Independent IT Quality Assurance (QA) Services for Project and Portfolio Management Information System (PROMIS)

Transcription

1 P.O. Box 3529 Portland, Oregon REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Independent IT Quality Assurance (QA) Services for Project and Portfolio Management Information System (PROMIS) SOLICITATION NUMBER January 28, 2015 Single Point of Contact (See Section 1.3): Ms. Margaret Marriott, CPPB Phone: PROPOSALS DUE: NOT LATER THAN 11:00 A.M., February 19, 2015 LATE PROPOSALS MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED NOTE: A pre-proposal conference will not be held.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. OVERVIEW Introduction RFP Schedule Single Point of Contact Background Scope of Services Minimum Requirements PROPOSAL PROCESS General Pre-Proposal Interpretation of Contract Documents Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Public Disclosure of Proposals Submission of Proposals Protests PROPOSAL CONTENT AND EVALUATION CRITERIA Preparation Format EVALUATION PROCEDURES Competitive Range Evaluation Team Members Presentations, Demonstrations, Interviews Best and Final Offers Scope and Compensation Negotiations...14 Schedule A Schedule B Schedule C Schedule D Schedule E Statement of Work Affidavit of Trade Secret Affidavit of Tax Compliance Sample Contract Proposal Form Solicitation Number Page i

3 1. OVERVIEW 1.1 Introduction The Port of Portland (Port) is soliciting proposals from experienced firms capable of providing Independent IT Quality Assurance (QA) Services for the implementation phase of its Project Management Information System Project ( Project ). The selected firm shall serve as the QA Contractor for the Project, reporting directly to the Project Sponsor. The Port estimates a budget of approximately $150,000 for the Project. 1.2 RFP Schedule Deadlines The following schedule is tentative and subject to change at the Port s sole discretion: January 28, 2015 RFP advertised February 12, 2015 Question and answer (Q&A) period ends February 19, :00 a.m. deadline for receipt of proposals March 18, 2015 Interviews (if required) March 31, 2015 Selection of apparent successful provider announced April 7, 2015 Award protest period ends April 15, 2015 Contract begins 1.3 Single Point of Contact Ms. Margaret Marriott, CPPB, is the solicitation manager for this Request for Proposals (RFP) and is the single point of contact (SPC) for potential providers during the RFP process (refer to for information on questions). Contact with other Port employees, officials, or representatives regarding this RFP, including without limitation any attempt to influence a member of the evaluation team (refer to Section 2, Section 3, and Section 4 below for information on the evaluation team), is not unauthorized. Such unauthorized conduct by a provider will be grounds for immediate rejection of its proposal. 1.4 Background The Port owns Portland International Airport (PDX), two general aviation airports, multiple retail centers, four marine terminals, five industrial parks, and has a dredging operation in the Columbia River. Over the next five years the Port s capital program will total approximately $1 billion for aviation and non-aviation purposes. The Port utilizes a variety of funding mechanisms including revenue bonds, passenger facility charges, and grants. Over the past five years the Port has made significant capital investments at PDX and remains committed to growing sustainably and enhancing the region s economy and quality of life by providing efficient cargo and air passenger access to national and global markets. The Port s centralized Project Portfolio Office (PPO), established in 2011, sets the standards for project management. The PPO will be implementing a recently selected commercially available technology system, Aurigo Software Technologies Masterworks, as its Project and Portfolio Management Information System ( ProMIS ). This vendor-supplied and supported ProMIS is Solicitation Number Page 1 of 14

4 configurable to meet the operational needs of the Port. The ProMIS will manage the Port s portfolio of capital and other projects, handle project documents, schedule resources, administer funding sources, and process construction contracts. The Port currently has a variety of disparate systems and processes used to meet its project and portfolio management needs and will be consolidating these processes into the comprehensive and integrated ProMIS solution. There are a number of gaps in existing Port processes which are intended to be filled by the ProMIS. 1.5 Scope of Services The Port s IT Department requires QA Services for the Project within the scope of the IT QA Statement of Work (Schedule A). The Appendices included in Schedule A are provided as examples. Proposers should detail their own QA format and explain how it meets the requirements of this Section 1.5 (include as part of proposal in Section (c). The following table depicts the QA Tasks that the Program will authorize. IT QA Scope of Work Implementation Phase Only Task 1: Quality Management Planning Task 2: Quality Control (QC) Task 3: Quality Assurance (QA) Task 4: Risk Assessment The Port anticipates the following Deliverables to be authorized during the Project at its sole option: TASK 1 DELIVERABLE SUMMARY: QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING Deliverable Number Deliverable Description Optional or Required Required Due Date 1.1 Quality Standards Operational Contract Start + 30 Business Days Definitions Report 1.2 Quality Checklists Required Contract Start + 30 Business Days 1.3 Quality Management Plan Required Contract Start + 30 Business Days 1.4 Baseline Project Plan Required Contract Start + 30 Business Days Internal/External presentations and Special Requests Lessons Learned Report Project Evaluation Optional TBD by subsequent task release order or WOC amendment Required Port acceptance of final Implementation Contractor deliverable + 30 Business Days TASK 2 DELIVERABLE SUMMARY: QUALITY CONTROL Deliverable Number Deliverable Description 2.1 Quality Control Reviews Project Status Materials Monthly Project Health Report Project Budget Reports Optional or Due Date Required Required Approximately every four (4) weeks Solicitation Number Page 2 of 14

5 Deliverable Number Deliverable Description Optional or Required Due Date Requirements and Delivered Solutions Data Conversion Plans System Testing & Acceptance Plans 2.2a Quality Status Reporting and Tracking Required Approximately every four (4) weeks TASK 3 DELIVERABLE SUMMARY: QUALITY ASSURANCE 3.1 Deliverable Number 3.1.6a 3.1.6b Deliverable Description Optional or Required Due Date Monthly QA Status and Improvement Required Approximately every four (4) Reports / Presentations weeks Project Assessment Report Required Approximately every four (4) weeks Project Budget & Schedule Variance Report TASK 4 DELIVERABLES: RISK ASSESSMENT Deliverable Number Deliverable Description Required Approximately every four (4) weeks Optional or Required Due Date 4.1 Initial Project Risk Assessment Report Required Contract Start + 20 Business Days On-Going Risk Notification Report Required As needed. Written report three 4.2 (3) days after verbal notification. 3.1 Key Project Requirements and Conditions The ProMIS will manage the end-to-end processes associated with the project lifecycle, from pre-initiation and initiation, through preliminary planning, into deployment, construction, and final closeout. The ProMIS will manage portfolios of projects, handle project documents using automated workflows and approvals, schedule resources, administer funding sources, and process construction contracts. The ProMIS will be the single source of information for Port projects and portfolios and will surface that information via configurable dashboards and reports. The ProMIS vendor, Aurigo Software Technologies Inc., (Implementation Contractor), will work with designated Port staff to configure and implement its ProMIS application. The Implementation Contractor will also work with Port staff to develop and implement interfaces to existing Port systems as needed in conjunction with the deployment of the ProMIS product. System implementation and training will occur in a phased approach based on a modular deployment schedule. The modules each will be fully functional applications to the parent enterprise application. Each module will provide specific functionality (e.g. Project Management, Construction Management, Grant Management) that can be configured and independently deployed into production. The Implementation Contractor has designated a Project Manager (PM) who has been assigned for the duration of the project as the single point of contact for the Port PM. The Port PM will be responsible for all aspects of the project work effort including project management, Solicitation Number Page 3 of 14

6 administration, coordination, resource allocation, status meetings, other necessary meetings and meeting summaries. The Implementation Contractor PM will be responsible for managing the contracted work effort and will report directly to the Port PM. The Implementation Contractor PM will be responsible for invoicing, contractor project reporting, and any subcontractor management. The Port s current schedule has the Implementation Contractor assisting the Port for a duration of approximately 32 months to support the phased implementation of several individual software modules. The implementation is currently scheduled to run March 2015 through June, The Port will be leveraging a Software as a Service (SaaS) implementation therefore it is anticipated that no specific backend system infrastructure (server and database hardware and software) will be installed at Port facilities. 1.6 Minimum Requirements QA Contractor IT Project Experience It is essential that the Project engage a QA Contractor with proven experience related to complex Information Technology (IT) implementation project work. Moreover, the QA Contractor must have the capability to provide Key Persons and subject matter experts with specific experience in IT project work. Describe how your firm meets these requirements in Sections and below. Solicitation Number Page 4 of 14

7 2. PROPOSAL PROCESS 2.1 General Evaluation Proposals will be evaluated by a Port evaluation team. The evaluation will be in accordance with Section 3.2.2, Required Submissions and Evaluation Criteria, and may include requests by the team for additional information, oral discussions, site visits, and inquiries into the experience and responsibility of the provider No Obligation to Award; Costs; Cancellation or Rejection The issuance of this RFP, and the receipt and evaluation of proposals does not obligate the Port to award a contract. The Port will not pay any costs incurred in responding to this RFP. The Port may cancel this RFP or reject any or all proposals in accordance with ORS 279B Commencement of Work The successful provider may not commence work until receipt of a fully executed contract Questions All questions relating to this RFP must be posed through the Port s online bidding system at through the Business Opportunities vendor portal. Questions received fewer than five (5) business days prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals may not be considered. 2.2 Pre-Proposal Interpretation of Contract Documents Changes to RFP The Port reserves the right to make changes to the RFP. Changes will be made by written addendum which will be issued to all prospective providers on the Port s list of RFP holders Prospective providers may request or suggest any change to the RFP by submitting a written request, at through the Business Opportunities vendor portal. The request shall specify the RFP provision in question, and contain an explanation for the requested change. The request must be submitted at least five (5) calendar days prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals The evaluation team will evaluate all requests submitted, but reserves the right to determine whether to accept the requested change Amend or Withdraw Proposal A provider may amend or withdraw its proposal any time prior to the time and date established for proposal submission. 2.3 Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing A provider may agree in its proposal to extend identical prices and services under the same terms and conditions to all purchasing contracting agencies, as such term is defined in ORS 279A.200(1)(h). Quantities stated in the proposal must reflect the Port s usage only. Each participating agency will execute its own contract with the Provider for its requirements. Any provider, by written notification included with its proposal, may decline to extend the prices and terms of this proposal to any and/or all other public agencies. Solicitation Number Page 5 of 14

8 2.4 Public Disclosure of Proposals General Rules Oregon Public Records Law. Pursuant to the Oregon Public Records Law (ORS to ), any information provided to the Port pursuant to this RFP is subject to public disclosure in response to a public records request Oregon Public Contracting Code Disclosure Limitations. Consistent with ORS 279B.060(6)(a), the Port: (i) does not make proposals open for public inspection until after the notice of intent to award a contract is issued; and (ii) at the Port s election, may open proposals in a manner to avoid disclosing contents to competing proposers during the process of negotiation (except that the Port will make available the identity of all proposers after the proposals are opened) Exemptions from Disclosure Exemptions Generally. The general public disclosure requirement under the Oregon Public Records Law is subject to a number of exemptions. The Port advises each proposer to reference the Oregon Public Records Law and to consult with its own legal counsel regarding public records issues prior to submitting a proposal Trade Secrets. Consistent with ORS 279B.060(6)(b), after the Port issues notice of intent to award the Port may withhold from disclosure certain, specific information within a proposal that is exempt from disclosure as trade secrets under ORS (2). Such information must be properly marked in accordance with Section below and remains subject to disclosure as described in Section below Information Submitted in Confidence. Unless expressly provided otherwise in this RFP or in a separate written communication from an authorized representative of the Port, the Port does not oblige itself to withhold from public disclosure any proposal information submitted in confidence as provided under ORS (4) unless the information is otherwise exempt from disclosure under Oregon law. The Port considers proposals submitted in response to this RFP to be submitted in confidence only until the Port completes its evaluation of all proposals and publicly announces the results Properly Marking Information Believed to be Exempt Generally. If a provider believes that any specific information within its proposal is exempt from disclosure under the Oregon Public Records Law, the provider must: (i) prominently mark all such specific information as exempt in its proposal; and (ii) submit a duplicate copy of its complete proposal, with only the specific information that the provider believes is exempt redacted such that it is not legible to readers. Marking the entire proposal as exempt from disclosure, or marking lengthy passages as exempt in a blanket manner, is not acceptable and the Port may consider such proposals to be improperly marked (refer to Section below regarding improperly marked proposals). When exempt information is mixed with nonexempt information, the nonexempt information must be disclosed. The Port reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether a proposal has been properly marked to assert exemptions from disclosure Trade Secrets. If a provider believes that any specific information within its proposal is exempt from disclosure as a trade secret under ORS (2), then in addition to meeting the proposal marking and submission requirements set forth in Section above Solicitation Number Page 6 of 14

9 the provider must complete and submit with its proposal an Affidavit of Trade Secret in the form attached as Schedule B Improperly Marked Proposals The fact that a provider marks information in its proposal as exempt from disclosure does not necessarily mean that the information is exempt. Upon the receipt of a public records request, the Port will make an independent determination regarding the applicability of exemptions that have been asserted in properly marked proposals. Providers are cautioned that improperly marked proposals are subject to disclosure in their entirety, without any independent review by the Port and without notice to the provider. If a provider fails to identify information in a proposal that the provider believes is exempt from disclosure, the provider waives any future claim that such information is exempt. 2.5 Submission of Proposals Requirements Each provider s submission in response to this RFP must: Include one original (marked as such), 5 copies of the original, and one copy in Microsoft or Adobe format on CD-ROM; If applicable pursuant to Section above, include one duplicate, redacted copy of the complete proposal, as provided in such subsection; If applicable pursuant to Section above, include one completed Certificate of Trade Secret form, as provided in such subsection; Include a complete and notarized Affidavit of Compliance with Tax Laws, in the form attached as Schedule C Affidavit of Tax Compliance Be submitted in a sealed envelope that is plainly marked with the solicitation number and Proposal to Provide Independent IT Quality Assurance (QA) Services, and that bears the provider s name and address; and Be received by the Port s Contracts and Procurement Manager, Craig Johnsen, at 7200 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, OR (mailing address: PO Box 3529, Portland, OR 97208). The Port, at its option, may decline to consider late submissions Period of Irrevocability Proposals will be offers that are irrevocable for a period of sixty (60) days after the time and date proposals are due. Proposals must contain the name, address and telephone number of an individual or individuals with authority to bind the company during the period in which the proposal will be evaluated. 2.6 Protests Protest Submission A provider or prospective provider who wishes to object to or protest any aspect of this procurement as provided under ORS Chapter 279B, including but not limited to, Matters that are apparent on the face of the solicitation documents (such as the Scope of Services, specifications, and contract form attached as Schedule D Sample Contract) and the award of the contract must deliver a written protest to the Manager of Contracts and Procurement, 7200 N.E. Airport Way, Solicitation Number Page 7 of 14

10 Portland, OR 97218; mailing address, PO Box 3529, Portland, OR 97208; or via facsimile to (503) A protest is delivered for the purposes of this paragraph when it is actually received by the Port s Contracts and Procurement Department Staff Protest Content; Incomplete Protests; Port Investigation and Response A protest will be deemed to include only the documents timely delivered pursuant to this paragraph. It must identify the prospective provider s name and contact information, and be sent by an authorized representative of the provider. It must contain all information required for protests under ORS Chapter 279B, clearly state all grounds for the protest and the relief sought, and include all supporting evidence, in the form of physical evidence, documents, or affidavits. The Port reserves the right to decline to consider protests that do not include the required information. The Port may investigate as it deems appropriate in reviewing the protest, and will issue a written decision in response to the protest Timeliness Matters that are Apparent on the Face of the Solicitation If the protest relates to matters that are apparent on the face of the solicitation documents or that are otherwise known or should have been known to the protester, the protest must be delivered no fewer than five (5) business days prior to the deadline for the Port s receipt of proposals Other Matters (including Contract Award). If the protest relates to other matters, including but not limited to the award of the contract, it must be delivered as soon as possible, and in no event more than five (5) business days, after the protester knows or reasonably should have known of the award of the contract, the Port s intent to award the contract, or other matters to which the protest is addressed If the Port receives only one proposal, the Port may dispense with the intent to award protest period and proceed with negotiations and award Untimely Protests The Port reserves the right to decline to review untimely protests Right to Protest Contract Award (Specifically) In addition to meeting the other protest requirements set forth in this RFP, a provider may only protest the award of the contract (or notice of intent to award the contract, whichever occurs first), if the provider is adversely affected because the provider would be eligible to be awarded the contract in the event the protest was successful and the reason for the protest is one of the reasons specified in ORS 279B.410(1)(b) Appeal Rights If a protester disagrees with the written decision issued by Port s Manager of Contracts and Procurement, the protester may appeal in writing to the Port s Executive Director. The written appeal must clearly state the grounds on which the provider believes the Port s protest decision should be overturned, and must include all legal arguments and all evidence in support of the appeal, in the form of physical evidence, documents, or affidavits. The written appeal must be received by the Executive Director, Port of Portland, 7200 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, OR (mailing address P.O. Box 3529, Portland, OR 97208), within five (5) business days after the protester s receipt of the written decision issued by Port s Manager of Contracts and Solicitation Number Page 8 of 14

11 Procurement. The Executive Director will issue a written decision to the protest. The Executive Director may decline to consider a late appeal Action after Denial of Protest and Appeal The Port may proceed with the procurement after denial of the protest or denial of the appeal, including but not limited to contract award, execution, and performance. Solicitation Number Page 9 of 14

12 3. PROPOSAL CONTENT AND EVALUATION CRITERIA 3.1 Preparation Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the provider s ability to satisfy the requirements of this RFP. Responses to each section and subsection should be labeled to indicate the item being addressed. Submissions of technical literature, display charts, or other supplemental materials are the responsibility and within the discretion of the provider. The Port will not be liable for any expense incurred in the preparation of proposals. Firms interested in being considered for this work must submit the following written information for review by the evaluation team Providers are encouraged to provide complete information in their written proposals. However, except as provided otherwise below, a proposal response to section shall be in a font size no smaller than 10 points. Each side of a sheet of paper is considered one page. Double-sided printing of the hard copy proposal documents is encouraged. Pages should be numbered consecutively and fastened in the upper left-hand corner only. There should be no other bindings, such as comb-binders, presentation folders; 3-ring binders, etc. 3.2 Format Proposals shall conform to the following format: Part I - Proposal Form Providers must complete the Proposal Form Schedule E and include it as the first page of their proposal Part II - Required Submissions and Evaluation Criteria In addition to the required Section above, providers must submit information that enable the Port s evaluation team to evaluate proposals based upon the criteria shown below. If no criteria weighting is shown, then the criteria are listed in their relative order of importance. Although some of the criteria may be given more weight than others, each provider is expected to provide the Port with a comprehensive proposal which allows the Port to do a complete evaluation against the criteria Organizational Capacity and Experience - Weight 25% (a) Summarize Proposer s business experience, including the following: 1. How long has been in its current business form, and any relationships with parent companies, subsidiaries, or subcontractors, and major product offerings. 2. The number of years in the QA service business for Information Technology customers. 3. Demonstrated expertise in the QA service business for Information Technology customers. 4. Total staffing resources available (including staff, contractors, and alliance partners/potential subcontractors). Solicitation Number Page 10 of 14

13 (b) Summarize Proposer s business experience, including the number of QA service deployments over the last three years, both completed and pending. Provide customer name(s) and location(s), and a description of the deployed services and their actual or planned duration. Relate to Section References as appropriate Project Approach and Methodology - Weight 30% (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Provide an Executive Summary, i.e., a high level narrative description, of your firm s approach for addressing the requirements defined in the Statement of Work in Schedule A. Demonstrate how the identified tasks and deliverables will be accomplished. Appropriate samples or examples of comparable prior work must be included as Addenda to the Proposal; Describe your firm s approach to deliver the required Quality Planning, Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Risk Management Services throughout the Project lifecycle, and identify the products and services being offered to implement the approach; Describe how your firm will approach customization of the report templates (Schedule A, Appendices A E) to meet Port/Project needs; Summarize your firm s understanding of the expressed Project and Portfolio Management Information System needs, and identify and describe your firm s strategies for how Services will be delivered, including without limitation any proposed subcontracts; Please identify what risks your firm anticipates as part of this Project. For each risk that is identified please describe the mitigation strategy including the role the Port and the successful Proposer would be required to take; Describe how your firm adheres to industry best practices Key Persons and Staffing Approach - Weight 25% (a) (b) Describe your proposed staffing approach for Project work. The Port is particularly interested in learning about how your firm intends to sustain the required personnel experience and qualifications throughout the duration of the engagement; Specify Key Persons to be assigned, roles to which they will be assigned, and include a resume for each proposed Key Person that demonstrates qualifications and experience for the requested Services. At minimum, the following information must be included in the resumes: 1. Full name; 2. Proposed role, description of duties/responsibilities thereunder, and anticipated duration of involvement during the engagement(s); 3. Education, including degrees and relevant certifications, and the institution from which they were obtained; 4. Years of experience and employment history particularly as it relates to the requested Services; Solicitation Number Page 11 of 14

14 (c) (d) (e) 5. Names and locations of employers for at least the past three (3) years, including the dates; 6. Specify the employment status of each Key Person (e.g., subcontractor, Proposer employee, etc.); 7. Location from where the Key Person is proposed to perform applicable Services (e.g., Port headquarters facility, remote Contractor facility, offsite facility). Submit an organization chart that addresses all services in firm s Proposal and includes all proposed Key Persons (identified by name). The chart must show the functional structure of the organization and the flow of the chain of command with lines to identify persons who are responsible for major functions; If subcontractors are proposed to provide one or more components of the requested Services, provide a list of the services and which organizations or subcontractors will provide them. Describe how the products and services are integrated. For each proposed subcontractor, Proposer must provide the following information: 1. Subcontracting firm name; 2. Complete address of the proposed subcontractor; 3. Services to be provided by the proposed subcontractor; 4. Number of years of Proposer s direct collaboration with the proposed subcontractor; 5. Percentage of total services the proposed subcontractor will be providing; 6. A written statement, signed by a representative authorized to bind the proposed subcontractor, that states that the proposed subcontractor is committed to rendering the Services required by this RFP; 7. A written statement indicating the number of subcontracting employees who are directly involved with the project and percentage of work on the overall project expected to be completed by the subcontractor. State where and how the proposal deviates from the general requirements of the RFP Cost/Fees Weight 20% (a) Submit a cost proposal in a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet format providing the maximumnot-to-exceed cost for each Deliverable that the Port may authorize under the Statement of Work during the course of the Project. Cost proposals should be inclusive of all travel and other reimbursable expenses. Solicitation Number Page 12 of 14

15 Small Business Participation Program - Weight 15% (a) The Port is committed to increasing small business participation in Port contracts. The Port defines small business as a for-profit small business enterprise that has been certified by the Oregon State Office of Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Business (OMWESB) or by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women s Business Enterprises (OMWBE). The Port defines certified small business enterprises as inclusive of minority-owned business enterprises (MBE), women-owned business enterprises (WBE), emerging small businesses (ESB), and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE). Directories of certified firms are available at the following websites: gon4biz&xid=2748 (Oregon) (Washington) (b) For fiscal year , the Port s overall small business participation target is 10 percent participation by small businesses as a percent of contract dollars awarded directly and as subcontracts; and 25 percent participation of small businesses as a percent by the total number of contracts awarded directly and as subcontracts. The Provider s ability to help the Port achieve its small business participation target will be considered during the Port s evaluation of proposals. The proposal shall address the following: (i) (ii) (iii) Is the provider certified as a small business as that term is defined in the subsection above? Provide a narrative description of the provider s experience in promoting small business participation as partners, subcontractors, or suppliers on previous projects. Describe any innovative or successful measures that the provider has undertaken to increase small business participation on projects. Include a list of small businesses with which the provider s firm has had a contractual relationship during the last 12 months. Prescribe portions of the work the provider will subcontract, and identify work items that could be performed by small businesses. Describe the actions and strategies the provider will take to increase small business participation in this work. Include names of small businesses that will be subcontractors on this project and identify/describe what work scopes the named small business subcontractors will perform References (not weighted, but used to verify information provided in the proposal). Provide the names and current contact information of three references having direct knowledge of the provider s work related to this RFP. Proposers shall provide a completed Reference List detailing their successful experience, and that of their proposed Key Persons, subject matter experts and independent contractors, in delivering quality control and assurance services regarding IT software implementation projects. List the business name, contact person (including phone number and ), the dates of service, and a brief summary of the project (including outcomes). Designated Port staff may contact these clients for references. Proposers must declare whether services were terminated early, and include an explanation as to why. The Port has a preference for references that relate to projects/programs/initiatives in which Proposers were responsible for performing services comparable to those required in this RFP. Solicitation Number Page 13 of 14

16 4. EVALUATION PROCEDURES 4.1 Competitive Range An evaluation team will determine which proposals are within the competitive range in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section 3. Only those proposals determined to be within the competitive range will be considered for award. 4.2 Evaluation Team Members One or more evaluation team members may conduct an initial evaluation of all proposals, using the evaluation criteria set forth in Section 3, and may identify a subset of proposals as finalists for further evaluation by the evaluation team After the initial evaluation, members of the evaluation team may perform any of their functions individually, or as a group consisting of two or more evaluation team members If particular functions are performed by individual evaluation team members or by a group consisting of less than the full evaluation team, the evaluation team members performing the functions shall report to the full team a summary of the information gathered or conclusions reached A report of final evaluation results and any recommendation regarding award of a contract may be made to the Executive Director or the Executive Director s designee without the participation of all evaluation team members, provided that a majority of evaluation team members participate. 4.3 Presentations, Demonstrations, Interviews Selected providers may be invited to participate in a presentation, demonstration or interview stage of the evaluation process. Depending upon the specific situation, providers may be requested to provide a topic-specific presentation, a product demonstration, or to respond in person to questions related specifically to their proposals and other pertinent matters with respect to the RFP. 4.4 Best and Final Offers The Port reserves the right to request best-and-final-offers from the highest ranked providers. Specific instructions of submitting best and final offers, in deemed necessary, will be communicated to the highest ranked providers by the SPC. 4.5 Scope and Compensation Negotiations The Port will identify the highest ranked provider based on its qualifications using the procedures set forth above in Section 2. The Port and the highest ranked provider will mutually discuss and refine the scope of services for the project and negotiate conditions, including but not limited to compensation level and performance schedule, based on the scope of services. The compensation level paid must be reasonable and fair to the Port as determined solely by the Port. If the Port and the highest ranked provider are unable for any reason to negotiate a contract at a compensation level that is reasonable and fair to the Port, the Port may choose to terminate those negations and enter into negotiations with the next highest ranked firm. If the Port intends to award more than one contract under this RFP and selects multiple candidates for such awards, the negotiation process described in this subsection will apply to each of the identified candidates. Solicitation Number Page 14 of 14