SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ON-CALL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Transcription

1 DATE: December 6, 2017 SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ON-CALL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES Pursuant to the Request for Proposals (RFP), all proposers were to submit any questions regarding this RFQ no later than Wednesday, November 29, Questions were to be answered in writing and all questions and responses were to be posted on the Department s website. Below is a list of questions received from proposers and the Department s response: 1. Q: Is it correct to say that this RFQ has a local preference? Can an out of state firm participate in this RFQ as a Prime Vendor that utilizes local subcontractors per instructed in the RFQ? A: Yes, this RFQ has a Local Business Enterprise Preference (LBE) that will only be applied if the Prime is a LBE. Out of state firms may submit a response; however, they will not be given LBE credit for utilizing LBE subs. 2. Q: Is it a new solicitation? A: No, the Harbor Department has requested these services in the past. 3. Q: What is the annual estimated budget for this contract? A: This is an on-call contract that will be used only when services are needed. Therefore, the budget depends on the needed services, if any. However, the estimated total budget is $1,333,333 per year for all contracts that are awarded. 4. Q: Is there an incumbent? If yes, can you please share the name of the incumbent? A: Yes. The incumbents are Birdi and Associates, E.K. Associates, and Sierra Cybernetics.

2 5. Q: Does the Harbor Department intend to give a single award, or multiple awards for this contract? A: There is no predetermined number of awards. The number of awards may be to one or more vendors. 6. Q: Regarding Exhibit C- Business Tax Registration Certificate BTRC, is it correct that the out-of-state firm needs to register at the Tax and Permit Division of the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance? A: Yes, and only if awarded a contract. Firms may apply at 7. Q: We can provide some of the services requested in the RFQ, but can t provide all of the services requested in Attachment 1. Due to section 3.1.1, it looks like if we responded, we would not be in compliance of the RFQ. We certainly would like to participate in this RFQ, as we are currently providing the Harbor Department with some of these services now. Do you know if might be amended, or there may be some flexibility to it? It looks like Q&A responses will not be posted until December 6 th, and the RFQ response is due a week later, which may not be enough time for us to put together a quality comprehensive response, if is amended, we can be compliant with our response. A: RFP Section 3.1 will not be amended. Only proposers that can provide the full range of services described in Attachment 1 will be considered. This can be accomplished either directly through the firm or by partnering with a subcontractors to provide the array of services requested. 8. Q: Does section K-Q regarding an affirmative action plan apply to this RFQ? It states it is for construction, demolition, renovation, conservation or major maintenance. If so, can an acceptable Affirmative Action Plan example be provided by the Harbor Department? A: A plan does not need to be submitted. Firms must comply with the stated intent of the ordinance, but our Department does not require that actual plans be submitted. 9. Q: Will our LBE Certification with the City of Los Angeles (on LABAVN) be accepted for the Local Business Preference Program for this RFQ? A: Yes. 10. Q: A). RFQ lists job titles. For better understanding, I need the following information:

3 a). Position level: Senior/Junior with years of experience and job description; b). # positions/# profiles to be submitted for each; c). Job location: Onsite/Offsite; and d). Engagement model: Project based/position based. B). RFQ mentions Only proposers that can provide the full range of services described in Attachment 1, either directly or through the use of subconsultants, will be considered. Does this require companies to demonstrate project capability, experience in each of the listed positions individually? A: The answers to all of these questions will be based on the actual services that will be needed, when they are needed. When services are needed, these will be among the requirements that will be provided to the On-Call contractor(s). See RFP Section Q: What does the Department mean by On-Call IT Services? How is this different from standard as-needed project or staffing services? A: No, it s the same concept. See RFP Section 2 for the Harbor Department s description and objectives. 12. Q: Does the Department have any incumbent for providing similar services? If yes, please share the vendor details. A: See Question # Q: What was the overall amount spent by the Department on obtaining these services last year? A: The amount spent in the last year was approximately $1,000,000 for all three on-call contracts. 14. Q: Do we have to provide actual or sample resumes of resources who would work on the future project directives? A: Actual resumes for key positions are required. 15. Q: Can the work be performed from offsite and remote locations as well? A: It depends on the services that are needed. For most cases, the work will be required to be performed onsite. 16. Q: We assume that we have to provide a total of three (3) vendor references, not for each service listed in Attachment 1. Please confirm.

4 A: Yes. 17. Q: If the answer to above question is No, can we propose the same project/client reference for more than one service, wherever applicable? A: N/A. 18. Q: How many resumes are to be provided against each of the nine (9) services listed on Page 8 of the RFQ document? A: The Harbor Department desires to have three resumes for each service listed in Section 3.4 Subsection 3; however, the minimum is one resume for each service. 19. Q: Can we propose new/replace any of the proposed team members at the time of actual project directive process? A: Yes. 20. Q: Can the Department provide definition for each of the Services listed in Attachment 1, including job description, experience level required, and any other requirement? 21. Q: Would the Department be awarding contracts within a specific Rate Range? A: The contracts will be awarded based on the Evaluation Criteria in Exhibit E. Rates and fees are only one of the factors. 22. Q: Is it mandatory to have a BTRC number at the time of proposal submission? A: No. 23. Q: What is the budget allocated for this contract? A: See Question # Q: Per Attachment 1, we assume that in the Maximum Hourly Rate (For Employees) column, we only have to provide rates for the nine (9) services mentioned on Page 8 of the RFQ document. A: No. Pricing must be provided for each of the 43 listed Job Titles in Attachment 1 by providing the % Over Cost (for subcontractors) or the Maximum Hourly Rate (for employees) or both. Per RFP Section 3.1, only proposers that can provide the full range of services described in Attachment 1, either directly or through the use of subcontractors, will be considered.

5 25. Q: Please provide details required on, roles skill sets and responsibilities for the following positions: #5. Police Security Systems Specialist #32. Communications Engineer For #30. Database Administrator positions, please provide details on the technology and scope the role will be responsible for working on. #31. Computer Operator/Computer Helpdesk, does this include Desk Side Support? 26. Q: Can the digital copy of the SOQ response be on a USB Thumb drive? A: Yes. The USB is acceptable for the digital copy. Per RFP Section 3.2, one original with four copies must also be provided. 27. Q: As mentioned in the RFQ about Police Technology & Systems-Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), police radio systems, police specific systems, and Port security systems; Can you please share the details of Police Technology & Systems like what Commercial off-the-shelf systems you are currently using at the Harbor Department? A: No, this is an on-call contract. When services are needed, the specific service requirements will be provided to the On-Call contractor(s). See Question # Q: What Database systems is the Harbor Department using and list of applications it is supporting? A: Microsoft and Oracle. 29. Q: Do we have to submit profiles for all the positions listed in the RFQ? How many profiles should we submit for each position? A: See Question # Q: Can some of our employees work off-site? A: See Question # Q: Do local California confirms considered as Local Business Enterprise (LBE)? A: Please see page 26 of the RFQ for the definition of a LBE. 32. Q: What is the overall spent? A: See Question #13.

6 33. Q: Do you have a job description for all 9 positions listed on page 8? 34. Q: When will the program start? A: The contract is anticipated to start on October 9, Q: Who is the incumbent? A: See Question # Q: When will you announce who won? A: There is no predetermined date to announce who will be awarded the contract(s). 37. Q: What is the definition for pricing purposes of the over cost of subcontractors on Attachment 1? A: If you will be using subcontractors, this is the overhead percentage that you will charge over your cost of your subcontractors. 38. Q: Can you provide a breakdown on the costs included in Attachment 1? A: For the % Over Cost, see Question #37. For the Maximum Hourly Rate, this is the not-to-exceed rate for each service. The actual rate will depend on the specific level of service needed, but cannot exceed the amount that you enter here. The Years 1, 2 and 3 are the contract years, with each year being based on the anniversary date of the contract execution date. 39. Q: As per the document, this solicitation is an on-call/as-needed basis. Could you please clarify if there is any minimum number of hours a candidate would be working? A: There is no minimum number of hours. 40. Q: Under Section 3.4 Statement of Qualifications Content: Question 3 Personnel and Staffing. Please indicate how many resumes would the Harbor Department need per job position. Also, would these resumes be original resumes, or would sample resumes suffice? A: See Question #18. They must be original resumes. 41. Q: Is this a new requirement? If not, please provide the current vendor (s) providing the service to the Harbor Department. A: No. See Question #5.

7 42. Q: What is the estimated budget for this RFQ? If unknown, please specify previous spending. A: See Questions #3 and # Q: The Information Technology Division is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from qualified consultants to provide information technology services on an on-call/as-needed basis. Is this a contract re-compete or a new contract solicitation effort? A: This will be a new contract(s) that will replace the existing on-call contracts when they expire. 44. Q: If this is a contract re-compete, who are the current incumbent consultants providing services? A: See Question # Q: If this is a contract re-compete, what is the expiration date of the existing contracts? A: The current on-call contracts expire on October 8, Q: If this is a contract re-compete, why is this RFQ being released at this time? A: The RFQ is being released at this time to provide sufficient time to complete the procurement process before the expiration of the current on-call contracts. 47. Q: What is the anticipated duration of a typical IT work assignment? A: The duration will vary depending on the needs of the Harbor Department. 48. Q: How many users does the Information Technology Division support? A: Approximately 1,000 users. 49. Q: The duration of the contract awarded as a result of this RFQ is expected to be three years from the date of execution of the agreement. What is the expected total contract value over the three-year period performance? A: See Question # Q: The objective of this RFQ is to provide the Harbor Department with additional IT capabilities by establishing contracts with on-call consultant(s) that can quickly provide services and systems to meet the Harbor Department s technology needs when City staff or expertise is not available. Does the Harbor Department anticipate a single contract award,

8 or multiple contract awards? How many consultant(s) does the Harbor Department intend to establish contracts with? A: See Question # Q: SERVICES: Services Listed in Attachment 1 Historically, what is the average length of time each of the job titles are needed to complete a Project Directive? A: The length of time varied based on the needs of the Harbor Department. 52. Q: What is the historical usage (hours, days, months, years) for each job title listed in Attachment 1? A: The usage varied based on the needs of the Harbor Department. 53. Q: How many individuals are currently assigned by incumbent contractors to the Harbor Department for each job title? A: The number of individuals fluctuates based on the needs of the Harbor Department. Currently, the Harbor Department is using the services of one individual from Birdi & Associates, one individual from E.K. Associates, and three individuals from Sierra Cybernetics. However, this should not be used as an expectation of services going forward because the usage varies depending on the needs of the Harbor Deparment. 54. Q: Will awarded firms be required to hire any existing individuals assigned by current contractors? A: No. 55. Q: After approval of agreements by the Board of Harbor Commissioners, the Executive Director will have authority to approve work on a specific project through the use of Project Directives. The Project Directives will define the scope of work, maximum cost, schedule, terms of payment, deliverables, work site, personnel or sub-consultant to be utilized, and other pertinent details. What Project Directives does the Harbor Department envision within the next three years? A: This is an On-Call contract. Directives will be issued if and when needed, based on the Harbor Department s need at that time. 56. Q: What is the average lead time given to vendors to provide personnel to fulfill Project Directives? A: Lead times depend on the needs of the Harbor Department. Historical, it has ranged from one day to approximately three weeks.

9 57. Q: One (1) original with four (4) copies and one (1) digital copy of your SOQ must be submitted on or before 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 Please describe acceptable forms of digital copy. Is a copy of our proposal on a CD acceptable? A: Yes, a CD is acceptable for the digital copy. Per RFP Section 3.2, one original with four copies must also be provided. 58. Q: Qualifications and experience for proposed subconsultants should also be included. Are three (3) client references required for subconsultants? A: See Question # Q: Complete resumes for only the services listed below should be provided as part of an appendix to the proposal. IT Security Specialist Police Security Systems Specialist Certified MS Exchange Server Specialist Certified MS Enterprise Messaging Administrator Systems Analyst Database Administrator Communication Engineer Network Engineer Computer Operator / Computer Helpdesk What is the minimum number of years of experience required for each job title? 60. Q: What is the minimum education and/or training required for each job title? 61. Q: What is the minimum skills required for each job title? 62. Q: What are the anticipated roles and responsibilities for each job title? 63. Q: In addition, include hourly rates for all proposed team members. Attachment 1 does not provide a space to include hourly rates specifically

10 for proposed team members. Where should proposers include the requested information? A: Provide the maximum (not-to-exceed) hourly rates for the Job Descriptions on Attachment 1. The actual hourly rates will be determined based on the specific needs of the Harbor Department for the specific services needed, however cannot be more than the maximum hourly rate that you provide (it can be less). 64. Q: Level of expertise in subject matter areas? What are the subject matter areas firms will be evaluated/rated on? A: See RFP Exhibit E. 65. Q: Qualification and experience of proposed personnel for requested services? The Request for Qualifications does not provide required qualifications or experience for any services. What factors will be used to determine qualifications and experience of proposed personnel? A: See RFP Exhibit E. 66. Q: Other Services. Please clarify what is meant by other services. A: Other services would include any services not listed in Job Descriptions 1 through 41. This is an On-Call contract; therefore, the vendor must be able to provide the full range of IT services that the Harbor Department may need. 67. Q: Job Title/Description in Attachment 1. Please provide detailed job descriptions for each job title to facilitate maximum hourly rates.