REQUEST FOR QUOTES FOR FINANCIAL SYSTEM SELECTION ISSUING OFFICE. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Financial Reporting & Systems

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR QUOTES FOR FINANCIAL SYSTEM SELECTION ISSUING OFFICE Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Financial Reporting & Systems RFQ NUMBER DATE OF ISSUANCE April 4, 2002

2 REQUEST FOR QUOTES FOR FINANCIAL SYSTEM SELECTION RFQ NUMBER TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I - GENERAL INFORMATION Page 2 Part II - STATEMENT OF WORK Page 5 Part III - CRITERIA FOR SELECTION Page 7 Part IV - QUOTE FORMAT Page 8 1

3 REQUEST FOR QUOTE FINANCIAL SYSTEM SELECTION PART I GENERAL INFORMATION I-1 ISSUING OFFICE This RFQ is issued for the Commission by Ralph M. Bailets, Manager, Financial Reporting & Systems. Contact Information is as follows: Ralph M. Bailets, Manager, Financial Reporting & Systems Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission 700 South Eisenhower Blvd. Middletown, PA rbailets@paturnpike.com fax The Issuing Office is the sole point of contact in the Commission for this RFQ. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission desires to engage a consulting firm for professional services including, but not limited to, consulting resources with an in-depth knowledge of current financial system software offerings and functionality to assist in our evaluation of packages to best meet our desired outcome. A work statement is provided in Part II. I-2 OVERVIEW Recent process reengineering efforts within the Finance, Accounting and Treasury departments identified numerous areas for improvement. The desired consulting resources will minimally demonstrate the following attributes: Resources with a proven record of experience in process and organizational improvements in the disciplines of Finance, Accounting and Treasury in an organization similar in nature, size and function to the Commission (The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission 2001 Annual Report and Strategic Plan will be sent via land mail. Please provide your preferred land mail address when confirming receipt of the softcopy RFQ document. Commission Strategic Planning and Capital Planning information is also available on our web site, Proven record of financial/erp software selection engagements for organizations of similar size w/references Resources within the organization to assist with software evaluation for the following functions: 1. General Ledger 2. Accounts Receivable 3. Fixed Assets 2

4 4. Accounts Payable 5. Project Accounting 6. Treasury 7. Cash Management 8. Purchasing 9. Materials Management/Inventory 10. Budgeting/Forecasting The project goals are: Address all points related to organizational and operational impacts of proposed process improvements and system recommendations Prepare formal recommendations on process improvements and financial software selection to the Commissioners and senior management staff I-4 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Periodic progress reports covering activities, problems, and recommendations will be required on a scheduled basis. The progress reports will be scheduled as deliverables in conjunction with the consultant work plan. Status Reports will be tied to accomplishment milestones. The progress reports will be keyed to the work plan developed by the Consultant Project Manager with concurrence from the Commission Project Manager, Ralph Bailets, Manager, Financial Reporting & Systems. All questions pertaining to this project must be directed to the Commission Project Manager. The selected Service Provider will be paid in monthly increments for actual hours worked, provided work is completed satisfactorily to the Work Plan and approved, in writing, by the Commission Controller. The selected Service Provider will not be eligible for final payment until the Deputy Executive Director of Finance & Administration, certifies, in writing, all project work has been successfully completed. To initiate payment for services, invoicing should be submitted by the vendor on a monthly basis for payment by the Commission. Invoices should include details for the labor resource, number of billable hours and rate. Prior approval by the Commission is required for any costs above the agreed upon total contract value. I-5 REJECTION OF QUOTES The Commission reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this request, or to negotiate separately with competing contractors. 3

5 I-6 INCURRING COSTS The Commission is not liable for any costs incurred by contractors prior to issuance of a contract. I-7 SUBCONTRACTING Any use of subcontractors within a proposal must be disclosed. The selected contractor will be required to assume responsibility for all services offered in its proposal whether or not it produces them. Further, the Commission will consider the selected contractor to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters. I-8 RESOURCES The Commission will make on-site office facilities available for consulting personnel. Telephone(s) will be provided for work related use. A Commission representative will be available to assist in the scheduling (via Microsoft Outlook) of Commission resources and conference rooms for meetings. Personal Computers (PCs) and any project related software are the responsibility of the consultant and will not be provided by the Commission. Project related duplicating and printing services will be provided by the Commission. I-9 QUESTIONS Questions should be forwarded to the Issuing Office prior to 12:00 PM Local Time, Tuesday, April 16, Questions and written answers will be provided to all participating vendors. Questions received after the due date will not be eligible for response. All vendors will receive responses to questions. 4

6 PART II STATEMENT OF WORK II-1 WORK LOCATION This effort will occur at the Commission Central Office Building, located in Highspire, Pennsylvania. Resources will receive direction from the Manager, Financial Reporting & Systems. All resources must adhere to all Commission policies, procedures and Information Technology (IT) standards. Primary Contact: Ralph M. Bailets, Manager, Financial Reporting & Systems or extension 2750 Secondary Contact: Anthony Maun, Controller extension 6100 II-2 WORK SKILLS Consulting resources should bring extensive experience in evaluating current business practices and provision of recommendations for process improvements in the areas of Finance, Accounting and Treasury. All senior level consultants should possess a minimum of five years experience in their respective position. Minimally, one resource should hold a CPA designation. See also General Requirements, Section II-5. II-3 INFORMATION HANDLING All documentation and information regarding Commission operations will remain the property of the Commission. This work product will not be subject to distribution except as approved in advance by the Commission Project Manager, Controller or Deputy Executive Director of Finance & Administration. II-4 TASKS Targeted Action Items Finance, Accounting and Treasury 1. Define a new Chart of Accounts to facilitate expanded reporting and analysis requirements (Finance, Accounting & Treasury) 2. Provide process for conversion of historical data to the new Chart of Accounts 3. Improve cash receipt and transfer methods (Treasury) 4. Facilitate development of requirements for financial systems modules/subsystems to support the following functions that are subject to process improvement: 5

7 General Ledger (Accounting) Accounts Payable (Accounting) Accounts Receivable (Accounting) Capital Projects Accounting (Accounting) Fixed Assets (Accounting) Operating Expense Budgeting and Forecasting (Finance) Capital Budgeting and Long Term Financial Planning (Finance, Treasury) Cash Requirements Forecasting (Treasury) Risk Management (Finance) Treasury Workstation including: 1. Cash Management 2. Investment Management 3. Debt Management 4. Interfaces to General Ledger 5. Investment Performance Measurement Impacts to current Purchasing processes and system Impacts to current Materials Management/Inventory processes and system 5. Assist in managing the review and decision making process for a best fit financial software application(s) (Finance, Accounting & Treasury) 6. Evaluate the Finance, Accounting, Treasury and Information Technology Support organizational structure and staffing given the proposed process/system changes 7. Provide a detailed course of action to accomplish all recommended changes II-5 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Consultant should provide clear and concise recommendations and documentation for process improvements for the above stated tasks. Information gathering for the current business practice phase may be accomplished via an interview process with Commission incumbent resources and a review of previously produced documentation on the subject areas. It is expected that all resources provided will have an exceptional command of the subject matter related to their respective task area(s). II-6 PROPOSED SCHEDULE The expected start date for this effort is June/July The duration of this project is subject to the time requirements set forth in the work plan of the selected consultant. 6

8 PART III CRITERIA FOR SELECTION III-1 MANDATORY RESPONSIVENESS REQUIREMENTS To be eligible for selection, a quote must be (a) timely received from a contractor; (b) properly signed by the contractor; and (c) formatted such that all cost data is kept separate from and not included in the Work Plan submittal. III-2 EVALUATION COMMITTEE Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of qualified personnel selected by the Commission. This committee will recommend for selection the proposal which most closely meets the requirements of the RFQ and satisfies Commission needs. Award will only be made to a contractor determined to be responsible in accordance with Commonwealth Management Directive 215.9, Contractor Responsibility Program III-3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION The following areas of consideration will be used in making the selection: a. Personnel Qualifications. This refers to the competence of professional personnel who would be assigned to the job by the consultant. Qualifications of professional personnel will be measured by experience and education, with particular reference to experience on services similar to that described in the RFQ, specifically as they relate to: 1. Finance, Accounting and Treasury knowledge and experience 2. Process improvement experience (w/references) in the areas of interest 3. Documented, successful record of financial/erp software selection engagements for industry and governmental organizations of similar size and nature (w/references) b. Contractor Qualifications. This refers to the ability of the contractor to meet the terms of the RFQ, especially the quality and relevancy of recent work and projects completed by the contractor. This also includes the contractor s ability, in terms of finances and resources, to undertake a project of this size. c. Cost. While this area will be weighted heavily, it will not normally be the deciding factor in the selection process. 7

9 PART IV QUOTE FORMAT IV-1 DETAILED WORK PLAN Include to the extent possible, a work plan outlining how each of the subject matter areas will be addressed. Include the staff hours expected for each task and the level of staff resource. Include the number, and names where practicable, of professional personnel, consultants, etc., who will be engaged in the work. Include through a resume or similar document, education and experience in process improvements within financial, accounting and treasury operations as well as experience in financial systems selection. Indicate the responsibilities each will have in this project and how long each has been with your company. See also General Requirements, Section II-5. IV-2 PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND REFERENCES Include related business experience in all required systems and processes as described in the RFQ. Experience shown should be work done by individuals who will be assigned to this project. Work or projects referred to should be identified and the name of the customer shown, including the name, address, and telephone number of the responsible official of the customer, company, or agency who may be contacted. Prior experience will ideally consist of work for organizations similar in nature to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and corporate experience. IV-3 COSTS All costs should be bound and sealed under separate cover from the remainder of the proposal. Costs should not be included in the Work Plan submittal. IV-4 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL To be considered, proposals must arrive at the Contracts Administration Department on or before 3:00PM Local Time, May 1, Contractors mailing proposals should allow sufficient mail delivery time to ensure timely receipt of their proposals. If, as a result of inclement weather, natural disaster, or any other cause, the Commission Central Office is closed on the proposal due date. The deadline for submission shall be automatically extended to the next business day on which the office is open unless notified by the Commission. The time for submission of proposals shall remain the same. Late proposals will not be accepted for any reason. 8