INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

Transcription

1 The Worcester Regional Retirement Board ( Board ) is seeking proposals from qualified parties interested in providing website design and web hosting services for its 13,000 member public pension plan. The plan is a defined benefit plan governed by Chapter 32 and Chapter 34B of Massachusetts General Laws. The plan is comprised of 99 governmental units from across Worcester County. The plan is administered by a 5 member Board of Trustees which employs a staff of 8 at its office in Auburn, Massachusetts. It is expected that the selected party will provide an informative and user friendly website for the retirees and active employees of the retirement system. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS Receiving Copies of the RFP: This RFP will be available beginning November 23, 2015 online at the Board s current website: and at the Board s offices located at 23 Midstate Drive, Auburn, MA Regular business hours are 8:00AM 4:30PM. The RFR may be picked up at the Board office or ed to you at no cost. Correspondence and Questions: All correspondence and questions relating to this RFP will be submitted to the Board s designated contact at the following address: Rosemary Shaughnessy Worcester Regional Retirement System 23 Midstate Drive, Suite 106 Midstate Office Park Auburn, MA rosemary@worcesterregionalretirement.org All questions or comments Relative to this RFP shall be in writing and shall be directed to the Board s designated contact as described above. Any changes in the requirements of this RFP will be issued via Addendum. All addenda will be sent via to the addresses provided by the proposers. The Board reserves the right to send addenda by a method other than . Each proposal must contain a designated contact to whom all information related to this RFP will be sent. The designated contact information must contain the following information:

2 Name Address Phone Number Address Proposers must acknowledge in their submission that they have received any addenda issued pursuant to this RFP. All addenda will be numbered in the following format: Addendum 1, Addendum 2, etc. Proposers shall submit a statement that will acknowledge receipt of all addenda issued and which will list each addendum separately. Proposers should be aware that any response by the Board to any question or comment submitted by any Proposer will be answered by responding to all registered Proposers. All questions or comments on this RFP must be submitted to the Board s designated contact on or before 2:00 p.m. on Monday December 21, No questions or comments will be accepted after this date and time. Proposers may call the Board designated contact and ask questions verbally. The Board will respond to verbal questions but Proposers should be cautioned that only written responses will be considered binding on the Board and only written responses by the Board will be incorporated into this RFP by reference. The Board is not liable for any verbal communication relative to this RFP. The Board reserves the right to decline to respond to any verbal questions or inquiries by proposers. Proposal Format and requirements: Responses to this RFP must be submitted on or before 12:00PM EST onwednesday December 30, Any proposal not meeting this deadline will not be accepted or considered. All proposals must be submitted to: Kevin P. Blanchette Chairman/Chief Operating Executive Worcester Regional Retirement System 23 Midstate Drive, Suite 106 Midstate Office Park Auburn, MA Proposers shall submit five original copies and one electronic copy of their proposal. No amendments will be accepted after the closing date and time. Proposers mailing materials should allow adequate time to ensure timely arrival. All proposals must be complete in all respects. The Board reserves the right to request additional information or clarifications to any proposal. The Board may, in its sole discretion, determine that a proposal has failed to meet all of the criteria required by this RFP and may disqualify that proposal, provided, however, that the Board shall notify the respondent in writing prior to the issuance of any award under this RFP.

3 The Board reserves the right to cancel this RFP, or to reject any and all proposals, or any portion of any proposal, received in response to this RFP, upon its determination that such cancellation or rejection is in the best interests of the System. Proposers acknowledge that Board shall not be liable for any costs incurred in the preparation of their proposal. The Board further reserves the right to waive any minor informality in any proposals received. The determination as to whether or not to make an award as a result of this RFP shall be at the Board s sole and absolute discretion. The successful Proposer will be required to enter into a contract that shall be subject to all of the conditions contained in this RFP. Proposer s submission of a proposal in response to this RFP shall constitute its acceptance of all terms and conditions. Any proposed contract under this RFP will be limited to no more than seven (7) years. It is the responsibility of each Proposer to examine the terms and conditions of this RFP. Failure to do so shall be at the Proposer s own risk. The Board will assume that the Proposer has made a full investigation so as to be fully informed to the extent and character of the requirements of this RFP. No warranty is made or implied as to the information contained in this document. The Board does not warranty the accuracy of any information incorporated by reference. All proposals submitted should be sealed by the proposers. Each proposer will also submit separately a price proposal contained as Appendix A in this RFP. The price proposal must be sealed separately. On the front of the sealed price proposal envelope the proposer must clearly write its name below which must be written the following: Web Design/ Web Hosting Services RFP PRICE PROPOSAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS A firm submitting a bid in response to this RFP must have a minimum of two (2) years experience in the web design and web hosting services. The firm must have demonstrated experience in similar projects and must provide no less than three references. Experience with public sector and non-profit websites, particularly with retirement boards, municipalities or state agencies, is preferred. Preference will be given to those firms with demonstrated public sector website development and implementation experience.

4 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS The Board s goal is to provide is to provide user-friendly access for retirees and members to receive general information, serve as a communications resource for the general public and interested parties, and to use the website as one tool to streamline and improve business operations. Further, the Board intends to continue to use its website to provide timely communications, notice of its public meetings and to generally foster a spirit of transparency in its operations. Specifically, the website should: Support on-line forms and applications for a variety of retirement related activities. Should create a friendly and professional appearance. Provide easy access to the Board s services. Provide on-line training services, including but not limited to downloadable audio or video training material. Be easily updated by multiple users in a secure environment. Provide a means for automated subscriber communications, such as notifications. The site must have the capacity to provide an attractive mix of text, photos and graphics in a visually appealing manner. Each section of the website should have a common look and theme and should have a consistent font type and basic layout throughout. Provide 24-hour access and the ability to conduct transactions in a secure environment. Provide pages for all retirement system programs, services and functions. Meet all ADA and other applicable regulations. The proposal should describe how the website will be user-friendly to individuals with visual, hearing or other impairments. Provide the ability to be upgraded or adapted to new technology as it becomes available.

5 The proposal should also describe the following: How users will receive consistent orientation and navigational aids, such as page menus that tell users where they are on the site and which incorporates a homepage link or icon on each page in a consistent position. How the website provides for interactive functionality, such as the ability for users to complete interactive on-line forms, response, surveys or feedback requests. How the website will allow for search capabilities and what, if anything, will be required of Board staff relative to database information related to website searches. The manner in which use of the Board s website can be tracked, such as page hit functions or other measures allowing for constant analysis by Board staff relative to the use of the website and pages within the website. The method for printing and downloading data from the websites. How the website will be user-friendly for both low and high speed computers typically used by the average citizen, and how the website will be accessible both to users with expert technical knowledge and for the average user with basic technical knowledge. How the website is compatible with common versions of software and hardware, which must be identified in the proposal. In detail, the security the website will provide relative to the following: Security of the website itself. Security to the rest of the Board s IT functions, including its server and database. Security to the users of the Board s website. Security of information transmitted through the website. A schedule and cost, if any, for training Board staff on how to use the website. Proposers must submit a transition plan which contains the following: o A description of a plan to test the new website with System stakeholders. The proposal should describe any proposed opportunities that may exist to present the website to the System s retirees or members, or a representative sample thereof. o A detailed time-line and explanation of the process for launching the new Board website. o A schedule and cost, if any, for training Board staff.

6 The proposal should describe the support services to be provided to the Board and its staff after the launch of the website. This should include a description of the support services you provide as well as examples as to the manner in which these services are accessed. COST PROPOSAL A cost proposal form is contained in this RFP as Appendix A. The cost proposal form must be fully completed and will be consider separately and after the evaluation of the non-cost or technical proposal. The cost proposal must include all start up and training costs, annual support costs by year, and any other costs associated with this proposal. RULES FOR AWARD The cost and non-cost proposals submitted in response to this RFP will be considered separately, opened separately and evaluated separately. A Selection Committee will evaluate the non-cost proposal prior to opening the cost proposal. Bids will not be opened publicly but rather will be considered by the Selection Committee privately. All information will be released publicly upon completion of the selection process. The Selection Committee will review the non-cost proposals and provide ratings based on the criteria contained in this RFP. After this review is complete, the Selection Committee will assign each proposal a composite rating with a written explanation. After the Selection Committee assigns a composite rating to each proposal, the System s Administrator will open the cost proposals. The Administrator will select the most advantageous proposal based on the ratings and written evaluation of the Selection Committee and the cost proposals. The most advantageous proposal may not be the lowest cost proposal and it may not have the highest composite ranking. The selected proposal will be based on the Administrator s evaluation of the costs and benefits associated with each proposal. The proposal selected will be that which provides the best combination of quality and price for the System. The Administrator will submit the selected proposal to the Board and will provide a report to the Board on the selection process. No contract for services under this RFP shall be executed until the Board authorizes such agreement.

7 EVALUATION CRITERIA In order to be considered a responsive Proposer, the Board will review each proposal to determine if the Proposer agrees to meet all of the terms contained herein and all forms are properly completed. In order to be considered a responsible Proposer, the Board will review each proposal to determine whether the Proposer has the capability, integrity and reliability to perform in accordance with the requirements of this RFP. Each submission will rated in the following manner and on the following criteria. 1. Experience with Public Sector Websites. Highly Advantageous: The Proposer has five (5) or more years of experience in providing web hosting services to a retirement system and ten (10) or more municipalities in Massachusetts. Advantageous: The Proposer has two (2) or more years of experience in providing web hosting services to a retirement system and ten (10) or more municipalities in Massachusetts. Not Advantageous: The Proposer has no experience in providing web-hosting services to a retirement system or any municipalities in Massachusetts. 2. Automated Communications. Highly Advantageous: The Proposer provides an subscriber service to at least five (5) other public sector clients as part of its web hosting functionality. The service allows users to receive timely (within one hour) automated updates. Advantageous: The Proposer provides an subscriber service to at least two (2) other public sector clients as part of its web hosting functionality. The service allows users to receive timely (within one hour) automated updates. Not Advantageous: The Proposer does not provide an subscriber service to any public sector clients as part of its web hosting functionality. 3. Accessibility for Disabled, Hearing and Visually Impaired to Use the Website. Highly Advantageous: The proposal provides a website that is fully accessible to any user with visual, hearing or other impairments. The website meets all ADA and other applicable regulations. Advantageous: The proposal provides limited accessibility for users with visual, hearing or other impairments. Not Advantageous: The Proposer cannot provide a website that provides for accessibility for users with visual, hearing or other impairments.

8 4. Website Meets Technology Needs of the Public. Highly Advantageous: The website can be accessed by users with both low and high speed computers and can be navigated by both users with expert technical knowledge as well as basic technical knowledge. Advantageous: The website can be accessed by most users but has some limitations based on the capacity of the user s computer. The website has limited application with some widely used software. The website can be navigated by both users with expert technical knowledge as well as basic technical knowledge. Not Advantageous: The website can be accessed by most users but has significant limitations based on the capacity of the user s computer. The website cannot be accessed by some widely used software. The website cannot be easily navigated by users with basic technical knowledge. 5. Website Security. Highly Advantageous: The provider has not experienced any security breaches in the last ten (10) years when providing web hosting services. Advantageous: The provider has not experienced any security breaches in the last five (5) years when providing web hosting services. Not Advantageous: The provider has experienced a security breach in the last two (2) years when providing web hosting services. 6. Implementation Plan. Highly Advantageous: The Proposer is willing to attend one Board meeting to demonstrate the website prior to launch. The Proposer will incorporate comments from the demonstration in the new website. The Proposer is willing to provide one demonstration of the new website to a limited or select group of retirees or members at the Board s request. Advantageous: The Proposer is willing to attend one Board meeting to demonstrate the website prior to launch. The Proposer will not incorporate comments from the demonstration in the new website unless paid a fee. The Proposer is unwilling to provide a demonstration of the new website to a limited or select group of retirees or members at the Board s request. Not Advantageous: The Proposer will not provide any public demonstrations of the new website and provides only limited demonstrations of the website to Board staff prior to launch.

9 The Board reserves the right to schedule oral interviews to review the proposals with Proposers at its discretion. Proposers will be provide reasonable notification if any oral interviews are scheduled. The Board may select a firm without conducting any oral interviews.

10 APPENDIX A COST PROPOSAL FORM Proposers must complete all portions of this form. 1. Web site design and development: $ 2. Annual hosting costs: Year 1: $ Year 2: $ Year 3: $ Year 4: $ Year 5: $ (a) Total Support Costs (Add Years 1 to 5) $ 3. Total Proposal Costs (Add Line 1, 2(a): $

11 APPENDIX B CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO G.L c.62c, 49A Under the pains and penalties of perjury, I certify, as required by General Laws, Chapter 62C, Section 49A, that: Name of Corporation, Partnership, or Sole Proprietorship has complied with all laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts relating to taxes, reporting of employees and contractors, and withholding and remitting child support. The successful Proposer also agrees to provide the Board at closing a certificate of good standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Signature Title (duly authorized)

12 APPENDIX C CERTIFICATE OF NON-COLLUSION The undersigned certifies under penalties of perjury that this bid or proposal has been made and submitted in good faith and without collusion or fraud with any other person. As used in this certification, the word person shall mean any natural person, business, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club, or other organization, entity, or group of individuals. (Signature of individual submitting bid or proposal): (Name of business) :

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