Financial System Replacement Software - Request For Information

Transcription

1 Financial System Replacement Software - Request For Information I. Invitation to Provide Information The Board of Public Utilities of the City of Springfield, Missouri, (City Utilities) invites you to submit information regarding product offerings for a software solution to replace, as a whole or in part, the current financial system, as described in this document. Questions should be directed to: Jimmy Kinser, CPPB, MBA Supervisor Purchasing Purchasing Department City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri [P] (417) OR - [P] (417) [F] (417) [F] (417) [E] jimmy.kinser@cityutilities.net [E] purchasing@cityutilities.net This is an initial inquiry regarding product offerings and options NOT a solicitation for bids. Pricing is not requested at this stage and should not be submitted. CU reserves the right to waive informalities and to accept or reject any and all responses submitted. Firms responding assume responsibility for any/all associated costs. II. Due Date and Method for Responses Responses to this Request for Information are due by February 22, ACCEPTABLE SUBMISSION METHODS IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI: 1) Electronic Bid Attachment Tool (EBAT) Open to all vendors - NO REGISTRATION OR LOGIN REQUIRED. OR GO TO and click on the following links: - Vendors (at top of page) - Bidding Opportunities - Electronic Bid Attachment Tool (EBAT) 2) Mail / Express Mail / Hand Deliver City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri Attn: Jimmy Kinser - Purchasing (Financial System Replacement Software RFI) 301 E. Central St. ( ) [EXPRESS MAIL / HAND DELIVER OPTIONS] PO Box 551 ( ) [USPS MAIL OPTION] Springfield, Missouri Request for Information - Financial System Replacement Software - Page 1 of 5

2 III. Technical Contact Mike Kepley, Manager-Financial Technology (417) IV. About City Utilities / RFI Details City Utilities of Springfield (CU) is a municipal utility serving southwest Missouri with electricity, natural gas, water, broadband, and transit services. Although CU can be considered a medium sized business, regulatory standards and compliance mandates require that CU dynamically record and report as a large business. CU must adhere to the following regulatory and governing bodies: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Natural Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Public Service Commission (PSC), North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and various other utility and accounting related administrations. As a result, CU has a large chart of accounts and has to report not only by account but by project. CU is seeking to replace the current financial system and add efficiencies in any or all of the following areas, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable-Other, General Ledger/Financial Reporting, Project Costing, Asset Management, and Budgeting. Although CU is not seeking to replace the current customer billing, purchasing or inventory systems, the proposed product will need to be robust enough to interface with those systems and other auxiliary systems. Sample of Statistical Data Points from Previous Fiscal Year Total Users: 2 Administrative, 40 Regular, 150 View Only Users per Module: 14 Accounts Payable, 4 Accounts Receivable-Other, 8 General Ledger, 12 Project Costing, 9 Asset Management, and 8 Budgeting Total Rows of Data Added: 627,174 Total Vouchers Entered: 32,777 Total In-service Assets: 45,481 Total Asset Profiles: 1,523 V. Determination of Acceptable Software Solution(s) A committee will evaluate software solutions proposed in response to this RFI in order to identify those best equipped to fulfill CU s needs. Evaluation factors include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: 1) Proof that the software solution will provide sufficient output and functionality to fulfill CU s unique requirements as described in this document 2) Responses to Section IX (Questions/Requests for Submittals) of this document 3) Preliminary product demonstration (see Section VI of this document) The software solution(s) evaluated the highest, as determined solely by CU, will be included as part of the Acceptable Products List in a forthcoming Request For Proposal (RFP). Only the software solution(s) specifically identified as Acceptable will be considered for purchase. If City Utilities determines that the number of software solutions proposed in response to this RFI exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, then CU may limit the number of Acceptable Products to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among those most highly rated. Any software solution proposed in response to this RFI shall comply with the requirements contained herein. Deviation from the stated requirements will be evaluated, but may, at the discretion of City Request for Information - Financial System Replacement Software - Page 2 of 5

3 Utilities, result in the rejection of the proposed solution. If City Utilities determines that a proposed solution fails to meet an acceptable level on any factor listed herein, then that product may be rejected. VI. Preliminary Product Demonstrations As stated in Section V of this document, preliminary product demonstrations will be conducted for selected software solutions that exhibit the greatest capability to best meet CU s needs. This preliminary demonstration can be facilitated on-site at City Utilities or be web-based. If an instance occurs in which multiple vendors propose the same software solution, then the demo will be conducted by the actual software creator/manufacturer (if they provided a response to the RFI); otherwise, one vendor for each product will be chosen to perform the preliminary product demonstration via a casting of lots (i.e. random draw). Those vendors selected for the initial product demonstration will have no advantage in the Request for Proposal process, as the focus of these preliminary demonstrations will be strictly limited to the functionality of the proposed product and not any additional products and/or services a particular vendor may offer. VII. Request For Proposal After an Acceptable Products List has been determined (see Section V of this document), CU will release a formal Request For Proposal (RFP). This RFP will contain evaluation and selection criteria separate and distinct from that outlined in this RFI which may include value-added services/products, additional and/or more in-depth interviews, discussions, negotiations and a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). As a result of this RFP process, a contract will be awarded to the vendor that offers the best and most qualified software solution as determined solely by CU. VIII. Proposed Schedule of Dates Step One January 25, 2016 February 22, 2016 March 1, 2016 through May 13, 2016 Step Two May 31, 2016 July 11, 2016 July 25, 2016 through September 23, 2016 November 1, 2016 Request for Information RFI document released RFI responses due Initial product demonstrations Request for Proposal RFP released RFP responses due Software vendor interviews/demonstrations Notice of Award issued Request for Information - Financial System Replacement Software - Page 3 of 5

4 IX. Questions / Requests for Submittals Vendors shall include with their responses to this RFI sufficient and detailed responses to the following questions and/or requests for submittals. Responses should be submitted in a clear form that corresponds to the numbering format contained herein: 1) Account Payable: Does the proposed product offer 2-way and 3-way matching of invoices? (Our Purchasing and Inventory systems are custom built systems.) (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 2) Accounts Payable: Does the proposed product offer invoice automation with imaging and workflow? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 3) Accounts Receivable Other: Does the proposed product provide a sub-ledger that can be uploaded? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 4) General Ledger: Does the proposed product provide multi- directional chartfield validations? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 5) General Ledger: Does the proposed product offer numerous account code fields? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 6) General Ledger: Describe what allocation functions are available in the proposed product. 7) Reporting: Does the proposed product offer drilldown capabilities on delivered or ad hoc reports? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 8) Forecasting/Budgeting: Does the proposed product offer a specific module for forecasting or budgeting? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 9) Project Costing: Does the proposed product offer a way to track project costs (charges only, not revenue) for reporting purposes and asset utilization? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 10) Asset Management: Does the proposed product pull in costs from multiple interfaces (labor, standard costs, direct charges, indirect expenses, etc )? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 11) Asset Management: Does the proposed product allow for assets to be maintained on multiple books? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 12) Asset Management: Provide details related to asset maintenance and depreciation. 13) Data Storage: How much data can be available online? 14) Data Storage: Does the proposed product require a data warehouse? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 15) Platform: Does the proposed product offer multiple platform options (cloud, premise, or composite of both)? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 16) Does the proposed product have a workflow tool? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 17) Does the proposed product have spreadsheet uploading capabilities (i.e. for journal entries or invoices)? (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) Request for Information - Financial System Replacement Software - Page 4 of 5

5 18) Does the proposed product fail to meet any of the aforementioned criteria? If so, list any thirdparty or bolt-on solutions that integrate seamlessly with the proposed product. (Yes/No/Provide Complete Details) 19) How many years has the proposed product been available for purchase and what is the latest version? 20) How often are upgrades delivered/ recommended? 21) How many utility customers use the proposed product? *** END OF DOCUMENT *** Request for Information - Financial System Replacement Software - Page 5 of 5