STAGEnet+Internet+FINAL.docx

North Dakota Information Technology 4201 Normandy Street Bismarck, ND 58503 Request for Proposal (RFP) RFP Title: STAGEnet Internet Access RFP Number: 112-2615 Issued: October 1, 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ATTACHMENTS

1 Scope of Work 2 Technology Contract 3 Cost Proposal

SECTION ONE – INSTRUCTIONS

Purpose of the RFP The state of North Dakota, acting through its Information Technology Department (STATE) is soliciting proposals for the STAGEnet internet access.

Definitions For the purposes of this RFP, the acronyms and defined terms are as follows:

3701 Campus Road, Grand Forks 122 S 5th St, Grand Forks

Procurement Officer Contact Information The Procurement Officer is the point of contact for this RFP. Offerors shall direct all communications regarding this RFP to the Procurement Officer. Please do not add the Procurement Officer to any distribution list.

PROCUREMENT OFFICER: Brandy Bentley EMAIL: blbentley@nd.gov

PHONE: 701-328-1888

TTY Users call: 7-1-1

A person or firm interested in submitting a proposal should ensure all communications related to the procurement are only with the designated point of contact. This section does not restrict communication with state officials or any member of the legislative assembly unless the state official or member of the legislative assembly is involved directly with the procurement for which the person is interested or has submitted a bid or proposal (N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-01.1).

Engaging in unauthorized communication or seeking to obtain information about an open solicitation with any state employee or official other than the responsible Procurement Officer or designee is sufficient grounds for suspension or debarment. [N.D.A.C. § 4-12-05-04(7)]

RFP Schedule

Assistance to Individuals with a Disability Contact the Procurement Officer, as soon as possible, if an individual with a disability needs assistance with the RFP including any events in the RFP schedule so reasonable accommodations can be made.

Secretary of State Registration Requirements The North Dakota Secretary of State has registration requirements for individuals and businesses transacting business in North Dakota. If the successful Offeror is determined to have a registration requirement with the North Dakota Secretary of State, they must be registered before the contract award and registration must remain active for the duration of the contract period (N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-09.1)

· Check the Business Records database to see if a business is registered.

· Contact Secretary of State's office by email or call 701-328-2900 (choose menu item 2, then option 1).

· If you need to register, fees apply.

· Vendors may need to obtain businesses licenses. See the list of licenses required of businesses in the State of North Dakota. The link includes information on who to contact, application fees, renewal dates, and the legal reference.

Bidders List Registration Individuals or business entities desiring to be notified of bidding opportunities may apply to be placed on the Bidders List. (N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-09) Bidders Lists are used to notify vendors when solicitations are issued on the State Procurement Office Online system (SPO Online). Placement on the Bidders List does not guarantee a vendor will receive notice of every solicitation (N.D.A.C. § 4-12-05-01). There are no fees to register as a bidder. The online application form requests contact information for the receipt of solicitation notices. The Bidders List application and SPO Online system use commodity codes to identify categories of goods, services, and information technology.

The commodity codes used for this solicitation are: 915-51 & 915-79.

Visit the OMB website for instructions and the online Bidders List Application:

Bidders List Registration Website

For assistance with Bidders List Registration, contact State Procurement Help Desk at 701-328-1728 or infospo@nd.gov.

State Procurement Website – SPO Online This RFP and any related amendment and notices will be posted on the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget website - State Procurement Online system. Offerors are responsible for checking this website to obtain all information and documents related to this RFP: https://apps.nd.gov/csd/spo/services/bidder/main.htm. Select “Recent Solicitations”. Recent Solicitations are listed by close date.

Notices related to this RFP will be sent to the Bidders List for the needed commodity or service and other known potential Offerors.

Offerors not having completed the Bidders List registration may request to receive notices related to this RFP by contacting the Procurement Officer in writing with the following information: RFP title, business name, contact person, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.

Deadline for Questions and Objections Offerors should carefully review the RFP including all attachments. Offerors may ask questions to obtain clarification, request additional information, or object to material in the RFP. Questions and objections must be submitted to the Procurement Officer in writing by the deadline identified in the RFP schedule. The Procurement Officer may elect to respond to questions received after the deadline. If no deadline is specified, questions or objections must be received at least seven days prior to the proposal receipt deadline – Solicitation Closing.

Questions and objections should include a reference to the applicable RFP section or subsection. Email is the preferred method of submission with the RFP number cited in the email subject line.

Responses to questions and requests for clarifications will be distributed as a solicitation amendment unless the question can be answered by referring to the Offeror to a specific section of the RFP.

Preproposal Conference or Site Inspection The STATE will not hold a preproposal conference or site inspection for this RFP.

Offer Held Firm Offerors must hold proposals firm for at least 180 days from the deadline for receipt of proposals (Solicitation Closing). The STATE may send a written request to all Offerors to hold their offer firm for a longer period time of time.

Offeror Responsible for Costs Offeror is responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, submittal, and evaluation of any proposal including any travel and per diem associated with demonstrations and presentations.

Taxes The STATE is not responsible for and will not pay itemized local, state, or federal taxes. Purchases of tangible personal property made by a state government agency is exempt from sales tax. The state sales tax exemption number is E-2001, and certificates will be furnished upon request by the purchasing agency. The contractor must provide a valid Vendor Tax Identification Number as a provision of the contract.

The purchasing agency will determine if services provided under this contract are 1099 reportable. The purchasing agency may require the contractor to submit a W9.

The state tax exemption number should not be used by contractors in the performance of a contract.

A contractor or service provider performing any contract, including service contracts, for the United States Government, State of North Dakota, counties, cities, school districts, park board or any other political subdivisions within North Dakota is not exempt from payment of sales or use tax on materials, tangible personal property, and supplies used or consumed in carrying out contracts. In these cases, the contractor is required to file returns and pay sales and use tax just as required for contracts with private parties. Contact the North Dakota Tax Department at 701-328-1246 or visit its website at https://www.tax.nd.gov/news/resources for more information.

A contractor performing any contract, including a service contract, within North Dakota is also subject to the corporation income tax, individual income tax, and withholding tax reporting requirements, whether the contract is performed by a corporation, partnership, or other business entity, or as an employee of the contractor. In the case of employees performing the services in the state, the contractor is required to withhold state income tax from the employees' compensation and remit to the state as required by law. Contact the North Dakota Tax Department at 701-328-1248 or visit its website for more information.

Solicitation Closing – Late Proposals Rejected An Offeror is responsible for ensuring its proposal is received by the STATE prior to Solicitation Closing identified in the RFP schedule. A solicitation amendment will be issued if the proposal receipt deadline is changed. An Offeror may contact the Procurement Officer to inquire whether its proposal has been received. Proposals delivered late will be rejected pursuant to N.D.A.C. § 4-12-08-13.

Amendment and Withdrawal of Proposals Offeror may amend, supplement, or withdraw proposal prior to the Solicitation closing deadline. No changes will be accepted after the Solicitation closing deadline. After the Solicitation closing deadline, Offeror may make a written request to withdraw proposal and provide evidence that a substantial mistake has been made, and the STATE may permit withdrawal.

Proposal Opening A public opening will not be held.

This is a formal sealed Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Proposals will be secured and held unopened until the Solicitation Closing deadline. Per N.D.A.C § 4-12-08-04, the openings may be made public at the discretion of the purchasing agency. If a public opening is held, only the names of Offerors that submitted proposals can be revealed at the opening, and each proposal will be opened in a manner to avoid disclosure of the contents to the competing Offerors.

Proposals Subject to North Dakota Open Record Law All proposals and other material submitted become the property of the STATE and may be returned only at the STATE's option. All proposals and related information, including detailed cost information, are exempt records and will be held in confidence until an award is made, in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-10(2).

Offerors may make a written request that trade secrets and other proprietary data contained in proposals be held confidential. Material considered confidential by the Offeror must be clearly identified, and the Offeror must include a brief statement that sets out the reasons for confidentiality. See the North Dakota Office of the Attorney General website for additional information.

After award, proposals will be subject to the North Dakota open records law. Records are closed or confidential only if specifically stated in law. If a request for public information is received, the Procurement Officer, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, will determine whether the information is an exception to the North Dakota open records law, and the information will be processed appropriately.

News Releases Offerors shall not make any news releases related to this RFP without prior approval of the STATE.

Conflict of Interest Under state laws and rules, a state employee or official shall not participate directly or indirectly in a procurement when the state employee or officials knows of a conflict of interest. Potential conflicts of interest include state employees or their immediate family members employed by the firm, seeking employment with the firm, or with a financial interest in the firm. Potential conflicts of interest will be addressed in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-04-04., N.D.C.C. § 12.1-13-03.

Persons employed by the State of North Dakota, or within one year thereafter, may be prohibited from acquiring a pecuniary interest in a public contract or transaction. Offerors should review N.D.C.C. § 12.1-13-02 to ensure compliance and avoid such conflict(s) of interest.

Attempt to Influence Prohibited Offerors must not give or offer to give anything to a state employee or official anything that might influence or appear to influence procurement decisions. Suspected attempt to influence will be handled in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-04-05.

Collusion Prohibited Offerors must prepare proposals independently, without collusion. Suspected collusion will be handled in accordance with N.D.A.C § 4-12-04-06.

Protest and Appeal An interested party may protest a solicitation pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-12 and N.D.A.C. § 4-12-14-01. When a solicitation contains a deadline for submission of questions and objections, protests of the solicitation will not be allowed if these faults have not been brought to the attention of the Procurement Officer before the specified deadline.

An Offeror that has submitted a response to a solicitation and is aggrieved may protest an award or notice of intent to award pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-12 and N.D.A.C. § 4-12-14-02. The protest must be submitted in writing to the Procurement Officer during the protest period, which is seven calendar days beginning the day after the notice of intent to award is issued.

The protestor may appeal the decision of the Procurement Officer to the Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within seven calendar days after receiving notice of the decision pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-12 and N.D.A.C. §4-12-14-03.

specifications prepared by non-state personnel When a purchasing agency has specifications prepared by someone other than a state employee or official on behalf of the state, that person or business entity must be excluded from submitting bids or proposals in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-06-06.

Supplier Registration (Payee) The successful Offeror will be required to complete Supplier Registration, if not already registered as a Supplier. Any individual or business who will be receiving payment from a state agency or higher education institution must complete a registration process to collect important financial and taxpayer information. Payments are generally made by check or automatic clearing house (ACH), and taxpayer information must be collected in compliance with IRS requirements. The State and North Dakota University System (NDUS) have separate financial systems and vendor registration processes.

SECTION TWO – BACKGROUND

Background Information As specified in ND Century Code Chapter 54-59-02, the STATE is required to provide network access to government, K-12, higher education, and political subdivisions. The statewide network is known as the North Dakota Statewide Technology Access for Government and Education network (STAGEnet). Within state government, the STATE provides full network services to the desktop. Entities located in larger cities are served with dark fiber metro networks, while other sites are connected with either provider Ethernet Transport Services (ETS) or broadband with VPN, with speeds varying from 5 Megabit to 10 Gigabit. The core of STAGEnet consists of a 100 Gigabit Ethernet ring between Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot. STAGEnet also provides both 802.1x authenticated Wi-Fi as well as open guest Wi-Fi in many locations throughout the state.

Additionally, STAGEnet provides full layer 7 IDS/IPS capabilities for all users, including malware detection, sandbox detonation, and various other network-based security defenses. All user traffic passes through an IDS/IPS gateway before communicating with any other site in STAGEnet or the internet.

The STAGEnet datacenters are built using zero trust methodology, in that no device can communicate with any other device without an explicit security policy in place to allow it. The STATE uses a combination of cloud-hosted and on-premise datacenters.

End User support is provided through a central help desk; this service is available 24x7x365.

The STATE currently has the following POP locations:

600 E Blvd Ave Bismarck 4202 Coleman St, Bismarck 1320 Albrecht Blvd, Fargo 3901 Great Plains Dr S, Fargo 122 S 5th St, Grand Forks 3701 Campus Rd, Grand Forks 24 2nd Ave SE, Minot

At the beginning of the contract, the STATE is anticipating that 60G of internet will be required.

SECTION THREE – SCOPE OF WORK

Scope of Work STATE is requesting internet service from multiple diverse internet providers. STATE currently has approximately 60 gigabit/second of inbound bandwidth delivered via 100 gigabit ethernet links and distributed between two independent ISP's today.

STATE is anticipating adding capacity through the length of the contract by utilizing additional 100 gigabit circuits in one of the core POP locations or potentially moving existing circuits to 400 gigabit interface physical speed with allocated bandwidth at increments of less than 400 gigabit.

Applicable Directives This information technology project is subject to the following:

· N.D.C.C. § 54-10-28 related to the state auditor’s authority to conduct information technology compliance reviews.

· N.D.C.C. § 54-59 related to the Information Technology Department.

Information Technology Solution The STATE has developed the Section 3.2 Information Technology Solution Tab – Scope of Work Attachment 1 to describe the specifications for the proposed solution. Offerors must provide a full response to each item number without cross referencing other sections of the proposal. Offerors must use the table format and maintain numbering provided by the STATE to respond to each item number. Attachments, documents, or samples must be clearly referenced where in the response they can be found in the applicable item number.

OFFEROR BACKGROUND

The STATE has developed the Section 3.3 Offeror Background Tab – Scope of Work Attachment 1 – to describe the specifications for the proposed solution. Offerors must provide a full response to each item number without cross referencing other sections of the proposal. Offerors must use the table format and maintain numbering provided by the STATE to respond to each item number. Attachments, documents, or samples must be clearly referenced where in the response they can be found in the applicable item number.

SECTION FOUR – PROPOSAL

Proposal Preparation STATE discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals. An Offeror must prepare its proposal using the prescribed proposal format and provide all the requested information; this will enable the proposal to be evaluated fairly and completely. If an Offeror submits more than one proposal, each proposal must be prepared in accordance with these instructions.

Each proposal will include a Technical Proposal and a Cost Proposal prepared in accordance with these instructions. The Technical Proposal and a Cost Proposal must be submitted as separate documents, clearly labeled with the name of the Offeror, and marked “Technical Proposal” and “Cost Proposal.” Costs must not be revealed in the Technical Proposal. Options may be discussed in the technical proposal, but all cost information must be in the Cost Proposal only. DO NOT submit documents that are embedded into proposal documents or that contain links to documents on an external website.

Proposal submission instructions Sealed proposals are required; therefore, proposals cannot be submitted by email to the Procurement Officer.

UPLOAD RESPONSE THROUGH THE STATE PROCUREMENT ONLINE SYSTEM (SPO ONLINE)

Offeror must electronically submit proposals through the State Procurement Office Online system (SPO Online) by the Solicitation Closing deadline.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE “LAST MINUTE” TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE. Recommend uploading response 24 hours prior to the Solicitation Closing deadline.

Offeror must begin the electronic submission process well in advance of the Solicitation Closing deadline to allow for transmission and resolution of any technical difficulties. Be advised that the STATE is not responsible for an Offeror’s failure to timely submit a proposal due to any technical difficulties. If you experience any technical difficulties contact the Procurement Officer or the State Procurement Office at infospo@nd.gov or 701.328.2740.

If documents are in the process of being uploaded when the Solicitation Closing deadline occurs, the upload process will stop. The attempted submission will not be uploaded successfully and is ineligible for consideration. The STATE takes no responsibility for electronic submissions that are captured, blocked, filtered, quarantined, or otherwise prevented from uploading by any anti-virus or other security software.

1. This solicitation is posted on SPO Online at: https://apps.nd.gov/csd/spo/services/bidder/main.htm

2. Select “Recent Solicitations” and find this solicitation. Solicitations are listed by close date.

3. Use “Upload Response” to upload a maximum of five (5), clearly labeled documents before the Solicitation Closing deadline provided in the RFP Schedule.

4. Offeror must upload their Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal in separate files.

5. The maximum file size allowed is 50mb per file.

6. There is a 50 character file name limitation for the document being uploaded.

7. There is 75 character limit in the TITLE field within SPO Online.

8. All SPO Online field entries must be alphanumeric. Dashes and underscores are allowed; however, the system DOES NOT accept other special characters such as apostrophe, & symbol, quotation marks, etc.

9. DO NOT submit documents that are embedded (zip files), movies, wmp, encrypted, or mp3 files.

10. Offeror will receive an email confirmation from infospo@nd.gov that the upload response was received including the “File Description” for the uploaded files. Review this email to ensure all files were successfully uploaded. If Offeror DOES NOT receive an email confirmation, the upload was NOT successful, and the files will need to be uploaded again. If Offeror does not receive an email confirmation after the reattempt, contact the Procurement Officer or the State Procurement Office at infospo@nd.gov or 701.328.2740.

Visit https://www.omb.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/doing-business-with-the-state/procurement/spo-electronic-response-external-job-aid.pdf for the SPO Electronic Response Job Aid which describes how to submit an electronic response.

proposal format Prepare the technical proposal and cost proposal in accordance with these instructions. Each file must be submitted as separate documents, clearly labeled with the name of the Offeror and marked “Technical Proposal” and “Cost Proposal”.

Technical Proposal (pdf or MS Word) – Format the proposal with the following labeled sections:

Section 1 – Cover Letter Section 2 – RFP Amendments Section 3 – Contract Provisions Section 4 – Open Records and Confidentiality Section 4 - Supporting Documentation

Do not embed files in the document.

Attachment 1 Scope of Work Response (Excel) – Format the proposal with the following labeled sections:

3.2 Information Technology Solution Tab

3.3 Offeror Background Tab

Service Level Metrics Tab Offeror must create and verify that the file uploaded and/or submitted meets accessibility standards for people with disabilities.

Technical Proposal Section 1 – Cover Letter Proposals shall include a cover letter signed by an individual with authority to bind the Offeror that includes the following:

1. The name of the Offeror, name of the person to contact regarding the proposal, email address, telephone number, and mailing address.

2. A statement that the Offeror has read and agrees to comply with the requirements stated in this Request for Proposal.

3. A statement that the Offeror’s proposal accurately describes the information technology solution and services being Offered to the STATE.

4. A statement indicating whether the Offeror or its employees or subcontractors working on the contract have an apparent or actual conflict of interest. (Offerors are instructed to review the “Conflict of Interest” provisions in the RFP Section 1 “Instructions.”) Section 2 – RFP Amendments Provide signed copies of all Solicitation Amendments issued by the STATE that were required to be acknowledged by Offerors.

Section 3 – Contract Provisions

0. Contract Offeror shall review Technology Contract – Attachment 2.

The proposal must include a copy of the Technology Contract - Attachment 2 completed according to the instructions in the attachment.

Offerors are not to submit their own standard terms and conditions with their proposals. Offeror should address the specific language in the attached contract and submit any proposed changes or additional terms and conditions an Offeror seeks to present for consideration by the STATE. Offerors are instructed to not include cost information in the Technology Contract.

Proposed Additional Terms If the proposal includes any proposed additional terms and conditions, such as software licensing agreement, maintenance agreement, or third-party agreement, these agreements must be included in the proposal.

Section 4 – Open Records and Confidentiality The state of North Dakota has broad open records laws. Proposals received are exempt from open record requirements until an award is made, in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-10(2). After award, proposals are subject to the North Dakota open records laws. Proposals or portions of proposals may be confidential only if specifically stated in law.

Offerors are instructed not to mark their entire proposal as “confidential.”

Offeror must provide one of the following in their proposal:

· Provide a statement indicating that their proposal does not contain any confidential information; or

· Make a written request to hold confidential any trade secrets and other proprietary data contained in its proposal. Offeror must clearly identify the material considered confidential and explain why the material is confidential. See the North Dakota Office of the Attorney General website for additional information. https://www.legis.nd.gov/cencode/t44c04.pdf and https://attorneygeneral.nd.gov/open-records-meetings If the STATE receives a request for public information, the Procurement Officer, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, shall determine whether the information is an exception to the North Dakota open records laws, and the information shall be processed accordingly.

Section 5 – Supporting Documentation Include any supporting documentation, such as attachments to your proposal response, other documents, samples, etc. in this section.

attachment 1 – scope of work response Offerors must provide a full response to each item number without cross referencing other sections of the proposal. Offerors must use the table format and maintain numbering provided by the STATE to respond to each item number. Attachments, documents, or samples must be clearly referenced where in the response they can be found in the applicable item number.

Be sure to complete each Tab listed below within the Excel file.

3.2 IT Solution Tab

3.3 Offeror Background Tab

Service Level Metrics Tab Cost Proposal Cost proposals must be submitted electronically in a separate file (Excel is preferred) from the technical proposal through the SPO Online, refer to Section 4.1 for instructions.

Cost proposals must provide a total proposed cost for completing the requirements of this RFP. Include a detailed itemization of the cost proposal (e.g. breakdown of the implementation costs, post-implementation costs, direct and indirect expenses, total number of hours at various hourly rates, overhead, travel, etc.).

All costs must be stated in U.S. currency. Any commodities being imported must be identified, and the price must include any applicable customs, brokerage agency fees, and duties.

Offeror must provide a firm price for the requested number of years in the Cost Proposal attachment. If selected, all the pricing submitted either in the Cost Proposal or any Best and Final Offer Cost proposal will be added to any resulting contract.

Offeror should describe any discount terms for prompt payment. Discounts for prompt payment will not be considered in evaluating costs.

Provide costs associated with any Value-Added Features included in your proposal response. Provide details related to initial costs, reoccurring costs, and options.

Offeror must complete the Cost Proposal – Attachment 3.

SECTION FIVE – PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Award The STATE may award contracts to multiple offerors, pursuant to N.D.A.C. § 4-12-11-07. The STATE may make an award to the highest scoring offerors whose proposals are determined to be responsive to the specifications of the solicitation and are determined to be most advantageous in consideration the RFP evaluation criteria.

The STATE’s intention is to award contracts to a minimum of two offerors (multiple award) to ensure the availability of services as it relates to the physically diverse and dedicated 100G wavelengths. However, there may be budgetary constraints that would not allow the STATE to do so. If there are budgetary constraints the STATE reserves the right to make a single award.

Responsiveness All proposals will be evaluated to determine if they are responsive to the requirements of the solicitation. The STATE reserves the right to waive minor informalities in accordance with N.D.A.C. chapter 4-12-10. Minor informalities are insignificant omissions or nonjudgmental mistakes that are matters of form rather than substance, evident from RFP document, with a negligible effect on price, quantity, quality, delivery, or contractual conditions that can be waived or corrected without prejudice to other Offerors.

Responsive proposals will be evaluated by the Procurement Officer or evaluation committee using the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP.

Responsibility The STATE may, at any time, may make a supplementary investigation as to the responsibility of any Offeror in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-11-04. This investigation may include, but is not limited to, financial responsibility, performance record, or other matters related to the Offeror’s probable ability to deliver if a contract is awarded to the Offeror. The STATE reserves the right to contact references, other customers, including state and local government agencies, regarding past experience with the Offeror. If it is determined that an Offeror appears not to be sufficiently responsible, the proposal will be rejected.

Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated using a 100 point scale. The evaluation committee will award points based on the questions in Attachment 1 - Scope of Work listed in the tab labeled 5.3 Proposal Eval Worksheet. The technical proposals evaluation score and cost proposal evaluation score will be added to determine the total evaluation score. After the initial evaluation, the evaluation committee may determine which proposals are reasonably susceptible for award and short-list the evaluation process to only those Offerors. The final evaluation score will consider information received by the STATE, including but not limited to, discussions with Offerors, demonstrations, presentations, site visits, reference checks, and best and final offers.

The evaluation criteria and relative weight is as follows:

Proposal Evaluation: 70 Points A. Information Technology Solution – 55 Points B. Offeror Background – 15 Points Minimum Score: Proposals must receive at least 46 points of the total points available in the Proposal Evaluation Score to be considered responsive to the RFP.

Cost Proposal Evaluation: 30 Points Preference Laws: Any applicable preference laws will be applied. For more information, refer to the Guidelines to Preference Laws.

Cost Proposal evaluations The STATE will calculate evaluation points awarded to cost proposals. Any prompt payment discount terms proposed by the Offeror will not be considered in evaluating cost.

The reciprocal preference law, N.D.C.C. § 44-08-01, was repealed effective August 1, 2023.

The cost amount used for evaluation may also be affected by the application of other costs required to implement the proposed solution to determine the total cost of the solution (i.e. cost for ITD to host a State hosted solution).

If the Offeror is proposing a solution for which STATE has an enterprise license agreement, STATE reserves the right to utilize the enterprise license agreement pricing in the cost point evaluation. If the Offeror is awarded, STATE, at its sole discretion, may:

· give Offeror the opportunity to match the pricing and licensing terms of STATE’s existing enterprise license agreement, or

· purchase licensing using its existing enterprise license agreement and deduct the actual cost of licensing from Offeror’s total cost in the resulting contract.

The cost proposal with the lowest cost will receive the maximum number of points. Points awarded to other cost proposals will be calculated as follows:

Price of Proposal Being Rated

Clarifications of proposals – Discussions In order to determine if a proposal is reasonably susceptible for award, communications by the Procurement Officer or evaluation committee are permitted with an Offeror to clarify uncertainties or eliminate confusion concerning the contents of a proposal and determine responsiveness to the RFP requirements. Discussions will be limited to the specific section of the RFP or proposal indicated by the STATE.

In conducting discussions, there may be no disclosure of any information derived from proposals submitted by competing Offerors. Clarifications may not result in a material or substantive change to the proposal.

Discussions are generally conducted by telephone or internet-based conference.

Right of Rejection The STATE reserves the right to reject any proposals, in whole or in part. Proposals received from suspended or debarred bidders will be rejected. Proposals determined to be nonresponsive to the requirements of the RFP will be rejected. The STATE reserves the right to reject the proposal of an Offeror determined to be not responsible. The STATE reserves the right to refrain from making an award if determined to be in its best interest.

Presentations, Demonstrations or On-site Visits After the initial evaluation, the STATE shall determine which proposals are reasonably susceptible for award. The evaluation process may be short listed to top scoring Offerors who may be required to provide a presentation for the evaluation committee.

The STATE will contact Offerors to confirm the schedule and provide a description of what will be expected and the amount of time allowed.

Location: All oral presentations will be done via STATE’s web collaboration.

Best and Final Offers The STATE is not obligated to request best and final offers; therefore, Offerors should submit their best terms (technical and cost) in response to this RFP.

If the STATE determines there is a need for any additional information, substantial clarification or changes to the RFP or proposals, the STATE may request for best and final offers from Offerors that have submitted proposals determined to be reasonably susceptible for award. The best and final offer request will describe the additional information, clarification, or change being requested.

A date and time will be established for receipt of revised proposals. If an Offeror does not submit a best and final offer, the STATE shall consider its original proposal as its best and final offer.

Best and final offers will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP. The STATE may request more than one Best and Final Offer.

Tie Proposals In the event, N.D.C.C. § 54-44.4-05.1 requires in the event that two or more proposals contain identical pricing or receive identical evaluation scores, preference must be given to a resident North Dakota bidder, seller, vendor, Offeror, or contractor as defined in N.D.C.C. § 44-08-02. In the event the tie is not resolved by application of this law, N.D.A.C. § 4-12-11-05 will be applied.

Negotiations Contract negotiations will be conducted in accordance with N.D.A.C. § 4-12-12. The STATE may enter into negotiations with one or more Offeror whose proposals received the highest scores and are reasonably susceptible for award. During negotiations, the STATE and Offeror may agree to alter or otherwise change the terms and conditions of the proposed contract. Negotiation, if held, will be within the scope of the RFP.

Each Offeror will be responsible for all costs it incurs as a result of negotiations, including any travel and per diem expenses.

Contract negotiations will be conducted primarily by email, conference calls, or internet-based conference.

The STATE may terminate negotiations, reject a proposal as nonresponsive, or continue or commence negotiations with other Offerors reasonably susceptible for award, if the Offeror:

· fails to provide necessary information for negotiation in a timely manner,

· fails to negotiate in good faith,

· is unable to successfully negotiate contract terms that are acceptable to the STATE, or

· indicates that it cannot perform the contract within the budgeted funds.

Notice of Intent to Award After proposals have been evaluated and the successful Offeror selected, notice of intent to award will be promptly issued to all Offerors that submitted proposals. Upon issuance of this notice, the procurement file becomes an open record.

The successful Offeror named in the Notice of Intent to Award is advised not to begin work, purchase materials, or enter into subcontracts until the successful Offeror and the STATE sign the contract.

Contract Approval This RFP does not, by itself, obligate the STATE. The STATE's obligation shall commence when the STATE signs the contract. Upon written notice to the contractor, the STATE may set a different starting date for the contract. The STATE shall not be responsible for any work done by the contractor, even work done in good faith, if it occurs prior to the contract start date set by the STATE.

Evaluation Debrief After the notice of intent to award is issued, Offerors may contact the Procurement Officer to schedule an evaluation debrief. The debrief will provide information about the evaluation process and proposal scores.

SECTION SIX – CONTRACT INFORMATION

North Dakota Contractual Requirements – Background As a public institution and government entity of the state of North Dakota (the STATE), there are certain statutes, rules, and policies (Requirements) that may restrict or prevent the STATE from entering into certain types of contracts or certain contractual terms and conditions, some of these Requirements are non-negotiable.

While these Requirements occasionally make the process of negotiating a contract with the STATE more challenging than negotiating with a private industry business, these are not unique to any one agency of the state of North Dakota. These Requirements apply to all public institutions and government entities of the state of North Dakota. Although some Requirements are unique to North Dakota, the majority are common to public institutions and government entities throughout the United States.

State Contract Terms and Conditions – Offeror’s Proposed Changes The STATE intends to execute a contract substantially similar to the Technology Contract – Attachment 2. The contractor must comply with the terms and conditions set forth in attached contract. North Dakota procurement statutes, rules, and policies allow some negotiation of the terms and conditions. No changes to the terms and conditions will be permitted without prior written approval from the STATE.

Pursuant to N.D.A.C. § 4-12-11-06, proposals subject to conditions imposed by the Offeror may be rejected as nonresponsive, as determined by the STATE.

Proposed terms and conditions that conflict with those contained in the attached contract or that diminish the STATE’s rights under the contract shall be considered null and void. The terms and conditions in the attached contract shall prevail in the event a conflict arises between a term or condition in the proposal and a term or condition in the attached contract.

Part or all of this RFP and Offeror’s proposal may be incorporated into the attached contract.

The STATE may deem any failure to object to a contract provision as the Offeror’s acceptance of that provision.

Contractual Terms and Conditions – No Material Changes

PREPAYMENT

The STATE may not make prepayment for services or goods under a contract. This means the STATE may not pay for services or goods not received and accepted by the STATE. Unique circumstances may allow for payment “up front” such as subscription services or certain licensing fees so long as the service or licensed product is available and provided at the time of payment and is capable of being used for its intended purpose under the contract. STATE will not pay up front for licensing fees for a product that will include deliverables, acceptance testing, and final acceptable. For the avoidance of doubt, if the licensed product requires customization, the STATE will not pay up front for the license(s).

Indemnification and Insurance N.D.C.C. § 32-12.2-17 requires that the Office of Management and Budget establish guidelines for indemnification and insurance provisions in state contracts. The indemnification and insurance requirements contained in the attached contract are pursuant to those guidelines. The STATE shall not be deemed to have accepted any alteration of these provisions without prior written approval to Offeror from the STATE acting in consultation with the North Dakota Risk Management Division.

Indemnification Indemnification is a contractual clause by which one party to a contract asks the other party to defend it against any claims of third parties who might be injured as a result of something that occurs while the parties are performing their duties and obligations under the contract. Without specific authority to do so, the STATE agencies cannot enter into agreements indemnifying contractors, or any other entity, against third party claims.

Any clause that has the intent of seeking indemnification from the STATE, whether or not the clause contains the words “indemnity” or “indemnify,” are not clauses to which the STATE may agree.

The STATE will not agree to clauses to indemnify a contractor “to the extent permitted by law.” This is because the STATE knows that the extent to which the law permits it to indemnify contractors is no extent whatsoever, and as a result would be disingenuous for the STATE to imply in a contract that there might be some set of circumstances under which the STATE would defend the contractor against a third party claim(s). Simply put, the STATE is not going to agree to something it knows it cannot do. In this circumstance an “extent” clause is merely an invitation to litigate the matter in the event a third party claim(s) arises, and the STATE does not enter into agreements that invite litigation.

Do not ask the STATE to indemnify you against third party claims because it is a contractual obligation to which the STATE cannot agree.

While the STATE may limit the liability of a contractor in claims between the STATE and the contractor, the STATE does not have authority to limit a contractor’s liability for claims brought by a third party. In the event a contract contains a limitation of liability clause, the contract’s Indemnification clause and obligation of the contractor cannot be subject to that limitation of liability clause. See 6.2(B) for Limitation of Liability.

Insurance Upon receipt of the Notice of Intent to Award, the successful Offeror must obtain the required insurance coverage and provide the Procurement Officer with proof of coverage prior to contract approval. The coverage must be satisfactory to the STATE, in consultation with the North Dakota Risk Management Division. The successful Offeror’s failure to provide evidence of insurance coverage is a material breach and grounds for withdrawal of the award or termination of the contract.

Limitation of Liability The STATE may negotiate Limitation of Liability pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 32-12.2-15 “Contracts limiting liability to the STATE”.

Notwithstanding any provision in N.D.C.C. ch. 32-12.2 to the contrary, an agency may agree to limit the liability of a contractor to the STATE if:

1. The contract type meets the criteria of N.D.C.C. § 32-12.2-15(1);

2. the agency determines such services or products cannot be effectively obtained without such limitation;

3. the limitation does not pose any significant risk of loss to the STATE; and

4. the limitation is in the best interests of the STATE.

The agency, in consultation with the OMB and the attorney general's office, shall prepare a written documentation before agreeing to any liability limitation.

An agency's authority to agree to a limitation of liability is limited to contracts for the purchase or lease of, or services related to, software, communication, electronic equipment, and economic forecasting.

1. An agency may limit its ability to recover indirect consequential damages.

2. If the extent of potential direct loss is unknown, an agency may agree to limit direct damages to a reasonably estimated amount commensurate with the foreseeable risk of loss to the STATE. The amount must be equal to twice the total value of the contract, unless all parties to the contract agree to an alternative amount. Any agreed upon amount that is less than twice the value of the contract must be approved by the director of the OMB. The liquidated damages and retainage provisions for delay, missed deadlines, and other breaches are not subject to a general limitation on direct or indirect damages authorized under N.D.C.C. § 32-12.2-15.

3. A contract under N.D.C.C. § 32-12.2-15 may not limit any loss to the STATE resulting from fraud or other intentional or willful misconduct, breach of confidentiality obligations, or loss resulting from tangible property damage or personal injury.

Waivers of Jurisdiction and Venue; Alternative Dispute Resolution The North Dakota Attorney General is the STATE’s attorney for all purposes, including management of litigation and claims against the state. The STATE may not usurp the Attorney General’s authority by agreeing in advance to control the way litigation may be managed in the event of a dispute. The STATE cannot, without specific authority, agree to the jurisdiction or the laws of another state or federal courts, nor can it contractually agree to participate in any form of alternative dispute resolution.

Although the STATE cannot contractually agree to such terms, this does not mean that in the event of a dispute, the STATE would not agree to participate in alternative dispute resolution. It simply means that this is a decision that must be made by the Attorney General and is a decision that is made at the time a dispute arises.

Confidentiality All state agencies of North Dakota are subject to North Dakota public records laws. The STATE cannot agree to contractual terms that attempt to prevent it from having to disclose records…