PHL CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SUPPORT: The City of Philadelphia, Department of Aviation, is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to implement a Digital Content Management System (CMS). The CMS wil. ..

The City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation is soliciting proposals for a turnkey Digital Content Management System (CMS) implementation at Philadelphia International Airport, with proposals due November 1, 2024, and a mandatory three-week pilot proof-of-concept required before contract execution.

M/W/DSBE participation of 15–20% MBE and 15–20% WBE (or combined) is required; only firms certified through the City's Office of Economic Opportunity registry count toward these ranges, and failure to meet targets requires documented best and good faith efforts. Local Business Entity certification under Mayoral Executive Order No. 04-12 serves as a positive evaluation factor. Nonprofit applicants must submit workforce and board diversity data with supplier diversity documentation.

The CMS will manage approximately 1,500 digital displays across airport terminals, supporting flight information, baggage information, gate assignments, wayfinding, advertising, weather, queue management, and emergency notifications. The solution must integrate with existing systems including the Amadeus AODB, flight data systems, baggage handling, and queue management platforms. Vendors may utilize approximately 1,400 existing Intel Cubi N ADL mini-PCs running Windows 10 Enterprise (N100 and N200 models purchased in 2023–2024) or propose alternative hardware with pricing included; existing monitors are out of scope. The system must achieve 99.99% uptime operating 24/7/365, support a minimum of 2,500 simultaneous displays with no more than 2% non-operational at any given time, and include 12-month comprehensive warranty with 24/7 maintenance and break-fix support with negotiated SLAs. Cloud-hosted architecture is preferred for fault tolerance and minimal downtime.

Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of five years' experience with large-scale distributed database design, high-availability systems, and CMS implementation in environments with minimum 500 end devices and at least two external system integrations; proposed technicians must hold minimum three years' CMS implementation and support experience with manufacturer certification. Cost proposals must be fixed-price with detailed line-item breakdowns including all implementation, software, hardware, installation, testing, training, and integration costs. Minimum one-year maintenance and support is included in the fixed price; vendors must provide pricing for four additional years. Minimum one-year warranty is required with pricing requested for two additional warranty years. All implementation costs must be included; the City will not disclose a predetermined budget.

The contract requires a 50% performance bond at execution and bid bonds at proposal submission; bond requirements cannot be waived. A three-week mandatory pilot involving at least three endpoints is required; the City reserves the right to waive the pilot if deemed unnecessary. The City will provide virtual server infrastructure, backup solutions, SMS gateway services, email SMTP connections, security protocols, and infrastructure support for cloud connectivity to the awarded vendor. Vendors using PHL's existing DDCs will have PHL responsible for warranty and repair; vendors proposing alternative hardware assume warranty responsibility. Personnel must comply with TSA requirements under 49 CFR Part 1542 and may require airport identification badges (fingerprinting fee $32, badging fee $33 per employee); all security compliance costs are vendor responsibility.

The project is funded by federal funding or grants and must comply with Section 2 of the Secure Networks Act regarding equipment procurement. Implementation must occur without disrupting daily airport operations and coordinate with an ongoing EVIDS refresh project. The vendor must provide comprehensive training covering user, technician, and system administrator levels; develop detailed project documentation including system design, interface control, disaster recovery, and as-built drawings; and maintain spare parts and consumables inventory throughout the warranty period with turnover to PHL at contract conclusion.

The City is procuring on behalf of the Department of Aviation with administrative oversight at Philadelphia International Airport. The contract term includes an initial period with potential renewal at the City's sole discretion; initial term cannot exceed one year without City Council authorization, though the City may amend to add up to five additional one-year terms (not to exceed five years total unless expressly authorized). Compensation is contingent upon satisfactory performance as determined by the Responsible Official and is subject to Philadelphia Contract Cost Principles and Guidelines. The City reserves the right to terminate for convenience without liability, reduce scope if funding is insufficient, or suspend the contract at its discretion.

All proposals must be submitted electronically through eContract Philly and must include the Office of Economic Opportunity Solicitation for Participation and Commitment Form, Tax and Regulatory Status and Clearance Statement (Appendix H), Statement of Financial Capacity with audited or unaudited financial statements or IRS Form 990, disclosure of all subcontractors and local political contributions under Philadelphia Code Chapter 17-1400, and signed addenda cover sheets (Addenda 1–5). Optional submissions include Local Business Entity Certification (Appendix D) and LGBTQ Applicant Opportunity Data (Appendix E). All proposals must be electronically signed by an authorized signatory; registered business name and Tax Identification Number must match across all application documents. Proposals must formally raise any objections to contract provisions within the submission, as later-raised objections may not be considered. Technical assistance is available through eContract Philly at 215-686-4914 or econtractphilly@phila.gov.

A virtual pre-proposal meeting was held September 20, 2024. Questions were due September 24, 2024, with responses posted by October 8, 2024 (Addendum 2). Addendum 3 (October 9) and Addendum 4 (October 15) notified applicants of additional Q&A responses posted in Addendum 5 on or before October 18. The original October 18 proposal deadline was extended to November 1, 2024, following vendor requests. Applicant interviews and presentations are anticipated in December 2024, with anticipated work commencement January 1, 2025 and anticipated award date December 18, 2024.

All vendors must comply with additional IT Standards (Appendix K) mandating perpetual, non-proprietary access to City data via documented APIs (preferably RESTful web services with JSON payload), ODBC-compliant database access, or secure file system access; data must be exportable in standard formats including PDF, text, JPEG, PNG, XML, and JSON. Address data must conform to USPS Publication 28 standards and utilize the City's Address Information System for standardization. Systems must support SOC2 compliance, SAML 2.0 or OAuth 2.0 authentication via Azure Active Directory, multi-factor authentication, encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES), and 99.9% system availability. All websites and web applications must conform to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines and incorporate localization for multiple languages. Non-compliance may result in contract termination, system removal, or other remedial action.

The contract incorporates federal compliance provisions including Title VI Civil Rights Act nondiscrimination requirements, occupational safety and health standards, Federal Fair Labor Standards Act compliance, environmental requirements, debarment certification, contract work hours standards, and Buy American requirements for manufactured products when federal funding is utilized. All providers must comply with Philadelphia Code provisions including minimum wage and benefits standards (Chapter 17-1300), exclusionary organization restrictions (Chapter 17-400), and M/W/DSBE participation requirements per Executive Order 01-21. The provider is classified as an independent contractor and must indemnify the City against all losses, claims, and damages arising from performance or negligence. Records must be maintained for five years following contract expiration.

Opportunity Number: 21240625164751; Solicitation Type: RFP.