request for proposals (rfp) software and implementation...

Request for Proposal ERP System for The Dalles, OR 1

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Software and Implementation Services

for

Municipal Government Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

for the

City of The Dalles, Oregon

Release Date: January 19, 2015 Due Date & Time: February 25, 2015 2:00 PM


TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE 1.0 RFP INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................3 2.0 RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS .........................................11 3.0 PROPOSAL FORMAT AND INSTRUCTIONS ...................................................15 4.0 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .........................................................................25 5.0 EVALUATION .........................................................................................................26 6.0 BIDDER COMMENTS ............................................................................................27


1.0 RFP Introduction 1.1 Introduction: The City of The Dalles, Oregon, (“City”) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms for a full range of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution applications that include software, implementation services, ongoing training and technical support. Such software shall be referred to in this RFP as “Licensed Application Software”. Ideally, the City would like to acquire these software modules as one integrated solution from one vendor. The City expects to achieve substantial gains in productivity, efficiency and accuracy through the implementation of a new ERP system. In addition, the City seeks to minimize internal support costs by utilizing up-to-date technology. The City believes it has a responsibility to its citizens to stay current with technology and eventually to offer e-government services to its residents and businesses. By procuring an integrated ERP system, the City of The Dalles seeks to position itself as a leading-edge local government using innovative technology to deliver better service to its citizens.

1.2 About the City: The City of The Dalles is located 90 miles east of Portland, Oregon, in Wasco County, on the Columbia River and I-84. The City was incorporated in 1858, operates under a 1994 City Charter, and currently has a population of 14,440. The City functions under a Council/Manager form of government, with a five member City Council, and a non-voting Mayor. The City Council appoints the City Manager, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the City. The City’s website is http://www.ci.the-dalles.or.us.

The City operates out of six (6) locations, with five (5) connected by high speed LAN connections. There are approximately 107 PCs, laptops, tablets, iPads, etc., not including the public computers at the Library.

The City’s standard network operating system is Windows Server 2008-2012 Standard Edition with Active Directory, and Exchange as the email/calendaring system. The standard desktop operating system is Windows 7. Microsoft versions 2007 and 2010 are in use. The City uses Trend Micro as the anti-virus and spam filter.

The City’s standard mobile operating system is iOS.

The City has been using integrated modules of HTE/SunGard software for approximately 15 years, with upgrades to SunGard ASP (cloud hosted server) and NaviLine product in 2008.

There are currently 39 users of the SunGard system, with approximately 28 of those having access to inquiry or reporting functions only. However, if the new software provides employee self-serve and user friendly online authorizations, the number of users would increase. The majority of use occurs between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Weekend use is common. Vendors shall specifically indicate if there are times when the system should not be accessed.

The City has 94 full-time and 14 part-time/seasonal employees for a total of 108. Of those, 64 are represented by two separate unions. The City provides a wide-range of municipal services that include: City Administration, Police, Planning and Community Development, Municipal Court, Streets, Water treatment and distribution, Sanitary Sewer collection and treatment, Storm Water collection and treatment, Utility Billing, Code Enforcement, Dog Control, Library services, and regional airport services. Several of these functions have associated capital equipment and projects.

http://www.ci.the-dalles.or.us/


The City’s budget structure currently incorporates 23 funds. The current budget is $58,811,133.

The City also provides full financial services for the Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency, with a current budget of $4,575,916 in two funds, and the QualityLife (QLife) Intergovernmental Agency, with a current budget of $1,415,463 in two funds. These are separate entities from the City and from each other, each with their own Board of Directors, budget and auditing requirements, and their own bank and LGIP accounts. The new system will be used for all. 1.3 Scope and Timeline: The City is seeking proposals for integrated ERP system that will include software implementation services, ongoing training and technical support. Ideally a single vendor will provide this integrated solution for all systems. Below is the timetable that has been set for this project. The City of The Dalles reserves the right to extend any of the dates listed below. January 19, 2015 Release of RFP February 2, 2015 Deadline for Vendor Questions / Requests for Clarification February 9, 2015 Responses to Vendor Questions Published on City Website February 25, 2015 Proposals Deadline – 2:00 PM PST February 25 – March 5 Review and Rate Proposals March 6, 2015 Select top three (3) Vendors for Demonstrations March 16 – 30, 2015 Demonstrations and Site Visits March 31, 2015 Identification of Final Vendor for Contract Negotiations April 1 – 10, 2015 Contract Negotiations and Development of Work with Finalist April 27, 2015 Council Review and Approval of Proposed Contract 1.4 Rights Reserved: • The City reserves the right to cancel this RFP, in whole or in part, or to cancel negotiations

with finalists at any time up until a final contract is signed and executed. Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the City of The Dalles to award a contract.

• The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason and/or to waive technicalities and informalities when such waiver is determined by the City to be in the City’s best interests.

• The City reserves the right to extend any of the timetable dates and/or to revise the RFP prior to the date the proposals are due.

• The City reserves the right to add modules and/or components until the final contract signing.

• The City reserves the right to reconsider any proposal submitted at any stage of the process.

• The City reserves the right to meet with select vendors at any time to gather additional information, to require demonstrations and to visit any installed site at no cost to the City.

• The City reserves the right to negotiate with the vendor(s) selected to acquire the best combination of functional software applications and level of implementation assistance that best meets its needs within any limitations of available funding.


1.5 Project Summary: Procurement of a quality integrated municipal software system, with comprehensive installation and training services, and ongoing maintenance and support. The City seeks to implement an off-the-shelf system with some customization features. Applications to be quoted are:

Function(s) Current Vendor Existing General Ledger SunGard Yes Budgeting & Forecasting SunGard Yes Purchasing SunGard Yes Accounts Payable SunGard Yes Payroll SunGard Yes On-line Employee Self-Serve No Human Resources No Cash Receipts Management SunGard Yes Utility Billing SunGard Yes Report Writing Cognos Impromtu Yes Radio Read Meter Reading Itron Yes – separate vendor via

interface

Backflow Device Management Tokay Yes – separate vendor –

manual interface via Cognos report exported to Excel

On-line & Automated Telephone Credit Card Payment (convenience fees paid by customer)

Point and Pay Yes – no interface

Miscellaneous Accounts Receivable SunGard Yes Special Assessments / Loans SunGard Yes Fixed Assets Management SunGard Yes Project /Grant Management No

Planning – Building Permits - Inspections

Web QA Version 10.11.0 Bld 100 2001-2015

Yes – no interface

Work Orders Lucity Yes – separate vendor – no

interface yet – used by Wastewater only at this time

Project Cost Accounting No Inventory No Court Case Management SunGard Yes Code Enforcement / Contact Management

File Maker Pro Relational Database Yes

Electronic Lien Docket NetAssests Conduits Yes – no interface The City will consider only software firms, not their implementation partners or third-party partners, to be the primary point of contact throughout this proposal process. If all products and services are not provided by one firm, firms are expected to partner to submit a joint proposal. Following contract negotiations, the primary implementation firm will be the prime point of


contact for the project, and once the ERP system is implemented, the City will consider the primary implementation firm the single point of contact for service-related issues. All third-party solutions proposed as part of this package are subject to the same guidelines of this RFP, unless otherwise stated. The software firm will serve as the primary contact for all work related to this RFP and the procurement process.

If third-party applications are proposed for any of the functions, the vendors shall explicitly state the name of any third-party products that are part of the proposed solution to the City or any third-party firms providing services for implementation, training or other services. For each third-party product or service provider there should be a statement about whether the vendor’s contract will or will not encompass the third party product/service and/or whether the City will have to contract on its own for the product.

Each vendor submitting a proposal should also provide written proof that it has approved access to the third-party software source code (owned or in escrow) and that the vendor has the ability to provide long term support for the third-party software components of its system.

Each vendor submitting a proposal should evaluate the following list of likely interfaces. If the vendor agrees that it is unlikely that the functionality as described below can be provided by the vendor’s software, the cost of an interface to these systems shall be included in the cost of the proposal, if the interface cost is not already a part of the vendor’s applications. If the interface cost does not include all of the following interfaces, vendors must be very specific about which are not included and provide a detailed explanation of how that functionality will be performed.

Data Flow Source Application Target Application Exists Currently

Import/export of meter readings (radio and handheld)

Itron Utility Billing module Yes

Utility Bill Customer Bank Drafts Utility Billing module Bank of the West Yes

Export Payroll Direct Deposit data Payroll module Bank of the West Yes

Export W-2 State of Oregon & Federal Tax data

Payroll module State of Oregon and Federal online sites Yes

Export 1099 State of Oregon & Federal data Accounts Payable module State of Oregon and

Federal online sites Yes

Export Quarterly State of Oregon report data Payroll module State of Oregon Yes

Export Retirement data Payroll module Standard Retirement Yes Import Property Parcel information Wasco County text file Land/Parcel and Utility

Billing modules No

Export property/parcel and lien information

Land/Parcel and Utility Billing modules NetAssets website No

Import ticket data from Police Department Court Case

Management No

Export Positive Pay data (for check Accounts Payable module Bank of the West and

Columbia State Bank Yes


reconciliation) Export ACH Payments for Accounts Payable Accounts Payable module Bank of the West and

Columbia State Bank No

Import ACH Payments for Accounts Receivable and Utility Billing

Bank of the West and Columbia State Bank

Accounts Receivable and Utility Billing modules

No

Import customer payment data from Checkfree payment services

Online Checkfree payment file

Cash Receipting module (apply to all application modules)

No

Import customer credit/debit card payments made online or via automated phone system

Point n Pay Cash Receipting module (apply to all application modules)

No

Export customer lien information to electronic lien docket

Special Assessments/Loans module, Accounts Payable module, and Utility Billing module

NetAssets Conduits Electronic Liens Docket

No

Acquire spatial-related data info in real-time & bring it into the software solution to display various data fields (i.e., addresses, parcels, legal lots, certificate of compliance, zip codes, census tract/blocks, etc.).

GIS (Esri ArcGis - versions 9.3 and 10.x – two-way interface

Licensed Software Applications (ODBC compliant)

No

Import / export of data from / to Excel, Word, etc.

Microsoft Office Professional


No

Export of reports, etc. to PDF format Adobe Acrobat


Yes

Add deadlines, etc. to calendars & send emails from software apps for billings, reminders, etc.

Licensed Software Applications (ODBC compliant) – two-way interface

Microsoft Exchange No

This table does not preclude the City from requesting additional interfaces on implementation.

Some of these interfaces will require a one-way interface; others will require a two-way interface. Some will require real-time query and update capabilities while others will require batch file


capabilities (ODBC compliant) only. Please note the type of interface in your proposal (i.e., whether each interface is “standard” (already developed, installed and working successfully at other sites) or “custom” (new, not yet developed).

The City acknowledges that there may be additional costs associated with interfaces that are difficult or time consuming to build. Therefore, for each interface listed, and where applicable, please identify the type of interface and integration currently in use by your customers with your proposed system and identify approximate costs the City will incur, including any annual maintenance/licensing fees. Vendors must provide tools and training necessary for staff to be able to effectively transfer data to/from the applications proposed below for further use, evaluation and/or analysis of that data on an as needed basis. Include the costs to build any custom interfaces and any associated license/maintenance fees. 1.6 Current Functional Statistics: The following table contains data about the City’s current operations by function. Vendors should refer to this table when responding to the business requirements

General Ledger Number of Funds 22 City; 2 UR; 2 QLife; 1 Tourism; 1

Pooled Cash Number of Departments 43 (in funds with more than 1) Number of Cash Accounts 50 Number of Bank Accounts 12 (Currently using 4 Bank Codes) Number of Accounting Periods 12 + multiple year end periods Fiscal Year July 1 – June 30 Accounts Payable Number of Vendors Approximately 760 for 4 entities Number of Checks Annually 6241 City; 112 Tourism; 132 UR; 130

QLife Frequency of Check Runs Weekly & last working day of month Budgeting Number of funds budgeted 27 Budget frequency Annual Number of budget levels 3 Fiscal Year July 1 – June 30 Payroll Pay Frequency Monthly with mid-month draw Pay Period 1 – last day of month Pay Dates 15th Draw; last working day of month Number of Direct Deposits 94 per month Number of W-2’s 120 Number of employees 108 Number of pay codes 71


Assets Number of Capital Assets 683 Asset capitalization threshold $5,000 Depreciation policy None in first year, full year in last year Number of Departments with Assets 9 Utility Billing Number of services billed (classes) 7 (WB, WA, IB, IR, SE, SD, WD) Types of services billed Water, Sewer, Stormwater Metered rates Yes Flat rates Yes Inside/Outside City rates Yes Winter/Summer average rates Yes Billing frequency Monthly Number of billing cycles 12 Average number of bills per month 5,505

Average number of delinquent notices per month 707

Budget Billing Yes Bank drafting Yes Credit Card Drafting No – but want to Court Case Management – FY13/14 Traffic cases per year 1357 Multiple infractions per ticket Yes Parking tickets per year 44 Code enforcement cases per year 6 Ordinance violation cases per year 65 Criminal cases per year 511 Number of warrants per year 129 Projects/Grants Number of projects per year 30 Projects cross fiscal years Yes Projects cross funds Yes

1.7 Inquiries: Inquiries concerning this procurement, including questions related to technical issues, are to be directed to:

Kate Mast, Finance Director Email: [email protected] City of The Dalles Phone: 541-296-5481 ext: 1113 313 Court Street The Dalles OR 97058


The vendors submitting the questions/requests will be responsible for prompt delivery of those questions/requests to the City official designated in this section. Any change in the RFP will be made only by written addendum, duly issued by the City as posted on the City website located at www.ci.the-dalles.or.us. It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure that this website is reviewed for RFP changes prior to the deadlines for submission of the proposals. The City will not be responsible for any other explanations or interpretations of the RFP.

All questions concerning the RFP must reference the RFP page number, section heading and paragraph. Please state the question as concisely as possible. All questions regarding this RFP must be received in writing or via email by no later than February 2, 2015. No officer, agent or employee of the City will accept verbal questions about this RFP.

All questions and responses affecting the content of this RFP will be provided via posting on the City’s website on February 9, 2015, to all vendors that requested the RFP.

Proposers are directed specifically not to contact any other staff members other than specified personnel identified above for any purpose. Unauthorized contact of any personnel may be cause for rejection of the proposer’s RFP response. 1.8 Selection Process: At its discretion the City of The Dalles may require proposers to provide demonstrations and/or presentations. Any and all costs associated with this process will be the sole and exclusive responsibility of the vendor. These demonstrations provide an opportunity for the proposers to clarify the proposal for the City. The City will schedule any such demonstrations. Representatives of the City may also choose to visit client references to observe the applications in an actual working environment.

The award/negotiation sequence will be based on a selection methodology established by the City. Once the proposals are opened, a committee selected by the City will evaluate each proposal, taking into consideration the criteria and methodology stipulated in this RFP. The City will be the sole judge in evaluation considerations and may choose as a finalist the proposer(s) who submits the proposal judged by the City to be most advantageous to the City.

Negotiations with the finalist will be conducted. If a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached, the City may go back to review the proposals in order to choose another finalist. Once negotiations have been successfully conducted, a recommendation to authorize the signing of a contract shall be presented to the City of The Dalles’ City Council for approval.

All proposals submitted shall be valid for a period of two hundred and forty (240) calendar days from the date of the proposal opening.


2.0 Response Requirements and Conditions 2.1 Proposal Response Instructions: The Proposal must be received no later than 2:00 PM (PST) on February 25, 2015 at the following address:

Julie Krueger, City Clerk City of The Dalles 313 Court Street The Dalles OR 97058

Proposals are to be submitted in sealed packages with the following information clearly marked on the outside of each package:

• Name of responder with company address • Project title: “Software and Implementation Services for Municipal Government

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System” • Contract No. 2015-007

Failure to comply with the requirements of this RFP may result in disqualification.

E-mail and facsimile proposals will not be considered. Proposers shall have sole responsibility for delivery of proposals on time and to the proper location. Proposals received subsequent to the time and date specified above will not be considered.

Please note the following as part of the submittal process:

• Submission of the proposal by the vendor constitutes acceptance by the vendor of terms, conditions, and requirements set forth herein.

• Proposers are required to submit five (5) hard copies and two (2) electronic copies (PDF on CD’s) of the technical and price proposals. One original paper copy must clearly be marked as “Original”. Price proposal (both hard copies and electronic copies) must be in the sealed proposal package. Hard copies must include a submittal letter signed by an authorized agent of the vendor(s), which clearly identifies each firm involved in the proposal and the appropriate contact information for each. Clearly identify all CD’s with your business name and address.

• Any exceptions to the specifications established herein shall be listed in detail on a separate sheet and attached to the proposal. Exceptions to the RFP will not automatically eliminate the proposal from consideration for award by the City.

• Proposals not conforming to the instructions provided herein will be subject to disqualification at the discretion of the City.

• By submitting a proposal, the vendor will be providing a guarantee to the City that, if chosen, it will be able to provide the proposed products and services during the period of time discussed in the RFP.

• There is no expressed or implied obligation for the City to reimburse vendors for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this RFP or any expenses incurred by the vendors in providing demonstrations of its product(s) in a place determined by the City.


• Interested parties assume all responsibility for sending and confirming receipt of proposals. Vendors are encouraged to submit proposals several days in advance and to confirm that your proposal has been received. Late proposals will not be considered and will be returned unopened.

2.2 RFP Amendments: If it becomes evident that this RFP must be amended , the City will issue a formal written amendment and post it to the City’s website at www.ci.the-dalles.or.us. 2.2 Rejection of Proposals: The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive technicalities and informalities when such waiver is determined by the City to be in the City’s best interest. When responding to this RFP, please follow all instructions carefully. Please submit proposal contents according to the outline specified and submit all hard copy and/or electronic documents according to the instructions. Failure to follow these instructions may result in the proposal being deemed nonresponsive and may result in immediate elimination of the proposal from further consideration.

If, in the opinion of the City, a proposal contains false or misleading statement or references, it may be rejected.

In the event that funds are not available, no contract resulting from this RFP will be executed.

Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the City of The Dalles to award a contract. 2.3 Withdrawal of Proposals: Proposals may be withdrawn prior to the time set for the opening of proposals. All requests to withdraw a proposal must be in made in writing.

Proposals may not be withdrawn for a period of 240 days after the time set for the opening of proposals. 2.4 Proposal Costs: Those submitting proposals do so entirely at their expense. There is no expressed or implied obligation by the City of The Dalles to reimburse any individual or firm for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting proposals providing additional information when requested by the City or for participating in any selection interviews. 2.5 Protests:

a. Protest of RFP Requirements. Proposers may submit a written protest of anything contained in the RFP and may request a change to any provision or specification contained in the RFP by the date specified for questions and clarifications in Section 1.3. The City will not consider any protest to the RFP or request for change submitted after this deadline. Each protest and request for change must include the reasons for the protest or request, and any proposed changes to the RFP provisions or specifications. The City will resolve all timely submitted protests in accordance with the City’s Local Contract Review Board Rules.

b. Every proposer who submits a proposal shall be notified of its selection status. Any proposer who claims to have been adversely affected or aggrieved by the selection of (the highest ranked/the higher ranked) Proposer(s) must submit a written protest of the


selection to the City official designated in Section 1.7 within seven (7) calendar days after the date of the selection notice. The City will not consider any protest submitted after this submission deadline. The protesting proposer must claim that the protesting proposer is within the group of higher ranked proposers with whom the City will negotiate a contract, because the proposals of all higher ranked proposers failed to meet the requirements of the RFP or because the higher ranked proposers otherwise are not qualified to perform the services. The City will resolve all timely submitted protests in accordance with Local Contract Review Board Rule 03-0240. Proposers who have been notified that they were not selected may make an appointment to view the RFP files at the office of the City Clerk, 313 Court Street, The Dalles, OR.

2.6 Local, State and Federal Compliance Requirements: The vendor(s) shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, and codes of the State of Oregon, Wasco County and the City of The Dalles, Oregon. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to be knowledgeable of all federal, state, county, and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations that in any manner affect the items covered herein which may apply. Failure to comply with all applicable laws, ordinances and codes may lead to termination of the contract.


2.7 Insurance and Indemnification: The vendor(s) selected for award of the contract shall to the fullest extent permitted by law, protect, defend, indemnify and hold harmless the City, its agents, officers, elected and appointed officials and employees from and against all claims, actions, liabilities, losses (including economic losses and attorney fees). The City shall in no event be liable to the vendor(s) or other persons claiming damages as a result of the City’s use of the Licensed Application Software and Materials in conformity of this contract Agreement, whether direct or indirect, special or general, consequential, or incidental or arising from loss of profits; provided that this provision shall not apply to any claim, demand, loss or action alleging that any modifications made by Licensee to the Licensed Application Software and Materials infringe any third-party rights in the United States respecting copyright, trade secret, or patent. The vendor to whom the contract is awarded shall, within ten (10) business days from the date of receipt of properly prepared contract documents, deliver to the City the fully executed contract in duplicate, along with required original insurance certificates satisfactory to the City Attorney. The insurance certificates shall cover all areas set out in the contract documents and shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in the State of Oregon which is acceptable to the City Attorney. The insurance shall be maintained in effect for the term of the proposed project (in the case of Professional Liability insurance the term of the proposed project shall mean its design life). The certificates of insurance, except that for Professional Liability insurance, shall name the City of The Dalles as additional insured. All insurance certificates shall provide for thirty (30) days’ notice to the City of any cancellation of the insurance policy. The insurance shall be in the minimum amounts of:

Type of Insurance Limits of Liability Worker’s Compensation Statutory Worker’s Compensation Commercial General Liability- Combined Single Limits

$ 500,000 – each occurrence $1,000,000 – aggregate limit

Automobile Liability- Combined Single Limits

$1,000,000 – aggregate limit

Hired and Non-owed Auto Liability $1,000,000 – aggregate limit Professional Liability $3,000,000 – aggregate limit Cyber Liability $3,000,000 – aggregate limit Privacy Liability $3,000,000 – aggregate limit Breach Notification Costs $3,000,000 – aggregate limit System Damage $1,000,000 – aggregate limit


3.0 Proposal Format and Instructions 3.1 Proposal Format: So that competing proposals can be compared equally, vendors must assemble their proposals in adherence to the layout requirements. Failure to follow all proposal layout requirements may result in disqualification due to non-responsiveness. Vendors must submit the proposal in a sealed package as described above in section 2.1.

If revisions become necessary to the RFP the City will provide addenda by posting on the City’s website at www.ci.the-dalles.or.us. Acknowledgement of all addenda issued by the City must be so noted on any proposals that are submitted to the City. It is the sole responsibility of proposers to check the City’s website periodically while preparing the proposal to ascertain whether any addenda have been issued. Failure to do so could result in a proposal being deemed nonresponsive.

Proposals should be prepared as simply as possible and provide a straightforward concise description of the bidder’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Emphasis should be on accuracy completeness and clarity of content. All parts, pages, figures, and tables should be numbered and clearly labeled. The proposal should be organized into the following major sections:

Section Title

Title Page Letter of Transmittal Table of Contents

1.0 Executive Summary 2.0 Company Background 3.0 Client References 4.0 Recommended Hardware and Operating System Requirements 5.0 Project Costs 6.0 Categories 7.0 System Procurement Options 8.0 Database Conversion Services 9.0 Customization Capabilities

10.0 Reporting 11.0 Implementation Plan 12.0 Training and Documentation 13.0 Software Licensing 14.0 Maintenance, Support Services and Enhancements 15.0 Process Controls and System Security 16.0 Mobile Device Interfaces 17.0 Virtualization 18.0 Modularity and Phase Approach 19.0 Acceptance Testing 20.0 Data Import / Export Facility 21.0 Prime Contractor Responsibilities 22.0 Additional Information


Instructions relative to each part of the response to this RFP are defined in the remainder of this section.

INTRODUCTION: The title page must show the RFP subject, name of the vendor(s), address, telephone number, email address, and the date. Proposer shall also acknowledge any addenda issued on the City’s website. The primary and secondary contact person(s) and their respective telephone numbers and email addresses should be included in this section. A Letter of Transmittal, executed by an authorized representative, and Table of Contents must also be included. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: (Section 1.0). This part of the response to the RFP should be limited to a brief narrative highlighting the bidder’s proposal. The summary should contain as little technical jargon as possible and should be oriented toward non-technical personnel. The Executive Summary should not include cost quotes and should be no more than 2 pages. COMPANY BACKGROUND: (Section 2.0). Provide vendor’s background in relation to this RFP so the City can evaluate the vendor’s financial stability track record and its ability to support the commitments set forth in response to the RFP. Also include information for the software vendor’s third party implementation partners on a separate sheet, if different. The City, at its option, may require the vendors to provide additional supporting information and/or clarify requested information. The City seeks a meaningful, substantive, and long-term relationship with the selected software provider and realizes that a vital resource will be the vendor’s staff members. Please provide biographies of key staff members, including the company’s president, client services manager, development manager, and project manager. The City also seeks biographies of staff members who will be involved with the City’s implementation. Include key facts about each person, such as length of employment with the vendor, job responsibilities, previous work experience, and certifications held. If the vendor(s) had a contract terminated for default during the past five years, all such incidents must be described. Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the vendor’s non-performance or poor performance; and the issue was either (a) not litigated or (b) litigated and such litigation determined the vendor(s) to be in default. Submit full details of all terminations for default experienced by the vendor(s) during the past five years, including the other party’s name, address, telephone number, and email address. Present the vendor’s position on the matter. The City will evaluate the facts and may, at its sole discretion, reject the vendor’s proposal if the facts indicate that completion of a contract resulting from this RFP may be jeopardized by selection of the vendor(s). If no such terminations for default have been experienced by the vendor(s) in the past five years, please specifically state this. If the vendor(s) had a contract terminated for convenience, non-allocation of funds, or any other reason which termination occurred before completion of the contract during the past five years,


describe, in detail, all such terminations, including the name, address, telephone number and email address of the other contracting party. A vendor’s response that indicates that the requested information will only be provided if and when the vendor is selected is not acceptable. Restricting the vendor’s response to include only legal action resulting from a termination for default is not acceptable. CLIENT REFERENCES: (Section 3.0). Vendors should provide a list of all of their local government clients in Oregon. Also a list of at least five (5) references, with current contact information, which are similar in size and complexity to the City of The Dalles, and have implemented the proposed system within the past two (2) years in a comparable computing environment. Additionally, references should be utilizing a recent version of the proposed software. Regional clients are preferred, but the City understands this may be difficult, and inability to provide regional clients will not impact any evaluation of the proposal. Please inform references that they might be contacted by the City of The Dalles. The City will not work through a vendor’s reference manager to complete a reference. The names, phone numbers and email addresses of the project manager or person with broad knowledge of the project must be listed for each reference. RECOMMENDED HARDWARE AND OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: (Section 4.0). The vendors must present, in detail, the recommended hardware or cloud environment required to utilize the proposed software. List the operating system software required to support the recommended computing environment. List any additional vendors software products required to support your proposed application software. Also disclose what percentage of your current customers use the recommended platform. The vendor(s) must propose and install the software required to support the applications installed. Workstations, printers or changes that may be required to support the new environment (i.e., electrical, upgrades to the existing network, etc.) will be the responsibility of the City. Fault tolerant equipment is not required, however, “high availability” is desired (i.e., a system design protocol and associated implementation that ensures a certain degree of operational continuity during a given measurement period). Third-party equipment required to complete the proposed configuration is to be provided and installed by the vendor(s). PROJECT COSTS: (Section 5.0). Provide a fixed price proposal to perform or cause to be performed all requirements described in this RFP, within the time specified by the initial project implementation plan. Vendor(s) shall set forth their fixed price, along with all alternates and exceptions, if any. Pricing should be broken down so that the City can see the actual cost for the separate tasks and deliverables listed in the project plan. If there are other project costs, exceptions, exclusions or alternates, please provide further explanation on a separate page, including how those other project costs, exceptions, exclusions or alternates affect the project


price. By submitting this cost proposal, the vendor represents and declares that it has carefully examined this RFP, all project requirements, project conditions (including hardware, software and physical conditions) affecting the performance of the work and that if its proposal is accepted, the vendor(s) will fully satisfy the requirements of this RFP at the price stated.

a. The City reserves the right to contact vendors on price and scope clarification at any time throughout the selection and negotiation process.

b. Include total price for all software, services, and additional costs to acquire all software and services referenced in the proposal, including third-party prices. If third-party products or services are included, do not provide separate versions for each third-party product.

c. Do not use “To Be Determined” or similar annotations for cost estimates. The City is asking vendors to estimate prices and hours for all categories with the understanding that they may have to make assumptions. Such assumptions should be stated. Vendors may submit additional pricing sheets as an addendum.

Every vendor must describe the licensing structure (i.e., based on number of users, number of citizens, etc.) and document the complete costs for licensing, installation and ongoing support of their proposed systems. Provide as much detail as possible. The City is interested in evaluating extended payment options for implementation of the project. Proposers should include information about any installment payment plans available for the fixed costs of the project. CATEGORIES: (Section 6.0). Each vendor’s cost proposal should include detailed information on the items identified in section 1.5 “Project Summary”, in following key categories:

a. License fees for each application and supporting programs (reporting programs, etc.) b. Training fees for each application and supporting programs (reporting programs, etc.) c. Hardware and system software d. Implementation services divided into:

1. Project Management 2. Technical services 3. Parallel testing/production user assistance 4. Data conversion 5. System staging

e. Annual maintenance fees and costs of future upgrades The City of the Dalles is requiring that all services be quoted as “not to exceed” prices. Proposals that do not address this may result in disqualification. Vendors that do not provide all expected costs will be disqualified. SYSTEM PROCUREMENT OPTIONS: (Section 7.0). Include in the proposal any procurement options available. Identify the benefits to the City offered by any recommended acquisition method. DATABASE CONVERSION SERVICES: (Section 8.0). System must be able to utilize accumulated data from the systems currently in place. The migration path from the existing systems must include any necessary data conversion and importation from current systems to


provide historical views data. The vendor(s) shall be responsible for the accurate documentation of the current location, file, field, and library names for the data, which will be necessary to populate the Licensed Application Software. The vendor(s) will be responsible for the accurate conversion of the City’s current data in machine-readable form from the current hosted software databases currently in use for the City, as required by the Licensed Application Software. The vendor(s) will be responsible for writing and executing all the necessary conversion programs subject to final approval by the City. The City shall make all necessary data available to the vendor(s) to perform this data conversion effort. Discuss in detail any prior experience converting specific modules of HTE/SunGard software to the proposed software, identifying any module / files that have not been successfully converted from HTE/SunGard software. For the purpose of this proposal the proposer should assume that the conversion will include a minimum of ten (10) years of historical data. CUSTOMIZATION CAPABILITIES: (Section 9.0). Include descriptions of the customization capabilities, including the ability to add fields and tables. REPORTING: (Section 10.0). The City wishes to partner with a company that realizes the importance of accurate, easy to use, and well-developed reports. The City wishes to obtain an integrated and intuitive reporting solution. This reporting solution should quickly query application databases and develop customer reports. Vendors will describe the data modeling and the reporting capabilities of the system being proposed. Include the level of user expertise necessary to independently create reports and whether or not they can be saved, shared and imported directly into other products (i.e. Microsoft Excel or Adobe PDF format). System users expect advanced reporting with analysis capabilities. The system must include extensive system generated reports and easy to use ad hoc report writing capabilities. These include integration with Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word. The reporting and modeling capabilities of the system should include, but not necessarily be limited to, financial analysis, budget forecasting, budget preparation, monitoring, retrieval of historical data, pre-scheduled reporting and graphical representations of data and reports. They should also electronically deliver reports to individuals throughout the organization, and print professional checks and invoices. Please also offer a short description about how your company’s reporting solution can meet the reporting requirements of the Government Accounting Standards Board and develop Comprehensive Annual Financial Reporting statements. Finally, the City wishes a reporting program that helps us systemize and speed the development of reports for our management-level employees and elected decision makers. Describe how your organization’s reporting package can support these efforts. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: (Section 11.0). Project Management services are a critical component of this project as City resources are minimal and reasonable help from the vendor(s)


will be required in order to successfully implement this system. To ensure the project remains on time and within budget, and occurs without unacceptable interruption of essential financial services, the City requires the selected vendor(s) to assign a Project Manager to oversee the entire implementation project. This person will work with City staff to ensure the project is executed on time and within budget. Staff utilized by the vendor must have sufficient expertise related to installation of the applications and to training in the operation of those applications, so as to be highly effective in their respective tasks. Work performed unsatisfactorily will be repeated by the vendor(s) until successful at no additional charge to the City. The vendor(s) will design a weekly progress status report form covering the period of time between contract signing and the Letter of Completion. The progress report must include current progress against the project plan, itemize the activities accomplished since the previous progress report, the specific activities planned for the following week, and any problems which have occurred or are anticipated. The form’s design and adequacy will be subject to City approval. Progress reports will be prepared weekly by the vendor(s), and sent via email to the City’s Project Manager. Meetings will be held weekly with the City’s Project Manager and vendor’s Project Manager to discuss the report and any other issues that arise. Progress reports will be discontinued when the City, in its sole judgment, deems the project to be complete and in conformance with the contract documents. Vendors must provide a proposed project implementation plan, including an activity by activity critical path calendar day project schedule, including logic ties to each activity. This section should address all key phases including, but not limited to, project planning, installation, configuration, data conversion, testing, rollout, and support. This implementation plan should include:

a. The critical path schedule, including a description of each proposed phase, milestone and associated deliverable

b. Contract time in calendar days from ‘Notice to Proceed’ to ‘Notice of Completion’ c. Deliverable due dates d. Critical meetings e. Detailed tasks f. Proposed phases g. An overview of services proposed for analyzing the City’s existing business processes

and how they will translate into the proposed system h. Task owner(s) i. Detailed project planning process/methodology j. Organizational change management methodology k. Project risk management/mitigation l. Conversion support plan m. A table listing City staff assignments and proposed labor hours for all tasks n. A table listing vendor staff assignments and proposed labor hours for all tasks o. Project dependencies p. Periods of unavailability

Pricing for implementation services should include all costs associated with a successful and complete installation and configuration of the system, and all associated implementation tasks. Provide an overview of services proposed for changing the City’s existing business processes.


The City acknowledges that some software companies partner with implementation specialists for technical and training supports. This practice is acceptable. However, the vendor(s) shall disclose the legal name of those companies providing supplemental support and describe the services each third-party implementation company provides. Please provide the hourly rate for implementation consultants. Note: The City acknowledges that it does not possess the staffing necessary to complete the entire installation alone. The vendor(s) shall work in conjunction with the City’s employees. The City will assign a Project Manager to work with the vendor’s Project Manager throughout the installation. TRAINING AND DOCUMENTATION: (Section 12.0). The City seeks comprehensive installation and training services. It is the City’s intention that the selected vendor(s) shall provide project management, technical installation expertise, and training to help alleviate employee stress and speed employee acceptance and usage of the new system. The City believes that thorough training is necessary for the success of the system implementation. Training sessions may be recorded by the City and shall become the property of the City. Describe your proposed training program for system users and system administrators along with documentation that is included (i.e., training manuals, technical manuals, user guides, data element dictionary, and context-sensitive online help text with customizable screens). The vendor(s) must establish and implement a training program to teach the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively use the technology being proposed. Once the system is installed, the vendor will be required to return and provide advanced training for both end users and system administrators within approximately ninety (90) days after final system acceptance. Trainers shall be experienced and knowledgeable in the specific application software they are teaching and shall be familiar with the procedures in similar environments to the City. The City may request a replacement trainer if, in the opinion of the City, there is evidence that the trainer initially scheduled has been ineffective in conducting specific training sessions. When the vendor receives notification that a particular training session was ineffective because of the qualifications or techniques of the trainer, the City will be entitled to withhold payment until a makeup session with a qualified trainer can be completed. The vendor(s) must provide a detailed plan for training. This information should include:

a. Overview of the proposed training plan and strategy, specifying how and when training is to be delivered for both on-site and off-site training, web training services for the core project team, end users, and technology personnel.

b. Describe the role of City and vendor’s staff for training, including the design and implementation of the training plan, development of training materials, and level of assistance with training.


c. Provide descriptions of classes/courses proposed in the training plan. Vendor should specify the unit of measure for its training (i.e., units, classes, days, etc.) and define the hours associated with these units of measure. The vendor must be very clear about exactly what training courses are included in the cost of the proposal and for whom (i.e., finance, payroll, cashier, etc.)

d. Training should include a written overview of task sequences. e. Provide options for ongoing training. Indicate locations, frequencies, topics, and budget

estimates for ongoing training. f. Describe any operating and maintenance manuals that will be provided, including how

those would be accessed by end users, and providing a sample of the formats of those documents.

SOFTWARE LICENSING: (Section 13.0). Include pricing for all items including, but not limited to, all database server licenses, or hosted services, client licenses, web licenses, report generators, third-party software (if any), and any add-ons or toolkits that may be required to facilitate full use of the system proposed.

a. Describe your licensing scheme (enterprise, module versus system, concurrent versus named, external Internet user(s), query versus user, etc.)

b. Identify how costs are determined for adding additional users after the initial purchase. MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT SERVICES AND ENHANCEMENTS: (Section 14.0). The vendor(s) must be cognizant that the City resides in the Pacific Time zone and must be able to provide knowledgeable and timely product support for this area. The vendor(s) will be responsible for providing ongoing user and technical support during the City of The Dalles’ normal business hours, which are 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, with after-hour emergency support available. Weekend support will be required when upgrading to new versions or applying upgrades/enhancements. The support must be available in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, installing and configuring product updates as they become available, addressing product inquiries and product errors in a timely manner, and providing documentation for product upgrades and using client feedback to determine product enhancement priorities. Please include a copy of a support and maintenance agreement and an internal support staffing plan.

The City is interested in a five (5) year commitment from vendors in a maintenance agreement with prices capped at the CPI index.

The City desires to partner with a technology company providing top-quality customer services. Please provide information about the support your organization provides, including:

a. Phone and web-based help, including the hours available b. Tracking system for ensuring requests are promptly addressed c. Problem reporting and resolution procedures d. Any special support plans, including support for older versions e. Frequency and delivery mechanism for new software releases f. Notification and delivery method for bug fixes and patches g. Methodology of integration of any client modifications with new versions, upgrades or

enhancements. h. Available user groups i. Other support


Vendor(s) must define any service level options and/or disclose which services are included in the annual maintenance fees and which are optional. The vendor(s) must also disclose how it solicits feedback from its customers and incorporates the information into the software. Also describe the testing process for patches, updates, and releases.

PROCESS CONTROLS AND SYSTEM SECURITY: (Section 15.0). The system should provide edit controls to prevent incomplete or incorrect data from being processed and programmatic control of the process flow to prevent information from being processed in the wrong sequence.

Describe the system security controls in place to prevent unauthorized access to the database, maintain database process controls, and log all database transactions. In addition, describe how the system limits access to application software screens, data elements, and the contents of data elements based on individual roles.

The vendors should include a detailed description of the proposed system’s security model; including the type of intrusion monitoring that is contained/enforced to limit possible threats. Describe the security setup and configuration process, along with the ongoing maintenance and support requirements for the City.

MOBILE DEVICE INTERFACES: (Section 16.0). Identify which mobile devices will interface with proposed software and if they can be used wirelessly or must be manually synced.

VIRTUALIZATION: (Section 17.0). Explain whether or not the proposed system is capable of running in a virtualized environment and how many of the vendor’s current clients have this implemented.

MODULARITY AND PHASED APPROACH: (Section 18.0). The system must be modular in design so that new application components can be integrated with the system to accommodate a phased implementation and take advantage of new technological advances. Once implemented, the system must be able to easily expand to include new capabilities without negatively impacting previously implemented functionality.

Describe your approach to phasing in the applications in Section 1.4, including the order they would be implemented, how they would be grouped and why. Also explain what level of redundant data entry processes would be necessary during a phased implementation and the potential impact on staff resources.

A phased approach would require that newly implemented applications be able to interface with applications that have not yet been converted. Describe how this would be handled.

ACCEPTANCE TESTING: (Section 19.0). Describe your methodology for acceptance testing and the criteria to be used for final system acceptance (after installation, testing and “go-live”.

Once the hardware and Application Software have been delivered, installed and configured, and the vendor has converted any relevant City data and trained the designated City resources to operate the basic components of the Licensed Application Software, the testing period can begin. During this time the vendor(s) shall provide access (at no additional charge) to a qualified


technician, either on site or via telephone. This technician will assist the City in testing of the applications.

If any part of the Licensed Application Software and integrated subsystems should fail (i.e., not perform according to the function and feature required), the City may designate that portion as a project for completion at a later date and apply other remedies as may be available. If one or more portions of the Licensed Application Software are designated for later completion, the vendor shall proceed with completion of all other functional portions of the Licensed Application Software.

Sixty days after “go-live”, a list of remaining issues will be compiled. Final acceptance will take place after these non-conforming elements are corrected, except for minor or inconsequential problems at the sole discretion of the City.

DATA IMPORT / EXPORT FACILITY: (Section 20.0). The system must permit the import and export of information to and from other systems (i.e., if a phased approach is taken, the data would need to be sent and extracted from the proposed system to the SunGard applications currently in use, interfacing with those applications that have not yet been converted). This would enable reports and queries to be run against this data.

Explain the capabilities your system provides in terms of integration and export capabilities to third-party products, such as Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, Itron meter reading software, Tokay backflow device software, and whether those export capabilities are built into the system and whether additional licensing, training and support costs are involved in the export of data from the system proposed to third-party software applications.

PRIME CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES: (Section 21.0) The vendor(s) selected for this project assumes and accepts responsibility for all of its subcontractors, vendors, employees and agents and all work and product necessary to successfully complete this project. Vendors understand that the City is a third-party beneficiary of the efforts of its subcontractors, vendors, employees, and agents. Vendors must clearly identify the responsibilities of each subcontractor, vendor and agent that the vendor intends to employ to accomplish the project. The Prime Contractor must assume full responsibility for delivery, installation, software performance, and implementation of their services. The City will consider the Prime Contractor to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters including the performance of services and the payment of any and all charges resulting from the lease or purchase of software and for services performed.

If the City decides to employ multiple agreements for different system components (including for hardware maintenance, application software maintenance, etc.), vendors agree to reasonably cooperate with all other contractors and vendors in order to accomplish proper system integration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (Section 22.0). Proposers may use this section to include additional information about their products and services not covered in other sections of the proposal. Examples could include:

- Published case studies - Newsletters - Conference information - Documentation


4.0 Technical Specifications Requirements defined in this section contain the overall general functions of the City of The Dalles’ desired integrated software applications. Please address each as it relates to your company and applications.

4.1 PROCESSING ENVIRONMENT: A preferred or specific hardware platform will not be specified in an effort to obtain the widest range of software solutions to meet the City of The Dalles’ information processing needs.

4.2 DATABASE: The database design should allow for a wide range of drill-down capabilities. Table and column names should be intuitively labeled and linked columns should be consistently named.

4.3 REAL-TIME MODE: Applications are expected to run in real-time mode. Systems that use temporary holding areas will not be considered. Historical transactions will be used to drive reporting and interaction among systems. The system should support an unlimited number of years of history with no performance degradation as history grows. If your system can not meet these requirements please note the deficiencies.

4.4 LOGIN: System must use unique logins for users that can be grouped with varied expiration dates and provide detailed audit trails required by the City’s internal and external auditors. If your system can not meet these requirements please note the deficiencies.

4.5 TABLES: Dynamic tables must be used where applicable to preclude repetitive entry for validity checking and to eliminate program code changes when rules are changed or added. Systems with flat, ISAM, COBOL or MS-Access based files will not be considered. If your system can not meet these requirements please note the deficiencies.

4.6 WORK FLOW: The system should provide work flow capabilities in all applications, with user-defined business rules, processes and securities. It should allow for an unlimited number of steps/approvals/notifications on any single work flow. If your system can not meet these requirements please note the deficiencies.

4.7 SECURITY: Security must be detailed and provide several levels, including application, processes, menus and every field. In addition to individual user securities, the system should also allow for easy grouping of users to minimize security set-up. If your system can not meet these requirements please note the deficiencies.

4.8 SUPPORT: The selected vendor(s) must be able to provide timely and adequate telephone support during the City The Dalles normal business hours. Vendor(s) support must deal with issues related to adjunct third-party software. Vendors will also deal with database issues that preclude functionality of their products. The City intends to rely solely on the application vendor(s) as its support source. Please note your average response time and your methodology for prioritizing calls. If your system can not meet these requirements please note the deficiencies.

4.9 HARDWARE: Proposals are for software only. Please list all hardware requirements. The City intends to acquire implement and maintain its own hardware and network.


5.0 Evaluation 5.1 EVALUATION METHOD: The City will evaluate all proposals deemed responsive to

this RFP by a committee selected by the City of The Dalles. The initial evaluation will consider only the qualifications and demonstrated experience of each respondent. Following the evaluation committee’s analysis of the written proposals and discussions, the responses will be ranked to establish the highest score. Proposers may be asked to provide onsite demonstrations. Discussions and negotiations may take place with the short list of proposers to ensure clarification and to obtain a best and final offer. The designation of a finalist will be based upon the proposal that is determined to be the most advantageous to the City of The Dalles. Negotiations will then take place with the finalist. If the negotiations result in a satisfactory agreement, a contract will be recommended to the City Council for review and approval. If negotiations with the finalist are not satisfactory, the City will again review the proposals and identify a new finalist, or the City may discontinue this project, or may issue a new RFP.

5.2 SELECTION CRITERIA: The intention of the City is to procure functionally

complete, cost effective and integrated software applications. The criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals shall be as follows:

Selection Criteria: Maximum Points

Quality, clarity and responsiveness of proposal in conformance with instructions condition and format contained herein. 15

Proposer’s qualifications and experience. 20 Ability to provide an integrated all-in-one system that includes the most modules. 20

Implementation strategy and timelines. 15 Cost and quality of software, including life expectancy, and implementation services, and proposed payment plans for project and maintenance costs.

15

Cost of on-going licensing and maintenance. 15 Timeliness, professionalism and responsiveness of on-going support. 25

Demonstrated performance of proposed system. 30 Demonstrated success in converting and integrating historical data from SunGard systems 25

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 180


6.0 PROPOSER COMMENTS TO REQUIREMENTS

SPECIFICATION DESCRIPTIONS ITEM

# This section is for the proposer to add comments as needed for

specification. Please note the item number being addressed followed by comments.

request for proposals (rfp) software and implementation...

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