REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 72/2015 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR THE CITY OF COLUMBIA, MISSOURI

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 72/2015 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR THE CITY OF COLUMBIA, MISSOURI FINANCE/PURCHASING DIVISION CALE TURNER, CPPB PURCHASING AGENT 701 E. BROADWAY, 5 TH FLOOR COLUMBIA, MO (573) AMY SCHNEIDER DIRECTOR OF CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU JOHN BLATTEL DIRECTOR OF FINANCE MELISSA PASLEY SENIOR PROCUREMENT OFFICER Request For Proposal No. 72/2015 Closing Date: 5:00 p.m. CST, Friday, April 10, 2015

2 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS QUESTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES VALIDITY OF PROPOSALS REJECTION OF PROPOSALS WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS ALTERATION OF SOLICITATION RESPONSE MATERIAL OWNERSHIP INCURRING COSTS COLLUSION CLAUSE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS FUNDS TAX EXEMPTION APPLICABLE LAW RESPONSIBILITY ASSIGNMENT AUDITING OF INVOICES NONDISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE EMPLOYMENT OF UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS PROHIBITED INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS DATA OWNERSHIP AND SECURITY BINDING SUBCONTRACTORS AND SUBSIDIARIES TO DATA SECURITY STANDARDS NO HARMFUL CODE SOFTWARE UPGRADES SUCCESSOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS SOURCE CODE ESCROW WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING CLOUD STORAGE CUSTOMIZATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS GENERAL REQUIREMENTS SCOPE OF WORK FUNCTIONS/ABILITIES OF SOFTWARE... 12

3 3.3 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF SOFTWARE OFFERORS INSTRUCTIONS SUBMITTALS TRANSMITTAL LETTER FORMAT OF PROPOSAL QUALIFICATIONS/OTHER INFORMATION PRICING DELIVERY EVALUATION AND AWARD EVALUATION SELECTION AND AWARD EXHIBIT A FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS EXHIBIT B CURRENT TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT EXHIBIT C EXTERNAL CLOUD POLICIES

4 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The City of Columbia, Conventions and Visitor s Bureau, (CVB) is the Public Relations, Marketing and Sales arm of the City. The CVB represents Columbia as a destination for meeting and event planners in Missouri and throughout the United States and is responsible for generating room nights and maintaining relationships with those meeting and event planners. The CVB is currently using Infotrac and CVB leads, a product of John Paradiso & Associates, as its current customer relationship management software, and Inquiry+, also a product of John Paradiso & Associates, to record, track and create reports for visitor inquiries. Infotrac is software that has been downloaded to individual computers for use. CVB Leads is the online component that links leads to the database. Currently, information in CVB Leads must be downloaded to Infotrac in order for them to connect with each other. 2. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 2.1 DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS: Proposals may be submitted in a sealed envelope at the purchasing office or uploaded electronically on the City s E- bidding website at No fax or proposals will be accepted. Sealed proposals must be delivered to the Purchasing Department, 701 E. Broadway, 5 th Floor, Columbia, MO by the closing date and time. Proposals received after the appointed time will be determined non-responsive and will not be opened. Proposal must be in sealed envelope and marked in bold letters RFP 72/2015 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE. 2.2 QUESTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: All questions concerning the solicitation and specifications shall be submitted in writing via or fax to the name below. You are encouraged to submit your questions via . Melissa Pasley, Senior Procurement Officer Phone: (573) Fax: (573) mapasley@gocolumbiamo.com Any oral responses to any question shall be unofficial and not binding on the City of Columbia. An Addendum to this RFP providing the City of Columbia s official response will be issued if necessary to all known prospective respondents. Questions must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 27, This written Request for Additional Information will take place of the normal Pre-Proposal Conference. Page 1 of 15

5 2.3 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES: DATE ACTIVITY 3/27/15 Close of written Requests for Additional Information 4/3/15 Written responses to Requests for Additional Information sent to all 4/10/15 Request for Proposal is due by 5:00 p.m. CST 5/1/15 Contract Start Date The above dates are target dates and may change. 2.4 VALIDITY OF PROPOSALS: Respondents agree that proposals will remain firm for a period of ninety (90) calendar days after the date specified for the return of proposals. 2.5 REJECTION OF PROPOSALS: The City of Columbia reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP, or to cancel the RFP if it is in the best interest of the City of Columbia to do so. Failure to furnish all information requested in this RFP may disqualify the proposal. Any exceptions to the requirements specified must be identified in the proposal. 2.6 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS: Any Presenter may withdraw his proposal at any time prior to the scheduled closing time for the receipt of proposals. However, no proposal will be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for the receipt of proposals. 2.7 ALTERATION OF SOLICITATION: The wording of the City of Columbia s solicitation may not be changed or altered in any manner. Respondents taking exception to any clause in whole or in part should do so by listing said exceptions on their letterhead and submitting them with their proposal; such exceptions will be evaluated and accepted or rejected by the City of Columbia, whose decision will be final. 2.8 RESPONSE MATERIAL OWNERSHIP: All material submitted regarding this RFP becomes the property of the City of Columbia. Any person may review proposals after the Notice of Intent to Award letter has been issued, subject to the terms of this solicitation. 2.9 INCURRING COSTS: The City of Columbia shall not be obligated or be liable for any cost incurred by Respondents prior to issuance of a Contract. All costs to prepare and submit a response to this solicitation shall be borne by the Respondent COLLUSION CLAUSE: Any agreement or collusion among Respondents and prospective Respondents to illegally restrain freedom of competition by agreement to fix prices, or otherwise, will render the proposals of such Respondents void. Page 2 of 15

6 2.11 CONTRACT DOCUMENTS: The final Contract between the City of Columbia and the Respondent will include by reference: Respondent s Proposal The Specifications contained in this RFP Any changes, additions or modifications hereto will be in writing and signed by the Purchasing Agent. No other individual is authorized to modify the Contract in any manner FUNDS: Financial obligations of the City of Columbia payable after the current fiscal year are contingent upon funds for that purpose being appropriated, budgeted, and otherwise made available. In the event funds are not appropriated, any resulting Contract will become null and void, without penalty to the City of Columbia TAX EXEMPTION: The City of Columbia is funded by public monies and as such has been approved by the State of Missouri for sales/use tax-exempt status. The Missouri tax identification number and certificate is available upon request by the successful Respondent APPLICABLE LAW: The Proposal and Contract shall be governed in all respects by the ordinances of the City of Columbia and the laws of the State of Missouri, and any litigation with respect thereto shall be brought in the courts in the State of Missouri RESPONSIBILITY: The City of Columbia reserves the right to require the apparent successful vendors to file proof of his/her ability to properly finance and execute the Contract, together with his/her record of successful completion of similar Contracts prior. The award of the Contract will be contingent upon providing acceptable proof and record of performance. This information will become a part of the contents of the file and hence public record unless the Respondent indicates this material confidential and request this information be returned at the expense of the Respondent. This applies only to matters of financial reporting ASSIGNMENT: Firm shall not assign the Contract, subcontract it, or sublet it as a whole without the prior written consent of the City of Columbia. Assignment, subcontracting, or subletting without such consent will in no way relieve the Firm of any of its obligations under this Contract unless specifically stated by the City of Columbia in its consent AUDITING OF INVOICES: Invoices are subject to audit for a period of five (5) years after the expiration date of the final year of the Contract. If during the audit it is revealed that the Respondent charged the City of Columbia a price higher than the proposed price, the Respondent will reimburse the City of Columbia the amount of the overcharge NONDISCRIMNATION IN EMPLOYMENT: In connection with the furnishing of supplies or performance of work under this Contract, the Firm agrees to Page 3 of 15

7 comply with the Fair Labor Standard Act, Fair Employment Practices, Equal Opportunity Employment Act, and all other applicable Federal and State laws and further agrees to insert the foregoing provisions in all subcontracts awarded hereunder. Contractor agrees to comply with all applicable provisions of: the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended; the Employment Practices Act, as amended; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981, as amended; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended; Chapter 12 of the City of Columbia s Code of Ordinances, and all other applicable Federal and State laws which prohibit discrimination in employment and the delivery of services on the basis of race (racism), color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (employment), and familial status (housing) TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT: If, through any cause, the firm shall fail to fulfill, in a timely and proper manner, its obligations under this contract, or if the firm shall violate any of the covenants, agreements, or stipulations of this contract, the City of Columbia shall thereupon have the right to terminate this contract for cause by giving written notice to the firm of its intent to terminate and at least ten (10) calendar days to cure the default or show cause why termination is otherwise not appropriate. In the event of termination all finished or unfinished documents, data, studies, survey, drawings, maps, models, photographs, and reports or other material prepared by the firm under this contract shall, at the option of the City of Columbia, become its property, and the firm shall be entitled to receive just and equitable compensation for any services and supplies delivered and accepted. The firm shall be obligated to return any payment advanced under the provisions of this contract. Notwithstanding above, the firm shall not be relieved of liability to the City of Columbia for any damages sustained by the City of Columbia by virtue of any breach of the contract by the firm, and the City of Columbia may withhold any payment to the firm for the purpose of mitigating its damages until such time as the exact amount of damages due the City of Columbia from the firm is determined. If after such termination it is determined, for any reason the firm was not in default, or that the firm s action/inaction was excusable, such termination shall be treated as a termination for convenience, as described herein TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE: The performance of work under this Contract may be terminated by the City of Columbia in whole or in part, whenever the Purchasing Agent will determine that such termination is in the best interest of the City of Columbia. Any such termination will be affected by delivery to the Respondent of a letter of termination specifying Page 4 of 15

8 the extent to which performance of work under the Contract is terminated and the date upon which such termination is effective. After receipt of a termination letter the Respondent will: Stop work on the Contract, on the date, and to the extent specified in the letter. Place no further orders for materials, services or facilities except as may be necessary to complete any portions of the work under Contract not terminated. Complete on schedule such part of the work as will not be terminated by termination letter EMPLOYMENT OF UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS PROHIBITED: a. Contractor agrees to comply with Missouri State Statute section in that they shall not knowingly employ, hire for employment, or continue to employ an unauthorized alien to perform work within the state of Missouri. b. As a condition for the award of this contract the contractor shall, by sworn affidavit and provision of documentation, affirm its enrollment and participation in a federal work authorization program with respect to the employees working in connection with the contracted services. The Contractor shall also sign an affidavit affirming that it does not knowingly employ any person who is an unauthorized alien in connection with the contracted services. c. Contractor shall require each subcontractor to affirmatively state in its contract with contractor that the subcontractor shall not knowingly employ, hire for employment or continue to employ an unauthorized alien to perform work within the state of Missouri. Contractor shall also require each subcontractor to provide contractor with a sworn affidavit under the penalty of perjury attesting to the fact that the subcontractor's employees are lawfully present in the United States INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: Offeror shall maintain, on a primary basis and at its sole expense, at all times during the life of the Contract the following insurance coverages, limits, including endorsements described herein. The requirements contained herein, as well as the City s review or acceptance of insurance maintained by Contractor is not intended to, and shall not in any manner limit or qualify the liabilities or obligations assumed by Contractor under the Contract. Coverage to be provided as follows by a carrier with A.M. Best minimum rating of A- VIII. Page 5 of 15

9 a. Workers Compensation & Employers Liability: Contractor shall maintain Workers Compensation in accordance with Missouri State Statutes or provide evidence of monopolistic state coverage. Employers Liability with the following limits: $500,000 each accident, disease each employee and disease policy limit. b. Commercial General Liability: Contractor shall maintain Commercial General Liability at a limit of not less than $2,000,000 Each Occurrence, $3,000,000 Annual Aggregate. Coverage shall not contain any endorsement(s) excluding nor limiting Product/Completed Operations, Contractual Liability or Cross Liability. c. Business Auto Liability: Contractor shall maintain Business Automobile Liability at a limit not less than $2,000,000 Each Occurrence. Coverage shall include liability for Owned, Non-Owned & Hired automobiles. In the event Contractor does not own automobiles, Contractor agrees to maintain coverage for Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability, which may be satisfied by way of endorsement to the Commercial General Liability policy or separate Business Auto Liability policy. d. Contractor may satisfy the minimum liability limits required for Commercial General Liability or Business Auto Liability under an Umbrella or Excess Liability policy. There is no minimum per occurrence limit of liability under the Umbrella or Excess Liability; however, the Annual Aggregate limit shall not be less than the highest Each Occurrence limit for either Commercial General Liability or Business Auto Liability. Contractor agrees to endorse the City as an Additional Insured on the Umbrella or Excess Liability, unless the Certificate of Insurance state the Umbrella or Excess Liability provides coverage on a Follow-Form basis. e. The City of Columbia, its elected officials and employees are to be Additional Insured with respect to the project to which these insurance requirements pertain. A certificate of insurance evidencing all coverage required is to be provided at least ten (10) days prior to the Effective Date of the Contract between the contractor and the City. Contractor is required to maintain coverages as stated and required to Page 6 of 15

10 notify the City of a carrier change or cancellation within two (2) business days. The City reserves the right to request a copy of the policy. f. The Parties hereto understand and agree that the City is relying on, and does not waive or intend to waive by any provision of this Contract, any monetary limitations or any other rights, immunities, and protections provided by the State of Missouri, as from time to time amended, or otherwise available to the City, or its elected officials or employees. g. Failure to maintain the required insurance in force may be cause for termination of the Contract. In the event Contractor fails to maintain and keep in force the required insurance or to obtain coverage from its subcontractors, the City shall have the right to cancel and terminate the Contract without notice. h. The insurance required by the provisions of this article is required in the public interest and the City does not assume any liability for acts of the Contractor and/or their employees and/or their subcontractors in the performance of this Contract DATA OWNERSHIP AND SECURITY Contractor and its software shall comply with the requirements of this Section. Contractor shall require its subcontractors or third party software providers to at all times comply with the requirements of this section. Contractor covenants that any data from the City, its employees or customers or derived therefrom (hereinafter City Data ) shall be stored in the United States of America. City Data or any information derived therefrom shall not be transferred, moved, or stored to or at any location outside the United States of America. All such City Data and any information derived therefrom shall be confidential and proprietary information belonging to either the City or its customers or the users of the Software. Contractor covenants that Contractor, its subsidiaries or subcontractors shall not sell or give away any such City Data or information derived therefrom. Contractor shall maintain the security of City Data and that of City s customers and any user that is stored in or in any way connected with Page 7 of 15

11 Software Products and applications. If either Party believes or suspects that security has been breached or City Data compromised whether it be from harmful code or otherwise, the Party shall notify the Other Party of the issue or possible security breach within forty-eight (48) hours BINDING SUBCONTRACTORS AND SUBSIDIARIES TO DATA SECURITY STANDARDS Contractor shall include similar provisions in Contractor s agreements with subcontractors and subsidiaries who perform work or services related to these Software Products and or the City s Data contained therein or in the cloud storage NO HARMFUL CODE Contractor warrants that the Software Products do not contain Harmful Code. For purposes of this Agreement, Harmful Code is any code containing any program, routine, or device which is designed to delete, disable, deactivate, interfere with or otherwise harm any software, program, data, device, system or service, including without limitation, any time bomb, virus, drop dead device, malicious logic, worm, Trojan horse or trap or back door. Contractor shall include in contracts with any subcontractor a provision which prohibits the use of Harmful Code. Contractor shall include a similar provision in its contract with subcontractors SOFTWARE UPGRADES If, during the Term or any extended Maintenance Term of this Agreement, Contractor upgrades its software, City at its option, shall receive the upgrades at no additional charge SUCCESSOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS In the event Contractor makes available successor Software based on a new technical architecture ( Successor Products ) with substantially similar functionality to the Software licensed by City ( Licensed Products ) within five (5) years of contract signing, City is entitled to receive Successor Products provided that City has an effective Support and Maintenance Agreement and the annual Support and maintenance fees are paid in full. In such event, City shall pay the then-current Support and Maintenance Fees for the Successor Products, in addition to any services and/or third party fees associated with the Successor Products. The Parties shall enter into an Page 8 of 15

12 amendment to this Agreement if City desires to receive the Successor Products SOURCE CODE ESCROW Contractor shall place the source code for the Software Products in escrow with an independent third-party at no additional cost to City. The Source Code shall be kept current with the releases / version of the Software Products in live use by City. The Source Code shall revert to City for City s use if Contractor files for bankruptcy or protection from creditors in a court of law or otherwise no longer supports the Software Products. City shall then have full rights to use source code for any purposes other than resale and there will be no additional fees due. Contrator shall include in contracts with any subcontractors a provision for the escrow of the source code of any software products used by City in this Project. (The contract, upon execution should include a copy of the escrow agreement) WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE Given City s documentation about the City's particular purpose as set forth in City s Functional Requirements contained in Exhibit A and given Contractor s recommended technical environment for optimal performance set forth in Exhibit B, Contractor acknowledges at the time this Agreement is in force that Contractor has (1) reason and opportunity to know the particular purpose for which products are required, and (2) that the City is relying on the Contractor's experience and knowledge of these products to provide those which are most suitable and appropriate in the technical environment contained in Exhibit B. Therefore, Contractor warrants that the system is fit for the purposes for which it is intended as described in this Agreement and the Contract Documents and that the system will perform according to City s Functional Requirements FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING The system proposed shall be defined to be finally accepted by City after the installation of the equipment, training, and successful completion of the following performance examinations: system hardware examination, software performance examination, system functional competence examination, system capacity examination, full-load processing capacity examination, system availability examination, approval of as-builts, training, and system documentation. The City shall be the sole judge of whether all conditions for final acceptance criteria have been met. Page 9 of 15

13 2.31 CLOUD STORAGE Contractor shall comply with the City s Cloud Computing Requirements contained in Exhibit C CUSTOMIZATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO ANY PERFORMANCE RELATED TO CUSTOMIZATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS (If applicable) SATISIFACTION OF CONDITIONS PRECEDENT The Conditions Precedent to the City s obligation to pay for customizations and modifications shall be each and every one of the following; and under no circumstance shall the following contingencies or conditions precedent be deemed waived by City. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT For each modification or customization, the Parties shall develop proposed Specifications for each of the modifications or customizations (hereinafter Custom Specifications ). The Parties shall reduce the Custom Specifications to writing which shall be signed by both Parties. The Parties shall develop a schedule for production, testing, and installation (hereinafter Custom Performance Schedule. ) The Parties shall reduce the schedule to writing which shall be signed by both Parties. The Parties shall agree in writing, signed and dated by both Parties, to the testing standards and requirements (hereinafter Custom Test Standards ). Upon City s sole determination that Contractor has satisfied each and every one of the Conditions Precedent for each modification or customization, City shall issue to Contractor City s written authorization to proceed with its development and delivery of the customization or modification. FAILURE OF ANY CONDITION PRECEDENT If each and every Condition Precedent is not satisfied, there is no penalty to the City. In addition, the Parties may, at their sole discretions and by mutual agreement, impose additional requirements or amend the testing standards or the performance schedule. Should the Parties agree to change or amend Page 10 of 15

14 the Custom Specifications, the Custom Performance Schedule or the Custom Test Standard, the changes shall be reduced to writing, signed, and dated by both Parties. EACH CUSTOMIZATION OR MODIFICATION ON WHICH THE CITY HAS ISSUED A WRITTEN NOTICE TO PROCEED, SHALL BE DEVELOPED ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOM SPECIFICATIONS IN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN THE CUSTOM PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE. Upon completion of the development of the modification or customization, Contractor shall notify City that modification or customization is complete and ready for testing. City shall test the customization or modification according to the Custom Test Standards. If the modification or customization passes the City s testing according to the Custom Test Standards, City shall issue a written notice of acceptance of the customization or modification. WARRANTY Contractor warrants that the customization or modification shall perform according to the Custom Specifications. Contractor also warrants that the customization or modification shall not void any other warranty. LICENSE FOR USE OF THE CUSTOMIZATION OR MODIFICATION Contractor grants City a royalty free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable worldwide license to the customization or modification developed by Contractor for the City according to the City s Custom Specifications. This license is in addition to all other licenses purchased pursuant to this Agreement. MAINTENANCE OF FUNCTIONALITY of CUSTOMIZATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS So long as City is current in its payment of maintenance fees for the Software, Contractor shall warrant the continued functionality of each and every one of the customizations or modifications and that each and every one of the customization shall perform according to the Custom Specifications by which it was developed. There shall be no additional cost to the City. Maintaining the functionality of the Customizations and modifications shall include any necessary programming or redesign needed due to changes by third parties or by the Contractor. Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining the functionality of the customizations and modifications Page 11 of 15

15 ADDITIONAL Customizations/modifications Should City desire additional customizations/modifications be developed that are not listed in the Scope of Work, the Parties shall negotiate an amendment to this Agreement. 3 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 3.1 SCOPE OF WORK: CVB is looking to find a software package to replace Infotrac, CVB Leads, and Inquiry+, with one useable package. The purpose of the software is to generate and maintain accurate records of the activities of the sales and service team such which includes, sales prospecting and lead generation. Business is secured and serviced through customer service and support. CVB must have the ability to generate reports that allow the ability to measure progress and plan sales and service goals strategically. The Functional Requirements are outlined in Exhibit A. 3.2 FUNCTIONS/ABILITIES OF SOFTWARE: CVB is looking for software that can be easily converted with little or no manual entry. Software must provide the ability to store and maintain information about a client and the ability to easily view from the main screen. The software must be user friendly with the ability to link with clients through a portal or otherwise. CVB must be able to communicate with the client, send attachments, enter service information, room pickups, etc, through a secure portal, and have those communications saved in history. Software must have the ability to link with Google Calendar as well as the ability to create letters and mailings all within the program. Templates must be customizable. CVB must have the ability to utilize the software on an unlimited number of laptops or simultaneous computers. Software must include options for report printing including summary and fiscal year reports. 3.3 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF SOFTWARE: The proposed software solution shall meet all City of Columbia functional requirements, which are set forth in Exhibit A. Offerors must complete the attached spreadsheet, Exhibit A. For each functional requirement, offeror shall respond with: Y if the functionality is provided with the current software proposal. C if the functionality is customizable at an additional cost. Page 12 of 15

16 4 OFFERORS INSTRUCTIONS F if the functionality will be provided in a future release of the software. N if the functionality is not provided by the software. 4.1 SUBMITTALS: Identified in the attached Excel Spreadsheet (Exhibit A) are a number of requirements that must be addressed by the Offerors proposal. These requirements are considered mandatory in implementing the complete solution as defined in section TRANSMITTAL LETTER: All offerors must submit a transmittal letter prepared on their letterhead. An individual who is authorized to bind this Firm to all statement, services, and prices contained in the proposal for both the primary and sub firms must sign the letter. In addition, a letter from any sub-vendor to be used in the service should be included. This letter must be signed by an individual who is authorized to bind the firm and should give a brief description of the work they are to perform. 4.3 FORMAT OF PROPOSAL: The offerors proposal should be clear, concise description of how the offerer intends to provide the services set forth herein. To receive high marks, the proposal should outline how the offerer plans to address each key issue noted in the Scope of Work. 4.4 QUALIFICATIONS/OTHER INFORMATION: The purpose of this section is to provide offerors the opportunity to present their experience and qualifications for proposal on this project. CVB is seeking a contractor who has extensive experience with comparable projects, who has the breadth and quality of resources necessary to ensure a minimum number of problems, and who can promptly and adequately resolve unforeseen problems. This section must include the following components: a) A brief description of the history and background of the offeror s firm, including the date established and ownership structure. b) Name, address, phone and fax number(s) and address of firm. c) Name and title of primary contact person. d) Statement outlining the scope of the staff resources and range of the specialties offered by your firm. e) List of similar work performed for other municipalities or agencies, including a description of work and the name of municipality or Page 13 of 15

17 agency, and the action taken as a result of the work. A list of references shall be included. f) Discussion explaining why the Firm believes the City of Columbia would benefit from selection the Firm to do the work. g) Description of the approach the Firm shall take to complete the work, including an estimate of the total time needed for the Firm to complete the work. h) Summary of any arrangements the Firm may be making with any other firm for assistance on this work project. i) Statement of your understanding of the work and work plan. Include a description of the activities, and tasks that shall be undertaken to complete each of the objectives listed, but not necessarily limited to the specific objectives listed. 4.5 PRICING: Pricing shall be broken out and clearly separated from the rest of the proposal. 4.6 DELIVERY: Offerer shall include number of days required after receipt of order for delivery. 5 EVALUATION AND AWARD 5.1 EVALUATION: City of Columbia reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to negotiate with any respondent considered qualified, or to make an award without further discussion. Evaluation will be based on all elements of response to proposal criteria. It is the purpose of this Request for Proposal to obtain data as complete as possible from each respondent what will enable CVB to determine which prospective firm is best able to provide all the criteria which are to be considered in the award of this contract. Evaluation of the respondents qualifying as finalists will be based on the following criteria, listed in relative order of importance: 30 points Ability to provide services outlined in Scope of Work 30 points Pricing 20 points Ease of Implementation 15 points Technical Requirements Page 14 of 15

18 5 points General Information (references, quality of proposal, etc) Failure of the Offeror to provide in their proposal any information requested in this RFP may result in disqualification of the proposal and shall be the responsibility of the proposing individual or firm. During the evaluation process, discussions may be conducted with Offerors who submit proposals determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for an award. It will be the recommendation of the evaluation committee if discussions for clarification are needed. The objective of the evaluation committee will be to recommend the Offeror whose proposal is most responsive to CVB needs while within the available resources. The specifications within this RFP represent the minimum performance necessary for response. 5.2 SELECTION AND AWARD: CVB reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to negotiate with any respondent considered qualified, or to make an award without further discussion. Page 15 of 15