Addendum # 1 E&I RFP Enterprise Resource Planning Software, Systems & Services

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1 January 11, 2017 RFP Supplier Questions As a result of the pre-proposal call held on Wednesday, January 3, 2018, the following questions were raised and discussed: Q1. We will be responding to the HESS Consortium RFP. How is it to be handled for the University of Connecticut (UConn) in terms of response, since this RFP is for institutions with an FTE of 8,500 or below and UConn is much a greater number. How is that going to be handled? As a clarification, this RFP is being issued by E&I Cooperative Services. The HESS Consortium is collaborating with E&I on RFP development, evaluation and recommendation for award. The resulting contract(s) with awarded Supplier(s) will be an E&I Master Agreement(s) available for use as needed by E&I members (please note all HESS members are also members of E&I). This RFP is not specifically for UConn. It is only posted on the Connecticut State website because it is a requirement of UConn that E&I publicly post all our RFPs on their state portal. Therefore, all responses to this RFP are to be submitted only to E&I. Q2. In conclusion to that, just to make sure we understand correctly, we are to complete the separate response and send it to E&I and HESS will help develop the agreement based on the responses? Several members of the HESS Consortium have volunteered to participate on E&I s evaluation committee. They will assist E&I with evaluating proposals and making a recommendation for award. However, only one proposal response is required and it is to be sent to E&I. Q3. Who will pay the invoice for the work to be performed under this RFP? Once a Master Agreement is established, members will engage with Suppliers directly for their ERP needs utilizing the pricing, terms and conditions of the agreement. All transactions will be between member and Supplier, and as such invoices for any work performed will be directed to each member as appropriate. Q4. Can you give some information about the existing system, are they on-premise or on the cloud? The RFP is not for a specific need for E&I or a particular institution, such as UConn. It is E&I s intent to establish a Master Agreement(s) with Supplier(s) for our members to use as a pricing contract with negotiated terms and conditions for their ERP requirements as needed. Q5. Since the RFP mentions University of Connecticut, do we need to respond specific to their context? This RFP is not specifically for UConn. It is only posted on the Connecticut State website because it is a requirement of UConn that E&I publicly post all our RFPs on their state portal. It is E&I s intent to establish a Master Agreement(s) with Supplier(s) for our members to use as a pricing contract with negotiated terms and conditions for their ERP requirements as needed. Q6. The Schedule of Events on page 14 of the RFP indicates an Implementation due date of June 1st. Who is the implementation for? This refers to implementation of the contract and would include marketing activities related to launch, such as member announcement, creating marketing collateral, sales force training, website upload and other related actions. Q7. During an actual implementation of an ERP system, can part of the work performed be off-shored to augment onsite resources? No, all services must be performed by resources within the US. Q8. Are there any performance bonds associated with this contract? No, but it is possible that institutions using the contract could require performance bonds. Page 1 of 6

2 Below is the list of questions submitted by suppliers in writing: Q9. What is the main driver for looking into ERP system options? It is E&I s intent to establish a Master Agreement(s) with Supplier(s) for our members to use as a pricing contract with negotiated terms and conditions for their ERP requirements as needed. Our members are looking for a cooperative and shared agreement in order to work more closely as a group with our Supplier(s) and each other as a group. Q10. What type of system are you looking for? Inventory management, order management, accounts management or some other function? Refer to Section of the RFP for a list of solution functionalities. Q11. What type of industry will the future system need to support? The resulting contract(s) will be utilized by the Education sector. Refer to Section 1.1 of the RFP for information on E&I s membership. Q12. When are you looking to select a provider? It is E&I s intent to have a contract in place by May 1, Refer to Section 4.1 of the RFP for a tentative schedule of events. Q13. Can companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (like, from India or Canada) Any company that meets the requirements of the scope of the RFP, regardless of location, can submit a proposal response. Q14. Do we need to come over there for meetings? Potentially, E&I may schedule face-to-face meetings at our corporate office in Jericho, NY or other location within the US. Q15. Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? (like, from India or Canada) Refer to response provided for Question 7. Q16. Can we submit the proposals via ? Per the submittal instructions in the RFP, we require responses to be mailed to our corporate office. Q17. Since 1 solution is not a complete fit for all institutions in the consortium and each educational institution will have unique needs, will there be a time for a needs assessment to understand each member s requirements for a solution that works best for them. This is also an opportunity to uncover innovative ideas that they are looking to meet where an ERP can provide efficiency. Direct involvement by the awarded Supplier may be necessary to assist Members in understanding the different solutions available and in selecting the best system to fit their needs. Q18. Experience has shown that when moving to a new solution from an existing solution, there may be a request in integrating historical data into the new solution. Do you know if there will be a requirement to include historical data into a new solution? This requirement will vary by member. Q19. Do you have a % of members that might be on a home-grown solution vs. those members that are using standard ERP solutions? With over 4,400 members in the Education sector nationwide, it would be difficult for E&I to attain this information. Q20. How do you determine the award/agreement by geographical location, i.e. if the vendor is located on the East coast? Do you anticipate awarding contracts based on the vendors location or will it be based on the geographical needs of your members? Page 2 of 6

3 E&I reserves the right to make a single or multiple awards, either nationally or by region, if we determine it is in the best interest of our members. Q21. Do you know if most of your members currently work with multiple vendors in managing their ERP needs. Varies between members. Q22. Many educational institutions have Point of Sale (POS) management needs and credit card processing for eateries, do you know if this will also be a required functionality. This requirement will vary by member. Q23. We are interested in teaming with a larger company who was on the pre-proposal call, is there any chance you can share their names with us who all participated? E&I cannot share other Suppliers contact information. Q24. Part 2.4 Emergency purchases on page 12 of the RFP refers to a reporting requirement located in Part 6, Section Would you please confirm that this is a typo and the reporting requirement is actually Section Report of Sales on page 18 of the RFP, as discussed in the Pre-Proposal Conference on January 3, 2018? Correct, this section should refer to Section 6.3.1, not Q25. Further to this same requirement, would you please further clarify how you would like vendors to address Tab 5 ( VRF Desired Format ) and Tab 6 ( VRF Field Explanations ) in Attachment D Supplier Questionnaire? Understanding from the Pre-Proposal Conference that these Tabs are presented as examples, are you expecting vendors to actually respond to these Tabs? Or are they just further support for Section Report of Sales? Both tabs are provided as supporting information only for Section Tab 5 represents the format in which awarded Supplier will be required to submit the Report of Sales. A sample report will be requested as move further along the evaluation process. Tab 6 provides an explanation of the data type and character limitation for each field in Tab 5. Q26. With respect to references, please confirm that only 3 references are required. There appears to be conflicting information in Section which mentions 5 references and Attachment D. Contact Information Tab, A.1 which requests 3 references. Section requires detailed information for each of the references to be provided, such as implemented solutions and results obtained. Please provide a total five references for this section. In Attachment D, you may copy any three of the references submitted under Section Q27. As a Value-Added Reseller, please confirm it is acceptable to utilize a reference(s) from the Manufacturer that we represent. As a value-added reseller, documentation is required demonstrating you are authorized by the software provider to be their selected integration partner in response to this RFP. Q28. In Attachment D, on Tab 4. Accessibility Standard, could you clarify whether the requested information is pertinent to the potential Internet/E-Commerce Site only or the ERP solution being proposed? This information is pertinent to both platforms. Q29. Please confirm that the Internet/E-Commerce Site referenced in section 6.5.2, while suggested, is NOT a mandatory requirement of this solicitation. E&I realizes an ERP solution may not lend itself to an e-commerce site, and as such it is not mandatory. Q30. With respect to Attachment A- Pricing Worksheet, on the Member Pricing Estimate Tab, there is the option to select one of numerous member institution from a drop down in row 10. Could you confirm that it is only necessary to complete an example of pricing for one institution (any) and that it is NOT required to complete for all named institutions? Page 3 of 6

4 Correct, the Member Pricing Estimate Tab is to be used as a sample pricing worksheet. Estimated pricing should be relatively accurate and should include services including mid to high involvement by the supplier for implementation services. Q31. In section 1.5, the RFP states that For large dollar orders, Members retain the right to do individual Member competitive solicitations. What constitutes a large dollar order in this instance? It seems that any Administrative ERP selection would be considered a large dollar order meaning that all participants could choose to bypass the negotiated pricing and contracts, requiring vendors to engage individually with each institution. What assurances can E&I and/or HESS provide that ensures all members are bound to the negotiated agreements? Are E&I and/or HESS members restricted to purchasing their Administrative ERP solution from a vendor with an E&I negotiated contract? Per Section 6.1 of the RFP, membership in E&I should not be construed as any form of commitment to the Agreement by a member. No representation is made that any quantities will be purchased or that services will be utilized. However, it is true that an ERP solution qualifies as a large dollar order, and as such, we may negotiate to exclude additional pricing incentives for high volume orders in the resulting agreement. E&I will first need to determine that the proposed pricing under the agreement is more competitive than what the member would be able to attain on their own. In any case, E&I and HESS discourage any awarded Supplier(s) from using an awarded contract to draw members into a relationship and then diverting them to another contract vehicle. Q32. In section 2.2.2, what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that vendor references are not solicited for a reference without prior awareness and approval? Or, is the intent that E&I would vet any references on behalf of member institutions such that members would not engage with references? The references provided under this RFP are solely for evaluation purposes and only E&I will be conducting the references checks. Q33. In section 2.3.3, what guidance can HESS and/or E&I provide related to solutions that are not yet generally available, but are targeted within the next 2-5 years? If certain functionalities are not yet a part of your system, please indicate if and how you intend to address that particular need in the future. Q34. In section it states that All Third-Party Software Providers (TPSP) included in the proposal must provide the same information listed for the Supplier. Can HESS and/or E&I clarify this? Two scenarios come to mind: 1) core solutions providers like PowerFAIDS for financial aid processing; and 2) reporting platform providers like Power BI or Tableau. What guidance can be provided on when to require 3rd party software providers to complete this section? The information is to be provided for any third-party software providers that are required for a fully functional ERP solution. Q35. In section 2.4, vendors are directed to report emergency services as regular sales per Part 6, section Can HESS and/or E&I provide clarification on what constitutes emergency services? This seems like a foreign concept to an Administrative ERP selection process. Emergency purchases refer to purchases a member would have to make outside the agreement in order to keep the ERP solution running should there be an emergency (for example, a disaster outage). Q36. Section suggests that vendors should set up a dedicated website to facilitate the transaction of software sales of Administrative ERP modules. This seems oriented toward commodity purchases and not ERP software and services. Can HESS and/or E&I clarify or provide examples of how this approach is envisioned to work within the scope of this RFP? Refer to the response provided for Question 29. Q37. Section 6.6 appears to obligate vendors to work exclusively through their E&I contract for any higher education institution under 8,500 FTE. Can E&I clarify if that is the intent of this RFP? Will there be a penalty for vendors to negotiate separate agreements with non-hess and/or non-e&i institutions under 8,500 FTE? Page 4 of 6

5 It is E&I s expectation that contracted Supplier will lead with its awarded agreement and commit to making it a primary offering for Education. While there is no financial penalty, E&I reserves the right terminate the agreement if it deems there is a lack of marketing and sales support from Supplier. Q38. Section 6.12 suggests that participating in HESS now requires vendors to provide all E&I members preferential pricing that is competitive but still allows the vendor to meet its target margins. Considering section 6.6 obligates participating vendors to work through E&I exclusively for all opportunities with higher education institutions under 8,500 FTE, while section 6.1 removes the obligation of member institutions to purchase through E&I vehicles, the following scenario could occur: - E&I participating vendor is competing with a non-e&i participating vendor for a contract - The non-e&i vendor could aggressively discount its pricing to win the award with no penalty - The E&I participating vendor could not match the discount. If they do, they must offer the same discount to all E&I members (and by virtue of section 6.6 to all non-members as well) Can HESS and/or E&I explain how the above scenario can be avoided for participating E&I vendors? There will be instances when awarded Supplier will still have to compete for business, but E&I is looking for business partners that will work collaboratively on sales opportunities. Sections 6.7 and 6.8 describe joint responsibilities to increase sales for the Supplier with the membership. Q39. Section 6.16 allows for cash discounts. This appears to be more in the spirit of a commodities-oriented organization where expedited invoice payments are desirable. The alternative interpretation is that vendors could offer unofficial competitive pricing to higher education institutions that position them better against other vendors, without being required to report the lower pricing to E&I. Can HESS and/or E&I clarify the intent of cash discounting and how it applies to Administrative ERP purchases where expedited payments are not typical? This section is meant to describe to early payment discounts. This is not a requirement, but highly desired by our members. If your company is not capable offering such discounts, or it s not applicable to your business model, please indicate in your response. Please sign below and return the addendum with your RFP response to acknowledge receipt of the addendum. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at or cgoglia@eandi.org. Thank you. Sincerely, Cathy Goglia Contract Manager, Technology cc: Keith Fowlkes ** SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS ** Page 5 of 6

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