Request for Proposal:

Request for Proposal: Enterprise Resource Planning System August 19, 2015 The Town of Leland is seeking proposals for an Enterprise Resource Planning System. The system must provide a cost effective means to enhance service delivery to the community in which we serve.

August 19, 2015 This letter extends to your company an invitation to submit a sealed proposal for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System for the Town of Leland, North Carolina. A copy of this RFP can be obtained from our website www.townofleland.com or from the Town Clerk, Sabrena Reinhardt at sreinhardt@townofleland.com. The deadline for sealed proposals will be Friday, September 25, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. Proposals should be returned in an envelope clearly marked as Enterprise Resource Planning System and addressed to: Mailing Address Street Address Town of Leland Town of Leland Sabrena Reinhardt, Town Clerk Sabrena Reinhardt, Town Clerk 102 Town Hall Drive 102 Town Hall Drive Leland, NC 28451 Leland, NC 28451 The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities. A proposal from your company will be appreciated. Respectfully, Missy Rhodes Finance Officer 2 P a g e

TABLE OF CONTENTS Background 4 Section 1 - Intent of RFP 5 Section 2 - Request for Proposals 6 Section 3 - System and Service Requirements 8 Section 4 - Review and Award of Proposal 13 Section 5 - Contract Requirements 15 Section 6 - Time Table Projection 16 Appendix A - Technical Requirements 17 Appendix B - Bid Form 19 Appendix C - Exception List Bid Form 20 Appendix D - Submission Authorization Form 21 Appendix E Check List 22 3 P a g e

Background The Town of Leland is located along the Brunswick River in eastern North Carolina and is home to around 17,000 citizens. The governmental structure is a Council-Manager form of government with 60 full time and 14 part-time employees. The Town operates under the following departmental structure: Police, Public Utilities (Water and Sewer), Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Finance, Administration, Human Resources, and Economic & Community Development (Planning, Inspection and Code Enforcement). The Town offers Water and Sewer and Cultural Arts as enterprise services. It is currently managed through a collective budget of approximately $8.5M. The Town not only desires to continue providing excellent service, but to enhance its productivity and efficiency through an effective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The proposed system will serve the following purposes: Ensure the efficient and accurate capture of data The proposed system will incorporate an integrated database(s) of financial, budgetary, and zoning, inspection and code enforcement data. This allows information to be easily accessed, reused, and associated to relevant activities. Capturing data once also avoids the cost, duplication of effort, and potential error occurrences. Provide convenient access to information and services The proposed system will be hosted in a cloud environment using a Microsoft Windows Platform. Deliver timely and effective responses to customer inquiries Integration of the Town s technological infrastructure. 4 P a g e

Section 1-Intent of RFP 1.1 Intent This Request for Proposal (RFP) is intended to provide Vendors with a common, uniform set of instructions to assist them in the development of their proposals and to provide a uniform method for the Town to fairly evaluate proposals and subsequently select a Vendor to provide the ERP system. This RFP provides minimum specifications and key features for functional requirements, information on applications, number of users, and transaction volumes. Vendors are invited to propose a solution that will effectively and efficiently achieve our goals and objectives and provide for future growth. In responding to this RFP, Vendors should follow the prescribed format and use the forms included. This will facilitate the Town s ability to objectively compare all proposals submitted. The Town assumes no responsibility for conclusions or interpretations derived from technical and background information presented in this RFP, or otherwise distributed or made available during this procurement process. In addition, the Town will not be bound by or be responsible for any explanation, interpretation or conclusions of this RFP or any documents provided by the Town other than those given in writing by the Town through the issuance of addenda. In no event may a Vendor rely on any oral statement by the Town or its agents, advisors or consultants. It is the full responsibility of the Vendor to thoroughly investigate the needs and requirements of the Town not necessarily assumed in this RFP and to propose a fully integrated ERP system designed and tested to most efficiently meet the needs and requirements of the Town. This RFP is in compliance with the laws of the State of North Carolina. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive informalities, and to determine the best overall proposal based on evaluation criteria and the best interests of the Town of Leland. 5 P a g e

Section 2- Request for Proposals 2.1 Issuing Office and Inquiries This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Town of Leland Finance Department on behalf of the Town of Leland. Any inquiries, clarifications, or interpretations regarding this RFP should be directed in writing through email to: Missy Rhodes Finance Officer Town of Leland Finance Department mrhodes@townofleland.com (910) 332-4295 Responses to inquiries that affect the content of this RFP will be provided in writing to all recipients of the RFP through an addendum that will be posted on the Town s website at www.townofleland.com. It is the responsibility of each Vendor to inquire about any aspect of the RFP that is not fully understood or is believed to be susceptible to more than one interpretation. The Town will accept only written inquiries regarding this RFP until September 14, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. All times listed are understood to be Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted. The Town s interpretation of the RFP shall be controlling in all cases. 2.2 Important Dates Issue Date: August 19, 2015 Final Date for Written Questions: September 14, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. Deadline for Submitting Proposals: September 25, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. 2.3 Submission of Proposals Proposals must be presented on the bid forms attached to this RFP in a sealed envelope and mailed or delivered to: Town of Leland Attention: Sabrena Reinhardt, Town Clerk 102 Town Hall Drive Leland, NC 28451 Vendors must submit one original and two copies of each proposal. 6 P a g e

2.4 Proposals Property of Town All proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the Town once they are opened. Supporting technical manuals will be returned at the written request of the bidder. All submitted proposals and supporting material are a matter of public record. 2.5 Proposal Withdrawal If the Vendor desires to withdraw their proposal, they must submit the request in writing to the Town Clerk before the bid submission deadline. After the bid opening deadline, proposals shall only be withdrawn in accordance with N.C.G.S. Section 143-129.1. 2.6 Content of Proposal Vendors may not be allowed to submit additional documentation once bids are submitted. Care should be taken to ensure that information provided is accurate, complete, and consistent. Omission of any of the required information may subject the Vendor to disqualification. 2.7 Addenda Any addenda to these documents shall be posted on the Town s website at www.townofleland.com and will become part of this RFP and the contract. No oral statements, explanations, or commitments by anyone shall be of any effect unless incorporated into the addenda. 2.8 Confidentiality The Town recognizes some of the material received from the Vendors may be confidential and agrees not to readily disclose or communicate any such material outside of that disclosure or communication needed to fulfill the normal business of the Town, except through formal public record requests. Vendors must clearly mark as "Confidential" each part of their response, which they consider to be proprietary information. 7 P a g e

Section 3-System and Service Requirements 3.1 Software Standards The system proposed should enable integrated real-time processing of all transactions including, but not limited to, the following: General Ledger Accounts Payable Bank Reconciliation Accounts Receivable Budget Preparation and Management Revenue and Cash Receipting Utility Billing Miscellaneous Billing Work Order Processing Purchasing Fixed Assets Contract Tracking Code Enforcement and Complaint Action Line Planning, Permitting and Licensing Web Portal for Utility customers to make online payments Payroll Processing (Currently utilizing Paychex web services) Employee Time Management (Currently utilizing Paychex web services) Human Resource Management (Currently utilizing Paychex web services) Recreation Programs and Rentals (Currently utilizing ActiveNet web services) The Town of Leland operates in a cloud based shared service environment. ERP software must be operational in this environment. The selected Vendor must be our one point of contact for all software, installation, implementation, conversion, training, and project management needs relating to this project. Proposed application software must, at a minimum, be capable of meeting the mandatory application software requirements indicated within this RFP on the attached spreadsheet APPENDIX A. The Town will, however, entertain proposals that will improve our processes based on Vendor expertise and recommendations. Proposals must include a description of each software module including developer information, licensing options, description of integration with other proposed applications, and a summary of features. If the module does not meet the Town s requirements, the bidder must state the costs and schedule to update the module to meet the Town s specifications. The total costs of modifying the module must be fully itemized on the Bid Form included in this RFP. 8 P a g e

Items not included in a Vendor s proposal must be clearly indicated. If desired, Vendor s may submit proposals for a software system with limited functions. For example, certain invited Vendors may submit a proposal for software which performs functions limited to code enforcement and permitting. Vendors submitting such proposals shall clearly describe the functions which can be performed by the software and integration with other software products. 3.2 Anticipated Number of Users The Town anticipates having no more than forty (40) users for this system. The majority of usage occurs between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are times throughout the year when weekend and evening access is required. The Vendor should specifically indicate if there are times when the system cannot be accessed. 3.3 Data Conversion Vendors must indicate in the proposal the total cost to perform extensive data conversion services and a detailed description of the conversion services proposed including programming. It is the Vendor s responsibility to obtain the necessary information from the Town to provide extensive data conversion services. The selected Vendor will be responsible for the accuracy and reliability of the converted data. Mutually agreed specifications for the conversion services and testing procedures will be included in the contract. 3.4 Maintenance and Support The Town places a high degree of importance on the maintenance and support a Vendor provides for its application software packages. The quality and cost of maintenance and support offered by a Vendor will be an evaluation criterion. The maintenance agreements for each application software package will begin immediately upon the expiration of the warranties for that package; otherwise, these agreements will begin immediately upon acceptance of the package. The selected Vendor must be willing to bear responsibility for any defects in the software that prevent the software from performing as designed including any consequential damage to data including erroneous, inaccurate, and unreliable data that is created by the software defect at no additional cost to the Town. Regular customer support must be available Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., EST. The Vendor must describe the company s policy on maintenance and support, including costs, specifically addressing the following: How regular support is provided 9 P a g e

How after-hours support is provided How software defects are handled How and when software upgrades are provided Modifications required as a result of mandated state and/or federal requirements Custom modifications desired 3.5 Operations and Users Documentation The Vendor must furnish a complete description of the user manuals that will be provided for the operation and use of the proposed system. Describe the format in which the documentation will be provided: on-line, hard copy, or a combination of both. A sample of the Accounts Payable operations manual must be included with this proposal. 3.6 Project Management The selected Vendor is expected to assign a project manager. In the proposal, explain the company s policy regarding project management and provide the qualifications of the proposed project manager. Any additional costs associated with project management services must be itemized and included in the proposal. The Town reserves the right to approve the selection of the project manager and project management services. Therefore, project management services are subject to negotiation after the selection of a Vendor. Final agreements regarding project management services shall be included in the contract for service. 3.7 Implementation and Training The Vendor must provide a detailed plan for implementing the proposed ERP system. This information must include: Project organization chart Detailed implementation methodology Detailed conversion methodology to provide the necessary levels of data conversion of as much data as possible from the current applications to the new system Conversion support and methodology should include conversion of the following data: o o o o o o o Vendor Master File Accounts Payable Check History File Bank Reconciliation Master File Fund Ledger Master File (Includes: Accounts, budgets, and balance forward) Fund Ledger History File (Includes: Account activity history for current fiscal year and at least one prior fiscal year, preferably two prior years) Fund Ledger Encumbrances / Open Purchase Order Accounts Receivable Master 10 P a g e

o o o o o Business License History Building and Zoning Permit History Code Enforcement History Utility Billing Master File Miscellaneous Billing Master File Implementation and training plan, including estimated time-frame and deliverables for each stage of the project Expected number of Town employees required at different stages/modules of the implementation process and for ongoing support Level of expertise (e.g., novice, proficient or advanced) required of Town staff for conversion and implementation, report writer, database and other system component maintenance, and for implementation and maintenance of hardware and software Overview of proposed training, including options for on-site or training center services, end users and data processing personnel Sample training manual or class outlines Describe your company s training methodology and primary concepts used Describe training assessment and evaluation procedures. 3.8 References Vendors should provide at least five (5) client references that are similar in size or complexity to the Town of Leland, located in the state of North Carolina. Please note if any of these references were former users of the Town s current software, Harris Local Government (CSI Accounting +Plus). Submit references for fully completed installations to the extent possible. Information should include at a minimum: name of client reference, name of agency s project manager, address, telephone, and e-mail. Town of Leland personnel reserves the right to contact any individuals listed in this section as a reference. 3.9 Taxes Taxes should not be included in the bid quotations for any hardware or software. Any sales tax items should be listed as a separate item at the time of invoicing. 3.10 Exceptions to the RFP The Vendor must itemize all exceptions to the specifications included in this RFP on the Exception Form (APPENDIX C), referencing the section by number to which the exception is taken. Any RFP sections to which the Vendor does not take exception will be considered as being agreed upon by the Vendor. 3.11 Disqualification of Vendors More than one proposal from an individual, a firm or partnership, a corporation, or an association under the same or different names shall not be considered. Any or all proposals shall be rejected if there is 11 P a g e

reason for believing that collusion exists among the Vendors, and all participants in such collusion shall not be considered in future proposals for the same work. No contract shall be awarded except to competent Vendors capable of performing the class of work contemplated. 12 P a g e

Section 4 Review and Award of Proposal 4.1 Evaluation of Proposals The Town s staff will evaluate all proposals. Proposals will be evaluated using the criteria outlined below: Primary Evaluation Factors: Response to RFP: Ability to meet specifications Software functionality Cost Agreement to contract requirements Qualifications of the Vendor Quality of project management and training services Quality of system support & maintenance Satisfactory implementation plan Technology References: Existing customer satisfaction with products, maintenance and support, and overall company proven track record to provide services as promised Project management Training Additional Evaluation Factors: Demonstrated commitment to product enhancement Organized system for obtaining customer input Company policy regarding software modifications for mandated state and/or federal changes. Proposals will be evaluated against the required specifications as listed in the RFP. A proposal may be eliminated from consideration at the Town s option for failure to comply with any required specification, depending on the nature and extent of non-compliance. In addition to meeting mandated specifications, proposals will be evaluated for the ability of a Vendor to provide, in the Town s opinion, the best overall solution to meet the Town s objectives for an ERP System. 4.2 Rejection of Proposal The Town of Leland reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, with or without cause, when such rejection is in the best interest of the Town. The Town of Leland also reserves the right to reject the 13 P a g e

proposal of a Vendor who has previously failed to perform properly or complete on-time contracts of a similar nature, or who is not in a position to provide the terms and conditions of the project as determined by the Town. 4.3 On-Site Presentation and Product Demonstration Short-listed Vendors shall be required to make a comprehensive one-day on-site presentation and product demonstration of the proposed software. During the demonstrations, Vendors are expected to show the latest version released of their systems. Demonstrations will be evaluated on the degree to which the demonstration matches the RFP representations, the product s perceived ease of use, and the Vendor s overall use of current technology. 4.4 Proposal Selection Vendors elevated in the subsequent phases of the selection process have the opportunity to learn more about the Town s needs during software demonstrations and/or discovery sessions. Staff is responsible to make final proposal selections based on the evaluation process and product demonstrations. Any false or misleading statements found in the proposal will be grounds for disqualification. All proposals submitted shall be valid for a period of 180 calendar days from the date of proposal opening. 4.5 Notice of Intent to Award Once Staff has selected a final proposal, a notice of intent to award will be granted to the responsible Vendor that is licensed and qualified by experience to perform the services specified. The chosen Vendor should be prepared to have the proposal incorporated, along with all other written correspondence concerning this RFP, into the contract. 4.6 Contract Negotiation Upon Vendor acceptance of the Staff s notice of intent to award, the contract between the Vendor and the Town shall be drafted from (a) the RFP and addenda, (b) the selected proposal (response to the RFP by the Vendor) and any attachments thereto, and (c) all written communications between the Town and the Vendor concerning the transactions. Assumptions used for pricing purposes can be discussed and clarified during this phase, along with any other negotiations to include in the final contract, which is contingent on approval by the Town of Leland Council and sufficient funding. The RFP will govern in the event of conflict between the RFP and the selected proposal. The contract shall constitute the entire and only agreement and shall supersede all prior negotiations, commitments, understandings, or agreements, whether oral or written. 4.7 Award and Notice to Proceed Once the contract has been created, and all parties are in agreement, Staff will present the final contract to Council, along with any required budget amendments, for review and approval. If approved, the contract will be awarded to the Vendor along with a notice to proceed. 14 P a g e

Section 5 - Contract Requirements 5.1 Price Protection All Vendors must affirm in their proposals that prices shall remain the same and will not be subject to increase for one hundred and eighty (180) days from the date of the proposal opening. All Vendors shall guarantee that the benefit of any price reductions within this period will be passed on to the Town. The Town of Leland reserves the right to purchase software separately from this proposal. 5.2 Financial Stability of Vendor Each proposal must include the Vendor s audited financial statements for the previous two (2) years, a banking reference, and any other information that the Vendor wishes to submit as an indication of financial stability. 5.3 Licensing Agreement Any licensing agreement required must be fully described and a copy of the agreement as proposed must be included with the proposal. 5.4 Warranty The offering party shall state what warranty, if any, will be provided against defective workmanship and material. All products and equipment must include a 12-month warranty. 5.5 Insurance The successful Vendor shall be required to have in effect and provide evidence of the following types of insurance in at least the limits specified below. Insurance shall be maintained during the course of any resulting agreement. Coverage Workmen s Compensation General Liability/Property Damage Personal Injury Limits of Liability Statutory $1,000,000 each occurrence; $2,000,000 aggregate $1,000,000 each occurrence; $2,000,000 aggregate Automobile Liability/Property Damage $1,000,000 each occurrence Bodily Injury $1,000,000 each occurrence; $2,000,000 aggregate 5.6 Other Vendor Documentation Requirements Form W-9 Vendor Application E-Verify Affidavit 15 P a g e

Section 6 TIME TABLE PROJECTION This form must be completed and submitted as part of the response for the proposal to be considered valid. All labor, materials, services, and equipment necessary for the completion of the work described in this proposal, for the development and installation of an enterprise-wide ERP System and associated implementation services, shall be included in the Vendor s proposal (APPENDIX B). Base proposal price is to include all applicable development, shipping & handling and to exclude sales tax. All bids shall include necessary mechanical work to perform the project. The Vendor hereby proposes to fully perform the work within the time stated and in strict accordance with the specifications. If the work is not completed within the time table stated below, by no fault of the Town, the Vendor will be assessed $50.00 per day as a liquidated damage per the negotiated contract. 1) To complete the total work in consecutive working days. 2) To start work days after written notice of contract award. 3) To work full days a week. 16 P a g e

Please use the following codes in the Vendor Response column: Y=Yes, fully provided "Out of the Box" PP=Partially provided M=Provided with modification RB=Provided with/or can be built via Reporting Tool APPENDIX A - Technical Requirements Bid Form User & System Requirements Operate in a Microsoft Windows based environment. Operate on a SQL platform. General Requirements Functions in an environment where the Server is hosted offsite from the primary site. Capable of exporting any report to common Microsoft Windows file formats (.doc,.txt,.xls,.pdf, etc). Support ad-hoc query and reporting of various application information by authorized personnel. The application reporting capabilities should be flexible, allowing user-defined selection and sorting criteria. The integrated ad-hoc reporting tool should use the security defined in the application for user access to information. Provide the ability to maintain security restrictions at the fund level. All proposed modules of the system should be integrated to eliminate duplicate data entry for one module to another. Provide the real-time integration of data among all modules. Provide the ability for the software to be upgraded without loss of data or user defined fields. TP=Third party software required NV=Provided in next version NA=Not available Vendor Respone Vendor Comments Provide multiple levels of security from the server level down to the menu level. Ability to establish and assign common user profiles. Ability to maintain back-end referential integrity. Ability to perform data locking. Have audit trail cababilities. Have a security administrators access "console." User passwords should not be visible on the screen at login. Provide a customizable roles template. Have the ability to copy security rights from one user to another. Provide the ability to open two windows from the same or different module and view both windows at once. The system should provide an online help file with screenshots and adjoining instructions for each process within the software. Ability to email a software support request directly from the help function. The user should be able to attach notes or memos to any transaction. Note fields should be expandable to accommodate unlimited text. Reports reflecting activity from transactions within the software should be capable of including notes logged at the time of the transaction. Ability to preview all reports on screen before printing. Provide complete user documentation in the form of online help, available through the application and/or printable hard copy. Allow multiple users to be in the same module at the same time, without running multiple sessions of the application. Data stored in a Relational Database System that includes transaction logging, live backup capabilities and GUI Management Interface. 17 P a g e

Please use the following codes in the Vendor Response column: APPENDIX A (Continued) - Technical Requirements Bid Form Y=Yes, fully provided "Out of the Box" PP=Partially provided M=Provided with modification TP=Third party software required NV=Provided in next version NA=Not available RB=Provided with/or can be built via Reporting Tool Allow for unlimited transaction history. Portal Provides a user portal that allows the user to create a personalized view of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and other business information available via a web interface. KPIs are shown graphically. User & System Requirements Provide an Application Delivery System that allows for access to the application from any location with internet. Proved automated off-site data backup and restoration system. Upgrade/enhancement installs should be initiated by the user upon notification that they are available. Portal authentication and security are integrated with the software. Provides a menu of available web parts which are filtered based on the user's role. Provides easy dashboard setup and customization. General Requirements Vendor should provide notification of system upgrades, patches and code fixes in a timely manner. Web parts have separate configuration data for each user. Web parts may be configured multiple times for a single user, for example to show different funds separately. Web parts may also show different data for each user, such as data only specific to that user's location and/or department. Please provide the minimum and optimal technical specifications required for your proposed solution, such as server, drive space, etc. IT Vendor Respone Vendor Comments 18 P a g e

APPENDIX B Bid Form Software Description Initial License Price Annual Support Costs General Ledger Budgeting Purchasing Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Building Inspections and Permitting Zoning Inspections and Permitting Human Resources Payroll Recreation Programs and Rentals Code Enforcement Fixed Assets Billing Other: Total Software Costs Other Services Description Initial License Price Annual Support Costs Conversion Services Training Services Project Management Services Travel Expenses Other (Specify): Total Other Services Summary - Total Cost Price Annual Support Costs Total Software Costs Total Hardware & Operating System Costs Total Other Services Total Other Services 19 P a g e

APPENDIX C Exception List Bid Form Section Number Explanation 20 P a g e

APPENDIX D Submission Authorization Form The Company owner s name and signature is required. Company owner shall be any person authorized in the Company to execute a legally binding contract on its behalf. By submitting a bid in response to this Request for Proposal, the Vendor certifies that they have read, understand and accept all of the provisions, terms and conditions, documents, charts and specifications, if any, of this proposal and have familiarized themselves with all federal, state, local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations that in any manner may affect the cost, progress or performance of the work. Company Name Company Address Telephone No. Fax No. Representative Name Representative Signature Date Email Address Company Official Name Company Official Signature Date Email Address 21 P a g e

APPENDIX E Check List RFP Item Check List Section RFP Item Included? Yes or No 2.3 One original and two copies of proposal 3.1 Functional requirements Appendix A Technical requirements 3.3 Data conversion services 3.4 Maintenance & support description 3.5 User manual 3.6 Project management 3.7 Implementation & training 3.8 References 5.2 Financial stability proof 5.3 Licensing agreement 5.4 Warranty 5.5 Insurance 6.0 Time table projection Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Itemized list bid form Exception List bid form Submission authorization form The Town of Leland is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 22 P a g e