Customer Relationship Management Services

The Commonwealth of Kentucky's Legislative Research Commission (LRC) is soliciting proposals through a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Services to support the Kentucky General Assembly's 138 members and approximately 12-15 administrative and IT staff. The LRC seeks either a cloud-based or on-premise constituent relationship management application that integrates with existing email (MS Exchange), phone (Cisco VoIP), and constituent services systems to manage constituent communications, appointments, and correspondence. Key deliverables include implementation services encompassing initial design review, hardware and software requirements determination, system configuration, role-based training for approximately 150 total users, and ongoing support through a dedicated customer service manager. Desired system features include individualized dashboards for collaboration, mass email processing with audience segmentation, electronic communication screening with demographic data, centralized address verification, constituent letter creation and tracking, comprehensive reporting capabilities, SMS support, mobile access, customizable surveys, auto-reply options, and task assignment with chain of custody tracking. The RFP was released on April 28, 2023, with written questions due by 2:00 PM on May 8, 2023, LRC responses anticipated on May 17, 2023, and proposals due by 2:00 PM Eastern Time on May 26, 2023. Evaluation criteria emphasize project team qualifications and ability to meet proposed timelines, creativity in meeting desired features, proposed customer service support options, and both initial and ongoing project costs. Oral presentations are scheduled at the LRC's discretion for June 1-2, 2023 (with some documents noting June 6-7, 2023), with the initial contract term anticipated to run from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025, renewable for up to three additional one-year terms not to exceed five years total.

All vendors must be properly authorized to conduct business in Kentucky and maintain good standing with the Secretary of State throughout the contract term; foreign entities must provide a certificate of authority within 14 days of proposal submission or face deemed non-responsive status. Vendors must submit signed proposals in three parts consisting of technical proposal, cost proposal, and any proprietary information, with proposals remaining valid for a minimum of six months after the due date; submissions must include signed solicitation forms, technical and cost proposals, transmittal letter, proof of Secretary of State registration if applicable, and required affidavits including the Annual Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors. All vendor data becomes the property of the LRC and must be held in strict confidence with best-practice encryption for data at rest and in transit. Implementation must be completed by December 1, 2023, with General Assembly member training completed by January 31, 2024, and the vendor must provide onsite presence in Frankfort, Kentucky for meetings, training, and presentations with specific dates and duration to be established in the final statement of work. The LRC declined to disclose specific budget information or total contract amounts in the solicitation documents, stating that budget determination would occur during proposal evaluation based on vendor cost projections submitted for approximately 150 users. Travel expenses are not authorized unless specifically approved by the LRC Director, and the contract is a Personal Service Contract governed by Kentucky law and subject to approval by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and the LRC Government Contract Review Committee, with the Commonwealth reserving the right to reject any or all proposals, negotiate terms, request clarifications, and terminate the contract with thirty days' written notice or if funding becomes unavailable.