Independent Verification and Validation - Pension Modernization

The State of Delaware, specifically through Kent County's Government Support Services, is seeking an Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) consultant for a Pension Modernization Project. The solicitation focuses on procuring IV&V services for implementing a new Pension Administration Solution (PAS), with the primary objective of replacing the current system with a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. Desired system modules include Payroll, Benefits, Pension Administration, Pension Calculations, Reporting/Analytics, and integrations with Document Imaging, General Ledger, and Customer Relationship Management. The evaluation process will comprehensively score proposals across several criteria: relevant government project experience (25 points), responses to scope of work (30 points), qualifications of assigned personnel (15 points), references (15 points), and cost proposal (15 points). Key submission deadlines include a question submission cutoff of April 2, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., with answers provided by April 9, 2025, and the final proposal due date of April 30, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. The contract term is specified as five years with potential for three optional one-year extensions, and all proposals must be submitted exclusively through the online bid submission portal at https://gss.bonfirehub.com/.

The solicitation encourages participation in the State of Delaware's supplier diversity program and appears open to various vendors, though specific set-aside designations are not explicitly detailed. Vendors must comply with stringent background check requirements and maintain specific insurance coverages, including cyber security liability insurance with coverage levels ranging from $2 million to $100 million depending on the number of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) records involved. The state reserves the right to award multiple contracts and will select the vendor whose proposal is most advantageous, not necessarily the lowest-priced submission. While a specific budget range is not provided, the comprehensive nature of the IV&V services and the modernization of a pension administration system suggests a significant investment. Potential contractors must demonstrate expertise in public sector pension systems, provide comprehensive technical and personnel qualifications, and be prepared to integrate with existing state technology infrastructure while adhering to Delaware's Department of Technology and Information's cloud services and data usage policies.