I.Mandatory Requirements - Welcome to NCTCOG.org · Web viewNorth Central Texas Council of Governments Request for Proposal for ERP Shared Service Program Services and General Hosting

North Central Texas Council of Governments

Request for Proposal for ERP Shared Service Program Services and General

Hosting Services

RFP #NCT-2014-02

Issued October 10, 2013

Proposal Deadline: Thursday November 21, 2013, 3:00 p.m.

Pre-Proposal Meeting

October 24, 2013 9:00 a.m.NCTCOG Offices

616 Six Flags Drive (Centerpoint Two)

Arlington, TX 76011

Contact: Merrily Carey, Administrative Assistant II

817.704.2520

[email protected]

RFP #NCT-2014-02ERP Shared Services Program

1

mailto:[email protected]

OVERVIEW OF THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Background

In November 2004, the NCTCOG entered into an inter-local agreement with the cities of Arlington, Carrollton and Grand Prairie to implement and provide data center service for the operation of the Lawson (now Infor) Enterprise Resource Planning software suite and ancillary packages for printing, imaging, time capture and tax reporting for payroll. The companies the ancillary packages are MHC, ImageNow, Kronos and BSI. The ancillary packages are not currently hosted but interface with the hosted ERP software.

The implementation project began in December 2004 and was essentially concluded in April 2006. All three cities are live on the Infor software operating from a primary data center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In November 2006, program participants began receiving Hosting, Help Desk, Technical Support and Application Support as hosting was moved from NCTCOG to an external vendor. In 2012, functional support for the Infor Software was added to the service offering. Arlington and Carrollton wish to continue the hosting portion of the program while Grand Prairie has made the decision to host the software themselves. The ultimate goal of this project is to expand the Shared Services model to include additional governmental entities so all participating entities can gain from the typical benefits associated with shared service programs

The purpose of this request for proposals is to solicit proposals from entities interested in partnering in the Shared Service Project to provide:

A. Data center services;B. Help Desk services;C. Technical support including network, database and application administration

and;D. Application support and License Management.

If award requires conversion to a new service provider, vendor will be responsible for all activities related to the conversion including license management, conversion scheduling and management of the conversion project. Any unidentified costs or activities related to the conversion during contract negotiations will be the responsibility of the vendor.

Additional elements are included in this request for proposals. They are:

A. Hosting and support services for other Infor products to provide entities the ability to contract for hosting and support for all Infor products with a single provider;

B. General hosting and/or support services for governmental entities that wish to move from internally provided hosting and support to an external solution provider.

Entities can respond to individual services, any combination of services or the entire list of services. NCTCOG reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to accept any


2

combination of proposals. NCTCOG is interested in alternative and innovative methods of service provision and will entertain alternative proposals for alternate approaches.

Approach of this RFP

This RFP is being issued with the following goals:

A. Provide a high quality support for the Infor ERP software (formerly Lawson) for all participating cities.

B. Provide optional levels of support based on different SLA requirements to allow matching of the cost of service to budgetary constraints of participating entities.

C. Obtain competitive pricing that will reduce the government’s cost of operations.D. Provide capacity so additional entities can be added to the Shared Service Project

successfully.E. Provide customer entities access to application support for the implementation of

additional functionality, report writing, patch management, implementation of software upgrades, “how to” support related to existing functionality and other application support activities.

F. Provide hosting and support for other Infor products in addition to their Lawson ERP software.

G. Provide general data center and technical support services for entities interested in moving to an external provider for all hosting and/or technical support servies.

H. Fund an annual market survey by a firm to be selected by NCTCOG to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the then current contract terms to ensure the member governments are receiving the most advantageous service available.

Engagement Term & Selection Criteria

This RFP sets a ten-year initial contract award with optional one-year renewals. A Timetable of Events is included on the following page. The winning respondent will be chosen based on the best overall combination of experience with the services being requested, firm capacity, references and overall reputation and price. The selection criteria include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Respondent’s philosophy and approach to serving customersB. Respondent’s ability to produce a high quality productC. Full costs for all items listed in the scope of work D. Training and product supportE. Ability of the Respondent to meet timeline requirementsF. Customer referencesG. Current relationship with Infor Software

Companies are encouraged to provide alternative proposals that present innovative approaches for the NCTCOG to serve their Shared Services Program customers, in addition to their basic response.


3


4

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALERP SHARED SERVICES PROGRAM SERVICES

AND GENERAL HOSTING SERVICES

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

October 10, 2013 RFP Issued

October 24, 2013 Pre-proposal Meeting: 9:00 AM William J. Pitstick Executive Board Room NCTCOG

November 21, 2013 Proposals Due: 3:00 p.m.

January 2014 Interviews with Final Firms

April 2014 Develop transition plan with selected vendor(s)

June 2014 Execute Contracts to be effective October 1, 2015


5

Table of Contents

I. Mandatory Requirements 7

II. INTRODUCTION 7

III. Relationship to Participating Governments 7

IV. Scope of Services 8

A. Introduction and Purpose 81) Project Introduction 82) Infor Implementation Project Timeline 8

B. NCTCOG Background 81) Company Overview 82) Current IT Environment 93) Proposed IT Environment 94) Participation and IT Governance 10

C. Evaluation Criteria 111) Organizational Viability 112) Organizational Ability 123) Application Management Process 134) Help Desk Support 135) Local Area Network (LAN) Support 136) Emergency Support 147) Customer Support and Quality.................................................................................148) Contract Management...............................................................................................15


6

9) Disaster Recovery / Contingency Planning..............................................................1510) Service Center and System Security.......................................................................15

D. Instructions to Respondents 161) Respondent Conferences 162) Proposal Submission 16

E. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS 161) General Specifications 162) RFP Proposal Content and Format 17

F. RFP Terms and Conditions 181) Respondent Communications 182) No Obligation183) General Period of Offer 194) Cost of Proposals 195) Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure 196) Ownership 197) Ethical Obligations 19

G. Pricing 191) Pricing Model 192) Pricing Variation 203) Complete Proposal Price 204) A La Carte Pricing.....................................................................................................20

V. Required Declaration 21

VI. RFP Evaluation and Award Process 21


7

VII. Pricing of Services 21

VIII. Delivery of Proposals 21

IX. General Terms and Conditions 22

X. APPENDICES TO THIS DOCUMENT 26

Appendix A - Facilities 26

Appendix B - Interfaces And Enhancements 27

Appendix C - Existing Software Applications Requiring Support 29

Appendix D - Users Counts by Location and Function 32

Appendix E - Conflict of Interest Questionnaire 33

APPENDIX F - REQUIRED DECLARATION 35


8

Appendix G - Acknowledgement 36

APPENDIX H - STATEMENTS OF INTEREST.........................37City of Dallas...........................................................................37Tarrant Regional Water District...........................................39


9

I. Mandatory Requirements

In order to facilitate efficient award and contract negotiation process interested respondents will be required to complete the Acknowledgement form at Appendix G. This form will assure the evaluators that the respondent has read the proposed engagement letter that includes the General Terms and Conditions listed in section VIII and is ready to sign the contract without modification unless proposed changes are specifically noted on the form. In addition, state law requires vendors of local governments to complete a conflict of interest form. This form is ambiguous, difficult to understand and can be particularly difficult to complete in a shared services environment where a vendor is serving multiple governments or where a vendor has a large number of employees. For this reason, respondents will not be asked to fill this form out in advance but will be expected to commit on the mandatory requirements form of a willingness and ability to complete the form within 15 days of notice of award. Finally, the mandatory requirements form will assure the evaluators that individual representing the respondent is at a sufficient level in the organization to bind the firm.

II. Introduction

Although NCTCOG serves a 16 county region in north central Texas, it is not unprecedented for a Council of Governments that offers a unique program or service to offer that service to jurisdictions statewide. Additionally, NCTCOG can provide this service in other states provided the laws in that location allow it. This RFP is designed to provide an alternative to individual governments contracting with vendors on a one by one basis. NCTCOG believes that this approach offers several advantages to both governments and to vendors that will ultimately lead to more cost-effective provision of ERP software support services.

III. Relationship to Participating Governments

Current customers of the NCTCOG Shared Services Program are the cities of Arlington, Carrollton and Grand Prairie. While all contractual relationships will be between the winning respondent and the NCTCOG, the contract will allow direct communication between the customer cities and the service provider to eliminate bureaucracy. Procedures will be established to ensure NCTCOG is informed of services provided and has adequate information to manage the contract and attendant service level agreements.

Confidential Page 10

IV. Scope of Services

A. Introduction and Purpose

1) Project Introductiona) The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), a US

corporation, has implemented the Infor Lawson ERP suite of applications for its Shared Services Program customers. NCTCOG is seeking a proposal from qualified Respondents to provide Data Center, Help Desk, Application, and Technology support for its Infor Lawson ERP solution for a period of ten years from start of contact. Support for all requisite Wide Area Network (WAN) and Local Area Network (LAN) infrastructure, hardware (servers, back-up systems, storage, and the like), along with the required data center services for the NCTCOG are also required. NCTCOG reserves the right to reject any or all responses based on an evaluation of the responses. NCTCOG may elect to only award a contract or contracts for a portion of the services proposed if that is the solution that provides the best service to the Shared Services Program customers.

b) NCTCOG is seeking proposals from qualified respondents to provide the same services for the Infor Hansen suite of products under the same terms.

c) NCTCOG is seeking proposals from qualified respondents to provide the same services for other governmental software including, but not limited to, permitting, planning, utility billing, public safety records management, building intelligence, collaboration, and other used in the normal course of business under the same terms.

2) Infor Implementation Project TimelineThe required support services identified in this RFP will be implemented according to schedules developed during contract negotiations to become effective when the current contract terminates, approximately September 2015 for the Infor Lawson suite of products. The implementation for other software will be dependent of NCTCOG customer and future customer schedules.

B. NCTCOG Background

1) Company OverviewNorth Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a voluntary association of, by and for local governments, and was established to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual


benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and make joint decisions.

NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered around the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. NCTCOG has over 230 member governments including all 16 counties, numerous cities, school districts, and special districts.

Each member government appoints a COG voting representative from its governing body. These voting representatives make up the General Assembly, which annually elects the Executive Board. The Executive Board, composed of 13 locally elected officials, is the policy-making body for all activities undertaken by the Council of Governments, including program activities and decisions, regional plans, and fiscal and budgetary policies. The Board is supported by technical, study, and policy development committees and a professional staff headed by Mike Eastland, Executive Director.

For more about Council of Governments in Texas, visit the Texas Association of Regional Councils web site. For a complete list of Council of Governments in the U.S., visit the National Association of Regional Councils web site.

2) Current IT Environment (for existing NCTCOG customers using Infor Lawson software)The Operating System for Arlington and Carrollton in the current hosted data center is AIX and Oracle. The database platforms is Oracle. The Infor implementation is currently 9.0.1.5 for Arlington and 9.0.0.6 for Carrollton Environment and 9.0.1.5 for Arlington and 9.0.1.8 for Carrollton’s applications. Kronos time capture software for payroll, MHC software for check, purchase order and invoice printing, BSI for payroll taxes and ImageNow for imaging associated with Infor applications are part of the environment (currently only Carrollton is using ImageNow and it is installed locally).

3) Proposed IT EnvironmentThe vendor is free to propose whatever environment they choose as the most appropriate for the Infor software.


4) Participation and IT GovernanceIt is NCTCOG’s intent to seek proposals for hosting the Shared Services environment, providing technical, administrative, database and application support for the environment. These services will include the installation of patches as released by Infor (and any other host software) and major upgrades. The same vendor or multiple vendors may provide these services. Entities may respond to any single portion, multiple portions or the entire RFP. In other words, vendors that only provide Infor application support can respond to only that portion of the RFP, while vendors that provide the entire range of services can respond to all areas of the RFP.

Considering that the hosted software is mission-critical for the existing program participants, appropriate service level agreements (SLAs) will be required. The proposal should spell out specifically how the SLAs will be met including a description of each specific service proposed. If/when a contract is executed, the controlling terms of the contract will be those specific to the SLAs. If services are required to meet the SLAs that are not specifically mentioned, they will be assumed to be a part of the contract as a result of the SLA requirements. Rather than specifying which specific services are required and how they should be provided, NCTCOG is looking to the proposers to present their own unique response that provides the services required to effectively host Infor (Lawson) modules assumed to be mission critical.

Respondents should include alternate responses with different pricing based on differing SLAs, allowing entities to choose the service level that best fits with their business continuity and budgetary requirements.

Respondent will be responsible for all activities related to migration to a new datacenter if the award results in a migration. These responsibilities include:

a) Working with all other software vendors to manage all licensing, license keys, temporary license key and any other issues that must be addressed during the process;

b)Completing & testing the environments set up for migration to ensure they are ready for the migration; and

c) Testing of the software installed at the migration location to ensure the setup was completed without issue and that it is ready for configuration testing by the customer.


Any unidentified costs or activities related to the conversion during contract negotiations will be the responsibility of the vendor.

Additionally, NCTCOG is also seeking proposals for hosting and/or technical support of other Infor products (such as the Hansen suite of solutions) and other governmental software.

C. Evaluation Criteria

1) Organizational Viability

a) Respondents shall describe their financial condition. Respondents should include their most recently audited financial statements and should highlight revenue from Outsourcing Business.

b) Respondents shall include number of customers (organizations and users), their specific industries, and length of service to each customer on Infor platforms.

c) Describe the length of time with which the Respondent has been operating in the general Application Outsourcing market place and overall experience with governmental clients in particular.

d) What is the Respondent’s stated business direction and strategy for future growth and investment, in outsourcing and overall?

e) Describe Respondent’s ability and practices for investing in the future, which includes facilities, capabilities, and descriptions of Respondent’s general methods, including financing, for maintaining and replacing systems for clients – both those at the Respondent’s data centers and on the client’s sites.

f) Describe corporate management and the professional strength of your company.

g) Describe the specific geographies in which the Respondent currently operates.

h) Would the Respondent require partners/sub-contractors to perform any parts of the scope of services described in the RFP to which they are responding? Describe which parts, and the contractors to be used, including their financial condition, length of the contract, and length of time in business.


2) Organizational Ability

a) Explain your overall experience with each software package included in the proposal.

b) Include any relevant certifications and define those certification in layman’s terms. Examples might include:

1. Certification by Infor to manage and host all Infor applications – present and future?

2. Certification and authorization by Infor to perform application upgrades for all Infor applications?

3. Does the certifications cover the term of the proposal?

4. Do you have full time Infor certified staff supporting hosted clients? If so, how many?

c) Please describe the range and length of experience implementing, supporting, and managing all software included in your proposal.

d) Describe the breadth of the existing capabilities for implementing,

supporting, and managing the software included in your proposal.

e) Describe your hosting operations and service capabilities.

f) Describe the range and length of the experience implementing, supporting and managing software for public sector clients on the various platforms and databases that can be used and provide information on the number and type of customers on each.

g) Describe the breadth of existing capabilities for implementing, supporting, and managing the Infor database and the databases of other software included in your proposal.

h) How many data center migrations have your hosted clients undergone in the past five years?

i) Are you planning future data center migrations (within the contract terms proposed)?

j) What has your percentage of hosted customer growth/deterioration been over the past five years?


k) Describe your technical support processes and problem resolution mechanisms.

l) What services do you offer which may provide value added services

that would be of potential future use to NCTCOG?

3) Application Management Process

a) What tools do you use to manage software products?

b) Describe the methods and processes you use to manage patch installation for the software in your proposal.

c) Describe the tools used to manage you update process.

4) Help Desk Support

a) What help desk services are currently being performed for clients?

b) Describe levels of help desk support provided and the procedures for moving between levels, any additional costs associated with different levels, etc.

c) How many help desks are you currently operating? Of those, where are they physically located?

d) In existing help desk centers, what tools are being used? (Automatic Call Distribution, Help Desk software)

e) What are current help desk staffing levels and what levels are proposed for this project?

f) Describe the depth of Infor skills and capabilities which now exist in currently operating help desks.

g) Describe the depth of skills and capabilities for other software included in the proposal in currently operating help desks.

5) Local Area Network (LAN) Support

a) What LANs are currently being supported at your help desk centers?

b) Do your help desk currently support the Key LAN components required to be supported for NCTCOG’s Shared Service Program customers?


c) Are you willing to build out support in the help desk for the Key LAN support if it does not currently exist?

6) Emergency Support

a) How do you define emergencies?

b) Describe how emergencies are handled.

c) Are there fees, penalties or other charges for emergencies? If so, what invokes the fees, how are they assessed, and what process is available to dispute the fees?

7) Customer Support and Quality

a) What is your overall approach and methodology for providing customer support? What approach and methodology will you deploy to support NCTCOG’s Shared Service Program customers?

b) Describe your methods proposed for client interaction given NCTCOG’s defined model for Level I and Level II support along with interactions external vendors.

c) Walk through the process (from initial troubleshoot to final resolution) when a call from a NCTCOG Shared Services customer Level I support is place to the proposed Level II Help Desk.

d) How do you handle out-of-scope requirements when they arise during the contract term?

e) What is your process for dealing with a customer when there are questions/concerns related to services and/or services quality?

f) What is the process for managing service level failures?

g) How do your client’s access service level metrics and reporting?

h) What is the process for receiving credits resulting from missed service levels?

i) What is the client’s ability to access information about services provided and the performance thereof on-line?


j) What reporting is available? Please provide sample reports in an Appendix.

k) How do you bill for services? Please provide sample invoice in an Appendix.

8) Contract Management

Information provided in this section is intended to provide NCTCOG with a clear picture of how you interact and communicate with clients after contract signing. You must provide descriptions of ongoing contract management including, but not limited to:

a) Contract management – including distribution of applicable terms to service providers

b) Contract modifications – responsibility

c) Contract renewal and termination processes

9) Disaster Recovery/Contingency Planning

a) Describe your disaster recovery plan for the facilities that would serve NCTCOG.

b) Describe how you proposes to assist NCTCOG with a system recovery should the data center suffer a disaster.

10) Service Center and System Security

a) Where is the service center(s) located that you propose to use for NCTCOG’s Shared Service Program? Will Key NCTCOG Shared Service Program support be provided from other locations? Please describe them.

b) Describe the physical security procedures used at any service center you are proposing to use, include a description of the facility, staffing and technology used.

c) Describe the data security procedures used at any service centers you are proposing to use. Include a description of how NCTCOG Shared Service Program customers’ data, information, process, etc. will be segregated from other client’s data, staffing, firewalls, and other technology.


D. Instructions to Respondents

1) Respondent Conferences

Each Respondent will receive, along with the RFP, a date and time for a formal question and answer session as well as a call number for the voice conference which will take place in English. Respondents must notify Merrily Carey via email at [email protected] of their intention to attend the conference via telephone no later than 2 working days after receipt of this proposal.

2) Proposal Submission

See page 21 for proposal submittal information

E. Proposal Requirements

1) General Specificationsa) Respondents must submit hard copies of their proposal as required in

section VIII in addition to one (1) electronic copy. Proposals shall have tabs or other identifiers for each section to facilitate proposal evaluation. Proposals shall be addressed and submitted in a sealed package to “NCTCOG ERP Shared Service Program Services RFP- CONFIDENTIAL”. Proposals shall be clearly marked on the outside with the firm’s return address.

b) Elaborate proposals are not necessary nor are they desirable. Economy of presentation and strict adherence to the required proposal format are essential. Fancy bindings, marketing materials, or descriptions of other services are not desirable. For email copies, Respondent should eliminate any unnecessary graphics that contribute to a large file transmission size.

c) Respondents shall provide a response that addresses all requirements of the portions of the RFP to which they are replying. If Respondents require subcontractors in order to submit a comprehensive proposal, Respondent will identify all subcontractors as well as their role in providing identified services. Proposals that provide a subset of services being requested in this RFP will be considered non-responsive and will not be accepted.

d) Responses to this RFP must be made in accordance with the format set forth in this RFP and must follow the same titling and numbering schemes. Any limitation on Respondent’s ability to supply information requested in this RFP or to support or perform a particular function


mailto:[email protected]

should be stated in detail in the appropriate section of Respondent’s response to this RFP. Any omissions or deviations from the requirements set forth in this RFP should be fully described.

2) RFP Proposal Content and Formata) Cover Letter

The proposal must be signed by an officer of the Respondent authorized to bind the Respondent to all commitments made in the Proposal. However, the proposal will be considered only as an initial offer of services subject to further discussion and negotiation with Respondents. The cover letter must contain the following specific information:

Name of Firm Corporate Office Address Local Office Address, if applicable Contact Information Including: Contact Person Title of Contact Person Telephone Number Facsimile Number Email Address

b) Table of Contents

Each proposal shall include a clear identification of the Proposal contents by section and by page number.

c) Executive Summary (Limited to 5 pages)

Each Proposal shall include an Executive Summary section indicating the Respondent’s:

Brief understanding of the scope of the Proposal General overview of proposed approach and plan to provide the

requested services A statement about the Respondent’s qualifications to perform the

services Proposed team and resources available to perform the program Pricing summary

d) Proposal Sections

The following is a listing of the major sections and headings to be used in the remainder of the Respondent’s document containing responses to


the questions contained in section 7.0: Section 1 Organizational Viability Section 2 Organizational Ability Section 3 Application Management Process Section 4 Help Desk Support Section 5 LAN Support Section 6 Customer Support and Quality Section 7 Contract and Relationship Management Section 8 Service Levels Section 9 Other information Section 10 Acknowledgements Section 11 Sample Contract Terms and Conditions Section 12 Exceptions taken to the RFP

Respondent Proposal Notes:Acknowledgement - Respondent’s authorized signatory must sign the Acknowledgement provided in Appendix G.

Contract Terms and Conditions – The Respondent shall include a copy of all standard terms and conditions as related to all services proposed, including maintenance, professional services, and service level agreements.

F. RFP Terms and Conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to this RFP. All Respondents agree to these terms and conditions by submitting a proposal.

1) Respondent CommunicationsRespondents are reminded that all questions related to this RFP must be made at the Respondent conferences scheduled as a part of the release of this RFP. Contact with any individuals within NCTCOG Corporation or NCTCOG regarding this RFP outside of those present at the Respondent conferences will be grounds for disqualification.

2) No Obligation This RFP is not an offer to contract. Acceptance of a proposal neither commits NCTCOG to award a contract to any Respondent, even if all requirements stated in this RFP are met, nor limits NCTCOG right to negotiate in the organization’s best interest. NCTCOG reserves the right to contract or not to contract with a respondent in its sole discretion.NCTCOG reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses to this RFP and to enter into discussions and/or negotiations with one or more qualified Respondents at the same time, if such action is in the best


interest of the NCTCOG Company.

3) General Period of Offer The pricing, terms, and conditions stated in the RFP response shall remain valid for a minimum of 90 days from the date of delivery of the proposal to NCTCOG.

4) Cost of Proposals Expenses incurred in the preparation of proposals in response to this RFP are the Respondent’s sole responsibility.

5) Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure The information contained in this RFP (or accumulated through other written or verbal communication) is confidential. It is for proposal purposes only and shall not to be disclosed or used for any other purpose. It is required that the Respondent have signed a NCTCOG non-disclosure agreement prior to receiving this RFP. Information received in response to this RFP will be treated confidentially and shared as required with NCTCOG, its affiliates and independent contracted consultants.

6) Ownership All Proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of NCTCOG. Respondents must identify all copyrighted material, trade secrets or other proprietary information (“Respondent IP”) in the proposal. Respondent grants to NCTCOG and NCTCOG Corporation the right to use the Respondent IP for purposes of evaluating its proposal.

7) Ethical ObligationsNCTCOG prohibits its employees from using their official position for personal financial gain, or from accepting any personal advantage from anyone under circumstances that might reasonably be interpreted as an attempt to influence the recipients in the conduct of their official duties. Respondents shall not, under such circumstances that might reasonably be interpreted as an attempt to influence the recipients in the conduct of their duties, extend any gratuity or special favor to employees of NCTCOG.

G. Pricing

1) Pricing ModelDescribe Respondent’s pricing model for services. What are the various components of pricing and what actions by the client (in terms of users, NCTCOG etc.) drive price in Respondent’s model. If applicable to Respondent’s pricing model, describe the following:


a) Pass through costs, i.e., hardware, software, infrastructure, communications

b) Fixed costs, what is includedc) Variable costsd) Availability of Help Deske) Volume discountingf) Service Level costsg) Differences in locationsh) LAN supporti) Number and type of applications supportedj) Database size and typek) Term of contractl) Other factorsm) Alternate pricing based on different SLA requirements

2) Pricing VariationAs NCTCOG business expands and changes, the scope of Respondent’s services may change. Please describe Respondent’s approach to the following:

a) Expansion of applications supportedb) Expansion of database size or typec) Reduction of applications or databases supportedd) Addition/deletion of LAN supporte) Early termination of all or part of the services

3) Complete Proposal Price

a) Please provide complete pricing for all services proposed by service.

4) A La Carte Pricing

a) The proposal should provide the option to purchase individual services based on specific needs of an organization. For example, one organization may only need services related to payroll, while another will need all services.


V. Required Declaration

Respondent must formally acknowledge willingness to comply with all RFP requirements by signing the declaration contained at Appendix F and including as an attachment to their proposal.

VI. RFP Evaluation and Award Process

A committee consisting of representatives from NCTCOG and customer cities participating governments will perform evaluation of the proposals received. The winning respondent will be chosen based on the best overall combination of experience with Infor Software support, references and overall reputation and value.

Following identification of two to three finalists, interviews will be held at the NCTCOG offices.

The winning respondent will be given a ten-year initial contract award with 3 optional 1 year renewals. VII. Pricing of Services

Since this RFP is for services beginning October 2015 as necessitated by the possibility of a major project to migrate the Infor ERP solutions in use to a new data center, pricing provided to this RFP will have the option of being adjusted each year in September beginning with September 2014 in relation to the lesser of 5% of the contract price or the Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers. Respondent will also need to specify the method in which prices will be adjusted in future years. For example, if respondent is willing to delay the start of the annual adjustment until services are being provided under the contract or later, they should clearly make a statement to that effect.

VIII. Delivery of Proposals

Clearly mark the outside envelope “SEALED ERP SHARED SERVICES PROGRAM SERVICES RFP #NCT-2014-02. Submit one (1) electronic copy of the proposal no later than 3:00 p.m., (CST), Thursday, November 21, 2013 to:

North Central Texas Council of GovernmentsAttention: Tim Barbee616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX 76011

Late proposals will not be accepted or considered for award. Late proposals may be returned unopened.


NCTCOG assumes no responsibility for late submissions due to mistake of courier, U.S. Postal service, or any other delivery services used for proposal submittals.

Proposals will be opened publicly in a manner to avoid public disclosure of contents; however, only names of respondents will be read aloud.

IX. General Terms and Conditions

A. Contracting Government is exempt from manufacturer’s federal excise tax and states sales tax. Tax exemption certificates will be issued upon request.

B. NCTCOG reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all proposals or to cancel this notice at any time.

C. A response to this Request for Proposal (RFP) does not commit NCTCOG or Contracting Governments to a purchase agreement or contract, or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of such response.

D. Unless the respondent specifies in its proposal, the NCTCOG may award the engagement for any items/services or group of items/services in the RFP and may increase or decrease the quantity specified.

E. NCTCOG reserves the right to hold and accept any proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the response deadline.

F. NCTCOG reserves the right to negotiate the final terms of any and all purchase agreements with bidders selected and such agreements negotiated as a result of this RFP may be re-negotiated and/or amended in order to successfully meet the agency needs.

G. NCTCOG reserves the right to waive any defect in this procurement process or to make changes to this solicitation as it deems necessary. NCTCOG will provide notifications of such changes to all bidders recorded in the official record (Distribution Log/Receipts Record) as having received or requested an RFP.

H. NCTCOG reserves the right to contact any individual, agencies or employers listed in a proposal, to contact others who may have experience and/or knowledge of the bidder's relevant performance and/or qualifications; and to request additional information from any and all respondents.

I. NCTCOG reserves the right to conduct a review of records, systems, procedures, etc., of any entity selected for funding. This may occur prior to, or subsequent to the award of a purchase agreement. Misrepresentation of the respondent's ability to perform as stated in the proposals may result in cancellation of the purchase agreement award.


J. NCTCOG reserves the right to withdraw or reduce the amount of an award, or to cancel any contract resulting from this procurement if adequate funding is not available.

K. Respondents shall not, under penalty of law, offer or provide any gratuities, favors or anything of monetary value to any officer, member, employee or agent of NCTCOG for the purpose of or having the effect of influencing favorable disposition toward their own proposal or any other proposal submitted hereunder.

L. No employee, officer or agent of NCTCOG shall participate in the selection, award or administration of a contract if a conflict of interest, real or apparent, exists.

M. Respondents shall not engage in any activity that will restrict or eliminate competition. Violation of this provision may be cause for a respondent's bid to be rejected. This does not preclude joint ventures or subcontracts.

N. All proposals submitted must be an original work product of the respondents. The copying, paragraphing or other use of substantial portions of the work product of others and submitted hereunder, as original work of the respondent is not permitted. Failure to adhere to this instruction may cause the proposal(s) to be rejected.

O. The only purpose of this RFP is to ensure uniform information in the selection of proposals and procurement of services. This RFP is not to be construed as a purchase agreement or contract, or as a commitment of any kind, nor does it commit the NCTCOG to pay for costs incurred prior to the execution of a formal contract unless such costs are specifically authorized in writing by NCTCOG.

P. The contents of a successful proposal may become a contractual obligation, if selected for award of a contract. Failure of the respondent to accept this obligation may result in cancellation of the award. No plea of error or mistake shall be available to successful respondent(s) as a basis for release of proposed services at stated price/cost. Any damages accruing to the NCTCOG as a result of the respondent's failure to contract may be recovered from the respondent.

Q. A contract with the selected provider may be withheld at sole discretion if issues of contract compliance or questioned/disallowed costs exist, until such issues are satisfactorily resolved. Award of contract may be withdrawn by NCTCOG if resolution is not satisfactory to NCTCOG.

R. Procurement Dispute Resolution Policy. NCTCOG is the responsible authority for handling complaints or protests regarding the proposal selection process. This includes, but is not limited to, disputes, claims, and protests of award, source evaluation or other matters of a contractual nature. Matters concerning violation of law shall be referred to such authority, as may have proper jurisdiction.


1) Once NCTCOG has agreed upon selection(s), all bidders will be notified in writing of the results. Any protest regarding this process must be filed with NCTCOG in accordance with the following procedure. NCTCOG would like to have the opportunity to resolve any dispute prior to the filing of an official complaint by the protester. The protester should contact NCTCOG’s Director of Administration, at (817) 695-9121, P.O. Box 5888, Arlington, Texas 76005-5888, so that arrangements can be made for a conference between NCTCOG and the protester. Copies of the appeal process will be made available to the protester.

S. At all times during the term of this contract, the contractor shall procure, pay for and maintain, with approved insurance carriers, the minimum insurance requirements set forth below, and shall require all subcontractors and sub-subcontractors performing work for which the same liabilities may apply under this contract to do likewise. The contractor may cause the insurance to be effected in whole or in part by the subcontractors of sub-subcontractors under their contracts. NCTCOG reserves the right to waive or modify insurance requirements at its sole discretion.

1) Workers’ Compensation: Statutory limits and employer’s liability of not less than $100,000 for each accident.

2) Commercial General Liability:a) Minimum Required Limits:

1. $1,000,000 per occurrence;2. $1,000,000 General Aggregate3. Commercial General Liability policy shall include:

i. Coverage A: Bodily injury and property damage;ii. Coverage B: Personal and Advertising Injury liability;

iii. Coverage C: Medical Paymentsiv. Products: Completed Operationsv. Fire Legal Liability

b) Policy coverage must be on an “occurrence” basis using CGL forms as approved by the Texas State Board of Insurance

c) Attachment of Endorsement CG 20 10 - additional insuredd) All other endorsements shall require prior approval by the NCTCOG.

3) Comprehensive Automobile/Truck Liability: Coverage shall be provided for all owned, hired and non-owned vehicles. Minimum required Limit: $500,000 combined single limit.

T. Contractor covenants and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless and defend and does hereby indemnify, hold harmless, and defend NCTCOG and Contracting Governments, its officers and employees, from and against any and all suits or


claims for damages or injuries, including death, to persons or property, whether real or asserted, arising out of any negligent act or omission on the part of the contractor, its officers, agents, servants, employees, or subcontractors, and the contractor does hereby assume all liability for injuries, claims or suits for damages to persons, property, or whatever kind of character, whether real or asserted, occurring during or arising out of the performance of a contract as a result of any negligent act or omission on the part of the contractor, its officers, agents, servants, employees, or subcontractors to the extent permitted by law.

U. A force majeure event shall be defined to include governmental decrees or restraints, acts of God (except that rain, wind, flood or other natural phenomena normally expected for the locality, shall not be construed as an act of God), work stoppages due to labor disputes or strikes, fires, explosions, epidemics, riots, war, rebellion, and sabotage. If a delay or failure of performance by either party to this contract results from the occurrence of a force majeure event, the delay shall be excused and the time fixed for completion of the work extended by a period equivalent to the time lost because of the event, if and to the extent that:

1) The delay or failure was beyond the control of the party affected and not due to its fault or negligence; and

2) The delay or failure was not extended because of the affected party’s failure to use all diligence to overcome the obstacle or to resume performance immediately after the obstacle was overcome. If the failure to perform is caused by the failure of a subcontractor of the Provider to perform, and if such failure was beyond the control of both the Provider and the subcontractor, without their fault or negligence, the Provider shall not be deemed to be in default unless the subcontracted supplies or services were reasonably obtainable from other sources.

3) No time extension shall be granted under this paragraph unless the party seeking relief has notified the other in writing within a reasonable time after commencement of the event, of the anticipated length and cause of the delay, the measures taken or to be taken to minimize the delay and the timetable by which the Provider intends to implement these measures. The party seeking relief shall also give written notice of the ending of the event within a reasonable time after the event has ended.

NCTCOG shall be responsible for costs related to a force majeure event, only if the Provider incurs them after prior written authorization by NCTCOG. Neither NCTCOG nor the Provider shall have, and both hereby waive, any claim whatsoever for any damages resulting from delays caused by force majeure events.


X. APPENDICES TO THIS DOCUMENT

Appendix A - Facilities

Location Primary/Secondary Function

Number of employees by location

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Primary Data Center


Appendix B - Interfaces And Enhancements

Business Function Enhancement Criticality ComplexityEncumbrance module Annual rollover of encumbrances is handled in a manner

consistent with generally accepted accounting practices.Critical

Arlington InterfacesInterfaces to Lawson

Software InterfaceAmanda AP520Amanda CB500Amanda GL165SourceNet AP520SourceNet MA540enQuesta CB500Gen2 GL165Incode AP520Incode CB500Incode GL165eBuilder AC127eBuilder MA540eBuilder AP520eBuilder PO520AP Bank Rec CB185PR Bank Rec PR165/PR155Sympro CB500SDOL AP520Kronos PR530ImageNet GL165Canon GL165

Interfaces from Lawson

Software InterfaceMHC - AP payments AP161MHC - PR Payments PR160MHC - W2s PR297MHC - 1099s AP145MHC - Invoices BL122


MHC - Purchase Orders PO120SourceNet-Vendor/PO/GL

Crystal

SourceNet - User Desktop CrystalSourceNet - Client Approval

Karen's Spreadsheet

SourceNet - Company Karen's Spreadsheet

EBuilder CrystalGovmax CrystalFleet CrystalICMA LICMAUHC Health LHLTHMetLife Dental LDNT3EyeMed Vision LVISNUHC Flexible Spending LEFSAKronos/Import LL&People

Crystal

Kronos/Accruals CrystalPBM(Badge System in WFS)

SQL

H S A AccessSuccessFactors AccessPST-DIP AccessMetLife CrystalMatrix Access

Carrollton interfacesBSIeRecruitingNote: Carrollton uses SQL extractions for other data sharing requirements


Appendix C – Existing Software Applications Requiring Support

This is the list of current modules requiring support. The proposal should anticipate and provide information regarding support for all Infor Lawson modules.

Infor modules:

Infor Financials suiteo Accounts Payable - Employee Expense, Cash Ledger, Terms, Taxo Accounts Receivable - Terms, Tax, Bills of Exchangeo Asset Management - Asset Data Marto General Ledger - Cost Allocation, Flex Budgeting, Ratio Analysis, Report

Writero Project and Activity Accounting - Terms, Project and Activity Data Mart o Multi-Book Ledger (Requires General Ledger)o Invoice Matchingo Grant Management

Infor Human Resources Suiteo Personnel Administration - Human Resourceso Benefits Administration - Human Resources, Personnel Administration,

(Requires Payroll)o Payroll - Attendance Management, Human Resources, Termso Absence Managemento Employee and Manager Self-Service

e-Recruiting – o One Way Candidate Interface, Recruiting Requisition Interface, Interview

Buildero Job Posting Connectivity Pack (includes web Methods (Third Party

Owned), o Two Way Interface, e-Recruiting Smart Notification Solution

Infor Procurement Suiteo Data Verification Toolset o Requisitions - Warehouse, Taxo Purchase Order - Warehouse, Terms, Tax, o Inventory Control - Warehouse, Tax, Handheld Device Integrator,

Requisitionso Requisitions Self-Service


o e-Procurement: Requisitions Self Service Center, Purchase Order, Requisitions

o Vendor Self-Serviceo Strategic Sourcing (Arlington only)

Extensions - Internet Technologieso Environmento Collaborative Commerce Engineo Internet Object Services

Extensions - Information Managemento Desktop Cliento Infor Terminalo Portalo Portal Content - Requires Portalo Infor Add-ins for Microsoft Office

Extensions - Development Environmentso Design Studio - Production Servero Design Studio - Development Server

Extensions - Workflow o Process Flow Standardo Process Flow Solutions for Financialso Process Flow Solutions for Distributiono Process Flow Solutions for Human Resourceso Process Flow Solutions for Procurement

Extensions - Integration & Collaboration o Business Component Integratoro Fax Integrator - Requires POo Handheld Device Integrator - Requires ICo Business Management System

Infor Reporting Suite - PREMIUM EDITION

o Framework Serviceso Instant Messagingo Reporting Services Server - Processoro Report Designer Client (3 users)o Crystal Report Application Server


o Smart Notification Full Use

Smart Notification full useo Procurement Services Automation, Distribution, Human Resources &

Financials (Third Party FX Chart)

Smart Office

Scorecardo Process Flow Professionalo Analytic Server (Third Party Chart FX)

Micro Focus NetExpress (Third Party-Owned) o Micro Focus NetExpress Compilero Micro Focus NetExpress Application Runtime Unlimitedo BSI Tax Service (Third Party-Owned)

BSI Tax Service (Third Party Owned)

BSI Tax Factory

Kronos (not currently hosted, but might be in the future) Product Description

o WORKFORCE TIMEKEEPING v5.o WORKFORCE MANAGER v5.o WORKFORCE EMPLOYEE v5.o WORKFORCE CONNECT v5 PRIMARY EMPLOYEE.

MHC (not currently hosted, but might be in the future)

Note: More granular proposals are preferred. For example, a pricing per module is needed so entities that only have some modules can determine the cost for their specific needs.


Appendix D - Users Counts by Location and Function

ArlingtonGrand Prairie Carrollton

Total System Users 2,299 727ESSAP 7 3AR 40 0Purchasing 6 2GL 10 2RSS 440 40MSS 490 60

Total


Appendix E- Conflict of Interest Questionnaire



Appendix F - Required Declaration

The undersigned, as Respondent, declares that they are authorized to act on behalf of ___________________________________ in submitting this proposal and agreeing to the terms and conditions contained in the NCTCOG RFP NCT-2014-02. The Respondent further declares that they have complied in every respect with all requirements of the above referenced RFP, that they have read Section VIII General Terms and Conditions and has satisfied themselves fully relative to all matters and conditions with respect to the services to which the Proposal pertains.

The Respondent states that this Proposal is based upon the Request for Proposal documents and appendices.

Firm/Corporation

Address

Name

Signature

Title

Submittal Date


Appendix G - Acknowledgement

Respondent acknowledges and agrees that:

1) It agrees to the Terms and Conditions of this RFP stated in section 6.0;2) It agrees to the Terms and Conditions regarding the outsourcing contract in

section 7.0 except as expressly accepted in this response. Submission of Respondent’s standard terms and conditions is not express exception to NCTCOG required terms;

3) NCTCOG will incorporate Respondent’s response in the final contract if awarded; and

4) Additional issues and contract terms will be negotiated post RFP.

Respondent’s Legal Name: ________________________________________________

Respondent’s Authorized Signatory (Printed or Typed): __________________________

_________________________________Signature

_________________________________Date


Appendix H – Statements of Interest

JOINT RFP FOR HOSTING, TECHNICAL AND FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT FOR INFOR (LAWSON) SOFTWARE

STATEMENT OF INTEREST FORMReturn completed form to [email protected] or mail to:

Tim Barbee616 Six Flags DriveP.O. Box 5888Arlington, Texas 76005-5888

I. General InformationOnce the decision is made to proceed, you will be asked to authorize inclusion of the information below into the resulting RFP.

A. Name of Entity: City of Dallas (TX)

B. Infor modules installed:

Lawson System Foundation Absence Management Benefits Human Capital Management Time Accrual/Event Management Payroll Portal Employee Self Service/Manager Self Service Lawson Business Intelligence Enwisen Call Center Solution

o Employee KnowledgeBaseo Case Management

C. Infor modules being considered for implementation:

Process Flow Lawson Mobile

D. Number of system users: 30 concurrent licenses


E. Number of system self-service users: 13,143

F. Number of employees: 13,143

G. Number of W-2s issued during the last year-end cycle: 14,465

H. Is ability to access from locations other than primary (ex: home, alternate work site, etc.) required: Yes, currently implementing Lawson Mobile Employee application for alternate location access.

I. Where is current environment hosted: Internal

J. What operating system and database are currently used: Operating System – Solaris 10; Database – Oracle 10g


JOINT RFP FOR HOSTING, TECHNICAL AND FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT FOR INFOR (LAWSON) SOFTWARE

STATEMENT OF INTEREST FORMReturn completed form to [email protected] or mail to:

Tim Barbee616 Six Flags DriveP.O. Box 5888Arlington, Texas 76005-5888

II. General InformationOnce the decision is made to proceed, you will be asked to authorize inclusion of the information below into the resulting RFP.

A. Name of Entity: T a r r a n t R e g i o n a l W a t e r D i s t r i c t

B. Infor modules installed: HR,PR, AP, AR,GL,ESS/MSS, PFLOW

C. Infor modules being considered for implementation:

D. Number of system users: +/-280

E. Number of system self-service users: +/-280

F. Number of employees: +/-280

G. Number of W-2s issued during the last year-end cycle: +/-280

H. Is ability to access from locations other than primary (ex: home, alternate work site, etc.) required: Yes

I. Where is current environment hosted: In House

J. What operating system and database are currently used: Windows2008R2/SQL2008R2


Documents

I.Mandatory Requirements - Welcome to NCTCOG.org · Web viewNorth Central Texas Council of Governments Request for Proposal for ERP Shared Service Program Services and General Hosting