Awards are finalized and approved by SOS, at the end of the campaign. Ensure purchase and distribution within 20 business days of the Coordinator Thank You event.

The Contractor must forward all donation files to Central Payroll

Bureau and other payroll agencies electronically via File

Transfer Protocol (FTP) on or before the established transmission deadlines for each campaign year as set by each of the payroll departments including but not limited to:

Regular (RG)

University (UM)

Contractual (CT)

The Contractor will process all pledge forms within 5 business days of receipt. Any variation to the MCC schedule, as proposed by the Contractor, must be approved by the Contract Manager.

Operating Agency Financial Responsibilities. The Contractor shall:

Submit monthly financial reports and analytics to the Contract

Manager for each State department, agency, and university including and not limited to actual total, percentage towards goal, participation rate, comparison from prior year.

Submit quarterly reports of all disbursements to participating charities to the Contract Manager for each MCC.

Monthly and quarterly reports required shall be submitted to the

Contract Manager Ensures accurate, up to date financial reports and ensures all Online, paper pledges, and checks are processed and reported within 5 business days of receipt.

Apply Security Requirements described in Section 3.3 below to all approved technology used to administer the MCC. This includes, but is not limited to, the online pledging system, any related databases, subcontractors, and the MCC website.

Serve as the central accounting party for State employee and retiree contributions to the MCC.

If Contractor has access to or will collect, access, use, store, process, dispose of or disclose credit, debit or other payment cardholder information, Contractor shall at all times remain in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security

Standard ("PCI DSS") requirements, including remaining aware at all times of changes to the PCI DSS and promptly implementing all procedures and practices as may be necessary to remain in compliance with the PCI DSS, in each case, at Contractor's sole cost and expense.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 7 of 98

Prepare and maintain a line-item budget that details expenses required to operate the MCC for each campaign year in an amount not to exceed the Contractor's proposed price on Attachment

F for the applicable contract year.

The budget must be prepared based on projected expenses and include all expenses necessary to manage and operate the MCC. The

Contractor must submit written justification and obtain advance approval from the Contract Manager for all expenses that exceed an approved budget.

The Contractor cannot include employee parking or standard commuting mileage as a reimbursable expense, but may include other travel expenses typically reimbursed to State employees pursuant to COMAR 23.02.01.12.

The budget for each campaign year must be submitted to the Contract

Manager for his or her approval on or before February 1st of each campaign calendar year. The Contractor must make reasonable revisions to the proposed budget requested by the

Contract Manager within 5 Business Days of notification by the Contract Manager.

The budget must be limited to the percentage of total of donations pledged in the preceding campaign year proposed by the

Contractor in Attachment F for the applicable Contract Year of the prior year's collected donations.

Maintain separate bank accounts and records for managing the income and expenses of the MCC.

Maintain all financial records and bank accounts relating to MCC using appropriate measures to provide safekeeping of contributions placed in the Contractor's custody.

Deposit all charitable contributions received by non-payroll deductions daily in one or more bank accounts.

Submit employee payroll deduction information via a secure method that is consistent with State IT Policies attached as Exhibit

E, to the Office of the Comptroller, Central Payroll Bureau

(CPB) and other State agencies. The initial submission for the 2024 and subsequent MCC campaigns shall be on or before the dates designated by the CPB and to allow enough time for CPB to ensure that payroll deductions start with the first pay period of the 2025 calendar year and subsequent

MCC campaigns. All pledge forms received ten (10) days prior to that initial submission date shall be included in the information submitted to CPB.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 8 of 98

The Contractor will regularly transmit, via a secure method that is consistent with State IT Policies attached as Exhibit E, accurate payroll deduction information to CPB and other

State agencies (as applicable) in an agreed upon format and in accordance with required transmission dates as outlined in the payroll schedule received from CPB. CPB will provide to the Contractor a copy of the employee database for each of the three payroll systems — Regular, University, and

Contractual — on a bi-weekly basis for the Contractor to use to update State employee status. The Contractor shall notify within 48 hours CPB to increase, decrease, or cancel payroll deductions as instructed, from time to time, by individual

State employees and retirees.

The Contractor will make quarterly disbursements of contributions withheld by payroll deduction, via a secure method that is consistent with State IT Policies attached as Exhibit E, from the CPB and other State agencies…

Submit to the Contract Manager an analysis of gross campaign income using the following data points: payroll deductions, cash contributions, expenses, and projected shrinkage. The initial analysis is due after receipt of initial payroll deductions from State employees.

Campaign Marketing. The Contractor shall:

Ensure preparation of materials including, but not limited to directories, pamphlets, flyers, posters, and content for electronic distribution to State employees and retirees. The

Contractor will submit all campaign materials to the

Contract Manager for approval and distribute materials in accordance with an agreed upon timeline with the Contract

Manager. Ensures all campaign marketing materials states the deadlines to submit completed pledge forms and on-line donations.

Active Employees. The campaign shall be promoted among the active work force through employee statewide emails, special events, and Kickoffs. Posters, web site, emails, letters, Agency Directories, etc. are examples of communications to be distributed electronically to active employees to ensure a successful MCC.

Retirees. Retiree solicitation consists of a letter and instructions for online giving and a personalized retiree pledge form and return envelope for those who want to mail it in. The

Contractor shall mail the aforementioned promotional materials to donors who donated during any of the 3 previous years and new retirees within the past 12 months, RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 9 of 98 except those who chose not to be solicited. The Contractor will work with SRA for all new retirees.

Distribute campaign funds to participating charities in accordance with the following procedures:

Designated Contributions - Designated contributions will be distributed to participating charities consistent with the designation specified by State employees and retirees.

Undesignated Contributions - Undesignated contributions will be distributed on a pro rata basis to each approved participating charity using the percentage of the total designated contributions raised in the campaign.

When a designated participating charity ceases to operate or becomes ineligible to receive charitable donations, contributions designated for that charity shall be distributed in the same manner as Undesignated Funds. The annual MCC Giving

Guide will stipulate the redistribution method; employees and retirees are to be informed of the redistribution method when, and if, such a situation occurs.

Deduction of costs—The Contractor will deduct from each participating charity's distribution a pro rata share of costs based on the percentage of the total designated contributions in the campaign for the administrative cost.

Submit to the Contract Manager an audited financial statement within

180 days of the end of each calendar year that is certified by an independent public accountant. The financial statements required by this section shall be completed using generally accepted accounting principles. The independent audit required by this section is in addition to the annual internal audit conducted by the Contractor within 90 days of the final payroll distribution for the 2024 MCC and each subsequent campaign year.

Upon written request, make available MCC policies and procedures to the Agency, and authorized representatives of the State, for review, including but not limited to: cash management, record keeping policies, and any other policies or procedures employed by the Contractor to operate the MCC. All policies and procedures must be produced within 3 Business

Days (see Section 1.2) of the request.

Pledge Support. The Contractor shall create procedures to timely respond to State employees and retirees who request an adjustment to their pledged amount that is subject to ongoing payroll deductions. Written notice of such requests must be provided to the following parties: (1) the State employee or retiree making the request; (2) the CPB, and (3)

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 10 of 98 the Agency through the Contract Manager. An adjustment to the payroll deduction must be submitted to the CPB, or other

State agency, within five (5) Business Days of receipt of the adjustment request.

Provide specific instructions to State employees and retirees about how to make a contribution. Contributions shall accepted via paper pledge cards (for employees unable to access online pledging), online pledging, and special events. Donations shall be accepted through payroll deductions, credit card, e-check, and check. The Contractor will ensure training of

Loaned Executives to convert cash to money order or cashier’s check. Contractor will not accept cash.

The Contractor shall create a directory of all charities approved by the

Agency to participate in the MCC. The listing will include a brief description of each charity, prepared by each charity and approved by the Agency. The directory shall be organized alphabetically, in a uniform format, and indicate the dba designation, where applicable, with a coding mechanism to facilitate fund designations.

The Contractor shall receive employee data files from the CPB and other State agencies via a secure method that is consistent with State IT Policies, by a date agreed upon with the

Contract Manager.

Ensure any paper payroll deduction pledge forms are complete prior to processing. Forms missing an employee signature or the required unique identifier must be considered incomplete and must be returned to Campaign Coordinators through the designated Loaned Executives to obtain the missing, required items.

Utilize approved technology to facilitate ease and expediency of e-commerce transactions including, but not limited to the use of an online pledging system, secure transfer of payroll deductions, credit card and e-check transactions. If the Contractor switches or terminates vendors. e.g. platform management system, etc., the State must be notified within 48 hours.

Electronic Pledges and Secure File Transport. The Contractor shall:

Utilize approved technology to facilitate ease and expediency of e-commerce transactions including, but not limited to, the use of an online pledging system, secure transfer of payroll deductions, credit card and e-check transactions, and check scanning.

Provide the electronic giving capability for all current State employees and retirees. The electronic giving will provide employees and retirees the opportunity to make pledges and donations

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 11 of 98 using payroll deductions, checking account debits and/or credit card payments to the charities of their choice.

Provide a printable gift confirmation and acknowledgement that is automatically sent to the employee's email address for online transactions conducted through the online platform.

Contractor-Supplied Hardware, Software, and Materials

Required Project Policies, Guidelines and Methodologies

The Contractor shall be required to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, policies, standards and guidelines affecting Information Technology projects, which may be created or changed periodically.

Offeror is required to review all applicable links provided below and state compliance in its response.

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure adherence and to remain abreast of new or revised laws, regulations, policies, standards and guidelines affecting project execution. These include, but are not limited to:

A. The State of Maryland System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology at:

http://doit.maryland.gov/SDLC/Pages/agile-sdlc.aspx ;;

B. The State of Maryland Information Technology Security Policy and Standards at:

http://www.DoIT.maryland.gov- keyword: Security Policy;

C. The State of Maryland Information Technology Non-Visual Standards at:

http://doit.maryland.gov/policies/Pages/ContractPolicies.aspx;

Maintenance and Support

Maintenance and support, and Contractor’s ongoing maintenance and support obligations, are defined as follows:

A. Operations tasks to include virus scans

B. Activity reporting

C. User support (Help Desk)

1) Contractor shall furnish Help Desk services for creating or accessing an account, changing a pledge, or other questions related to the campaign. …

2) Help Desk services are available during Normal State Business Hours, 8:00 a.am. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except State Holidays, which can be found at www.dbm.maryland.gov – keyword: State

Holidays. with a response within 24hours.

3) Contractor shall utilize a help desk ticketing system to record and track all help desk calls. The ticketing system shall record with a date and timestamp when the ticket was opened and when the ticket was closed.

Backup

The Contractor shall:

A. Perform backups of the web, application, and database servers on a regular basis.

This shall include daily incremental backups and full weekly backups of all volumes of servers;

http://www.doit.maryland.gov/ http://www.dbm.maryland.gov/

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 12 of 98

B. Retain daily backups for one (1) month and weekly backups shall be retained for two (2) years;

C. Store daily backups off-site.

Deliverables

[[Adjust the standard language for your RFP. Generally speaking, a deliverable is something that has acceptance criteria (e.g., Timesheets are not deliverables).

For SaaS and IaaS, deliverables would include anything produced during the

Startup period and monthly reports.

Deliverable Submission

A. Unless specified otherwise, written deliverables shall be compatible with Microsoft

Office, Microsoft Project or Microsoft Visio within two (2) versions of the current version. At the Contract Monitor’s discretion, the Contract Monitor may request one hard copy of a written deliverable.

B. A standard deliverable review cycle will be elaborated and agreed-upon between the

State and the Contractor. This review process is entered into when the Contractor completes a deliverable.

C. For any written deliverable, the Contract Monitor may request a draft version of the deliverable, to comply with the minimum deliverable quality criteria listed in

Section 0 Minimum Deliverable Quality. Drafts of each final deliverable, except status reports, are required at least two weeks in advance of when the final deliverables are due (with the exception of deliverables due at the beginning of the project where this lead time is not possible, or where draft delivery date is explicitly specified). Draft versions of a deliverable shall comply with the minimum deliverable quality criteria listed in Section 0 Minimum Deliverable Quality.

Deliverable Acceptance

A. A final deliverable shall satisfy the scope and requirements of this RFP for that deliverable, including the quality and acceptance criteria for a final deliverable as defined in Section 0 Deliverable Descriptions/Acceptance Criteria.

D. The Contract Monitor shall review a final deliverable to determine compliance with the acceptance criteria as defined for that deliverable. The Contract Monitor is responsible for coordinating comments and input from various team members and stakeholders. The Contract Monitor is responsible for providing clear guidance and direction to the Contractor in the event of divergent feedback from various team members.

Minimum Deliverable Quality

The Contractor shall subject each deliverable to its internal quality-control process prior to submitting the deliverable to the State.

Each deliverable shall meet the following minimum acceptance criteria:

A. Be presented in a format appropriate for the subject matter and depth of discussion.

B. Be organized in a manner that presents a logical flow of the deliverable’s content.

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 13 of 98

C. Represent factual information reasonably expected to have been known at the time of submittal.

D. In each section of the deliverable, include only information relevant to that section of the deliverable.

E. Contain content and presentation consistent with industry best practices in terms of deliverable completeness, clarity, and quality.

F. Meets the acceptance criteria applicable to that deliverable, including any State policies, functional or non-functional requirements, or industry standards.

G. Contains no structural errors such as poor grammar, misspellings or incorrect punctuation.

H. Must contain the date, author, and page numbers. When applicable for a deliverable, a revision table must be included.

E. A draft written deliverable may contain limited structural errors such as incorrect punctuation, and shall represent a significant level of completeness toward the associated final written deliverable. The draft written deliverable shall otherwise comply with minimum deliverable quality criteria above.

Deliverable Descriptions/Acceptance Criteria

In addition to the items identified in the table below, the Contractor may suggest other subtasks, artifacts, or deliverables to improve the quality and success of the assigned tasks.

Deliverables Summary Table*

ID # Deliverable

Description

Acceptance Criteria Due Date / Frequency

N/A Timeline to be submitted March of each year.

Email to Contract

Manager March-submit timeline, budget, receive final list of charities, submit draft of manuals, for LE and Coordinator training, 1st quarter distributions

May- Notice to participating charities, draft pledge form, June- plan video, reach out for employee files

July – initiate retiree mailing w/ State

Retirement and

Pension Systems, draft

Giving Guide, Finalizing kickoff plan, 2nd distribution

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August–finalize incentive drawings prizes and donor thank you gift, 1st draft of video, LE training, order Thank

You gifts, present packet of email communications, social media begins, September- portal updates, coordinator training, final draft of video, retiree mailing sent, order LE Thank

You gifts

October- Coordinator training if needed, official kickoff, 3rd Q distributions

November- Continued progress with the campaign. Plan LE thank you event.

December- Planning for Coordinator

Thank You event.

Submission of files to

CPB. Post and notify charities of 2024 MCC application. Hold LE thank you.

January-December-weekly comparison reports, monthly budget submissions, meetings as needed, attend monthly EC meeting starting in

August.

*The deliverables summary table may not list every contractually-required deliverable. Offerors and

Contractors should read the RFP thoroughly for all Contract requirements and deliverables.

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Optional Features or Services, Future Work

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

THIS SECTION IS INAPPLICABLE TO THIS RFP.

Definitions

Problem Response Definitions and Times

The Contractor shall meet the Problem response time and resolution requirements.

Service

Priority

Response

Time

Resolution

Time

Response

Availability

Work Outage Users Affected

Normal Within 2 hours

Within 1 day

(24 hours) after first report. If the outage is not resolved a resolution plan must be in place.

Mon-Fri, 8AM-5PM

Specific non-critical features are not operating as specified

Systems or users are unable to perform a small portion of their job, but are able to complete most tasks.

All Prospective

Donors, Contractor

Staff, Loan

Executives, Coordinators

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Contractor Requirements: General

End of Contract

The Contractor shall cooperate in the orderly transition of services from the Contract awarded under this solicitation to any subsequent contract for similar services.

The transition period shall begin before the Contract end date, or the end date of any final exercised option or contract extension. The Contractor shall work toward a prompt and timely transition, proceeding in accordance with the directions of the Contract Manager. The Contract Manager may provide the

Contractor with additional instructions to meet specific transition requirements prior to the end of Contract.

Return and Maintenance of State Data

A. Upon termination or the expiration of the Contract Term, the Contractor shall: (a) return to the State all State data in either the form it was provided to the Contractor or in a mutually agreed format along with the schema necessary to read such data;

(b) preserve, maintain, and protect all State data until the earlier of a direction by the State to delete such data or the expiration of 90 days (“the retention period”) from the date of termination or expiration of the Contract term; (c) after the retention period, the Contractor shall securely dispose of and permanently delete all State data in all of its forms, such as disk, CD/DVD, backup tape and paper such that it is not recoverable, according to National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST)-approved methods with certificates of destruction to be provided to the State; and (d) prepare an accurate accounting from which the State may reconcile all outstanding accounts. The final monthly invoice for the services provided hereunder shall include all charges for the 90-day data retention period.

B. During any period of service suspension, the Contractor shall maintain all State data in its then existing form, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Contract

Monitor.

C. In addition to the foregoing, the State shall be entitled to any post-termination/expiration assistance generally made available by Contractor with respect to the services.

Invoicing

General

A. In consideration of the satisfactory performance of the work set forth in this

Contract, the Contractor shall be reimbursed for expenses in accordance with the terms of this Contract and at the rate specified in the Contract.

F. The Contractor shall not receive any compensation for the Services provided under this Contract other than reimbursement for expenses associated with a pre-approved budget submitted to the Contract Manager in accordance with the

Contract.

In lieu of an invoice for Services rendered, the Contractor shall submit to the

Contract Manager a detailed report, including the Contractor's Federal Tax

Identification Number of actual MCC expenses identified by MCC campaign year.

The expense report must be in a format that can be reconciled with the approved budget submitted pursuant to the Contract. The report of actual MCC

RFP for Office of the Secretary of State Page 17 of 98 administrative expenses must be congruent with the Contractor's proposed budget for the Contract Year and provided to the Contract Manager no later than two weeks prior to the first disbursement of campaign funds to the charities. If the

Contract Manager approves the report, the Contractor shall be reimbursed from the first disbursement payment to the charities. The Contractor shall submit a detailed report of any campaign expenses subsequent to the first disbursement payment no later than two weeks before the final disbursement payment to the charities.

Itemized receipts will be made available to the Contract Manager upon request.

G. If approved, the Contractor shall receive its reimbursement from the first disbursement payment to the charities. The Contractor shall be reimbursed for actual expenses up to an amount not to exceed the percentage of the prior year's

MCC contributions as proposed on its Financial Proposal Form for the applicable contract year.

H. The State is generally exempt from federal excise taxes, Maryland sales and use taxes, District of Columbia sales taxes and transportation taxes. The Contractor;

however, is not exempt from such sales and use taxes and may be liable for the same.

Travel Reimbursement

Travel will not be reimbursed under this RFP.

Liquidated Damages

MBE Liquidated Damages

THIS SECTION IS INAPPLICABLE TO THIS RFP.

Disaster Recovery and Data

The following requirements apply to the Contract:

Redundancy, Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

A. Unless specified otherwise in the RFP, Contractor shall maintain or cause to be maintained disaster avoidance procedures designed to safeguard State data and other confidential information, Contractor’s processing capability and the availability of hosted services, in each case throughout the Contract term. Any force majeure provisions of the Contract do not limit the Contractor’s obligations under this provision.

Data Export/Import

A. The Contractor shall, at no additional cost or charge to the State, in an industry standard/non-proprietary format:

1) perform a full or partial import/export of State data within 24 hours of a request; or

2) provide to the State the ability to import/export data at will and provide the

State with any access and instructions which are needed for the State to import or export data.

B. Any import or export shall be in a secure format per the Security Requirements.

Data Ownership and Access

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I. Public jurisdiction user accounts and public jurisdiction data shall not be accessed, except (1) in the course of data center operations, (2) in response to service or technical issues, (3) as required by the express terms of the Contract, including as necessary to perform the services hereunder or (4) at the State’s written request.

J. The Contractor shall limit access to and possession of State data to only

Contractor Personnel whose responsibilities reasonably require such access or possession and shall train such Contractor Personnel on the confidentiality obligations set forth herein.

K. At no time shall any data or processes – that either belong to or are intended for the use of the State or its officers, agents or employees – be copied, disclosed or retained by the Contractor or any party related to the Contractor for subsequent use in any transaction that does not include the State.

L. The Contractor shall not use any information collected in connection with the services furnished under the Contract for any purpose other than fulfilling such services.

Provisions in Sections 3.5.1 – 3.5.3 shall survive expiration or termination of the

Contract. Additionally, the Contractor shall flow down the provisions of

Sections 3.5.1-3.5.3 (or the substance thereof) in all subcontracts.

Insurance Requirements

The Contractor shall maintain, at a minimum, the insurance coverages outlined below, or any minimum requirements established by law if higher, for the duration of the Contract, including option periods, if exercised:

The following type(s) of insurance and minimum amount(s) of coverage are required:

A. Commercial General Liability - of $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence for bodily injury, property damage, and personal and advertising injury and $2,000,000 annual aggregate. The minimum limits required herein may be satisfied through any combination of primary and umbrella/excess liability policies.

B. Errors and Omissions/Professional Liability – The Contractor shall have insurance with a minimum limit of $5,000,000 per claim and annual aggregate.

C. Crime Insurance/Employee Theft Insurance - to cover employee theft with a minimum single loss limit of $1,000,000 per loss, and a minimum single loss retention not to exceed $10,000. The State of Maryland and the Office of the

Secretary of State should be added as a “loss payee.”

D. Cyber Security / Data Breach Insurance – The Contractor shall possess and maintain throughout the term of the Contractor and for three (3) years thereafter, cyber risk/ data…