REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. Customer Inquiry Tracking Planning and Implementation Project Phase I March 25, 2014

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1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Customer Inquiry Tracking Planning and Implementation Project Phase I March 25, 2014 This Request for Proposal (RFP) is being sent to consulting firms to act as the Consultant in the completion of the requirements analysis phase of the District s Customer Inquiry Tracking Planning and Implementation Project. Proposals for providing these services will be received until 3:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, Late submittals will not be considered. Proposals are to be delivered to: Julius Ciaccia Executive Director Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District 3900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH ATTN. Vidya Nadig Business Process Manager Questions regarding this RFP shall be directed to Vidya Nadig by calling (216) , ext or at nadigv@neorsd.org. Questions related to the RFP will be answered through April 11, :00 pm. The District will attempt to respond to within one (1) business day. The District shall not be responsible for any costs incurred in relation to the preparation of the proposals. The District reserves the right to reject all proposals. Throughout this document, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District will be referred to as the District. Consulting firms submitting proposals shall be referred to as the Consultant. Minimum Qualifications: Consultants must meet or exceed the minimum qualifications listed below and are asked to clearly demonstrate this in their proposal. In the event the Consultant does not clearly demonstrate that it meets or exceeds the minimum qualifications, the proposal will be rejected. Consultant does not have a commercial relationship with a software product that may be included in the list of options as a replacement candidate for the ITL application (reference Task D) The Consultant has been in business for at least three years At least two previously completed projects in developing an Inquiry Tracking Services deployment strategy and roadmap Demonstrated expertise in gathering requirements Specific skill set(s) necessary for the implementation Implementing best practices for Inquiry Tracking management and governance Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 1

2 This RFP is organized as follows: SECTION I. SECTION II. SECTION III. SECTION IV. SECTION V. SECTION VI. INTRODUCTION SCOPE OF WORK SCHEDULE PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIRED INFORMATION EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS SELECTION PROCESS Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 2

3 SECTION I - INTRODUCTION Project Goals and Overview Through an RFP, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (District) is seeking proposals for consulting assistance with the initiation and planning components of an Inquiry Tracking Strategy and to provide recommendations on the available products or an existing application that can be utilized to manage customer inquiry. The District recognizes that through the use of Inquiry Tracking, customer calls can be streamlined and integrated with a process flow to create efficiencies. The District seeks recommendations for a road map that includes steps that should be taken by the District to handle implementation and management of a District-wide Inquiry Tracking system and identify opportunity areas to build out new beneficial applications. Our desire is to ensure that appropriate expertise is brought to bear in the initial planning process, thus ensuring that our initial implementation will provide both good value and a good foundation on which to further develop Inquiry Tracking-based services. The services desired in this RFP include the initial gathering and assessment of the District s high-level Inquiry Tracking requirements; identification and prioritization of opportunities for providing significant added value through implementation of Inquiry Tracking solutions; a roadmap for on-going development of Inquiry Tracking services in the context of the prioritization; recommendation for an initial configuration; recommendation for a Inquiry Tracking Governance Model inclusive of staffing roles and responsibilities; and a growth plan for Inquiry Tracking services. In addition, an evaluation of the options of hosting Inquiry Tracking at the District s data center and of hosting via third-party is included in the scope. Outcomes from the above are to be provided to the District in report form as a final deliverable. Additional details regarding the scope of work and deliverables are outlined in Section II of this RFP. Additional details regarding the current state of the District s Inquiry Tracking solution are outlined below. It is the District s intention that any implementation that follows from this planning work will be completed through a separate RFP Process, Phase II. Business Overview The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio created and operating under Chapter 6119 of the Ohio Revised Code. Originally named Cleveland Regional Sewer District, it was created in 1972 to assume ownership, operation and management of wastewater collection, treatment and disposal facilities serving the member communities in the Cleveland metropolitan area. The District Administration is located at 3900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio This location also includes the Engineering & Construction, Operations & Maintenance Administration, Employee Resources, Finance, Law and Information Technology Departments. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 3

4 In addition to the District Administration Building, the District owns and operates an Environmental and Maintenance Services Center (EMSC) at East 49 th Street, Cuyahoga Heights, OH and the following three wastewater treatment facilities: Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 5800 West Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland, (near Edgewater State Park) Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center, located at 6000 Canal Road, Cuyahoga Heights, (near the Interstate 77/Interstate 480 intersection) Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at Lakeshore Boulevard, Cleveland, (near the Cleveland/Bratenahl border) The Environmental and Maintenance Services Center (EMSC), located at 4747 East 49th Street, Cuyahoga Heights (north of the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center) houses the Sewer Maintenance & Control Department, the Water Quality & Industrial Surveillance Department, Analytical Services, and Fleet Services. Current Inquiry Tracking Application Overview The current Inquiry Tracking application was developed in-house to support the process of gathering customer inquiries specific to wastewater service, problems calls, billing inquiries, general maintenance and others. This tool also manages the resulting actions from those inquiries, including status and aging reports. The application provides various reports to ensure that assigned District staff is effectively addressing each inquiry. Since its deployment, this application has gathered over 137,000 customer inquiries and documented their resolution and follow-up. Customer calls are tracked through the District s Inquiry Tracking Log (ITL) application. The ITL is a custom application which allows users to track details associated with an incoming call, assign the call to the appropriate District personnel for follow-up, and track follow-up actions associated with the call through closure of the inquiry. The District also operates an Environmental and Maintenance Services Center (EMSC) in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. Customer calls related to sewer repair, sewer overflows, basement flooding, other maintenance related issues, odor complaints, and chemical or hazardous material spills are handled by the CS and calls from other governmental agencies are forwarded to EMSC. The application was deployed as an interim solution, and it has been enhanced periodically to handle new functional requirements from its users. The application is now reaching its limits to support the current and expected levels of use. In addition, the complexity of application maintenance has increased, and its design foundation may not support future functional requirements. Consequently, the District has deemed it necessary to find an alternative solution to meet the growth in demand for uses and features. The stakeholders include many District departments such as, Customer Service, Operations & Maintenance, Engineering & Construction, Finance and others. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 4

5 SECTION II - SCOPE OF WORK The Inquiry Tracking Planning and Implementation Project - Phase I shall include the following tasks: Task A Conduct Requirements Workshop Task B Conduct System Architecture Planning Task C Define the District s Inquiry Tracking Governance Approach Task D Evaluation of Options Task E Provide Recommendations Task F Perform Project Management Functions The Consultant shall provide details as to the method of accomplishing the Scope of Work for each of the tasks noted. The Consultant s proposal shall address all of the objectives for each task as outlined in the Scope of Work. Refer to Attachment B Completed business analysis of the current process and requirements gathering document. Task A Conduct Requirements Workshop The selected consultant will work collaboratively with District in hosting a strategy session with key District stakeholders. This task will consist of the following: Setup a strategy session or workshop with NEORSD key stakeholders Review the NEORSD organizational structure Identify key objectives, functional requirements, critical success factors, and metrics Define key non-functional requirements, including legal and/or compliance mandates Analyze the current system to clarify the user performance requirements and needs The consultant will need to demonstrate in their proposal a process and methodology that will promote an evolutionary requirements gathering and updating process that allows for changes or additions to be integrated into existing requirements. All delivered requirements documents should be in MS Word format for distribution to all key stakeholders. Task A Deliverables Technical Memorandum Requirements Definition/Analysis Plan Requirements Document System Requirements Repository a repository that includes, but is not limited to, functional requirements, non-functional requirements and governance requirements Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 5

6 Task B - Conduct System Architecture Planning The Consultant will leverage the information gathered from Task A to address the key strategic considerations that will determine the recommended implementation of Inquiry Tracking for the District. The Consultant will also address the required software licensing. This task will consist of the following: Review of present Inquiry Tracking system: architecture and features Mapping NEORSD objectives and functional requirements to Inquiry Tracking features Identify a model appropriate for the District s environment Identify requirements for integration with other applications Review the District s infrastructure to develop a baseline for the implementation processes. This evaluation will then see if that baseline meets the requirements for access in-network and disconnected/remote users and will include expected minimum performance requirements Analyze hardware and software requirements as needed and other migration strategies Task B Deliverables - Technical Memorandum System Requirements and Operations Plan Task C Define the District s Inquiry Tracking Governance Model In the context of governance and security, the District is seeking recommendations of sound governance guidelines to manage the development and growth of the Inquiry Tracking services platform. It should cover the use of roles and responsibilities, policies, and processes to clarify ambiguity and manage the way users interact with the Inquiry Tracking environment to help meet District goals. This section should also cover security aspects related to permissions on the site, best practices, and security of District electronic data. This task will consist of the following: Recommend key roles and responsibilities Review current ITL Governance & Security Model, Identify an ITL Governance group Identify initial guidelines, standards and policies for content management, site development, and document management Task C Deliverables - Technical Memorandum Inclusive of Inquiry Tracking Governance model Task D Evaluation of Options This task will consist of evaluating 3 rd party softwares, hosted applications and in-house developed options for an Inquiry Tracking system from the perspective of benefits, risk, total cost of ownership, operations and maintenance, viability, requirements gathered from Task A, and technology integration with existing District information systems. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 6

7 Task D Deliverables - Technical Memorandum Analysis of the options (3 rd party softwares, hosted applications and in-house developed options Task E Provide Recommendations This task will consist of providing recommendations industry best practices, requirements and information gathered in Tasks A through C. Additionally, the consultant shall provide any recommendations based on industry best practices and consultant past experience for any hardware and software required for the implementation. These recommendations should also consider the longterm impact of system operations and management. Finally, the consultant shall identify and recommend application opportunities which can provide benefit and demonstrate the value of Inquiry Tracking technology. Task E Deliverables - Technical Memorandum Recommendations should include but are not limited to following: A recommended roadmap for future deployment of Inquiry Tracking features, applications, and services Software licensing and hardware (Technical Evaluation) recommended implementation, include capacity to accommodate foreseeable service development and/or reasonable growth. Recommendation for appropriate components or services to support the priorities established in the user requirements analysis and the District s strategic priorities. Recommend appropriate application templates to address specific business processes Estimated resource requirements for an initial implementation including financial and support personnel. Resource requirements consideration of current resources and potential gaps in our ability to support a Inquiry Tracking System infrastructure on an ongoing basis Training requirements training required in order for staff to effectively support the system A formal presentation of the findings, options and recommendations based on the final report deliverable. Task F Perform Project Management Functions Due to the short-term schedule of this project, the Consultant is expected to provide effective project management for the duration of the project, including development of a project schedule, resource management, budget management, project documentation, and the timely provision of all identified project deliverables. This task also focuses on defining a complete timeline of all tasks and personnel involved in executing the project. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 7

8 Task F Deliverables - Technical Memorandum Formal Project Plan Individual task assignments, including project cost breakdowns Weekly Status Reports SECTION III - SCHEDULE Inquiry Tracking Phase I Project Schedule A detailed schedule for the RFP evaluation and selection process is as follows: Issue RFP to Consultants March 25, 2014 Questions Deadline April 11, p.m Consultant Proposals Due April 21, p.m. Proposal Review April 22 - May 5, 2014 Contract Award May 12, 2014 Phase 1 Project start May 19, 2014 Consultants are to include a detailed preliminary project schedule in their technical proposal. The project schedule shall include anticipated completion dates for key task items. Consultants are free to include discussion on any recommended schedule modifications, citing reasons for any recommended schedule modifications. SECTION IV - PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIRED INFORMATION Each Consultant shall submit one (1) printed original proposal and one (1) copy on CD- ROM using Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat file format. The proposal must be formatted as follows: A. Printed Original Proposal Cover Letter (1 page) Executive Summary (2 pages or less) Section 1 - Company History (2 pages or less) Section 2 Anticipated Approach to the Project (4 pages or less) Discuss the anticipated approach to the project, including an outline of the key activities to complete the project and the proposed deliverable to meet the District requirements as outlined in Section II - Scope of Work. This part of the proposal will be used to evaluate the extent to which the Consultant understands the project, its magnitude and its complexity. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 8

9 Section 3 Consultant Qualifications (2 pages or less) A statement of the consultant s qualifications, including a list of three (3) of the most recent similar projects completed. The following information shall be included for each project: Start and end dates of project; Consultant s role in the project, and similarities with the Inquiry Tracking project Contact information (name, address, phone number) of individual responsible for project at the contracting agency. Section 4 Consultant Personnel (3 pages or less) Summary of qualifications of the key Consultant members to work on the project. Section 5 Preliminary Schedule (2 pages or less) A preliminary schedule showing the key tasks and activities and anticipated dates necessary to meet the Project deadline identified in Section III - Schedule. Section 6 A statement confirming the following: (2 pages or less) Statements confirming that no personal or organizational conflicts of interest are known to exist between the District and the Consultant and Sub consultants. A statement confirming that Attachment A - NEORSD Standard Clauses for Professional Services Agreement was reviewed and any potential items for discussion are noted in the proposal. Section 7 Task/Hour/Cost Summary (3 pages or less) in a separate envelope Task Summary for the activities necessary to fulfill the terms of this RFP and the proposed project cost. The Consultant shall break the project down by the tasks identified in the Scope of Work (i.e., Subtask A-1, A-2, etc.) and indicate the level of effort (in hours) required for each task Cost Proposal Consultant shall provide a copy of a cost/fee proposal in a separate sealed envelope Consultant shall provide the fee total for the project as well as a breakdown of fees broken down by task, as done in Section 7 of the Printed Proposal CD-ROM Copy Electronic copy of printed proposal and cost proposal on Adobe PDF format SECTION V - EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Proposals submitted to the District for the Project shall be evaluated by the Consultant Selection Committee utilizing the following criteria. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 9

10 Pass/Fail Screening Criteria Proposals not in compliance with the following pass/fail criteria may not receive additional consideration: 1. Avoidance of personal and organizational conflicts of interest as prohibited by State and local law. 2. Proposal conforms to Section IV Proposal Format and Required Information. The District may reject incomplete proposals. 3. Must be received on or before the deadline date. Proposals that comply with the above will be scored based upon the criteria presented below. Scoring Criterion I 30% of total score Method of accomplishing the Scope of Work Scoring will be based on consideration of the following: 1. Proposed organization of the work effort 2. Innovative approaches to the Scope of Work as presented in the proposal. 3. Unique capabilities with likely high-impact applicability to the project. 4. Understanding of the appropriate levels of effort (hours) for various task areas. 5. Appropriate project management controls to include schedule, budget and quality management. Emphasis will be on whether the proposal demonstrates an understanding of the project scope and the District s needs and requirements as specified in the RFP. Scoring Criterion II 30% of total score Experience and past performance of the firm on similar projects This score will be based on: 1. The firm's experience in conducting projects of similar nature and complexity. 2. The ability of the firm to draw upon this experience to benefit the project. 3. The firm s history of innovations in applicable project areas. Scoring Criterion III 30% of total score Experience, qualifications, and commitment of proposed key project personnel Scoring will be based on consideration of the following: 1. The experience of proposed project personnel. 2. The ability of the firm to provide appropriate back-up personnel for key project positions. 3. The degree to which the project personnel and team bring experience in the full range of skills needed to accomplish the Scope of Work. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 10

11 Scoring Criterion IV 10% of total core Written quality of the proposal Scoring will consider the responsiveness of the proposal to the requests and requirements of the RFP. Additionally, proposals are expected to be organized, concise and well written. SECTION VI - SELECTION PROCESS Once all proposals have been received, the following steps will be followed to select the Consultant: Proposals will be evaluated and scored against the criteria outlined in Section V. Additionally, a phone survey may be conducted to evaluate the past performance of the participating firms on similar jobs. This survey will be limited to the contacts provided in the proposal as required in Section IV, Consultant Qualifications. Once a consultant is determined from the evaluations, a recommendation will be presented to the Consultant Review Committee Negotiations will be conducted with the highest ranked firm to agree upon a final Scope of Work and the fees for those services as proposed in the Proposal. The Consultant must be prepared to immediately begin contract negotiations upon notification of the selection. If the Consultant is not able to begin contract negotiations, the District will disqualify the selected Consultant and begin negotiations with the second ranked Consultant. The District intends to negotiate a not-to-exceed price for this project. A resolution request recommending to award the negotiated contract, scope of work, and price will be presented to the District s Board of Trustees for authorization. All other finalists that were not selected will be notified via after the Contract is awarded. Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 11

12 END OF RFP Inquiry Tracking System Phase I Request for proposal P a g e 12