REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
ISSUED BY
NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
COSTA MESA, CA
SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO:
NMUSD Document Management Solution RFP
Mr. Chris Alsop
Contract and Procurement Analyst
Newport-Mesa Unified School District
2985 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone: (714) 424-5079
Email Address:
[email protected]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...5
ADMINISTATIVE SECTION 1.0 RFP Schedule...6
1.1 Contact Information...6
1.2 Question and Answer Process ...6
1.3 Notice of Intent to Bid ...7
1.4 Non-collusion Affidavit ...7
1.5 Submission of Proposals ...7
1.6 Supplier Pre-Proposal Conference ...7
1.7 No Press Releases or Public Disclosure ...7
1.8 Oral Presentations ...8 1.9 Award Notification ...8 1.10 Rejection of Proposals ...8 1.11 Evaluation Criteria...8 1.12 Ownership of Materials ...8 1.13 Proposal Costs...8 1.14 Contract Award ...8 1.15 Submission of Proposals ...8 1.16 Late Submission ...8 1.17 Number of Proposals ...9 1.18 Proposal Preparation ...9
1.19 Confidential or Proprietary Information ...9
1.20 RFP Amendments...9
1.21 Primary Supplier ...10
1.22 Complete Solutions...10
1.23 Offer Expiration Date ...10
1.24 Post-Award Debriefing...10
1.25 Designation of Requirements ...10
1.26 Exceptions to the RFP ...10
1.27 Product Use Requirements...11
1.28 Proposal Errors ...11
1.29 NMUSD Purchase Contract...11
1.30 Alternate Proposal and Options...11
1.31 Compliance Matrix ...11
1.32 Pricing ...11
TECHNICAL SECTION 2.0 Document Inventory...13
2.1 District Network Environment ...13
2.2 Business Goals and Objectives of the Project...13
MANAGEMENT SECTION
3.0 NMUSD Project Staff ...19
3.1 Project Implementation Start Date...19
3.2 Project Plan ...19
3.3 Project Control ...19
3.4 Project Management Task and Responsibilities...19
3.5 Project Meetings ...19
3.6 Supplier Project Management Structure...19
3.7 Facility Preparation ...20
3.8 Corrections and Enhancements ...20
3.9 Hardware and Software Installation...20
3.10 Solution Acceptability...20
3.11 Solution Maintenance ...20
3.12 Maintenance/Operations Details...20
3.13 Project Personnel Training ...20
3.14 Training Plan ...20
3.15 Training Documentation...21
3.16 Supplier Comment Request...21
3.17 Supplier Information...21
Appendix A Intent to Bid Form Appendix B Noncollusion Affidavit
Appendix C Consulting Services Agreement Appendix D Proposal Format
Appendix G Compliance Matrix Appendix H Evaluation Factors Appendix I Pricing Format
Appendix J Central Index – Student File Appendix K Special Education Student File Appendix L Human Resources Employee File Appendix M Accounting - Contract File
Introduction
Project Overview:
The District, established in 1966, currently operates 22 elementary schools, 2 intermediate schools, 5 high schools, 1 alternative education center and 1 adult education center. Encompassing approximately 59 square miles, the District includes portions of the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa and unincorporated areas of the County.
The District is governed by a Board of Education and complies with current government procurement practices. The District employs approximately 1,623 certificated and 1,413 classified professionals. The District’s 2005-06 annual budget is in excess of $196 million and total student enrollment is projected to be 22,524.
Additional information on NMUSD can be found in the appendixes to this RFP; readers may also visit http://www.nmusd.k12.ca.us to view the District’s strategic plan, budget, and other information that may be helpful in responding to the RFP.
NMUSD seeks a document management solution for all of its official documents. The main purpose of this RFP is to acquire a vendor that can best fulfill a document management solution that may be inclusive, but not limited to, imaging for the purpose of storage, retrieval, e-forms, and workflow.
The District maintains voluminous records in the areas of Human Resources, Payroll, Risk Management, Accounting, Special Education, and Central Index (student records). In addition, the District’s Board of Education conducts many public meetings requiring the organization of disparate information into lengthy agendas and meeting minutes. Storage space is limited, duplicate information silos are being maintained, and timely record retrieval is problematic.
Any proposed solution should be robust enough to expand beyond the documents outlined in Appendixes J - M which serve as a representative sample of the types of documents maintained by the District. Furthermore, the document summaries contained in the appendixes are shown in the fashion in which they are currently managed. The District does not intend the solution to rigidly fit its current management practice but rather is open to consider creative process enhancing opportunities resulting from a proposed solution.
Administrative Section 1.0 RFP Schedule
The following table lists the activities relevant to the RFP process. NMUSD reserves the right to change these dates and will notify suppliers in that event.
Activity Time Date
RFP released 4:30 PM February 6, 2006 Notice of intent to bid due 4:30 PM February 24, 2006 Supplier Conference questions due 4:30 PM February 24, 2006 Supplier’s Pre-proposal Conference 12:00 PM March 1, 2006 RFP questions deadline 4:30 PM March 17, 2006 Proposals due 4:30 PM March 27, 2006 Supplier Presentation TBD April 7, 10, 11 2006 Questions to suppliers due 4:30 PM April 14, 2006 Suppliers responses due 4:30 PM April 21, 2006 Evaluations Completed April 24, 2006 Short List Selection April 24, 2006 Reference site calls April 24, 2006
Reference site visit(s) May 2006
Supplier Selection May 2006
Contract negotiations complete June 2006 1.1 Contact Information
After release of the RFP and thereafter, all requests, questions, or other communications about this RFP shall be made in writing to NMUSD. RFP Appendixes J - M are available upon request. Communications made to other NMUSD personnel will not be allowed or recognized as valid and may disqualify the supplier.
Address all communications to:
Mr. Chris Alsop
NMUSD Contract and Procurement Analyst 2985 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 424-5079 voice (714) 424-7581 fax
[email protected] email
Suppliers should rely only on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator: Mr. Jeff Trader
NMUSD Document Management RFP Coordinator 2985-A Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 424-5003 voice (714) 424-5015 fax
[email protected] email
1.2 Question and Answer Process
NMUSD will allow written requests for clarification of the RFP. To ensure that written requests are received and answered in a timely manner, e-mail correspondence is welcomed, but other forms of delivery such as postal and courier are acceptable.
All questions will be consolidated into a single set of responses and posted on the NMUSD web site (www.nmusd.k12.ca.us) by 12:00 p.m. each Friday. Suppliers’ names will be removed from the questions in the responses released. Questions should be submitted in the following format. Deviations from this format will not be accepted.
Section number Paragraph number Page Number
Text of passage being questioned Question
1.3 Notice of Intent to Bid
Vendors must complete and return the form located in RFP Appendix A within the time specified in the administrative section RFP schedule item 1.0. Vendors who do not return this form will be disqualified from further participation. Submission of this notice constitutes the supplier’s acceptance of the RFP schedule, procedures, evaluation criteria, and other administrative instructions of this RFP. Return this intent to bid form to Mr. Chris Alsop as noted in RFP administrative item 1.1.
1.4 Non-collusion Affidavit
Vendors shall submit a notarized Non-collusion Affidavit, as found in RFP Appendix B, with their proposal.
1.5 Submission of Proposals
Proposals are due on March 27, 2006. Bids must be sealed and not delivered in open packages or binders. Additional proposal materials such as books, CD’s, and other materials should be packaged separately but should be received with proposals. Proposals should be marked as follows and sent to:
NMUSD Document Management Solution RFP Mr. Chris Alsop, Contract and Procurement Analyst 2985 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 1.6 Supplier Pre-Proposal Conference
NMUSD will hold a pre-proposal suppliers’ conference. The conference will not exceed 2 hours. The purpose of the conference is to allow each supplier to review the RFP with the NMUSD project team. Attendance is not a requirement of responding to the RFP, but is recommended as there will be no recording or transcript of the conference.
1) Questions may be submitted prior to the conference. The answers to such questions will be given in writing and distributed to attendees.
2) Oral questions will be answered as time permits except when the question is deemed too technical or too complex to be understood by all and adequately answered. 3) Questions that address conflicting information in the RFP will be addressed. The
resolution, if reached, will be official when a written amendment to the RFP is issued by the NMUSD RFP Coordinator.
4) Suppliers are requested to limit attendance to two people.
5) Refer to the RFP schedule for the date and time. Notice will be provided regarding the location.
1.7 No Press Releases or Public Disclosure
Suppliers may not release any information about this RFP. The winning supplier may not issue a press release until it has been reviewed and approved by NMUSD.
1.8 Oral Presentations
Suppliers who want to be considered will be required to give an oral presentation of their proposal to the RFP team and NMUSD Executive Cabinet. This presentation should concentrate on the business aspects of the proposal and should not be a technical review of the solution. This opportunity is given to allow suppliers the chance to further define the primary features and benefits of their proposal, to allow clarification of their proposal and to permit questions from the audience.
Appropriate visual and written materials are expected, but the format is left to the discretion of the supplier. It is strongly recommended Suppliers tailor their presentation to address NMUSD documents as contained in item 2.0 of the RFP. Suppliers may not have more than three people attend the presentation. Presentations may not exceed 90 minutes, inclusive of a question and answer period. Appropriate handouts should be prepared and distributed. There will be no more than 15 NMUSD personnel in attendance.
1.9 Award Notification
NMUSD expects to make a first cut of suppliers and develop a short list of finalists. Suppliers who are not finalists will be notified in writing at the same time as finalists are notified they are on the short list.
After a final selection is made, the winning supplier will be invited to negotiate a contract with NMUSD; remaining suppliers will be notified in writing of their selection status.
1.10 Rejection of Proposals
NMUSD reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. One copy of each proposal will be kept on file for six months; all other copies will be destroyed along with any collateral materials sent with the proposal.
1.11 Evaluation Criteria
NMUSD is interested in obtaining a complete solution to the stated requirements. Proposals that meet the proposal instructions and requirements will be given a thorough and objective review. Proposals that are late, do not comply with proposal instructions, or take exceptions to mandatory requirements may be eliminated without further consideration. NMUSD will evaluate proposals using a number of factors as outlined in RFP Appendix H.
1.12 Ownership of Materials
All materials submitted in response to this RFP become the property of NMUSD. Proposals and supporting materials will not be returned to suppliers.
1.13 Proposal Costs
NMUSD is not responsible for any costs incurred by the supplier in the preparation of the proposal or demonstration.
1.14 Contract Award
NMUSD reserves the right to award the contract according to the evaluation criteria. The supplier chosen for award should be prepared to have the proposal incorporated, along with all other written correspondence concerning this RFP, into the contract. Any false or misleading statements found in the proposal will be grounds for disqualification.
1.15 Submission of Proposals
Proposals shall be submitted in writing and in MS Word format. NMUSD prefers Microsoft Word for the electronic submission. NMUSD will not accept faxed proposals or oral submissions. 1.16 Late Submission
Proposals submitted after the closing date will not be accepted. NMUSD is not responsible for late delivery or proposals lost in delivery. Suppliers must notify NMUSD if there is an extenuating
circumstance that may prevent on-time delivery. Please refer to the RFP schedule for the due date.
1.17 Number of Proposals
Suppliers shall provide five copies of each volume, if submitting paper; each volume must be clearly marked and packaged separately. If submitting electronically, one copy is sufficient. Only one copy of any collateral materials need be submitted if there is additional material.
1.18 Proposal Preparation
Proposals should be prepared simply and economically without emphasis on the presentation of the proposal. Expensive bindings, color photographs, and excessive promotional materials such as videos, are neither desired nor needed. Suppliers may submit brochures if requested but should not include materials not requested. NMUSD prefers to receive proposals in appropriately sized three ring binders with index tabs to separate sections.
Proposals must be submitted in the format prescribed below. Each section shall be numbered and tabbed with the name of the section on the tab as shown:
Volume I Cover Page
Complete Table of Contents Section 1 - Transmittal Letter Section 2 - Executive Summary
Section 3 - Response to Administrative Requirements Section 4 - Technical Solution and Description Section 5 - Project Management Description
Section 6 - Supplier Section for Additional Information Volume II
Section 1 - Pricing Section 2 - Contracts
Appendix E – Supplier Information Appendix F – Sample Training Program
Please reference Appendix D for specific proposal preparation instructions. 1.19 Confidential or Proprietary Information
All proposals submitted will be held in confidence. Only personnel directly involved with this RFP will be given copies of your proposals. NMUSD has no obligation to share proposal material with any other party and will respect any documents or materials that suppliers have clearly marked “Confidential” or “Proprietary.” However, only those pages that contain the proprietary information should be so designated, not the complete proposal.
NMUSD is not obligated to maintain the confidentiality of any information that was known prior to receipt of a proposal, or becomes publicly known through no fault of NMUSD or is received without obligation of confidentiality from a third party.
1.20 RFP Amendments
If any supplier is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the RFP documents, or finds discrepancies in, or omissions from the specifications, a written request for an interpretation or correction thereof may be submitted to the District. The supplier submitting the written request shall be responsible for its prompt delivery. Any interpretation or correction of the RFP document will be made only by an addendum issued by the District. No person is authorized to make any oral interpretation of any provision in the RFP documents, nor shall any oral interpretation be
binding on the District. If discrepancies on specifications or conflicts between specification, terms or conditions exist, the interpretation of the District shall prevail.
NMUSD reserves the right to amend this RFP at any time prior to the closing date. Amendments will be issued only to suppliers who have signed an Intent to Bid form. Suppliers shall acknowledge each amendment received in their transmittal letter. Other amendments, verbal or otherwise, will not be acknowledged by NMUSD.
1.21 Primary Supplier
NMUSD expects to negotiate and contract with only one prime supplier. NMUSD will not accept any proposals that reflect an equal teaming arrangement or from suppliers who are co-bidding on this RFP. The prime supplier will be responsible for the management of all subcontractors. NMUSD will not accept any invoices from subcontractors or become part of any negotiations between a prime supplier and a subcontractor.
NMUSD reserves the right to request information about any subcontracting relationship. In the event of a subcontracting arrangement, the prime contractor assumes all responsibility for delivery, installation, maintenance, and any support service including documentation that is supplied by the subcontractor.
Suppliers who bid components for which he/she is not an authorized dealer shall bear the responsibility to ensure that the replacement, service, training, and maintenance of said components shall equal or exceed the original manufacturer or the authorized dealer. Original manufacturer upgrades, fixes, or any other enhancement to that component shall be made available to NMUSD under the same conditions as the original equipment manufacturer or dealer provides.
1.22 Complete Solutions
NMUSD will accept only complete solutions from a prime supplier. Suppliers may not bid on only one item or selected items from the RFP.
1.23 Offer Expiration Date
Proposals in response to this RFP will be valid for 120 days from the proposal due date. NMUSD reserves the right to ask for an extension of time if needed.
1.24 Post-Award Debriefing
NMUSD will upon written request offer to debrief suppliers who were disqualified or did not win the contract. This request for debriefing will be accommodated only after the final contract has been awarded. Suppliers may either make appointments for a conference at NMUSD or be debriefed via a telephone conference.
1.25 Designation of Requirements
NMUSD fully expects suppliers to provide a comprehensive solution on a level that meets or exceeds all requirements as stated in the RFP. To prevent any confusion about identifying requirements in this RFP, the following definition is offered: The words shall or must are used to designate a mandatory requirement. Suppliers must respond to all mandatory requirements presented in this RFP. Failure to respond to all mandatory requirements may be cause to disqualify your proposal.
1.26 Exceptions to the RFP
NMUSD requires each supplier to provide a list of exceptions taken to this RFP. Any exceptions taken must be identified and explained in writing. An exception is defined as the supplier’s inability to meet a mandatory requirement in the manner specified in the RFP. If the supplier provides an alternate solution when taking an exception to a requirement, the benefits of this alternative solution must be explained.
1.27 Product Use Requirements
NMUSD requires that all hardware, system software products and application software products included in proposals be currently in use in a production environment by at least three other customers, have been in use for at least six months, and have been generally available from the manufacturers for a period of six months. Unreleased or beta test hardware, system software, or application software will not be accepted. It is understood that applications software required to be built is excluded from this provision.
1.28 Proposal Errors
NMUSD will not be liable for any errors or omissions in supplier proposals. Suppliers will not be allowed to alter proposal documents after the proposal due date without permission from NMUSD. NMUSD may correct simple math errors and alert the supplier to the error, or if the error appears to be significant, NMUSD may either disqualify the supplier or require the supplier to make the recalculation and resubmit the data.
NMUSD approved changes after the submission date may be made only to correct an error in an existing part of the proposal. New material may not be submitted. No oral, telephone, or faxed modifications or corrections will be accepted.
1.29 NMUSD Purchase Contract
Attached in RFP Appendix C is a typical NMUSD purchase contract. Suppliers shall review the contract and list in their proposal any potential issues.
1.30 Alternate Proposal and Options
Suppliers may submit more than one proposal, each of which must satisfy the mandatory requirements of the RFP. If alternate proposals are submitted, such alternatives shall be clearly labeled and identified on the cover page of each separate document. Each proposal will be evaluated on its own merits.
No Alternate proposals will be accepted as stand alone proposals; all alternate proposals submitted must be submitted under separate cover and include a complete pricing volume. Alternate proposals must have a foreword section that briefly describes the deviation from the baseline proposal and the basic advantage(s) of the alternate proposal.
Suppliers may propose enhancements or equipment that provides increased performance as an option to the baseline RFP. Any option proposed must be included in a separate proposal and contain a brief description of the enhancement, the actual benefit to be gained and the cost of the enhancement.
1.31 Compliance Matrix
A compliance matrix shall be provided that develops a matrix of all RFP requirements. Suppliers shall use the matrix format provided in RFP Appendix G.
1.32 Pricing
All elements of recurring and nonrecurring costs that must be borne by NMUSD shall be identified and presented in the pricing volume using the specified format, noted in RFP Appendix I. These costs should include all labor, travel, lodging, per diem, car rental and so on required to complete each phase of the project. Expenses shall be billed at cost. Costs should be listed in the project phase in which they will occur; suppliers shall not preload continuing costs into the first phase. Suppliers shall list and price any item that is part of their solution whether hardware, software, or management related that has not been specified in the requirements but is needed in order to complete the supplier’s proposed solution.
Suppliers shall provide NMUSD with a firm, fixed price. Any cost listed should be tied to a specific task or product in the proposal. Failure to comply with pricing requirements will result in rejection of your proposal. The burden of proof for pricing credibility rests with the supplier.
After proposals have been evaluated and a short list is developed, qualified suppliers will have an opportunity to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). BAFO’s may be warranted based on differences of opinion with the supplier’s technical capabilities, pricing, or response to contractual items. Suppliers will be given sufficient time to revise their proposal and respond in writing to BAFO terms.
The BAFO practice is not used to allow new requirements to be introduced to the RFP or to allow for significant changes to be made to proposals. BAFO’s are considered a “fine tuning” of offers after evaluation discrepancies are noted and agreed upon between NMUSD and the supplier.
Technical Section 2.0 Document Inventory
The following RFP appendixes summarize the types of documents maintained, volume, and workflow detail for each of the above areas:
Document Area RFP Appendix
Central Index (Student Records) RFP Appendix J Special Education RFP Appendix K Human Resources RFP Appendix L Accounting - Contracts RFP Appendix M 2.1 District Network Environment
The supplier shall propose a solution that is compatible with the District’s current network environment as described below:
The District Office network consists of 100 Mb/sec switched Ethernet connections to desktop computers, and Gigabit connections to a central server farm. Only the TCP/IP protocol is actively supported. The connection to the internet is via T-3 communication line (approx 42 Mb/sec) to the Orange County Department of Education. The server operating system utilized is Windows 2003 Server; and all users at the District Office are on Active Directory. Microsoft Exchange is used for e-mail & collaboration needs. Web URL filtering and Network Address Translation (NAT) are accomplished using a Cisco PIX firewall. Network monitoring and spam filtering are accomplished using an in-line filtering server from Lightspeed Systems. The District maintains its own DNS servers -- for both public and private networks. Currently no VLANs are in use; but plans are being developed to segment traffic from student computers and "guest" users (internet access only).
NMUSD utilizes a variety of automated systems inclusive of Bitech/IFAS for its Financial and Human Resource functions, SASI for student information, GENESEA for Special Education purposes, and homegrown web based systems maintained by the District and the County Department of Education for personnel requisitions, Board of Education meeting agendas and minutes, payroll and time and attendance.
2.2 Business Goals and Objectives of the Project
The proposed solution should address the following critical success factors:
1) Improved productivity and service by avoiding lengthy searches, lost documents, transferring of files from site to site, inaccuracies and other paper handling activities. The solution should increase time in the areas of work processing.
2) Achievement of the most efficient and economical method of storing and retrieving a document.
3) Improvement of workflow. Ability to track and monitor work activities inclusive of all ongoing work and easy reassignment of work.
4) Decrease storage cost.
5) Identify and effectively eliminate the maintenance of duplicate information silos by centralizing information between departments; the solution should enable the District to maintain centralized history related to all activities associated to its business practices. This history centralization should include both system generated activities and user generated information. District personnel should have access to information allowed per security access.
6) Enhance disaster recovery and security.
7) Improve internal and external customer relationships.
8) Satisfy various government regulations by effectively managing document retention and destruction procedures. The use of storage media must adhere to any laws and
or regulations covering the storage, retention, and retrieval of information on storage media.
9) Simplify user access by enabling users to quickly select and access the desired information without using highly complex user interfaces or tools.
10) The solution must be fully scalable in the areas of concurrent users, increased memory, disk storage, optical storage, CPU speed and size.
11) The solution must provide a clearly defined migration path. This migration path must provide for the integration of new document management technologies to ensure compatibility without adversely affecting the proposed solution and or data managed by an existing system
12) The solution must be modular allowing for implementation of additional functionality without adversely affecting the overall solution.
13) The solution must fully support inter/intranet web based technology where the various web servers will provide all the necessary mechanisms to store and retrieve information requested by the user, system level security for both users and data, and associated system management functions. All applications must be fully integrated to prevent redundant hardware and software on both the workstation and web server platforms.
14) Utilize industry standard components (no proprietary architectures allowed). The associated components within the solution must be commonly available through out the document imaging and workflow industries, be fully supported by the selected supplier and have full user and or development documentation and libraries.
2.3 Functional Requirements for the Projected Solution
2.3.1 The solution must enable users to quickly select and access the desired information without using highly complex interfaces.
2.3.2 Client based applications must be modular allowing for implementation of additional functionality without adversely affecting the overall solution.
2.3.3 The solution must fully support inter/intranet web based technology where the various web servers will provide all the necessary mechanisms to store and retrieve information requested by the user, system level security for both users and data and associated system management functions.
2.3.4 The associated components within the solution must be commonly available through out the document imaging and workflow industries, be fully supported by the selected product supplier and have full user and/or development documentation and libraries. 2.3.5 The solution shall have robust end user functionality that supports client side and
server side data validation, field masking, calculations, look-ups, conditional tabbing, conditional fields, word count and expandable text fields.
2.3.6 The solution shall be web based and not require solution specific software or plug-ins for online accessing workstations.
2.3.7 The solution should have a module that supports digital signatures 2.3.8 The solution must support annotation and redaction.
2.3.9 The proposed solution must support delivery and routing of forms via Email Simple Mail Transport Protocol, FTP, HTTP and HTTPS.
2.3.10 The solution must include a robust workflow engine capable of supporting adhoc and structured routing that can be maintained by non-programming personnel.
2.3.11 The proposed workflow solution must have the ability to audit date, time, user name, action and detail. In addition, the workflow solution must have the functionality to analyze real-time work flow activity and to simulate routing changes before placing into a production environment.
2.3.12 Role versus user - The workflow solution shall utilize a role based system that defines a role within the work task or activity and then assigns as many users as necessary.
2.3.13 Escalation procedures – the solution must include the ability to automatically route work to a different user based on a specific rule or set of rules. The solution should include the ability for users to manually escalate work as appropriate. During this escalation procedure, the solution should have the ability to have the work item returned or permanently reassigned as determined by the user.
2.3.14 Time out procedures – the solution must have the ability to establish timers for all work items.
2.3.15 The solution must be able to associate form templates with user supplied data, digital signatures, and correct use of edits and business rules embedded in the form. This capability must be available over the record’s retention period.
2.3.16 The solution must be able to support forms that require a unique serial number. 2.3.17 The solution shall support various image formats such as .jpg, .tif, .bmp, and .png.
Printing resolutions must be online 72 dpi and print 200-600 dpi.
2.3.18 The solution must support various languages inclusive of English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean.
2.3.19 The solution must have the ability to store and manage forms within a single repository or library.
2.3.20 The solution must have the ability to integrate e-form fields with library metadata fields. In addition the solution must have the capability to search for and find e-forms within a library based on metadata value searches.
2.3.21 The solution shall have the ability to generate reports based on metadata value searches.
2.3.22 The solution must have a forms designer that provides a custom and reusable design gallery/library.
2.3.23 The solution must have the capability to transfer long term records from one generation of hardware and software to another generation without losing system functionality.
2.3.24 The solution must support batch scanning, duplex scanning, remote scanning, and quality assurance of scanned images.
2.3.25 The solution must support various methods for manual and automated indexing inclusive of manual entry, lookups, autofill, bar codes, OCR and ICR.
2.3.26 The solution should support retrieval via Boolean, metadata and other search methods. The suppliers shall list search methodologies.
2.3.27 The solution must support simultaneous multiple document viewing, zooming, and image rotation.
2.3.28 The solution must be based on published and or nonproprietary standards; please specify those standards.
2.3.29 The solution must support utilization of facsimile transmission inclusive of the following:
• Outgoing fax without document viewing – provides the ability for users to fax documents directly from their computer with out viewing each document first. The user should have the ability to select a range of documents and have them routed to the fax server for transmission.
• Outgoing fax after document viewing – provides the ability for the user to fax a document during viewing. The user should have the ability to attach other documents to the outgoing fax as appropriate.
• Incoming fax processing – as incoming documents are received the system should support the ability to receive incoming documents and automatically route the document based on configurable rules either by incoming telephone number or through forms processing.
• Fax status reporting – the system should provide a fax reporting capability enabling users to view status and historical information related to faxes sent by the user. This historical reporting should be based on user security rights, preventing users from accessing other user’s history, while supporting users with higher levels of security to access all historical records.
2.3.30 The solution must scale to meet increasing transaction volume in the following ways: • The ability to increase the number of system users without component
replacement.
• The ability to support other technologies, i.e. OCR, form management, etc. • The ability to support multiple servers and optical jukeboxes in a distributed
manner.
• The ability to support symmetrical multi-processing.
2.3.31 The solution must be compatible with LDAP protocol and Microsoft Active Directory authentication.
2.3.32 The system must allow security application at the document or file level. Security shall provide segregation of data amongst users and have the capability to segregate system functionality by user. Security must include read, update, annotation, highlighting, “mark-up,” and creation control.
2.3.33 The solution must be capable of using Secure Socket Layer encryption for archival and retrieval of documents via the internet.
2.3.34 Image compression /decompression should support CCITT Group 4, JPEG, JPEG 2000, JBIG or other output format standards with no proprietary alterations of the algorithms. The selected compression technology shall not include extraneous information not supported by relevant industry standards.
2.3.35 The District values a solution that is certified for the following industry standards; please indicate certification status for each of the below:
DMWare
AIIM/Document Management Alliance (DMA) Specification Open Document Management API (ODMA)
WfMC – Application Programming Interface (Interface 2&3) WfMC – Audit Data Specification
WfMC – Interoperability, Internet, e-mail MIME Binding
ANSI/AIIM MS53 – 1993 Recommended Practice; File Format for Storage and Exchange of Image
2.3.36 The solution must provide the ability for users to quickly digitize documents and/or microfilm and route these documents to the person performing the indexing operation. Requirements associated with this portion of the system must include:
• The ability to support both batch processing and single document scanning and indexing
• The ability to support document rescanning
• The ability to support both simplex and duplex scanning
• The capability of the scanner to scan at the resolution meeting specific requirements of the document, such as 200, 300, or 600 DPI
• The ability to set page breaks when batch scanning documents of fixed length
• The ability to preset common fields for indexing purposes when scanning in batch mode
• The ability to support auto-indexing of documents using barcodes, OCR or ICR
2.3.37 The solution must provide version control. Version control must automatically update the version number whenever a previously “checked-out” document is returned to the information repository and prevent more than one person from checking documents out for modification.
2.3.38 The solution must provide the ability to do the following:
• Check and validate the complete scanning and indexing process • Ensure data indexing accuracy
• Facilitate the re-scanning of poor quality images • Verify readability of each page of each document • Verify proper indexing of each document
• Verify proper page counts for each document
• Verify proper security for each document, file section, and file.
2.3.39 The solution must allow a user to route a document, section, file, or memo to another user as follows:
• Automatically route documents into a routing queue based on document type or type of work
• Support multiple routing queues for each user based on the type of work • Sort/retrieve documents in a routing queue in date order
• Sort/retrieve sections in a routing queue in type of work order • Sort/retrieve documents in a routing queue in document type order • Sort/retrieve documents in a routing queue for a specific person
• The ability to hold items in that user’s routing queue for work at a later time • The ability to retrieve specified documents from the routing queue on
demand
• The ability to define which documents require additional documents prior to forwarding
• The ability to define timeframes for when additional documents must be received
• The ability to define action to take if specified documents are not received by specified date
• The ability to process defined documents as a logical folder
2.3.40 The solution must provide the ability for users to logically link a single file to multiple folders and allow an authorized user to create a copy of a file within a specific folder or set of folders while maintaining only one physical copy of the document within the system. The system should provide information related to which folders are linked through a query mechanism available to authorized users.
2.3.41 The solution must provide for either HTML or XML data conversion or both.
2.3.42 The solution must provide the ability to update an existing web page automatically either after data conversion or review by the webmaster. This document publishing functionality should include the utilization of web templates which would be used to reformat the document into either HTML or XML format.
2.3.43 Please discuss the ability of the proposed solution to interface with mainframe and departmental systems as noted in item 2.1.
2.3.44 Can the proposed solution exchange images with other imaging systems? Please describe the method used.
2.3.45 Is the hardware industry standard or proprietary? If industry standard is the solution restricted to a particular piece of hardware? For example, does the proposed system operate only with an image server from a particular vendor?
2.3.46 Is the software platform assembled from industry standard products or have vendor modifications been made? If modifications have been made, please describe.
2.3.47 Does the proposed system incorporate development tools to permit timely implementation of custom features? For example, what software would be used to build a customized user interface if one were required?
2.3.48 What steps does your organization take to integrate new available technology, whether hardware or software, into your systems?
2.3.49 Is the proposed solution compliant with DOD 5015.12? If not, why?
2.3.50 Some District documents (blueprints) are 5’ x 4’. Can your solution accommodate documents of this size?
Management Section 3.0 NMUSD Project Staff
NMUSD project staff include the following personnel: • District Project Coordinator
• Information Technology Director • Financial/Business Analyst • Web Application Developer • Area Supervisors
3.1 Project Implementation Start Date
The District plans to begin the project implementation in July 2006. No conclusion date is forecasted; however, the supplier should plan to prioritize the areas as follows:
Priority ( 1 is most urgent) Area
1 Central Index (Student Records)
2 Special Education
3 Human Resources
4 Accounting - Contracts 3.2 Project Plan
Suppliers shall include a project management plan for implementation of the proposed document management solution. The project management plan shall be detailed enough to assure NMUSD that the supplier can deliver a solution on time, within projected estimates, and meet all requirements as specified in this RFP.
3.3 Project Control
Suppliers shall discuss how his or her company will control the proposed schedule and how it will identify and report achievement of tasks and milestones. The supplier shall also discuss how it will identify, resolve, and report resolution of problems such as schedule slippage or engineering anomalies.
3.4 Project Management Task and Responsibilities
Suppliers shall provide a matrix that lists project management tasks and identifies the corresponding owner. NMUSD’s tasks shall be identified as well as any subcontractor’s. The matrix shall contain enough detail to define the roles and responsibilities of the NMUSD project team as well as those of the supplier’s project team. NMUSD will appoint a project coordinator who will work closely with the supplier’s project manager.
3.5 Project Meetings
Suppliers shall describe their approach to formal review meetings with NMUSD, the organization of the typical meeting, and methods of documenting and approving all meeting notes.
3.6 Supplier Project Management Structure
Suppliers and their subcontractors shall describe the proposed management structure and identify key personnel who will be assigned to this project. Suppliers shall designate key personnel necessary to satisfy the requirements of this RFP. Once identified, suppliers may not change key personnel without prior notice and acceptance from NMUSD. NMUSD shall have 15 days notice of any change in the project’s key personnel.
Site preparation and installation, if required under the proposal, involve basic work needed to prepare the site for installation of equipment. Suppliers shall provide specifications and typical equipment layouts. NMUSD preference for equipment location is the SIMC.
3.8 Corrections and Enhancements
Suppliers shall describe how they handle bug reporting, change requests and product enhancement requests during the implementation phases of the project. NMUSD prefers an internet based approach that allows us to enter the identified bug or enhancement and to view its status online.
3.9 Hardware and Software Installation
Suppliers may or if appropriate, NMUSD may install all hardware and software components for the project. Suppliers shall anticipate lead times to ensure that all required hardware and software is received in sufficient time to meet the project schedule. The project schedule shall have specific dates for the installation of hardware and software along with associated activities such as site preparation review and any facility upgrades that are needed prior to equipment installation, if required.
3.10 Solution Acceptability
Upon completion of acceptance testing, NMUSD will run the system and application software for 30 days to ensure that the system meets the functional and performance requirements stated in the RFP. After the 30 day test period, if the system conforms to the test requirements, the system will be deemed acceptable.
3.11 Solution Maintenance
Suppliers shall provide a detailed description of all maintenance activities, supply channels and parts depots, typical daily or monthly support activities, principal period of maintenance, and support the above with an organizational chart of the supplier’s headquarters support operation, the proposed support organization for this project, and the escalation procedures for reporting problems.
3.12 Maintenance/Operations Detail
Suppliers shall provide a sample maintenance handbook and one typical operations guide as an appendix to the proposal for evaluation.
3.13 Project Personnel Training
The District prefers a “train the trainer” method of training. Therefore, function specific training will only be needed for the District Project Coordinator, Financial/Business Analyst, Information Technology Director, and Web Application Developer. The District Project Coordinator and Information Technology Director are responsible for the overall project administration, ensuring timelines are met and personnel have the proper tools and training to fulfill their responsibilities. The Financial/Business Analyst is responsible for working with the supplier and with each District functional area supervisor to analyze their business process, recommend solutions, provide training, and maintain system workflow. The Web Application Developer is responsible for the technical aspects of the project.
3.14 Training Plan
NMUSD requires that the supplier provide comprehensive training addressing user, administrative, technical, and operational personnel. The supplier is encouraged to propose innovative approaches to training such as programmed self study guides, online tutorials, videotapes, CD-ROM’s and computer based training. All training will include step by step detail that will enable employees unfamiliar with the system to perform the described activities.
The supplier shall list recommended classes and NMUSD personnel who should attend. This list shall also contain a description of all classes and typical classroom environment.
3.15 Training Documentation
Comprehensive high quality user documentation is essential for the success of this project. Documentation shall be provided that covers all system hardware, system software, and application software. All documentation provided shall be in written form. Documentation should also be provided in electronic form and network accessible.
3.16 Supplier Comment Request
NMUSD invites the supplier to comment or question the RFP’s management plan, schedule, and other requirements.
3.17 Supplier information
To warrant consideration for this proposal, suppliers and all major subcontractors must submit financial information, including an annual report or audited balance sheets and income statements. For purposes of this section, “audited” shall mean that a certified public accountant has reviewed the financial reports and has expressed an opinion regarding the fairness of the information reviewed. A major subcontractor will have at least 25 percent participation in the contract measured by dollar amount. Suppliers are also required to submit references. Please reference RFP-Supplier Appendix D for specific supplier information instructions.
