WASHINGTON STATE ENERGY CODE COMMERCIAL COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WEBSITE HOSTING & DATA RETENTION SERVICES WASHINGTON STATE ENERGY CODE COMMERCIAL COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION PROJECT Northwest Energy Efficiency Council 605 First Avenue, Suite 401 Seattle, WA NEEC invites qualified professionals to submit a statement of qualifications for website hosting and data retention services to meet the goals and objectives of this project. Applications shall be submitted via electronic mail (e- mail) to: Lisa Rosenow, NEEC WSEC Commercial Provisions Technical Support Manager lisa@putnamprice.com (206) ISSUE DATE: December 29 th, 2015 DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTALS: January 15 th, :00pm PST

2 Table of Contents PART 1 NOTICE TO RESPONDENTS GENERAL INFORMATION 1.2 PUBLIC INFORMATION 1.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT 1.4 SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS AND CONTACTS 1.5 EVALUATION OF QUALIFICATIONS AND PRICING 1.6 OWNER S RESERVATION OF RIGHTS ACCEPTANCE OF EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 1.8 NO REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS 1.9 ANTICIPATED NOTICE OF SELECTION PART 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION BACKGROUND 2.2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2.3 AUDIENCE AND STAKEHOLDERS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS 2.5 PROJECT PLANNING SCHEDULE 6 PART 3 REQUIREMENTS FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS AND AVAILABILITY TO UNDERTAKE THE PROJECT 3.2 ABILITY TO PROVIDE SERVICES 3.3 IT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS 3.4 REFERENCES 3.5 ABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND RESOLVE COMMON CHALLENGES 3.6 EXECUTION OF OFFER 8 ATTACHMENT A PROGRAM OF REQUIREMENTS 9 A.1 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS A.2 WEBSITE HOSTING PLATFORM A.3 WEBSITE DOMAIN A.4 WEBSITE TRAFFIC REPORTING 10 A.5 DATA STORAGE SPACE REQUIREMENTS AND ARCHIVES A.6 SECURITY A.7 OFFSITE DATA BACK- UP AND DISASTER RECOVERY A.8 HARDWARE BACK- UP AND FAILOVER A.9 TRAINING A.10 DATA REPORTING 11 A.11 TABLET INTERFACE PLATFORM A.12 ADDITIONAL ENERGY CODE EDITIONS 1

3 PART 1 NOTICE TO RESPONDENTS 1.1 General Information The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) is soliciting statements of qualifications for website hosting and data retention Service Providers for the WA State Energy Code (WSEC) commercial compliance documentation project. This solicitation is in accordance with the terms, conditions, and requirements set forth in this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). This RFQ is the first step in the process of selecting a website hosting and data retention Service Provider. The RFQ provides the information necessary to prepare and submit Qualifications for consideration by NEEC (the project Owner). The Owner may select the top three (3) or more of the top ranked qualified respondents to present qualifications during an interview. 1.2 Public Information All information, documentation, and other materials submitted in response to this solicitation will be treated as confidential until such time as a contract is executed. After that time, the information may be disclosed to requestors under the Washington Public Information Act, Chapter RCW. If a respondent believes all or a portion of the information submitted is proprietary and confidential and should therefore be exempt from disclosure, they must clearly designate the specific item(s) and the proper statutory citation must be provided in each instance. 1.3 Type of Contract Any contract resulting from this solicitation will be in the form of the Owner s standard consultant agreement. 1.4 Submission of Qualifications and Contacts The Owner will accept proposals submitted via electronic mail (e- mail) until the stated deadline on the cover page of this RFQ. Submittal shall be in PDF format. The Owner will not acknowledge or receive qualifications that are delivered by telephone, facsimile (fax), or US postal service. Submitted qualifications will not be returned to respondents. Any questions regarding this RFQ shall be directed to: Lisa Rosenow, NEEC - lisa@putnamprice.com, (206) Evaluation of Qualifications and Pricing The evaluation of qualifications shall be based on the requirements described in this RFQ. All properly submitted qualifications will be reviewed, evaluated, and ranked by the Owner. Qualifications shall include general information regarding the Service Provider s data storage service pricing; website 2

4 hosting and maintenance fees; annual licensing, domain registration and certificate fees; and other related costs of service. 1.6 Owner s Reservation of Rights The Owner may evaluate qualifications based on the anticipated completion of all or any portion of the Project. The Owner reserves the right to divide the project into multiple parts, to reject any and all qualifications and re- solicit for new qualifications, or to reject any and all proposals and temporarily or permanently abandon the project. Owner makes no representations, written or oral, that it will enter into any form of agreement with any respondent to this RFQ for any project and no such representation is intended or should be construed by the issuance of the RFQ. 1.7 Acceptance of Evaluation Methodology By submitting qualifications in response to this RFQ, respondent accepts the evaluation process and acknowledges and accepts that determination of the most qualified Service Provider will require subjective judgments by the Owner. 1.8 No Reimbursement Of Costs Respondent acknowledges and accepts that any costs incurred from the respondent s participation in this RFQ shall be at the sole risk and responsibility of the respondent. 1.9 Anticipated Notice of Selection The Owner anticipates notifying respondents selected for the opportunity to interview approximately one week after the deadline for qualification submittals. Final selection of a Service Provider will be made no later than January 29 th, The project will commence immediately following selection of the Service Provider. 3

5 PART 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 Background NEEC is a non- profit trade association of the energy efficiency industry. NEEC member companies provide energy efficiency products and services and assist in the development and implementation of energy efficiency programs. One of the services that NEEC provides is technical support for the Washington State Energy (WSEC) commercial provisions. This includes forms to document compliance with the WSEC for commercial construction projects. These compliance forms are available on the NEEC website as links to three Excel workbooks. Each form captures relevant attributes associated with a commercial construction project. The three Excel workbooks are separated per the following subject matters: building envelope, lighting systems and mechanical systems. Currently, these forms are populated, printed and hand- delivered to the permitting office within the appropriate jurisdiction (AHJ) as part of an application to obtain a building permit. They are completed by an architect, engineer, contractor, or building owner representative. In 2006, the State of Washington legislated an energy efficiency mandate requiring 70% improvement compared to the 2006 WSEC by The regular progression of code updates occurs every three years with each subsequent edition moving closer to this 70% goal. Each code cycle, all of the compliance forms must be revised to reflect the updated code standards. Due to increasing complexity in the WSEC, we are reaching the limits of what Excel- based forms can manage. 2.2 Goals and Objectives The primary objective of this project is to develop an IT solution that replaces the Excel- based WSEC commercial compliance forms. A successful outcome would be a flexible IT solution that economically supports a multi- phased project that can grow and change based on the developing needs of the Owner, as well as being readily adaptable for future updates to the WSEC. To support this IT solution, the Service Provider shall be capable of accommodating the following: Web- based portal accessible by user- based login. User- friendly data input interface for entering WSEC commercial compliance information that corresponds with the information gathered in each of the forms currently in Excel. 4

6 Output format that resembles the current Excel compliance forms, with the capability to be adapted for additional near- and long- term output needs. Various help tools with an input- prompted knowledge base and online FAQ resource. Relational database that stores user, compliance form input, and jurisdiction verification data that is accessible for pre- configured and ad hoc data analytics and business intelligence reporting. Administrative content management system that allows routine technical support and maintenance functions; information update capability for elements such as the online FAQ and compliance documentation inputs; and pre- configured data reporting. 2.3 Audience and Stakeholders Project team members will include an Owner s Representative, WSEC technical experts and an IT developer. They will work closely with the selected Service Provider to provide technical information, and overall direction and prioritization guidance. Primary users will be commercial design and construction professionals including architects, engineers, contractors and other building project representatives. These are the entities submitting compliance forms to the appropriate jurisdictions. Jurisdictions will also use the IT solution to receive submissions, review compliance information for permit approval, conduct field inspections and update submittal status. Identified stakeholders for this IT solution include code development agencies, state officials and local utilities. They may or may not become users of the IT solution, however, they will be interested in the data generated from its usage. Their interests should influence the long- term thinking of the design and implementation of the data retention and reporting functions of the IT solution. 2.4 Program Requirements The Owner has included a draft Program Of Requirements and estimated deliverable dates for the project in Attachment A. For reference, the Excel- based 2012 WSEC Commercial Compliance Forms for envelope, lighting and mechanical can be found on the NEEC website under the URL - codes. In addition, instructional webinars about how to use these forms are available in the same location on the NEEC website. 5

7 2.5 Project Planning Schedule The website and data retention services deliverable schedule shall support the following schedule milestones of the IT development scope. Public launch of IT development scope: Phase 1 and 2 User interface July 1 st, 2016 Phase 3 and 4 Compliance documentation Early January 2017 Phase 5 Field verification tablet interface Early July

8 PART 3 REQUIREMENTS FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS Respondents shall submit a statement of qualifications that responds to all questions in Part 3. Incomplete qualifications will be subject to rejection. 3.1 Statement of Qualifications and Availability To Undertake The Project Provide a statement of interest for the project including a narrative that describes your proposed website hosting and data retention service and how it uniquely addresses the needs of this particular project Provide a statement regarding the availability and commitment by your company to provide the needed services for this project in accordance with the project planning schedule in Section Provide a brief history about your company and services. If your company has changed name or ownership within the last three (3) years indicate the former name. 3.2 Ability To Provide Services Is your company currently for sale or involved in any transaction to expand or to become acquired by another business entity? If yes, please explain the anticipated impact to your company s structure and operations Provide details of all past or pending litigation or claims filed against your company that could affect your company's ability to provide services under a contract with the Owner. 3.3 IT Program Development Request For Qualifications The IT program development scope is covered under a separate Request for Qualifications. Respondents may submit qualifications for the website hosting and data retention scope outlined in this RFQ independently, or as a combined service package with the IT program development scope. 3.4 References List a maximum of five (5) recent projects for which your company has provided services that are most related to this project. The Owner may contact references during any part of this process. The Owner reserves the right to contact any other references at any time during the RFQ process. 3.5 Ability To Identify and Resolve Common Challenges What do you perceive as the key challenges for this type of project? What recommendations do you propose for a successful outcome? For any of the projects listed in response to Section 3.4, describe any issues that arose during these projects and describe the methods and measures your company used to resolve those issues. 7

9 3.6 Execution of Offer This execution of offer must be completed, signed, and returned with the respondent's qualifications. Failure to complete, sign and return this execution of offer with the qualifications may result in rejection of the qualifications. Submitted by: Company Name Authorized Signature Printed Name and Title Date Submitted Contact Address Business Address Contact Telephone Number Company Website 8

10 ATTACHMENT A Program Of Requirements A.1 Functional Requirements The website hosting and data retention service plan shall meet the following functional requirements. The deliverable schedule shall coincide with the anticipated deliverable schedule of the IT product developer. Feature Description Feature Goal Phase 1.1 Website Hosting Website ready for early program Platform and development testing. On- going Domain readiness throughout remainder Data Retention, Security & Back- up 3.1 Data Retention, Phase Data Retention, Phase 3 of IT project development scope. Data retention of general user information and help feature usage. Data retention of all project related information from completed IT solution. Data retention of field verification related information from tablet interface. Proposed Deadline Estimated Mar May ,4 Nov Estimated May 2017 A.2 Website Hosting Platform The website hosting platform may be one or more servers or virtual machines (VM). The platform shall be scalable in processing power and number of processors, disk storage capability, and internet bandwidth. It shall be provisioned with common off the shelf software components and open source architecture. The Service Provider shall be responsible for determining the appropriate network bandwidth required for the proposed IT solution. The proposed plan shall include detailed specifications of the proposed platform and all related elements. A.3 Website Domain This project requires a new website domain that is independent of the NEEC website. NEEC shall be the registered owner of the new domain name. The proposed plan shall identify the proposed domain registrar and all registration terms and conditions. Also confirm that the registrar agreement will not include any transfer out or similar fees. 9

11 A.4 Website Traffic Reporting Include website usage and trends in activity reporting as a monthly service in the proposed plan. A.5 Data Storage Space Requirements and Archives The Service Provider shall be responsible for determining the appropriate storage capacity required for the proposed IT solution. It is anticipated that once fully adopted there will be up to 10,000 users of this website. The average number of submitted projects is anticipated to be 15,000-20,000 per year. Data shall be readily accessible for a period of at minimum three years, corresponding with the WSEC cycle schedule. Archived data shall be stored for a minimum of ten years. The proposed plan shall describe the data storage structure that will be used and measures that will be provided for scalability. A.6 Security The proposed plan shall include specifications for all security measures that will be provided. All data stored on the proposed server or VM shall be considered confidential to the Owner and will not be visible to any other organization. The proposed plan shall specify a digital certificate that enables transport layer security (encrypted communications) within the website application. A firewall shall be included in the proposed plan that controls internet access to the server or VM and provides an appropriate level of spamming or denial of service protection. This includes malware and virus intrusion detection capability and penetration testing services. A.7 Offsite Data Back- up and Disaster Recovery The proposed plan shall include specifications regarding backup and retrieval of data. At minimum, all data shall be backed up daily to an offsite location. The proposed plan shall specify an emergency recovery process that restores lost or corrupted data from backups within two hours. A.8 Hardware Back- up and Failover In the event of a hardware failure such as a loss of power, equipment failure, or other events that would cause website disruption, the website application must be started on another server. The proposed plan shall specify that a failover system will be ready within two hours of the failure event. Any lost data shall be recovered and available in the failover system. A.9 Training The Service Provider shall provide Owner training for all relevant elements within their platform, such as administration of machines. 10

12 A.10 Data Reporting The IT solution scope includes various data reporting capabilities. The proposed data retention service shall support this element of the project. A.11 Tablet Interface Platform The IT solution scope includes tablet access of the website as an in- the- field tool in the latter phases of the project. The proposed website hosting service shall support this element of the project. A.12 Additional Energy Code Editions The City of Seattle adopts the WSEC and incorporates additional amendments to create the Seattle Energy Code (SEC). There is also a Regional Code Collaborative who develops a lightly revised version of the WSEC. In addition, there is usually an overlap period between Code cycles when projects may comply with either the new or previous edition of the WSEC. The IT solution, and website hosting and data retention service, shall accommodate selection between up to six editions of the WSEC from the project management page as a long term planning feature. 11