WDFW ELS RFP No. 24-00006.pdf

Electronic Licensing System Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 24-00006

Contract Term: 2026 – 2038 Initial 6-year award with WDFW reserving the right, at its discretion, to extend the contract for up to three (3) additional 2-year terms.

Date of Issue: December 2, 2024

Response Due Date and Time: January 31, 2025, 5:00 PM (Pacific Time)

Point of Contact: Trisha Anderson, RFP Coordinator WDFW Licensing Division PO Box 43154 Olympia, WA 98504-3154 Telephone: (360) 902-2331 Email: Trisha.Anderson@dfw.wa.gov

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife RFP No. 24-00006

Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

1.2 Objective

1.3 WDFW Background

1.3.1 Fish Program

1.3.2 Wildlife Program

1.3.3 Enforcement Program

1.3.4 Habitat Program

1.3.5 Capital and Asset Management Program

1.3.6 Financial Services Program

1.4 Licensing Overview

1.4.1 Sales by Channel

1.4.2 Harvest Reporting and Special Hunt Applications

1.4.3 Harvest Reporting and Catch Record Cards

1.5 Informational Links

1.6 Minimum Qualifications for Responses

2 RFP Rules

2.1 Registering with Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS)

2.2 Timeline

2.3 RFP Coordinator

2.4 Pre-Proposal Conference and Vendor Questions

2.5 Submission of Response

2.5.1 Round 1 Proposal Submissions

2.5.2 Proposal Page Limits

2.6 Restatement of RFP Scored Requirements

2.7 Answers to All RFP Sections and Scored Requirements are Required

2.8 Alternate Response Not Allowed

2.9 Supplemental Material

2.10 Errors in Response

2.11 RFP Amendments

2.12 Clarification

2.13 Minority & Women Owned Business (MWBE) Participation

2.13.1 General Statement

2.13.2 Non-Discrimination

2.13.3 Recordkeeping

2.13.4 Reporting Requirements

2.14 Proprietary Information & Public Disclosure

2.15 Incorporation into Contract

2.16 Contract and General Terms & Conditions

2.17 Statement of Work

2.18 Costs to Propose

2.19 No Obligation to Contract

2.20 Rejection of Proposals

2.21 Commitment of Funds

2.22 Disclaimer

2.23 Single Response

2.24 Nondiscrimination

2.25 Americans with Disabilities Act

2.26 Complaints

2.27 Notification to Vendors

2.28 Debriefing of Unsuccessful Proposals

2.29 Protest Procedure

2.30 Waivers

3 DEFINITIONS

4 EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS

4.1 Step 1: Administrative Screening

4.2 Step 2: Evaluation and Scoring of RFP Responses

4.2.1 Evaluation Points

4.3 Step 3: Demonstration and Interview

4.4 Step 4: Contract Negotiation and Award

5 SCORED REQUIREMENTS

5.1 Attachment C – Scored Requirements

5.2 Attachment J – Fit Gap Analysis

5.2.1 System Requirement Categories

ATTACHMENT A

ATTACHMENT B

ATTACHMENT C

ATTACHMENT D

ATTACHMENT E

ATTACHMENT F

ATTACHMENT G

ATTACHMENT H

ATTACHMENT I

RFP REQUIREMENTS

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is currently seeking a comprehensive solution to facilitate the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, with a goal to launch the new system no later than June 2026. Vendors may be required to demonstrate their proposed solutions, with demonstrations scheduled by WDFW. Detailed proposal response requirements are outlined in Section 2 of this RFP.

RFP Response Checklist The following checklist outlines all items that must be submitted by the vendor to the RFP Coordinator to ensure a complete RFP response.

Attachment A: Management Response ☐ Attachment B: Compensation Model ☐ Attachment C: Scored Requirements ☐ Attachment D: Confidentiality Statement ☐ Attachment E: Public Disclosure Exemptions ☐ Attachment G: Mandatory Security Requirements ☐ Attachment H: Sample Statement of Work ☐ Attachment I: System Requirements ☐ Attachment J: Fit Gap Analysis ☐

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure an electronic licensing system to support recreational hunting and fishing activities. WDFW is seeking a vendor-hosted solution to be implemented no later than June 9, 2026.

WDFW requests a vendor to provide a proposal for the services to design, develop, implement, maintain, and operate the electronic licensing system as described in this RFP. The vendor will need to provide a plan for the installation, support, maintenance, detailed project plan methodology, communications network, software solution, and the operational support necessary to meet the requirements.

1.2 Objective

The objective of this RFP is to select a vendor to provide and implement an electronic licensing system as a self-service internet application, meaning an online platform accessible to external customers without the need for direct assistance, and a fully integrated and always in sync mobile application.

Customers will use these applications to obtain recreational hunting and fishing licenses, and other privileges. The system must accommodate WDFW’s 580 license dealers, as well as WDFW offices. The system must be flexible to facilitate easy use by multiple devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, and offer separate functionality for license dealers and WDFW staff.

The high-level objectives to be met by implementing a new system include the following.

• Develop and maintain a stable and collaborative vendor relationship.

• Eliminate the use of durable stock license paper and point-of-sale hardware.

• Maximize the use of mobile technologies and allow customers to print from home.

• Realize process improvements and create efficiencies for WDFW licensing system administrators and customer service staff.

1.3 WDFW Background

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the state’s fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities. The department is led by a nine-member Fish and Wildlife Commission. Each commissioner is appointed by the Governor and serves a six-year term. The Commission appoints the WDFW Director and provides policy guidance in support of the department’s mission.

Headquartered in Olympia, the department maintains six regional offices and manages dozens of wildlife areas and hundreds of water access areas around the state, offering fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, and other recreational opportunities for the residents of Washington. The department employs more than 2,000 full-time employees and is organized into six programs.

1.3.1 Fish Program

The Fish Program is the largest of the department’s programs and is responsible for the protection and management of the state’s diverse fish and shellfish populations. The Fish Program’s work promotes sustainable recreational and commercial fishing opportunities through collaborative development and implementation of tribal co-management plans, hatchery fish production of trout, warmwater game fish, salmon, and steelhead, and monitoring and management of fin fish and shellfish populations.

1.3.2 Wildlife Program

The Wildlife Program works to recover and sustain wildlife populations and their habitats while serving the needs of diverse public interests through wildlife management, biodiversity support, lands, and conservation work. The Wildlife Program is responsible for the management of both game and non-game species. Game species include black-tailed, mule, and white-tailed deer, Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, and moose. Small game species include turkey, coyote, bobcat, beaver, and racoon, as well as game birds such as pheasant, quail, and a wide variety of waterfowl. Non-game management includes stewardship responsibility for many other species from killer whales to butterflies.

1.3.3 Enforcement Program

With more than 160 commissioned law enforcement personnel around the state, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police enforce laws and regulations related to human-wildlife conflict, hunting and fishing, and the protection of fish, wildlife, and habitats. The WDFW Enforcement program is primarily responsible for enforcing Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Title 77, the Fish and Wildlife Code: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?Cite=77. On average, officers make more than 225,000 enforcement contacts annually.

1.3.4 Habitat Program

The Habitat Program is dedicated to protecting, conserving, and restoring ecosystems necessary for the long-term sustainability of fish and wildlife populations in Washington State. The Habitat Program employs 180 personnel and is organized into divisions focused on ecosystem restoration, protection, science, environmental policy, and administrative operations.

1.3.5 Capital and Asset Management Program

The Capital and Asset Management Program provides technical and professional engineering, construction, and maintenance services to sustain the facilities, infrastructure, and ecosystems under the department’s care.

1.3.6 Financial Services Program

The Financial Services Program provides core agency business services including recreational and commercial licensing, customer service, and the financial functions of budget, contracts, and purchasing.

1.4 Licensing Overview

The current electronic licensing system, referred to as the WILD (Washington Interactive Licensing Database) system, is a vendor-hosted system provided through a contract with Brandt Information Services, LLC. This system supports the sale of recreational licenses and other privileges both online and through point-of-sale terminals at retail dealer and WDFW locations across the state. In addition to sales the WILD system supports other functionality such as harvest reporting, drawings and lotteries, inventory management, license document fulfillment, mandatory species identification testing, reporting and dashboards, and a full suite of administrative tools to support catalog management, accounting, and other administrative functions.

The WILD system is mission critical to WDFW operations. Sales of recreational fishing and hunting licenses and permits represent approximately 25% of WDFW’s operating budget. In addition, the data the WILD system collects provides a key source of information about our constituents, helps to track, and estimate harvests, enforce regulations, and distribute harvest opportunity where opportunity is limited.

The WILD system issued over 4 million recreational license items in 2023. These included roughly 1.1 million licenses, 428,000 tags, 900,000 permits, 464,000 endorsements, 769,000 harvest report cards, 344,000 special hunt applications, and numerous other documents. The system has issued licenses to customers from all 50 states and 140 countries. The current database contains 3.9 million unique customer accounts, with nearly 1 million customers making purchases each year. The following table provides a comparison of sales from 2018 to 2023.

License Year License Fee 10% Transaction Fee Total Revenue Total Transactions 2018 $50,080,875.60 $5,008,075.56 $55,088,951.16 1,480,706 2019 $50,322,030.80 $5,032,197.58 $55,354,228.38 1,530,227 2020 $54,388,932.40 $5,438,885.44 $59,827,817.84 1,694,161 2021 $54,829,706.00 $5,482,980.50 $60,312,686.50 1,634,393 2022 $51,246,903.80 $5,124,696.08 $56,371,599.88 1,549,564 2023 $53,114,206.20 $5,311,437.27 $58,425,643.47 1,613,930

1.4.1 Sales by Channel

License sales occur through three channels: point-of-sale (POS) license dealers, internet, and telephone.

WDFW has approximately 580 active POS license dealers located throughout the state and select border towns in Oregon and Idaho. POS license dealers range from large chain retailers in urban and suburban settings to small convenience stores and resorts located in remote rural areas. Many sell the full range of items while others, known as limited dealers, sell from a portion of the WILD system catalog. In 2023, approximately 80% of all sales were made through POS license dealers. The following table summarizes the sales through the different sales channels.

License Year POS Dealers Internet Telephone 2018 84% 15% 1% 2019 83% 16% 1% 2020 74% 25% 1% 2021 76% 23% 1% 2022 76% 23% 1% 2023 75% 24% 1%

1.4.2 Harvest Reporting and Special Hunt Applications

Both the internet and phone channels are key avenues for the submission of two important elements of the WILD system, hunter reports and special hunt applications. The Wildlife Program relies on these to distribute hunting opportunities and estimate harvest. In 2023, the system sold over 344,000 special hunt applications. Each of these applications was submitted online or by telephone. Submissions must be completed during a defined period of approximately 4 weeks and require the hunter to enter up to four hunt choices in rank order as well as information about their individual or group membership status. At the end of the hunting seasons, hunters are required to report their hunting activity. In 2023, 506,816 hunter reports were submitted. The following table summarizes hunting reports and special hunt application submittals for 2018 to 2023.

License Year Harvest Reports Special Hunt Applications 2018 379,507 281,208 2019 362,103 300,686 2020 362,451 341,077 2021 413,120 366,985 2022 516,503 339,696 2023 506,816 344,164

1.4.3 Harvest Reporting and Catch Record Cards

Mailing, internet submission, and phone are key options to submit paper catch record cards (CRCs) for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut, and Puget Sound Dungeness crab. The Fish Program relies on these CRCs to estimate harvest and develop season regulations. At the end of each fishery, anglers are required to report their CRCs, returning them to the agency via mail, online submission, or by telephone.

The following table summarizes catch record cards issued and reported for 2018 to 2023.

License Year CRC issued 2019 875,000 2020 882,000 2021 867,000 2022 805,000 2023 829,000

The CRC data includes:

• All CRCs - including additional and Olympic National Park

• Halibut and additional Halibut

• Puget Sound Crab – including Winter, Summer, and Temps

• CRSSE (Columbia River Salomon Steelhead Endorsement) – for LY18 & LY19

1.5 Informational Links

For more information on WDFW’s hunting and fishing regulations, Washington’s technological, security, and financial regulations, please visit the links below.

• Washington Hunting and Fishing Regulations: https://www.eregulations.com/washington

• Washington Technology Solutions Security Policies: https://watech.wa.gov/policies

• Office of Financial Management Accounting Manual: https://ofm.wa.gov/accounting/saam

1.6 Minimum Qualifications for Responses

To be considered for evaluation, vendors must demonstrate in their response how they meet the following minimum requirements.

https://www.eregulations.com/washington https://watech.wa.gov/policies https://ofm.wa.gov/accounting/saam

• The apparent successful bidder must obtain a Washington State business license within 15 calendar days from apparent successful bidder notification by WDFW.

• The vendor must meet all required security measures set forth by Washington Technology Solutions’ Office of Cybersecurity.

• The vendor must provide proof of compliance with Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 18 (SSAE 18) on the request of WDFW.

• The vendor must provide proof of compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) on the request of WDFW.

• The proposed project management and technical staff must each have at least 3 years of experience managing similar projects and implementations as documented in staff resumes.

• The vendor must have experience within the past 5 years of both implementing and supporting the proposed solution or a similar system. A similar system is defined as a licensing system, or an eCommerce system of comparable size and complexity as defined within this RFP.

• The vendor must offer a solution that will meet or exceed all system requirements listed in the System Requirements (Attachment I), demonstrated by the responses provided for each system requirement.

2 RFP Rules This RFP shall become part of the contract resulting from this solicitation. Contract negotiation may provide for the incorporation of some or all parts of the RFP, written response, and demonstrations. All proposals will become a part of the official file on this matter without obligation to WDFW.

2.1 Registering with Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) Notification of Amendments to the RFP will only be provided to those vendors who have registered with WEBS and have downloaded the RFP from WEBS. Failure to do so may result in a Bidder having incomplete, inaccurate, or otherwise inadequate information and proposal.

Bidders are solely responsible for:

• Properly registering with WEBS at https://des.wa.gov/sell/how-work-state and maintaining an accurate Vendor profile in WEBS.

• Downloading the RFP packet consisting of the RFP, all Appendices, and incorporated documents related to the RFP for which you are interested in providing a proposal.

• Downloading all current and subsequent Amendments to the RFP to ensure receipt of all RFP documents.

2.2 Timeline

Event Deadline/Date Deadline Time Release RFP Monday, December 2, 2024 Vendor questions due Friday, December 13, 2024 5:00 p.m. PST Complaints due Monday, December 16, 2024 5:00 p.m. PST Response to complaints Friday, December 20, 2024 Optional pre-proposal conference Wednesday, December 18, 2024 10:00 a.m. PST https://des.wa.gov/sell/how-work-state

Answers to vendor questions Monday, December 23, 2024 12:00 p.m. PST Vendor RFP response due Friday, January 31, 2025 5:00 p.m. PST

The following dates are estimates

Vendor demonstrations Monday February 24 – Thursday, February 27, 2025

Announce Apparent Successful Bidder (ASB) Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Contract negotiations Monday, March 10 – through execution

RFP debriefing requests due Wednesday, March 12, 2025 5:00 p.m. PST Debrief conferences Thursday, March 13, 2025

2.3 RFP Coordinator

The RFP Coordinator identified in this section is the sole point of contact for this RFP. Communications directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the bidder.

The RFP Coordinator’s contact information is provided below.

Trisha Anderson, RFP Coordinator Department of Fish and Wildlife Licensing Division PO Box 43154 Olympia, WA 98504-3154

(360) 902-2331 Trisha.Anderson@dfw.wa.gov

2.4 Pre-Proposal Conference and Vendor Questions

Vendors wishing to submit a proposal for this RFP may attend an optional Pre-Proposal Conference on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., local Olympia WA time. This conference will be held virtually via a Microsoft Teams meeting; the meeting details are below:

Meeting ID: 258 331 960 904

Passcode: YoXjBe

Dial in by phone: +1 564-999-2000, 131077632# United States, Olympia

Phone conference ID: 131 077 632#

Specific questions concerning the RFP must be submitted in writing to the RFP Coordinator not later than Friday, December 13, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. local Olympia, WA time. Additional questions will be entertained at the conference; however, responses may be deferred and provided later. Any oral answer given at the conference is to be considered as tentative. All questions submitted or discussed during the conference will be researched and the official answers published to the WEBS as an amendment to this procurement by noon on Monday, December 23, 2024. This will assure accurate and consistent responses to all vendors. Only the written answers will be considered official.

mailto:Trisha.Anderson@dfw.wa.gov

2.5 Submission of Response

All responses must be sent via email attachment to the RFP Coordinator by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on January 31, 2025. Email attachments must be in Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Word, or Excel software format and printable on legal (8.5 in. x 14 in.) or letter (8.5 in. x 11 in.) size paper. WDFW will not accept attachments in a .ZIP file format. All proposals must be in English.

WDFW assumes no responsibility for delay in transmission of proposals. WDFW will use the time stamp on the email as the official time of receipt. Time extensions will not be granted.

2.5.1 Round 1 Proposal Submissions

To be considered for evaluation, the vendor’s proposal must contain each of the following elements.

• Attachment A: Management Response

• Attachment B: Compensation Model

• Attachment C: Scored Requirements

• Attachment D: Confidentiality Statement

• Attachment E: Public Disclosure Exemptions

• Attachment G: Mandatory Security Requirements

• Attachment H: Sample Statement of Work

• Attachment I: System Requirements

• Attachment J: Fit Gap Analysis

2.5.2 Proposal Page Limits

Proposal is limited to 150 pages. Any pages exceeding this limit will not be provided to the evaluation committee or considered in the evaluation. The following items do not count toward the page limit.

• Compensation Model (Attachment B)

• Confidentiality Statement (Attachment D)

• Public Disclosure Exemptions (Attachment E)

• System Requirements (Attachment I)

• Fit Gap Analysis (Attachment J)

2.6 Restatement of RFP Scored Requirements

Responses must provide answers to the RFP requirements by reiterating the number, title, and full text of the requirement in sequence and providing answers immediately following each requirement.

Duplicate questions may appear. Provide your complete answer in each section that a question appears.

The response provided immediately after the restatement of the requirement shall be considered complete and stands on its own merits. A response of "see above" or similar statement shall receive zero (0) for scoring purposes.

2.7 Answers to All RFP Sections and Scored Requirements are Required All items in the RFP Response Checklist must be provided. The RFP Response Checklist identifies the mandatory administrative requirements. An answer should be provided for every Scored Requirement in the RFP. Failure to provide an adequate answer to any such subsection that requests information or solicits an answer may cause the proposal to be deemed non-responsive and be disqualified from the evaluation process.

2.8 Alternate Response Not Allowed

A vendor may submit only one response. The response must be complete and stand on its own.

Evaluators should not have to refer to any additional materials during their evaluation. However, Vendors may withdraw an entire response and submit a new response at any time prior to the due date.

All proposals and accompanying documentation which arrive before the due date and are not officially withdrawn by the vendor before the due date will become the property of WDFW and may not be returned.

2.9 Supplemental Material

You may submit materials such as brochures, articles, specifications, and report samples that you believe to be helpful, subject to the following:

a. Such supplemental materials will not serve as substitutes for direct answers within the response and do not count toward the response page limit.

b. Supplemental materials may be referenced in, but must not be combined with, a required component of the response.

c. Such supplemental materials are for the benefit of the evaluators, but they are not required to use them. Therefore, answers within the response must be complete.

2.10 Errors in Response

WDFW will not be liable for any errors in RFP responses. Vendors will not be allowed to alter responses after the deadline for response submission, except as defined in the following paragraph.

WDFW reserves the right to allow corrections or amendments to the response due to errors identified by WDFW or the Vendor. This type of correction or amendment will only be allowed for such errors as typing, transposition, clerical omission, or any other obvious error. Any changes will be date and time stamped and attached to responses. All changes must be coordinated in writing with, authorized by, and made by the RFP Coordinator. Vendors are liable for all errors or omissions contained in their responses.

2.11 RFP Amendments

The release of this RFP does not compel WDFW to purchase services or products. WDFW reserves the right to change the RFP Schedule or issue amendments to the RFP at any time. The final selection, if any, will be the response that best meets the requirements in the original or any amended RFP and is in the best interest of WDFW and the State of Washington.

2.12 Clarification

WDFW reserves the right to request clarification on any proposal or to ask Vendors to supply any additional material deemed necessary to assist in the evaluation of the proposal. WDFW also reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFP.

2.13 Minority & Women Owned Business (MWBE) Participation

2.13.1 General Statement

In accordance with the legislative findings and policies set forth in Chapter 39.19 RCW, the State of Washington encourages participation in all its contracts by minority and/or women owned (MWBE) firms certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE).

You should seek to represent the state’s interest in goal attainment and MWBE participation.

Participation may be either on a direct basis, in response to this solicitation/invitation, or as a subcontractor. Vendors may contact OMWBE at (360) 664-9750 to obtain information on certified firms.

2.13.2 Non-Discrimination

The vendor shall not create barriers to open and fair opportunities for all businesses including MWBEs to participate in all state contracts and to obtain or compete for contracts and subcontracts as sources of supplies, equipment, construction, and services. In considering offers from and doing business with subcontractors and suppliers, the vendor shall not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, age, nationality, marital status, or the presence of any mental or physical disability in an otherwise qualified disabled person.

2.13.3 Recordkeeping

The successful Vendor shall maintain, for at least three years after completion of the contract resulting from this RFP, relevant records, and information necessary to document the level of utilization of MWBEs and other businesses as subcontractors and suppliers in this contract as well as any efforts the vendor makes to increase the participation of MWBEs as listed below. The vendor shall also maintain, for at least three years after completion of the contract, a record of all quotes, bids, estimates, or proposals submitted to the Vendor by all businesses seeking to participate as subcontractors or suppliers in this contract. WDFW shall have the right to inspect and copy such records.

2.13.4 Reporting Requirements

If any part of the contract resulting from this RFP, including the supply of materials and equipment, is subcontracted during the period of the contract, the vendor shall submit a statement of participation indicating what MWBEs were used and the dollar value of their subcontracts.

2.14 Proprietary Information & Public Disclosure

To protect the integrity of the contracting process, which is a vital state interest, responses will not be disclosed until after award and signing of the contract. It is WDFW's duty to conduct the state's business in such a way as to protect the public. To so protect, WDFW will not disclose responses before a contract is signed. This will ensure fair competition without undue advantage to any vendor leading to private gain and public loss.

To protect proprietary confidential information, specific pages of the RFP response can be marked “Confidential.” Each page claimed to be exempt from disclosure must be clearly identified by the word "confidential" at either the top or bottom (header/footer) of each page of your response. Marking the entire response as confidential will be neither accepted nor honored and may result in disclosure of the entire response. The vendor must be reasonable in designating information as confidential. WDFW shall maintain the confidentiality of all such information marked confidential or proprietary only to the extent such confidentiality claims are consistent with chapter 42.56 RCW.

When indicating a page of the RFP confidential, use Attachment E included with your RFP response, identify the page being marked “Confidential” and cite the relevant statute from chapter 42.56 RCW and briefly explain how it applies to the information supplied in the proposal. For example: Any materials which constitute “…valuable formulae, designs, drawings…research data…” may be exempt from public disclosure under RCW 42.56.270 (1). Vendors invited to participate in an in-person demonstration and interview as part of the selection process must submit an additional supplemental list, to include additional proprietary information, if any.

2.15 Incorporation into Contract

WDFW reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the submitted materials or demonstrations. Therefore, the materials should be on the most favorable terms which the vendor can propose. WDFW does reserve the right to contact a vendor for clarification of its provided materials and demonstrations.

The vendor should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into any contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all the vendor’s submitted materials. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to WDFW.

2.16 Contract and General Terms & Conditions

The apparent successful vendor will be expected to enter into a contract, which is substantially the same as the Sample Contract and its general terms and conditions. Vendors may propose revisions and WDFW will review them and accept or reject the same at its sole discretion. If the contract negotiation term exceeds fifteen (15) calendar days or if the vendor fails to sign the final contract within five (5) business days of delivery, WDFW may elect to cancel the original award and then award the contract to the next-highest-ranked vendor.

2.17 Statement of Work

A separate statement of work (SOW) must be completed for each phase of the proposed project implementation plan and submitted to the RFP Coordinator if invited to the final demonstration and interview. The final content of each SOW will be developed jointly between the vendor and WDFW during contract negotiations.

2.18 Costs to Propose

WDFW will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Vendor in preparation of materials in response to this RFP, in conduct of presentations, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

2.19 No Obligation to Contract

This RFP does not obligate the state of Washington or WDFW to contract for services specified herein.

2.20 Rejection of Proposals

WDFW reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

2.21 Commitment of Funds

The Director of WDFW or the Director’s delegate are the only individuals who may legally commit WDFW to the expenditures of funds for a contract resulting from this RFP. No cost chargeable to the proposed contract may be incurred before receipt of a fully executed contract.

2.22 Disclaimer

WDFW reserves the right to share, with any consultant of its choosing, the RFP and any resultant materials or demonstrations to secure expert opinions.

2.23 Single Response

A single response to the RFP may be deemed a failure of competition and, at the sole option of WDFW, the RFP process may be canceled. Likewise, receipt of only one proposal may allow WDFW to award a contract to that vendor.

2.24 Nondiscrimination

No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, subjected to discrimination under, or denied employment in the administration of, or in connection with, any program provided by this contract because of race, color, creed, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, Vietnam Era or disabled veteran status, age, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or political affiliation or belief.

2.25 Americans with Disabilities Act

WDFW complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act in all its programs, services, and activities.

Vendors may call the RFP Coordinator to receive this Request for Proposals in alternate forms. Persons with hearing impairments may call (360) 902-2207 (TDD relay service). The RFP Coordinator will contact WDFW’s Employee Services Division ADA Coordinator to have this document prepared in Braille and/or on tape.

2.26 Complaints

Vendors considering submitting a bid or proposal in response to any request for proposals, request for qualifications, request for proposals or any solicitation for goods and services under RCW 39.26 may submit complaints regarding a particular solicitation to the WDFW solicitation point of contact. Vendors may submit a complaint on the following for any solicitation:

• The solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition.

• The solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed; or

• The solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.

All complaints submitted under this process must:

• Be in writing.

• Be received by the WDFW solicitation point of contact by e-mail not later than five business days before the vendor’s response to a solicitation is required to be submitted to WDFW.

• Clearly articulate the basis for the complaint; and

• Include a proposed remedy.

WDFW will respond to complaints in writing and post the response (and any changes to the solicitation required by the response) on WEBS. Vendors may not appeal the response or raise the same complaint during any protest period.

2.27 Notification to Vendors

Vendors whose proposals have not been selected for further review or award will be notified by e-mail.

2.28 Debriefing of Unsuccessful Proposals

Vendors that have submitted a proposal that was not selected will be given the opportunity for a debriefing conference. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the RFP Coordinator within three (3) business days after the Notification of Unsuccessful Proposer is provided to the Vendor.

The debriefing must be held within three (3) business days of the request.

Discussion will be limited to a critique of the requesting Vendor’s proposal. Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed. Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or via Microsoft Teams and will be scheduled for a maximum of one hour.

2.29 Protest Procedure

RCW 39.26.170 requires WDFW to have a clear and transparent complaint process that allows bidders to submit protests after the announcement of the apparent successful bidder (ASB). The purpose of this process is to allow WDFW to correct evaluation process errors and problems before a contract is executed. After the announcement of the ASB, the WDFW solicitation point of contact must offer a debriefing conference to any bidder upon request. Bidders must request a debriefing conference within three (3) business days after the ASB is announced. To submit a protest for a solicitation:

• The bidder must have submitted a response for that solicitation.

• The bidder must have participated in a debriefing conference for that solicitation.

• The protest must be received by the WDFW solicitation point of contact by e-mail or letter within five (5) business days after the bidder’s debriefing conference; and

• The protest must be in writing and clearly articulate the basis for the protest.

Bidders may submit a protest on the following issues for a solicitation:

• A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator,

• Errors in computing the scores; or

• Non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or agency protest process.

The WDFW Chief Financial Officer will act as the Protest Officer for as long as he/she has no involvement in the evaluation and award process; if he/she has such involvement the WDFW Deputy Director will select another neutral party to act as Protest Officer The Protest Officer is responsible for investigating and responding to the protest in writing within ten (10) business days from receipt of the protest, unless additional time is needed. If additional time is needed the Protest Officer will notify the protesting bidder within ten (10) business days from receipt of the protest. The Protest Officer’s decision regarding a protest is final. At the time that the protest response is issued, the WDFW Director and Department of

Enterprise Service Director will be provided a copy of the original protest and the agency’s protest response.

2.30 Waivers

WDFW reserves the right to waive specific terms and conditions contained in this RFP. Vendors shall understand that the proposal is predicated upon acceptance of all terms and conditions contained in this RFP unless the vendor has obtained such a waiver, in writing, from WDFW prior to submission of the proposal. Such a waiver, if granted, will be granted to all vendors.

3 DEFINITIONS

Audit Log: A security-relevant chronological record, set of records, and/or destination and source of records that provide documentary evidence of the sequence of activities that have affected a specific operation, procedure, or event at any time.

Automated Clearing House (ACH): An electronic network used for processing large volumes of credit and debit transactions between participating financial institutions. ACH facilitates various types of payments, such as direct deposits, payroll, bill payments, and tax refunds. It is managed by the National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA) and is widely used for domestic low-value transactions.

Banking Day: Any day in which both the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) and the state’s Originating Depository Financial Information (ODFI) are open to process ACH entries.

Bid/Proposal: A written offer made to WDFW with the information requested in this RFP.

Bidder/Proposer/Vendor: An entity indicating an intention to submit, actually submitting, or participating in a response to this RFP.

Business Day: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific Time, except for holidays observed by the State of Washington.

Catch Record Card (CRC): Physical or electronic record that anglers are required to maintain throughout the season, documenting their catch of certain species such as salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut, and Puget Sound crab.

Certified Minority or Women-Owned Business (MWBE): A minority or women-owned business enterprise certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises

(OMWBE).

Confidential Information: Information that may be exempt from disclosure to the public or other unauthorized persons under chapter 42.56 RCW or other state or federal statutes. Confidential information may include, but is not limited to names, addresses, Social Security numbers, email addresses, telephone numbers, financial profiles, credit card information, driver’s license numbers, medical data, law enforcement records, agency source code or object code, or agency security data.

Contract: A formal written document that defines what is expected of the Vendor and WDFW. The Vendor (apparent successful bidder) will be expected to enter into a contract with WDFW that is substantially the same as the Sample Contract which is part of this solicitation. In no event are you to submit your own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. You may submit suggested exceptions as allowed in Certifications & Assurances (contained within Attachment A).

WDFW is not required to make the requested changes and may reject your proposal as non-responsive if you submit substantial exceptions to the terms and conditions or, after negotiation, WDFW does not agree to a requested change.

Control Center: Refers to the back-office tools used by authorized WDFW users to manage the System.

Customer: The individual buying a license, permit, or associated product.

Dealer Fee: A predetermined dollar amount which is collected and retained by the dealer as compensation for services rendered in the delivery of license issuance. The System must be able to calculate the Dealer Fee. These fees, which are not collected through the ACH process, currently range in value from $0.50 to $2.00 but are subject to change as governed by statute.

Development Hours: A predetermined number of development hours included at no additional charge in the Fixed Monthly Payment Compensation Model.

Harvest report: See Hunter Report

Hunter Report: Also referred to as a harvest report, this is an online report that hunters are required to submit regardless of whether they harvested an animal. The report details their hunting activities and outcomes.

License Dealer: An authorized agent or business entity that is permitted to sell licenses, permits, or associated products to customers, interacting with the System to facilitate and manage these transactions.

License Dealer Administrator: A license dealer user with role-based permissions responsible for adding new users for their location

License Dealer Clerk: A license dealer user with role-based permissions responsible for supporting the creation and editing of customer accounts and facilitating the sale of licenses.

Limited Dealer: A License Dealer that is restricted to selling specific products and interacting with the System primarily to manage and process these specific transactions.

License Fee: Also called state fee, this is the base cost of hunting and fishing licenses sold through the WILD System before any transaction, dealer, or convenience fees are applied.

Migratory Bird Report Card: Physical or electronic record that hunters are required to maintain throughout the season, documenting their harvest of migratory birds such as ducks, geese, swans, and doves.

Point-of-sale (POS) Terminal: A hardware portion of the current System that electronically captures and stores data and issue license documents at the license dealer site.

Project Manager: For each of the parties, the contact person responsible for all communications and billings regarding the performance of the Contract.

Recreational License: An array of licenses, permits, endorsements, and other documents that are issued through the System for fishing and hunting activities, as well as vehicle access passes.

Revised Code of Washington (RCW): The official compilation of Washington state statutes. Most, but not all, provisions governing WDFW are found in Title 77 of the RCW.

Special Hunts: Limited-access hunting opportunities that require a special application or permit. Hunters must apply for these special hunts through a weighted-point system.

Special Hunt Application: An online form submitted by hunters to participate in specific, limited-access hunting opportunities. These applications are part of a weighted-point permit drawing system, giving applicants who have not been selected in previous years a better chance to be awarded a permit.

Statement of Work (SOW): The formal project management document that will outline the specific tasks, deliverables, and requirements of the project. See Attachment H.

System: The Washington Interactive Licensing Database (WILD) System.

System Administrator: WDFW staff responsible for managing and maintaining the WILD system.

Tag: A license document, either physical or electronic (e-tag), issued to hunters, which must be completed (notched) and attached to harvested big game animals and turkey.

Transaction: The act of purchasing or obtaining one or more license documents, privileges, or other items available for sale within the System. This encompasses the submission of special hunt applications and hunting activity reports.

Transaction Fee: A ten percent (10%) transaction fee is applied to all hunting and fishing licenses sold through the WILD System as authorized by the Washington Legislature under RCW 77.32.050.

Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS): Vendor registration and bid notification platform hosted by the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) and used by Washington state agencies to notify businesses of bidding opportunities. Vendors must register in WEBS to receive email notifications about this RFP including any subsequent RFP amendments.

WDFW: The State of Washington, Department of Fish and Wildlife, any division, section, office, unit other entity of WDFW, or any of the officers or officials lawfully representing WDFW.

WDFW Headquarters: The headquarters of WDFW is located at 1111 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501.

WDFW Office: WDFW operates six regional offices across the state. They are located in Spokane, Ephrata, Yakima, Mill Creek, Ridgefield, and Montesano.

WILD System: Washington Interactive Licensing Database System

4 EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS

The evaluation process is designed to award a contract to the vendor with the best combination of attributes. WDFW is seeking the highest quality solution that can be delivered within the anticipated time frame from a vendor that can demonstrate historical use of best practices and business standards around project management, business analysis, development, quality assurance testing, technical innovation, thus representing the best overall value to the state.

The evaluation is broken into the following steps:

Step 1: Administrative screening

Step 2: Evaluation and scoring of RFP responses

Step 3: Demonstration and interview

Step 4: Contract negotiation and award

4.1 Step 1: Administrative Screening

All responses will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with the administrative requirements as specified in the RFP Response Checklist. Only responses meeting all the administrative requirements will be further evaluated. If all vendors fail to meet any single mandatory item, WDFW reserves the option to cancel the RFP or amend the RFP to delete the mandatory item. Scoring for this step is a pass or fail.

4.2 Step 2: Evaluation and Scoring of RFP Responses

An evaluation team will review all RFP responses that pass administrative screening. WDFW reserves the right to bring in representatives from outside WDFW to be on the evaluation team. These outside scoring representatives can be contracted experts and/or help provide unbiased scoring.

4.2.1 Evaluation Points

All scored requirements unless stated otherwise will be evaluated by each member of the RFP evaluation team and given a score between zero and four points. The RFP Coordinator will collect scoring from each evaluation team member and add up the total score per each scored requirement.

SCORE EXPLANATION

FAILING – Response is significantly deficient, or no response is provided. Provided response does not meet WDFW’s needs, or the requirements set forth in the RFP. Proposer has not demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter and does not meet WDFW’s current or future needs.

FAIR – Response provides limited information or does not address all components requested. Provided information may not demonstrate an adequate fit for WDFW needs.

Proposer does not demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the subject matter. Response offered does not adequately provide for current or future WDFW needs.

ADEQUATE – Response includes an acceptable level of detail, accuracy, and relevance.

Provided information is an adequate fit for WDFW needs and offers sufficient information to demonstrate a basic level of experience and knowledge of the subject matter. Proposer demonstrates an ability to comply with guidelines, parameters, and requirements with little or no additional information put forth by the Proposer. Response offered provides for WDFW’s current needs.

VERY GOOD – Response is comprehensive in terms of detail and relevance to the question.

Provided response is a good fit for WDFW needs and provides useful information, while showing experience and knowledge of the subject matter. Proposer demonstrates above average knowledge and ability with no apparent deficiencies noted. Response offered meets WDFW needs and appears workable for future needs.

EXCEPTIONAL – Response addresses the requested information with precision and relevance. Provided information aligns with WDFW needs and demonstrates in a clear and concise manner a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and project. Proposer provides clear insight into its expertise, and the response shows an ability to satisfy future needs of WDFW including future innovation.

Attachment J – Fit Gap Analysis will use the scoring method as outlined below.

1 One point will be given if future development is needed to meet the requirement 2 Two points will be given if solution configuration is needed to meet the requirement.

3 Three points will be given if requirement is met by the solution “out of the box.”

4.3 Step 3: Demonstration and Interview

Vendor demonstrations will be scheduled by WDFW. An interviewing panel will evaluate the demonstrations. The contract award may be based solely on this, subject to final agreement of detailed pricing and terms. A specific script for this step will be provided.

All vendors who proceed to this step will be provided the same script and asked the same questions during the demonstration and interview. The interviewing panel will score each area of the demonstration and interview questions using the 0-4 method outlined above. Each panel member will submit their score to the RFP Coordinator. The RFP Coordinator will sum the total points for each vendor for each step of the demonstration and interview. The scoring of the demonstration and interview may be used solely for identifying the apparent successful bidder.

4.4 Step 4: Contract Negotiation and Award

As a result of Step 3, specific vendors may be requested to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) regarding their proposed solutions. The BAFO request will be based on a set of questions or issues provided by the WDFW evaluation committee in writing. Vendors will be asked to provide structured responses to the questions and, if appropriate, requote the cost response of their final proposals and submit them for consideration by the WDFW evaluation committee. Upon receipt of the vendor response to the BAFO request, the proposal will be rescored only in those areas impacted by the BAFO and on the basis of the BAFO response.