Request for Information for e-procurement solutions I-1. Purpose The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of General Services is issuing a Request for Information ( RFI ) regarding e-procurement solutions (products and services). The purpose of this RFI is to learn more about e-procurement products and services that are available in the marketplace which could aid the Commonwealth in increasing efficiencies in its procurement process. I-2. Issuing Office The Department of General Services has issued this RFI on behalf of the Commonwealth. The sole point of contact for this RFI is Margaret Mary Juran at (mjuran@pa.gov). I-3. Response instructions Interested parties should submit responses electronically to the issuing officer by January 4, 2016 at 4:00 EST at (mjuran@pa.gov) (with the subject line RFI 01-2016 Response ). Responses should be no longer than 20 pages in length and include Vendor Name, Submitted by (name and title), and contact information (phone and email). I-4. Solution Demonstration The Commonwealth, in its sole discretion, may request some or all respondents to demonstrate their e-procurement solution. If requested, presenters will be asked to demonstrate their solution s features and functionality, ease of use, and other items included in the RFI response. Vendors may decline the opportunity to make a demonstration. Only vendors which submit a written response by the RFI response deadline will be considered for a demonstration. The Commonwealth will contact respondents with additional information if selected to conduct a demonstration. The Commonwealth estimates scheduling demonstrations for some of all respondents for the week of January 25, 2016, but dates are subject to change. I-5. Background The Commonwealth s current procurement process utilizes many manual processes and varying tools which are not necessarily interconnected. The procurement process includes, but is not limited to, preparation, solicitation response evaluation, and contract negotiation and execution. Commonwealth staff and external resources such as current and potential contractors rely on these processes and tools to participate in the 1
procurement process. The Commonwealth seeks information on e-procurement products and services that are available in the marketplace which could be utilized for Commonwealth procurement processes such as Request for Proposals (RFP), Invitation for Bids (IFB), and Requests for Quotes (RFQ). A high-level overview of the Commonwealth s RFP process can be found in Attachment A - DGS RFP Process Overview and in Part I, Chapter 6 of the Procurement Handbook. Additional information on Commonwealth procurement processes can be found at www.dgs.pa.gov and www.emarketplace.state.pa.us. The Commonwealth desires to reduce procurement timeframes and increase operational efficiencies. The Commonwealth would prefer a single toolset or interconnected and interoperable tools to manage the entire procurement process. I-6. Responses Respondents should address the following within their response: a. Features and Functionality 1. What type of solution are you responding with (ex. SaaS, COTS, MOTS, etc.). 2. Does your solution incorporate all phases of the Commonwealth s procurement process (i.e. Preparation, Solicitation, Evaluation, Contract negotiation, and Contract execution)? Refer to Attachment A - DGS RFP Process Overview for an overview of current Commonwealth procurement processes. i. What phases of the procurement process is your solution capable of automating? 3. What experience do you have implementing the solution as an enterprise-class or business-class solutions designed for state government or large corporations? 4. Describe features and functionality of your solution for each of the procurement processes, as applicable. 5. Are there any limitations on volume (# of procurements, document storage, workflow routing, etc.)? 6. What reporting and analytics functionality are available (i.e. canned and adhoc)? 7. What is your solution s mobile capabilities (i.e. mobile apps and mobile platforms; mobile responsive/mobile ready design)? 8. Describe UI/UX features of the solution. 2
9. Describe your solution s ability to adapt to changes or exceptions to a customer s standard procurement policy or programs (i.e. change in evaluation and scoring, workflow and approval, thresholds, waivers, etc.). i. Describe the type of changes that can be accommodated with userselected variables or configuration items and what types of changes require system code changes. 10. Describe any additional features and functionality available in your solution. b. Solution Interoperability 1. Describe any industry standards or best practices which your solution offers. 2. Describe any data types and or protocols utilized to ensure that your solution could interface with other systems or share data in an industry-standard format. 3. Describe any recommendations on industry best practices and/or standards, data types, or protocols that the Commonwealth should be aware when developing its future procurement or toolset. 4. Describe any systems such as ERP systems and/or other enterprise tools in which your solution has been successfully integrated. 5. Please provide any additional relevant information regarding solution interoperability. c. Hosting 1. What hosting options are available with your solution (i.e. vendor hosted, client hosted, sub-contractor hosted, etc.)? 2. What are the benefits and/or risks of the hosting options available? d. Solution Security 1. What measures are taken to ensure the security of data? 2. Describe user security roles and flexibility therewith (i.e. who has access to what in the system, including documents uploaded, and whether that is configurable or hard-coded)? 3. How does your solution handle the separation of public-facing data (such as solicitation documentation) and confidential information? 4. Does your solution deploy any data at rest or data in transit encryption? 3
5. What are the auditing capabilities of your solution such as user security roles and tracing system activity? e. Rate Structure 1. What is your cost model and typical billing structure for the solution (i.e. per user (concurrent or named) licensing, data volume stored, fixed subscription rate)? 2. Describe your cost model for system setup and implementation? 3. Describe your cost model for ongoing maintenance cost and billing structure, if applicable. NOTE: The Commonwealth is not requesting that actual system pricing be provided, only the costing model(s) available. f. Customer Service/Help 1. What helpdesk/customer service do you provide for your customers? 2. Where does the general public (those viewing or bidding on solicitations) go for assistance and questions? 3. What training is available for the users of the systems and the general public? (i.e. classroom training, web-based training, FAQs, how-to videos, etc.) g. Implementation 1. What implementation options are available for your solution? i. Can your solution be implemented in phases, by modules, or only as a whole solution? h. Additional Information Responding parties may include additional information deemed relevant. 4
Basic RFI Submission Principles and Understandings 1. Purpose of RFI. This inquiry is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for future business, an offer for procurement or any other type of current or future procurement or contractual action and is only intended to gather input. The Commonwealth will not award a contract on the basis of this RFI nor will it pay for information it receives. 2. Costs and Expenses. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is not liable for any costs or expenses incurred by a vendor in the preparation of its responses. 3. Confidential Information and Public Disclosure. The Commonwealth is not requesting, and does not require, confidential proprietary information or trade secrets to be included as part of vendors submissions. However, if a vendor decides to submit confidential proprietary information as part of its response to this RFI, the vendor must complete the Trade Secret Form, attached as Attachment B, and submit a redacted copy of the response that excludes the confidential information. All vendor submissions are subject to a request for public records made under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know-Law, 65 P.S. 67.101, et seq., and may be subject to disclosure thereunder. If a vendor submits a Trade Secret Form and redacted proposal, the redacted proposal will be disclosed. If a vendor does not submit a Trade Secret Form and redacted proposal, the unredacted proposal will be disclosed. 4. Commonwealth Use. All material submitted shall be considered the property of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and may be returned only at the Commonwealth s option. Notwithstanding any vendor copyright designations contained on proposals, the Commonwealth shall have the right to make copies and distribute proposals internally and to comply with public record or other disclosure requirements under the provisions of any Commonwealth or United States statute or regulation, or rule or order of any court of competent jurisdiction. 5. Compliance With Law. It is a vendor s responsibility to discern its current or prospective obligations, and ensure its own compliance, with respect to applicable law (including but not limited to 71 P.S. 776.1, known as the State Adverse Interest Act ) in making a response to this RFI. 5