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1 IRFP June 3, 2015 Interested Firms and Individuals Joe Castiglione Deputy Director for Technology, Data, and Analysis Informal Request for Proposals to Provide Website Development Services (IRFP 14/15-08) PROPOSALS ARE DUE by Thursday, July 2, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. to the Transportation Authority. Notice is hereby given that the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (Transportation Authority) is inviting proposals from interested firms for website development services, as necessary, to provide the Transportation Authority with on-call technology assistance for its grant management and related systems. It is the intent of the Transportation Authority to contract with one or more consultant teams with which the Transportation Authority shall engage through the issuance of Task Orders. You are invited to submit a proposal for the performance of these services. The proposal must respond to the specific scope of services described in Section III of this Informal Request for Proposals (IRFP). The proposal must be in strict accordance with the requirements and guidance contained herein. Although a pre-proposal conference will not be held, questions may be submitted in writing on or before Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. by mail, fax, or to the attention of Erika Cheng, Management Analyst (fax , info@sfcta.org). The answers to questions will be made available on the Transportation Authority s website ( by June 17, Any addenda to the IRFP will also be made available on the Transportation Authority s website prior to the proposal due date. Proposals may be submitted as hard copies (an unbound original and three copies), or an electronic package in PDF format (on digital media, flash drive, or via web file transfer to info@sfcta.org) containing all information herein requested. By Thursday, July 2, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., your complete IRFP response, including all information herein requested, must be received by the Transportation Authority. Please clearly specify on the sealed envelope or subject line: Deliveries may be received at our offices between the hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: San Francisco County Transportation Authority Attention: Erika Cheng, Management Analyst 1455 Market Street, 22nd Floor San Francisco, California Proposals received later than the above date and time will be rejected without review and returned to the proposer unopened. The Transportation Authority reserves the right to modify and/or suspend any and all aspects of this procurement, to obtain further information from any firm or person responding to the IRFP, to waive any informality or irregularity as to form or content of this IRFP or any response thereto, to be the sole judge of the merits of the proposals received, and to reject any or all proposals. S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 1 of 11

2 The Transportation Authority was created in 1989 by the voters of the City to impose a voter-approved transaction and use tax (i.e., sales tax) of one-half of one percent to fund essential traffic and transportation projects as set forth in the San Francisco County Transportation Expenditure Plan (Prop B Expenditure Plan) for a period not to exceed twenty years. Beginning in April of 1990, the State of California Board of Equalization started collecting the sales tax revenues for the Transportation Authority. In November 2003, San Francisco voters approved a new 30-year Expenditure Plan (Prop K Expenditure Plan) that superseded Prop B, and continued the one-half of one percent sales tax. The Transportation Authority s Board of Commissioners is the eleven members of the Board of Supervisors (BOS) of the City; nonetheless, pursuant to California Public Utilities Code Section et seq., the Transportation Authority operates as a special purpose governmental entity, independent of the City. The Transportation Authority is designated under State law as the Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for San Francisco County. In this capacity, the Transportation Authority has a wide range of responsibilities which include preparing the long-range County-wide Transportation Plan, prioritizing state and federal transportation funds designated for San Francisco, developing and operating a computerized travel demand forecasting model, and implementing the state-mandated Congestion Management Program. The Transportation Authority is also the designated San Francisco Program Manager for the Transportation Fund for Clean Air Program, a state-mandated program that collects an annual vehicle registration surcharge and allocates the funds to transportation projects that improve air quality. On November 2, 2010, San Francisco voters approved Proposition AA, establishing a new $10 vehicle registration fee on motor vehicles registered in the City and designated the Transportation Authority as administrator of the fee. Revenues are used for local road repairs, pedestrian safety improvements, and transit reliability improvements throughout the City in accordance with the voter-approved Expenditure Plan. On April 1, 2014, the BOS adopted a resolution designating the Transportation Authority as the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency (TIMMA) to implement elements of the Treasure Island Transportation Implementation Plan (TITIP) in support of the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Development Project. The TITIP calls for, and TIMMA will be responsible for implementing, the Treasure Island Mobility Management Program: a comprehensive and integrated program to manage travel demand on Treasure Island as the development project occurs, including an integrated congestion pricing program with vehicle tolling, parking pricing, and transit pass components Assembly Bill 141 (Ammiano), signed in 2014, established TIMMA as a separate entity, providing a firewall between TIMMA and the Transportation Authority s other functions. The Transportation Authority funds hundreds of transportation projects in San Francisco and conducts program level oversight of those projects to ensure that they are delivered according to the scope, schedule, budget and other conditions and deliverables approved by the Transportation Authority Board. In addition, as CMA, the Transportation Authority is responsible for assisting the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (the regional transportation planning agency for the nine Bay Area counties) with program level oversight of dozens of other San Francisco projects funded by other federal, state or regional funds. Currently, the progress of those projects is tracked using a web-based tracking system, called the SFCTA Portal ( Portal ). The website is used by internal staff and selected staff at various other public agencies to submit Progress Reports and other grant management-related communications. The Transportation Authority is continually seeking to improve its oversight processes and tools, and intends to continue to S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 2 of 11

3 develop new features and improve the user-friendliness of the site, as well as to maintain or improve the site s performance and security. The site is developed with a Ruby on Rails web application framework and a PostgreSQL database management system. Source code is controlled and backed up using GitHub. The site also supports attachments hosted on Amazon Web Services. Ongoing development of Portal features is managed using an agile project management approach, an iterative method of managing development activities in a manner responsive to client needs. In addition to its ongoing site improvements, the Transportation Authority is seeking to improve the usefulness of data available in the Portal by importing and displaying financial information from its Microsoft Dynamics AX financial system, which serves as the agency s enterprise resource management system. The Transportation Authority is also seeking to build a public-facing interface connected to the data in the Portal. This interface would replace its existing, separate MyStreetSF website, a web-based interactive map that allows the public to view select project information. The Transportation Authority is seeking website development services at an hourly reimbursable rate, plus expenses. Through this IRFP process, the Transportation Authority will select a website development service consultant experienced in Ruby on Rails framework and able to demonstrate an understanding of the range of website development project needs. The successful bidder will assist in the maintenance of existing web-based database, assist in the identification and prioritization of website development needs, and add functionality as needed. The contractor should also be familiar with Agile Project Development management tools (e.g. Pivotal Tracker, JIRA, etc.) and supply its platform of choice, along with administrator level user accounts, to the Transportation Authority staff. Source codes will be controlled and backed up using Contractor s GitHub SFCTA project and shared with the Transportation Authority. As noted above, it is the intent of the Transportation Authority to contract with one or more consultant teams with which the Transportation Authority shall work to conduct these activities. The Transportation Authority will contract with selected team(s) for a one-year term, with options to extend, which may be exercised at the option of the Transportation Authority, for four additional one-year periods (up to a total of five years). The total value of the first one-year term is not to exceed $75,000 with the value of subsequent one-year extensions to be determined by future Transportation Authority budgets and exercised at the discretion of the Transportation Authority. Please note budgets are ceilings and not targets. While the Transportation Authority intends to engage qualified firms based on capabilities, experience and availability, no selected team is guaranteed a Task Order. The tasks below are representative of the overall goals and priorities of the Transportation Authority, but the Transportation Authority recognizes that not all features may be completed in the time and budget in the contract limits. Actual development tasks shall be specified and prioritized using agile project development management tools as described in Task 4. The establishment of contracts with one or more consultant teams will enable the Transportation Authority to enlist the services of a broad range of consultant specialists, so proposers are welcome to submit proposals that address only a subset of the representative tasks below. Task 1.1. Integration of Microsoft Dynamics AX data with Portal In collaboration with Transportation Authority staff, contractor shall create and schedule recurring SQL queries of data underlying the Transportation Authority s Microsoft Dynamics AX platform via Microsoft SQL Server Studio. From time to time, manual importing may also be necessary. Contractor shall integrate information such as project transactions, budgets, commitments, and funding sources into S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 3 of 11

4 the Portal s data structure, and create displays and reports to usefully view the information within the Portal. Deliverables: One or more SQL queries with corresponding data structure in the Portal to store the output; advice in troubleshooting any errors in retrieving, exporting, transmitting, or importing the data Task 1.2 Improvements to Data Structure to Support Project Management The basic units of information in the Portal are Standard Grant Agreements (SGAs). SGAs normally comprise one or more phases of a larger project, and only one fund source that may be used. All other data, including comments, attachments, progress reports, and grant management requests, are linked to individual SGAs. The Transportation Authority is interested in improving its ability to view and understand projects and programs that comprise more than one SGA, as well as allowing its grantees to manage their grants and submit their progress reports at the project or program level. Ultimately, the project-level data will be the basis for a public-facing, interactive map site, as described in subsequent tasks below. Contractor shall advise on potential changes to the data structure that would support these goals. Deliverables: Recommendations for data structure changes or methods to achieve the goals above; participation in presenting recommendations to Transportation Authority management Task 1.3 Improvements to Data Structure to Support Data Tracking and Analysis The Transportation Authority is interested in streamlining the data tracking and analysis processes and system to reduce redundancy and risk of error. This task may include process mapping to identify steps that could be improved with adding, tracking or reporting of relevant data within the Portal, including Allocation Request Forms (ARFs; an Excel-based form that serves as a basis for SGAs) and financialprogramming or budget data. Consultant and Transportation Authority staff will recommend and obtain management approval for any business process changes that may enhance tracking and processing data and minimizing duplicate entry. Deliverables: Recommendations for data structure changes or methods to achieve the goals above; participation in presenting recommendations to Transportation Authority management Task 2.1. Progress Report Improvements In collaboration with Transportation Authority staff, contractor shall create alternate formats of Progress Reports incorporating the following options: - Enhanced custom fields: provide standardized form field names that may be selected for a given SGA or Project, allowing roll-up across the database. - Sub-project information: when a progress report is submitted for a project that includes multiple SGAs, include form fields that allow data to be submitted for and stored appropriately within the SGAs. - Improved graphical display of information such as budgeted cash flow, invoicing over time, earned value or scope elements over time, and milestone dates. - Progress Report requirements selection: provide a method for choosing which style of progress reports are required for a given SGA or Project. - Roll-up reports that collect data across multiple SGAs or projects, with a selection by date ranges. Deliverables: New progress reports features; improved progress report graphic, roll-up reporting of progress report data S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 4 of 11

5 Task 2.2. Dashboard Improvements In collaboration with Transportation Authority staff, contractor shall create alternate formats of Dashboards incorporating the following options: - Ability to dismiss/collapse tables on the Dashboard. - A new user role Executive that shows an alternative format of dashboard, with links to commonly requested reports. - Roll-up reports of key performance indicators, such as Total Amount Allocated to Date; Number of Open Grants; Total Reimbursed to Date; Number of Progress Reports Due; Number of Amendments in review, overall cash flow vs. expenditures, and other indicators. - Display of SGAs or projects with upcoming milestones such as scheduled completion date, open for use date. - Ability to perform bulk tasks such as reassigning roles on multiple projects. - New reports for quality control of data consistency between Portal and Microsoft Dynamics AX. Deliverables: New dashboard features; new user role Task 2.3. Integration of Additional Allocation Request and Other Financial Data Currently, project sponsors submit ARFs for funds for new projects. The ARF consists of project information, such as scope, schedule, cost, budget, funding, and attachments of diagrams, images, and other relevant information. Once the ARF is approved, one or more SGA records are created in the Portal and key data from the ARF is manually entered. The complete ARF is stored as a PDF file. Changes to the SGAs and related financial activities, such as invoicing, financial-programming, or budget updates, are currently tracked in multiple locations including the Portal, Microsoft Dynamics AX, and various spreadsheets. The Transportation Authority is in the midst of revising the ARF form with an aim to improve user-friendliness for internal staff and project sponsor staff, to shorten up the form and required information to focus on that which is most essential for program oversight and transparency. Consultant will develop an integrated system that will allow a wider range of ARF and other financial data to easily transfer to SGA records. The goal of integration is to allow consistent tracking, updating, and analysis of projects, including the ability to compare initial planning estimates to realities at project completion, and the production of reports that are useful for analysis and planning efforts. This task may also include process mapping to identify steps that could be could be improved with tracking or document production within the Portal. Deliverables: Development of integrated Allocation Request Form with appropriate data Task 3.1. Public-Facing Interactive Map Currently, information on the Portal is internal to Transportation Authority staff and select staff at external agencies. Project information is currently provided to the public via MyStreetSF, an interactive map, which is not directly linked to the Portal ( Consultant will develop database structure for project information (e.g. project name, phase, cost, etc.) that will automatically update with data from progress reports (e.g. percent complete, open for use date). Project information from this database will be made available for public viewing and will be integrated with an interactive map to display locations of projects within the Portal system. Consultant will work in parallel with Transportation Authority planning for desired goals and target audience of the site, producing S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 5 of 11

6 mock-ups and a staging version of the site. At completion of this process, a new, public-facing site will be created to show this data. Deliverables: Recommendations for platform; mock-up graphics; internal staging version of site; publicly accessible website with project information and interactive map; appropriate security features to protect data integrity while allowing public access Task 3.2. Other New Functions Transportation Authority staff will identify additional reporting capabilities or features and functionality. Contractor shall continue using an agile project management approach for development, including storycarding of features to break down development into steps, and discussion to determine logical story priorities. Examples of additional features may include: - Additional fields such as SGA/Project Blurbs, SGA Leverage, Project Scope or Milestone multiple entry fields, etc. - Improved file handling to allow persistent links to files stored on Amazon Web Services and preview displays of photos and graphics. - Project management tools that optionally allow project managers to store basic information such as Work Breakdown Structures, Budgets, Milestones, or Schedule data and create and save scenarios. - Tracking of financial-programming or budget data, or reports that may provide useful outputs for other financial-programming or budget efforts. - Allowing bulk importing of progress report data from sponsor databases. - Incorporation of additional outside data into the MyStreetSF site, such as connections to San Francisco s Planning Department or Public Works Department data. Definitions and prioritization of software features are subject to approval by Transportation Authority. On-going details of stories and priorities shall be documented and agreed upon regularly as described in Task 4. Deliverables: Further features to support project reporting and website functionality, as necessary Contractor shall provide ongoing maintenance, bug-fixing, and security updates for the duration of the contract. Contractor shall maintain both a production and a staging instance of the site for use in testing new features prior to deployment. Deliverables: A secure, stable website platform, and a staging version of the site for testing of new features; Contractor response within 48 hours to security issues that may arise Contractor shall host weekly check-in meetings to review feature descriptions and prioritization, demonstrate features in development, and discuss upcoming feature proposals. Definitions and prioritization of software features are subject to approval by Transportation Authority staff. Ongoing details of stories and priorities shall be documented in agile project management software such as Pivotal Tracker (or equivalent). Contractor shall provide a platform for holding the meetings online with ability to share screen views, using GoToMeeting or a similar service. Contractor shall provide notes from the meetings. The Transportation Authority shall have full access to all project management software tools. Deliverables: Weekly meetings via online hosting; meeting notes S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 6 of 11

7 Contractor shall provide regular invoices at least every quarter documenting staff time during the billing period. Deliverables: Quarterly invoices Work shall commence upon the Notice to Proceed date, and the first one-year term will continue through September 30, Task 1 shall be completed within three months of Notice to Proceed. The elements of Tasks 2 and 3 shall be planned in cooperation with Transportation Authority staff. As noted above, the Transportation Authority recognizes that not all features may be completed in the time and budget in the contract limits. Actual development tasks shall be specified and prioritized using agile project development management tools as described in Task 4. Tasks 4, 5, and 6 shall be ongoing for the life of the contract and any extensions. Proposals submitted to the Transportation Authority shall be of professional caliber in context and appearance, but expensive or elaborate binders are neither required nor desired. All descriptions and materials should be clear, concise, and provide sufficient information to minimize questions and assumptions. Proposer may choose to submit hard copies of the proposals, or an electronic package in PDF format containing the required information. Proposals should be limited to five pages (no smaller than 12 point font shall be used), excluding cover letter, table of contents, résumés, and the following content sections: 4. Assurances and Miscellaneous and 5. Cost. Pages printed on paper greater than 8.5 x 11 (letter size) will be counted as two pages. The Transportation Authority accepts no financial responsibility for any costs incurred in the preparation of proposals. Upon receipt by the Transportation Authority, all proposals submitted in response to this IRFP will become the property of the Transportation Authority. Proposers should be prepared to mobilize within 48 hours following contract negotiations. Submit a letter of introduction to the proposal. The letter must be signed by a person authorized by your firm to obligate your firm to perform the commitments contained in the proposal. Submission of the letter will constitute a representation by your firm that your firm is willing and able to perform the commitments contained in the proposal The cover letter must also: - List the name, address, address and telephone number of the (lead) firm/team. - Be signed by an officer that is authorized to bind the proposer contractually. - State that the proposal is firm for a 120-day period from the proposal submission deadline. - Provide the name, title, mailing address, address and telephone number of the individual(s) to whom correspondence and other contacts should be directed during the consultant selection process. - Provide the name, title, mailing address, address and telephone number of the individual(s) who will negotiate with the Transportation Authority and who can contractually bind the proposer s firm. - List the proposed co-venture arrangements or subcontractors, if applicable, along with the name, title, mailing address, address and telephone number of any subconsultants. - Provide the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and/or Local Business Enterprise (LBE) status of each firm, including proposed percentage of involvement. S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 7 of 11

8 Proposals must contain the following five sections: must provide the following information: - List of principals and partners; In this section of the proposal, the proposers - A brief discussion demonstrating the proposer s understanding of the services to be provided. In this section of the proposal, proposers must describe their approach to managing the delivery of the services included in Section III, above. Proposers must provide the names and positions of all staff proposed. If more than five staff are proposed, an organization chart should be included that clearly establishes principal team member firms and sub-consultants. Proposers responding to this IRFP are expected to be familiar with all aspects of agile project management. The proposal should also designate the Project Manager (in charge of day-to-day management) and Lead Developer (in charge of reviewing and integrating code produced by the team) of the Project, and propose an effective method for managing requests to/from the Consultant Team and Transportation Authority Staff, including specific project management tools that will be used. In addition, the proposal should briefly address how the efforts of each of the team members will be coordinated. Proposals must discuss a workload management plan that will assure the Transportation Authority timely access to key staff for both on-going and peak, project-level needs. The description of the management approach should propose a response time standard and how the management and team structure will help to meet those standards. Proposers must state the qualifications and experience of the proposed team, emphasizing the specific qualifications and experience acquired while providing services similar to those being sought by the Transportation Authority, particularly for the Project Manager, Lead Developer, and other key project staff members assigned to the project. Except under circumstances beyond the proposer s control, the Transportation Authority will not accept substitutions of key members of the team put forth as part of the winning proposal. This section must include the following information: - Names of project manager and team members; - Résumés of all technical personnel to be assigned to the project; - Statement of proposer s background and experience related to activities and services being sought through this IRFP; - List all relevant assignments completed for the City and County of San Francisco within the last three years, and any involvement with Transportation Authority-funded projects, to enable the Transportation Authority to identify any possible conflicts of interest. - Brief description of similar projects for which the proposer has provided services during the past five years, including the following information: Client Project description and location Description of services provided by proposer Total value of services provided by proposer Key personnel involved Subconsultants employed S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 8 of 11

9 a. Proposers must provide at least three references (names, current addresses and telephone numbers). The references should cover work performed by the Project Manager and other key project staff members, should be for work recently performed and similar in nature to the services sought in this IRFP. The references must include a brief description of the projects involved, and the roles of the respective team members in successfully completing the project. b. Proposers must specify any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that would disqualify its firm from doing business with the Transportation Authority. If proposers are unaware of existing or foreseeable conflicts of interest, a simple statement will suffice. However, proposers should provide a brief description of each apparent, existing or foreseeable conflict of interest, if any. c. Proposers must list any political contributions of money, in-kind services, or loans made to any current member of the Transportation Authority Board of Commissioners within the last three years by management positions of the proposed consultant or subconsultant. If proposers are unaware of any political contributions, a simple statement will suffice. However, if proposers are aware of any political contribution, proposals should include details, such as to whom, what type of contribution, the date and the amount. d. Proposers must clearly designate financial submittals or other materials in its submittal, if any, which it in good faith believes to be a trade secret or confidential proprietary information protected from disclosure. See Section IX below, for further details on public disclosure of responses and other materials. e. Proposers shall acknowledge receipt and understanding of the following Transportation Authority contracting requirements and state its ability and willingness to comply with each of them in its proposal. This contract will be a cost-reimbursement contract, which provides for payment of the successful proposer s allowable incurred costs, to the extent prescribed in the contract. This section must include a matrix with columns for hourly rates, classification, and name for all personnel and/or subconsultants involved. Cost proposals must provide a breakdown of hours and costs for each task listed in the scope of work. Expenses for travel and reasonable other expenses will be reimbursed at cost. Sub-consultant costs will be reimbursed at cost without markup by the prime proposer. The proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee appointed by the Executive Director and scored (maximum of 100 points) using the following criteria: 1. Completeness of Proposal and Understanding of Project Objectives (15 points maximum) Responsiveness to all items requested in the IRFP, adherence to required page limits, overall organization and clarity of proposal; and understanding of the services and challenges for each task. 2. Management Approach (30 points maximum) Proposers will be evaluated on the effectiveness of their work plan, program and method of execution; understanding of special issues, problems and constraints, approach towards mitigating and resolving them; effectiveness of the team s organizational structure in executing and managing the tasks; management approach in providing quality and cost-effective services; ability of the proposer to provide timely, qualified and adequate staffing and services to support project demands. 3. Capabilities and Experience (35 points maximum) Capability of project team, specific relevant experience, qualifications and expertise of each firm and subconsultant firm, especially the proposed key personnel; client references as to past project performance. The Selection Committee retains the right to S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 9 of 11

10 independently verify and evaluate relevant experience and client references, including any sources not mentioned in the proposal. 4. Cost (10 points maximum) Both the lowest overall cost and the average unit price (cost per person hour) may be considered in this category. Proposals in which the cost component does not reflect a reasonable relationship to the scope of services proposed may be rejected as non-responsive to project requirements. 5. DBE/LBE Goals (10 points maximum) All points will be awarded for teams meeting the DBE/LBE goal outlined in Section VI. Submittals receiving an initial score of less than 70 points will not be considered further in the selection process. Proposers that have received a score of 70 points or higher may, at the Transportation Authority s sole discretion, be invited to interview with the selection committee. The Transportation Authority reserves the right to not conduct oral interviews and determine the winning proposer based solely on the written proposal. If oral interviews are held, individuals who are identified as key personnel in the proposal are required to be in attendance at the briefing and interview. Based on the results of the interview, the selection committee may adjust initial scores on the evaluation criteria identified above to arrive at the final evaluation score. The proposer with the highest average final evaluation score shall be determined as the top proposer. Proposers who do not arrive for a scheduled interview, if one is held, will no longer be considered further in the selection process. In addition, the Transportation Authority may reduce overall evaluation scores due to incomplete submission of proposals or if proposals exceeded the specified page limitations. Once the top proposer(s) has been identified, Transportation Authority staff will start contract negotiations with that proposer(s). If contract negotiations are not successful, the next-ranked proposer may be asked to negotiate with the Transportation Authority. The goal of such negotiations will be to agree on a final contract that delivers the services and work described in this IRFP at a fair and reasonable cost to the Transportation Authority. The award, if any, will be made to the responsive proposer(s) whose submittal is most advantageous to the Transportation Authority. DBEs and LBEs shall have the maximum feasible opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts. In consideration of a contract award, the Transportation Authority will not discriminate against any individual on the grounds of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, domestic partner status, marital status, or disability or AIDS/HIV status. The Transportation Authority accepts certifications issued by the Transportation Authority, the City and County of San Francisco (City), or the California Unified Certification Program. Proposers must be certified by the proposal due date. It is the policy of the Transportation Authority to make good faith efforts to solicit and obtain quotes, bids or proposals from DBEs and LBEs and to give small businesses the maximum feasible opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts funded in whole or in part with Transportation Authority resources. The Transportation Authority strongly encourages joint ventures among professional firms as a way to meet the Transportation Authority s DBE/LBE participation goals. Assistance in the formation of such joint ventures and/or associations may be obtained through the Human Rights Commission. The Transportation Authority has established a DBE/LBE goal of 20% for this contract. Firms that propose as 20% DBE certified by the Transportation Authority or the California Unified Certification Program, 20% LBE certified by the Transportation Authority or by City, or a combination of DBEs and LBEs totaling 20% will satisfy the DBE/LBE goal. Businesses must be certified by the proposal due date. S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 10 of 11

11 Applications for the Transportation Authority s DBE/LBE Program are available on the Transportation Authority s website ( June 3, 2015 June 10, P.M. June 17, 2015 July 2, p.m. July 7, 2015 July 13, 2015 Release of IRFP Deadline for Proposers to submit written questions to Transportation Authority. Transportation Authority issues written responses to questions and addenda if necessary (via website Responses to IRFP due. Late submissions will be rejected without review and returned unopened. Invitation to Interview issued to short list of proposers (tentative) Interviews (tentative) The Transportation Authority has established protest procedures, which apply to all procurements of supplies, equipment, and services. Proposers must file protests with the Transportation Authority no later than five business days after notice, actual or constructive, by the Transportation Authority s Executive Director or his/her designee, that either their bid (or proposal) is not being considered further, or a recommendation has been made to award to another bidder. Copies of these policies and procedures are kept at the Transportation Authority's offices and are available upon written request. Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code sections 6250 et seq.), records, information and materials submitted to the Transportation Authority, not otherwise exempt, are subject to public disclosure. Immediately after the contract has been awarded, the materials submitted by all proposers will be open to inspection. Each party submitting a response to the IRFP should clearly designate financial submittals or other materials, if any, which it in good faith believes to be a trade secret or confidential proprietary information protected from disclosure. To the extent permitted by law, the Transportation Authority will attempt to maintain the confidentiality of such information by providing the proposer with notice that it has received a request. If the proposer desires that such materials not be disclosed, it may, at its own expense, take appropriate legal action to prevent such disclosure. However, such confidentiality cannot be assured, and the Transportation Authority will not be liable for the public disclosure of any material submitted to it. S:\RFPs\FY1415 RFPs\IRFP Website Development Service\IRFP Website Development Services.docx Page 11 of 11