Request For Information - A New Hampshire State Trading Administration

Transcription

1 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Resources and Economic Development Division of Economic Development Consisting of: A. Business Resource Center B. International Trade Resource Center REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR: Client Relationship Management Software ISSUED: March 24, 2006

2 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1. PURPOSE The State of New Hampshire is releasing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information for a future procurement of a commercial and customizable off the shelf (COTS) software package for the Division of Economic Development (DED). The Division seeks a product allowing users to input and access client information on one database to be shared between four programs at three locations. The software will also provide a client bid-match service for federal contracting purposes and produce reports meeting federal government requirements for time tracking and allocation. Concise, conceptual responses are sought which will inform the DED leadership of the options available, estimates of cost and implementation timeframes. The State seeks to gain a better understanding of the available approaches; therefore, responses are being solicited from a wide range of respondents in accordance with the objectives and parameters established in this document. Vendors may submit a response that includes one or more proposed solutions; however, responses should separately address all applicable information sought in Section 4.5 of this RFI as it pertains to each solution. The State s preliminary objectives for a Client Relationship Management (CRM) Database include: Retain best concepts and features of Wincats and Act (current programs) Streamline program operations: Seek ways to automate or streamline data entry. Streamline screen navigation. Provide better operational reporting. Provide better management and administrative reporting (MARs). Provide market trend analysis Explore expanding access for off-site (Internet) access for additional users Seamlessly integrate with existing scheduling, word processing and spreadsheet software RFI OBJECTIVES Evaluate vendor supplied information to conduct a comparative analysis of the possible solutions, to aid in determining the optimal approach to providing a CRM database for the Division Identify possible automated solutions for improved management of essential economic development activities Identify new CRM technology, best practices and business initiatives to be considered in the CRM database development planning process Identify new uses for data.

3 1.3. LIABILITY This RFI has been issued to obtain information only and is not intended to result in a contract or vendor agreement with any respondent. The State is seeking vendor community insight and information prior to finalizing business, functional, operational, and technical requirements for a Request for Proposal (RFP). This solicitation for information does not commit the State to publish a RFP or award a contract. The State shall not be held liable for any costs incurred by the Vendor in the preparation of its response. The issuance of a RFP as a result of information gathered from these responses is solely at the discretion of the State. Should an RFP be issued, it will be open to qualified vendors, whether or not those vendors chose to submit a response to this RFI. The RFI is not a pre-qualification process. 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The NH Division of Economic Development provides a wide range of services to New Hampshire businesses regarding all phases of business creation and sustainability. The Division serves as the clearinghouse to direct business participants to resources focusing upon retention, recruitment, financing, procurement, international trade and workforce services. Being able to provide comprehensive assistance born of strong communication between the staff is what makes the Division an effective instrument for promoting the New Hampshire economic development goals. The Division includes the International Trade Resource Center, which is located in Portsmouth, and the Business Resource Center (BRC), which is located in Concord. Within the BRC is the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP). Both Centers, which have at total of 30 staff members, maintain client information databases. Herein, any reference to the Division, either of its two (2) Centers, or Programs within the Center, are references to an integrated organization with non-integrated data. The DED services NH businesses by providing: Assistance with business recruitment, start-up, and placement Assistance in working with all facets of state, federal and local governments Assistance to businesses interested in entering the field of Federal and State procurement Assistance in issues of international trade Rapid response to businesses faced with layoffs or similar job actions The type of information that is currently collected includes data obtained from: Clients/Contacts interested in business services and business expansion The DED collects data from businesses looking to expand or to address specific needs. Additionally, a major focus is upon in-state and out of state companies that are looking to site their operations in NH. Currently, such information is collected through the Act2000 database. The database is limited in function, does not easily allow sharing of data, and is fraught with redundancies. Clients/Contacts interested in federal and state procurement opportunities The NH PTAP encourages NH businesses to participate in solicitations at the federal, state, and local level. Information regarding solicitations is received through an online service provided by Softshare, which is then sent to clients in a manner 3/24/2006 2

4 consistent with the pre-provided company profile. The software, Wincats, is a full contact management database that also provides mandatory reporting; however, the current scope of the product has limited application to the rest of the Division. Clients/Contacts interested in International Trade Data is collected on all of the data mentioned previously, in addition to country specific data. Of all the groups, the Office of International Trade (OIC) is probably using the most rudimentary of databases to collect a diversity of information, but has some of the more specialized and customizable needs. Clients/Contacts resulting from rapid response At the point that companies face critical events, such as layoffs or shutdowns, staff is mobilized to collect as much data regarding the operations so that services can be tailored to the particular client and employee needs. Currently, the data is housed in the Act2000 database, however, the program depends upon the data collected from all of the programs. The Department is releasing this RFI in order to obtain a commercial off the shelf product that can be customized to integrate input and collection requirements of four separate business development programs within DED while maintaining the integral database functions, bid match notifications, and federal reporting formats inherent in a currently employed Softshare database/service. The intent is to share information among the Division programs based upon common identifiers (e.g., company, location) such that members from all of the programs housed within the Business Resource Center are informed of all levels of client contact. The sharing of information will lead to a delivery of streamlined services to our customers by increasing inter-staff awareness of client related activities and eliminating redundant entries/activities. The research gathered through the RFI process will be the foundation of the requirements included in a future request for proposal. The Division anticipates evaluating a future vendor upon its ability to recognize and customize a program based upon the similarities and differences (e.g., varied levels of confidentiality) inherent in all of the programs. As client services drive schedules and actions, smooth integration with scheduling and application software is essential. The State is considering the merits of the following solutions: A Client Management Database located on an existing server within the Department of Resources and Economic Development, or A Client Management Database located on an external server hosted by a vendor. 2.1 THE DIVISION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT-CLIENT MANAGEMENT DATABASE (CMD) The focal point of this RFI is the need for New Hampshire to develop a Client Management Database for the Business Resource Center, located within the Division of Economic Development. Currently, most of the programs detailed in this RFI use two separate versions of ACT, a commercial contact management database, as the primary means for managing client contacts and recording activities. The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), maintains a client/reporting database (Wincats) that is produced by Softshare. The PTAP contracts with 3/24/2006 3

5 Softshare to receive daily updates of federal solicitations, which are in turn distributed to clients in a highly tailored bid match service. Softshare also provides the PTAP with the federally preferred formats and information required by the Department of Defense. 3. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS 3.1. A Client Relationship Management Database located on an existing server within the Department of Resources and Economic Development, or 3.2. A Client Relationship Management Database located on an external server hosted by a vendor. All proposed solutions should address the following State requirements: The need to meet all federal data collection and reporting requirements for appropriate federal grants and contracts administered by the Division or a Center. The ability to share client data between members of the DED. Flexible design in anticipation of expected changes in the future, including possible expansion via the internet to additional field users. 4. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS 4.1. RESPONSE SUBMISSION AND DUE DATE Vendors are requested to submit their response by April 24, Please provide five hard copies of your response to: Christopher S. Way, Program Manager Procurement Technical Assistance Program Department of Resources and Economic Development 172 Pembroke Road Concord, NH SCHEDULE OF EVENTS DATE March 24, 2006 April 24, 2006 Week of May 15, 2006 EVENT RFI Issued Vendor responses due Conduct Presentations The RFI is posted at The DED Project Development Team leading this effort will review the responses. Vendors may or may not be contacted to provide an oral presentation of their solution. 3/24/2006 4

6 4.3. RFI INQUIRIES For inquiries regarding this RFI, please contact: 4.4. VENDOR CONTACT Christopher S. Way, Program Manager Procurement Technical Assistance Program Telephone: (603) Please provide a main contact name, address, address, and telephone number in each response REQUESTED INFORMATION The State is seeking a better understanding in the areas listed below. Please respond concisely and completely. Base responses on current, not planned capabilities Briefly describe the vendor s organization, client base, financial stability and history. Please keep generalized marketing material to a minimum Please describe how the proposed product solution could allow the complete sharing of client contact information between four separate programs (PTAP, OIC, Business Retention, and Business Recruitment) Include details of the proposed software solution including database management system, licensed software for data retrieval and reporting, proposed approach to developing the custom-built software components, and, when appropriate, compatibility with other state systems software The State is interested in a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the comparative costs of the two probable scenarios, which have been identified in section three ( ). Please state your analysis/recommendations for one or all of the proposed scenarios Every project has certain inherent risks. Describe the significant risk factors associated with your solution and how you would mitigate them Describe any experience/expertise specific to State/Organization Economic Development related databases Provide your experience with adherence to State standards, minimization of impact on State staff, minimization of impact on providers and recipients Please describe your recommended approach to converting data from the existing databases (e.g., ACT, Wincats) to its successor. In doing so, describe your basic strategy and the specific tasks to be undertaken to execute the conversion. 3/24/2006 5

7 4.5.9 Please provide a description of the ongoing cost for maintaining your solution post deployment. Give specific information as to the numbers and types of resources required to maintain the solution Provide an overview of the technology and service offerings that you currently provide. Provide a breakdown of the number of customers served currently by your various product offerings Describe savings you have achieved with other state economic development authorities or commercial accounts as a result of your services/product The preferable platform will be Oracle or SQL. Describe the platform that your system operates on (database, code base, etc.). Describe any wraparound systems that you offer to augment the claims payment function such as front-end document imaging, OCR, claims re-bundling, credentialing, or medical management. If any of these systems are third party systems, please note Describe any technology that you have used to address the challenges inherent in meeting the demands of an environment consisting of constant regulatory and technological changes, with expanding requirements for data sharing. The State s specific interests include: new technologies/architectures developed and implemented for economic development or other related programs that resulted in program savings, greater staff efficiency, web functionality error reduction, and similar benefits; development strategies and technology that achieve a rapid turnaround time for incorporating regulatory changes The State considers this to be a complex project that may span an extended period of time and requires both capability and commitment from a vendor. The State is interested in gaining a better understanding of your approaches to managing a similar project. Because the State is familiar with standard system development methodologies, the preferred emphasis should be on an explanation of the rationale for timeline decisions and insight into your strategies and concerns for managing the timeline Please provide suggestions and considerations for the State to evaluate as we develop the cost model and associated evaluation criteria. Describe your pricing/reimbursement methodology(ies). Include costs and suggestions for implementation, hardware or data lines, upfront licensing, ongoing licensing, and maintenance and support. Include a copy of your boiler plate customer contractual agreement Provide estimated costs, implementation time frames, and resources necessary for the solution that you propose to be most advantageous If the bid that you provided needed to be reduced by 5%, 10%, or 15%, identify areas that you would recommend be trimmed or eliminated to meet the required bid reduction Please describe your recommended approach for the training of employees to ensure that all are proficient in the usage of the software and the creation of reports. 3/24/2006 6

8 Please describe the services available for onsite support for the project for a period of two years from the point of successful installation of the product. Additionally, please detail the routes of communication by which staff support can be efficiently obtained Please describe how the database will interface with current internal databases (mostly access based), one of which is used to provide standardized information to the Federal Government. In particular, the Center utilizes Softshare to populate the data included in the database program called Wincats Please provide suggestions and considerations as to how the product could extract information from online activities, such as surveys, questionnaires, and registrations. Also provide thoughts and cost estimates for creating web based services, such as online surveys and registrations, as well as a database of NH companies that is publicly accessible and searchable by product key words and/or product codes (i.e. SIC, HS, NAICS) Please describe your recommended approach for providing the following essential database features: Product mail merge features The feature of using previously stored information to auto fill fields with choices for entry At a minimum, the product should include all of the fields present in the current databases. A minimal field set is included in a sample report as an attachment to this RFI. This includes multiple fields for business contacts, communication information, and user defined fields, with a degree of flexibility for the administrator to create additional fields Ability to access client information simultaneously with the offer of read only when the file is being accessed by another user Wildcard data searches Customizable reports, as well as standard reports required by other state and federal programs for the purpose of program measurement and billing. Examples of one such report (e.g., the PTAP 1806) can be found in attachment A Full remote access via the internet for state employees using a secure logon procedure Providing bid match information to clients by interfacing with the online subscription service provided by the Softshare data service Time tracking functions that integrate with Microsoft Outlook, and allow for allocation to projects and staff, with the ability to add subgroups (e.g., NAICS codes) A dashboard feature which presents real time information and is customizable by the user Tracking of referrals to and from the business units and to other external sources. 3/24/2006 7

9 Compatibility with existing telecommunications and networking devices, to include Pocket PCs, mobile phones, Blackberrys (or similar technology) and laptops Calculation of number and types of jobs created and the square footage impact from new and expanding businesses Please feel free to include any additional comments or suggested alternatives, as deemed appropriate based on your industry knowledge and expertise that you feel would be beneficial to the State of New Hampshire. 5. VENDOR PRESENTATION Based on interest that is generated following the review of responses to this RFI, some vendors may be invited to present an overview of their company and services to representatives of the State. There is no guarantee that a vendor may be asked to provide a presentation. All presentation costs incurred by the vendor shall be born by the vendor. 6. CLOSING The Division of Economic Development thanks you for your efforts in preparing a response. Although this Request for Information does not require the State to issue a Request for Proposal or to award a contract, it is anticipated that the information gathered in this project will be highly beneficial and will be useful in the process of gathering requirements. 3/24/2006 8

10 ATTACHMENT A The following attachment represents one of the reports currently generated by the PTAP. The information is supplied only to illustrate the types of data that the agency collects, and should not be construed as the desired format required from any future solution(s). A Sample Monthly 1806 Report for the Procurement Technical Assistance Program. Note: The numbers provided should be considered examples only and should not be construed as current program measures. Label Current Cumulative (7) Active Client Base (8) Number of Sponsored Outreach Events 1 1 (9) Number of Supported but Non-Sponsored Outreach Events 4 5 (10) Total attendees at Outreach Events in (8) & (9) Above (11) Initial Counseling Sessions with all Small Business Concerns (a) Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns 1 2 (b) Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns 4 7 (c) HUBZone Small Business Concerns 0 (d) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns 3 4 (12) Initial Counseling Sessions with other than Small Business Concerns 1 2 (13) Initial Counseling Sessions with Distressed Area Concerns 0 0 (14) Follow-up Counseling Sessions with All Small Business Concerns (a) Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns 4 11 (b) Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns (c) HUBZone Small Business Concerns 1 7 (d) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns (15) Follow-up Counseling Sessions with other than Small Business Concerns 2 6 (16) Follow-up Counseling Sessions with Distressed Area Concerns 0 (17) NUMBER OF PRIME CONTRACT AWARDS RECEIVED BY CLIENTS (a) Received by all category Small Business Concerns 7 10 (b) Received by Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns 0 (c) Received by Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns 1 1 (d) Received by HUBZone Small Business Concerns 0 (e) Received by Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns 1 1 (f) Received by Other Than Small Business Concerns (g) Awarded by DoD to all categories of businesses /24/2006 9

11 (h) Awarded by Federal agencies other than DoD to all categories of businesses 1 3 (i) Awarded by State and Local Governments to all categories of businesses 0 (18) DOLLAR VALUE OF PRIME CONTRACT AWARDS (a) Received by all category Small Business Concerns 9,914, ,366, (b) Received by Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns 0.00 (c) Received by Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns 35, , (d) Received by HUBZone Small Business Concerns 0.00 (e) Received by Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns 67, , (f) Received by Other Than Small Business Concerns 5,947, ,315, (g) Awarded by DoD to all categories of businesses 15,826, ,300, (h) Awarded by Federal Agencies other than DoD to all categories of businesses 29, , (i) Awarded by State/Local Governments to all categories of businesses 0.00 (19) NUMBER OF SUBCONTRACT AWARDS RECEIVED BY CLIENTS (a) Received by all category Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0 (b) Received by Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0 (c) Received by Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0 (d) Received by HUBZone Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0 (e) Received by Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0 (f) Received by other than Small Business Concerns from all Gov't 0 (g) Received by all categories of businesses from State/Local Gov't 0 (20) DOLLAR VALUE OF SUBCONTRACT AWARDS RECEIVED BY CLIENTS (a) Received by all category Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't (b) Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0.00 (c) Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0.00 (d) HUBZone Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0.00 (e) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns from Fed. Gov't 0.00 (f) Received by other than Small Business Concerns from all Gov't 0.00 (g) Received by all categories of businesses from State/Local Gov't /24/