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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

TO PROVIDE

CONSULTATIVE SERVICES FOR A HOMELESS MANAGEMENT

INFORMATION SYSTEM

ISSUED BY

THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Issuing Office: Office of the Chief Counsel Commonwealth Keystone Building, 1st Floor 400 North Street Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR CONTRACTORS.............................#1

PART II. INFORMATION REQUIRED FROM CONTRACTORS........................#9

PART III. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION................................................................#13

PART IV. WORK STATEMENT.............................................................................#15

APPENDIX A. STANDARD CONTRACT ....................................................................#A1

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PART I GENERAL INFORMATION FOR CONTRACTORS A. PURPOSE. This request for proposal (RFP) provides interested contractors with sufficient information to enable them to prepare and submit proposals for consideration by the Department of Community and Economic Development to provide software, training, and associated services for a Homeless Management Information System for a large geographic portion of Pennsylvania. B. ISSUING OFFICE. This RFP is issued for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by the Department of Community and Economic Development (the “Department”), Office of Administrative Services ("Issuing Office"). The Issuing Office is the sole point of contact in the Department for this RFP. All communications concerning this RFP must be directed in writing to:

Ms. Irina Khachaturova Department of Community and Economic Development Commonwealth Keystone Building, 1st Floor 400 North Street Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225 Telephone 717-720-1435

C. SCOPE. This RFP contains instructions governing the proposals to be submitted and the material to be included therein, including:

- a description of the services to be provided; - requirements which must be met to be eligible for consideration; - general evaluation criteria; and - other requirements to be met by each proposal.

D. PROBLEM STATEMENT. The development of a Homeless Management Information System (“HMIS”) is required by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) as a condition of receiving McKinney-Vento Act funds, which is the primary source of funding for homeless related programs in the country. HUD has established a September 30, 2004 deadline for having a system operational. Currently the numerous agencies throughout Pennsylvania providing homeless services in four regional Continuums’ of Care have no common data collection system. Any HMIS chosen will be used by a minimum of 150 end users in the first year with additional users added in subsequent years. The local providers are in cities and towns throughout the state. The HMIS must be a web-based and an existing system. Funds cannot be used for software development. To implement this system, HMIS software and training for the users is required. E. TYPE OF CONTRACT. It is proposed that if a contract is entered into as a result of this RFP, it will be a firm, fixed-price contract. Negotiations may be undertaken with contractors

whose proposals, price and other factors show them to be qualified, responsible and capable of performing the work. The selected contractor will be expected to enter into a standard contract similar to that presented in Appendix I and the selected contractor will be subject to the specifications and requirements set forth in this package. F. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS. The Department reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this request or to negotiate separately with competing contractors. G. INCURRING COSTS. The Department is not liable for any cost incurred by contractors prior to issuance of a contract. H. PREPROPOSAL CONFERENCE. A preproposal conference will be held on the date and at the place specified in the cover letter to this RFP. The purpose of the conference is to clarify any points in the RFP which may not have been clearly understood. Questions should be forwarded to the Issuing Office prior to the meeting to insure that sufficient analysis can be made before an answer is supplied, though an opportunity will be given during the conference for additional questions to be asked. In view of the limited facilities available for the conference, it is requested that representation be limited to one individual per contractor. The preproposal conference is for information only. Answers furnished during the conference will not be official until verified in writing by the Issuing Office. I. AMENDMENT TO THE RFP. If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, an amendment will be issued to all contractors who received the basic RFP. J. RESPONSE DATE. To be considered, proposals must arrive at the Issuing Office on or before the time and date specified in the cover letter to this RFP. Contractors mailing proposals should allow sufficient mail delivery time to insure timely receipt of the proposal. The proposal shall be enclosed and sealed in an envelope which is clearly marked “Proposal for HMIS RFP”. It is the responsibility of each contractor to ensure that its proposal is received at the Issuing Office prior to the date and time specified in the cover letter to this RFP, regardless of medium used. In the event that, due to inclement weather, natural disaster, or other cause, the Commonwealth offices are officially closed on the date the proposals are due, the deadline for submission shall be automatically postponed until the next Commonwealth business day, unless the contractors are otherwise notified by the Commonwealth. The time for submission of proposals shall remain the same. K. PROPOSALS. To be considered, contractors must submit a complete response to this RFP, using the format provided in Part II. Each proposal must be submitted in nine (9) copies to the Issuing Office. No other distribution of proposals will be made by the contractor. Proposals must be signed, in ink, by an official authorized to bind the contractor to its provisions. For this RFP, the proposal must remain valid for at least sixty days. Moreover, the contents of the proposal of the successful respondent will become contractual obligations if a contract is entered into. L. INFORMATION CONCERNING SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY RESTRICTED

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BUSINESSES (SERBs). SERBs are small businesses whose economic growth and development have been restricted based on social and economic bias. Such small businesses are Bureau of Minority & Women Business Opportunities (“BMWBO”) - certified minority- and women-owned businesses, other disadvantaged businesses, and businesses whose development has been impeded because their primary or headquarters facilities are physically located in areas designated by the Commonwealth as being Designated Enterprise Zones. A small business will not be considered socially/economically restricted if it has gross annual revenues of $8,000,000 ($18,000,000 for those businesses in the information technology sales or service business) or more, is dominant in its field of operation, or employs more than 100 persons. A company and its affiliates have achieved success and are graduated from this state-sponsored program when its gross annual revenues are $8,000,000 ($18,000,000 for those businesses in the information technology sales or service business) or more. Any other small business in which an owner(s) of the graduated firm has a financial interest or control over either directly or through family members will not qualify for SERB status. Control is defined as the power, whether or not exercised, to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a firm, whether through the ownership of voting shares, by contract or otherwise, or through the making of the day-to-day as well as major decisions, in matters of policy, management, and operations. A determination of control shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following factors: capital investment and all other financial, property, acquisition, contract negotiation, and legal matters; officer-director-employee selection and comprehensive hiring, operating responsibility, cost-control matters, and income and dividend matters; financial transactions; and rights of other shareholders or joint partners.

Questions regarding the SERB Program can be directed to:

Department of General Services Bureau of Minority & Women Business Opportunities Room 502, North Office Building Harrisburg, PA 17125 gs-cabdinternet@state.pa.usPhone: 717-787-6708 Fax: 717- 772-0021

SERB Program information and a database of BMWBO-certified minority- and women-owned businesses can be accessed at www.dgs.state.pa.us, DGS Keyword: BMWBO. The federal vendor database PRO-Net can be accessed at www.sba.gov (certified companies are so indicated). There is no database or directory of Enterprise Zone businesses. M. ORAL PRESENTATION. Contractors who submit proposals may be required to make an oral presentation of their proposal to the Department. Such presentations provide an opportunity for the contractor to clarify the proposal to insure thorough mutual understanding. The Issuing Office will schedule these presentations.

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N. ECONOMY OF PREPARATION. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the contractor's ability to meet the requirements of this RFP. O. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES. The selected contractor will be required to assume responsibility for all services offered in the proposal whether or not the selected contractor provides those services or subcontracts them. Further, the Department will consider the selected contractor to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters. The Department reserves the right to approve any and all subcontracts. P. DISCLOSURE OF PROPOSAL CONTENTS. Proposals will be held in confidence and, except for the selected proposal, will not be revealed or discussed with competitors. All other material submitted with the proposal becomes the property of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and may be returned only at the Commonwealth’s option. Proposals submitted to the Commonwealth may be reviewed and evaluated by any person other than competing contractors at the discretion of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth has the right to use any or all ideas presented in any proposal. Selection or rejection of the proposal does not affect this right. Q. STANDARD CONTRACT. The selected contractor will be expected to enter into a written contract similar to the sample contract attached to this RFP as Appendix I. R. NEWS RELEASES. News releases pertaining to this project may not be made by the selected contractor without prior Department approval, and then only in coordination with the Issuing Office. S. COMMONWEALTH PARTICIPATION. Staff will be made available to provide necessary background information, available statistics and planning input. T. DEBRIEFING CONFERENCE. Contractors whose proposals are not selected will be notified of the name of the selected contractor and will be given the opportunity to be debriefed. The Issuing Office will schedule the time and location of the debriefing. U. PERIOD OF CONTRACT. The contract will be entered into as soon after the final selection as feasible, subject to the availability of funds, and will operate for three years from that date. The Department retains the right to extend the completion date if necessary for the successful completion of work, without any increase in contract price. Additionally, at the discretion of the Department, the contract awarded as a result of this RFP may be extended for an additional period or periods of time not to exceed two years, if the services being rendered are judged to be exceptionally effective and of benefit to the Commonwealth. Conversely, the Department may choose to terminate the contractual arrangement upon 30 days notice if, in the Department's opinion, the services being provided are not adequate, are not of benefit to the Commonwealth, or are no longer needed. V. EXPENSES. The proposed cost of the contractor should include all travel and miscellaneous expenses.

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W. PAYMENT. The successful contractor will be permitted to bill the Department monthly for reimbursement under this contract. The successful contractor must submit an invoice within 14 days after the end of the month. This invoice must list the number of whole or partial days worked by contractor personnel for that month. Personnel performing the actual work should keep a time sheet or similar record which can be used to verify the invoiced amounts. X. QUESTIONS. In order to allow sufficient time for the Issuing Office to respond to questions concerning the contents of the proposal, such questions must be submitted to the Issuing Office in writing on or before the time and date specified in the cover letter to this RFP. Y. COST DATA. All cost data for the proposal shall be submitted in a separate sealed envelope within the sealed proposal and kept separate from the technical proposal. Failure to meet this requirement will result in automatic disqualification of the proposal. The successful contractor will be required to provide the specified services at the prices quoted in its proposal. Z. CONTRACTOR'S REPRESENTATION AND AUTHORIZATION. Each contractor by submitting its proposal understands, represents and acknowledges that:

1. The contractor understands and acknowledges that all information provided by, and representations made by, the contractor in the proposal are material and important and will be relied upon by the Issuing Office in awarding the contract(s). Any misstatement shall be treated as fraudulent concealment from the Issuing Office of the true facts relating to the submission of this proposal. A misrepresentation shall be punishable under Section 4904 of Title 18 P.C.S.A.

2. The price(s) and amount of this proposal have been arrived at independently and without consultation, communication or agreement with any other contractor or potential contractor. 3. Neither the price(s) nor the amount of the proposal, and neither the approximate price(s) nor the approximate amount of this proposal, have been disclosed to any other firm or person who is a contractor or potential contractor, and they will not be disclosed on or before the proposal submission deadline specified in the cover letter to this RFP. 4. No attempt has been made or will be made to induce any firm or person to refrain from bidding on this contract, or to submit a proposal higher than this proposal, or to submit any intentionally high or noncompetitive proposal or other form of complementary proposal. 5. The proposal is made in good faith and not pursuant to any agreement or discussion with, or inducement from, any firm or person to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive proposal. 6. To the best knowledge of the person signing the proposal for the contractor, the contractor, its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors and employees are not currently

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under investigation by any governmental agency and have not in the last four years been convicted or found liable for any act prohibited by State or Federal law in any jurisdiction, involving conspiracy or collusion with respect to bidding on any public contract, except as disclosed by the contractor in its proposal. 7. To the best of the knowledge of the person signing the proposal for the contractor and except as otherwise disclosed by the contractor in its proposal, the contractor has no outstanding, delinquent obligations to the Commonwealth including, but not limited to, any state tax liability not being contested on appeal or other obligation of the contractor that is owed to the Commonwealth. 8. The contractor is not currently under suspension or debarment by the Commonwealth, or any other state, or the federal government, and if the contractor cannot certify, then it shall submit along with the proposal a written explanation of why such certification cannot be made. 9. The contractor has not, under separate contract with the Issuing Office made any recommendations to the Issuing Office concerning the need for the services described in the proposal or the specifications for the services described in the proposal. 10. Each contractor, by submitting its proposal, authorizes all Commonwealth agencies to release to the Commonwealth information related to liabilities to the Commonwealth including, but not limited to taxes, unemployment compensation, and workers' compensation liabilities.

AA. RFP PROTEST PROCEDURE.

1. Who May File the Protest. Any offeror or prospective offeror who is aggrieved in connection with the RFP or award of the contract solicitation or award of a contract may file a protest. Protests relating to cancellation of requests for proposals and protests relating to the rejection of all proposals are not permitted. An offeror is a person that submits a proposal in response to the RFP.

2. Time for Filing.

(a) If a protest is submitted by a prospective offeror, the protest must be filed before the proposal receipt date. (b) If a protest is filed by an offeror, the protest must be filed within seven days after the protesting offeror knew or should have known of the facts giving rise to the protest EXCEPT THAT IN NO EVENT MAY A PROTEST BE FILED LATER THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS AFTER THE DATE THE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED. Date of filing is the date of receipt of protest. (c) Untimely filed protests shall be disregarded.

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3. Form of Protest.

(a) A protest must be in writing and filed with the agency head (or designee) of the purchasing agency. (b) A protest must state all grounds upon which the protesting party asserts that the solicitation or award was improper. Issues not raised by the protesting party in the protest are deemed waived and may not be raised on appeal. (c) The protesting party may submit with the protest any documents or information deemed relevant.

4. Notice of Protest. If award has been made, the agency head (or designee) shall notify the successful contractor of the protest. If the protest is received before award and substantial issues are raised by the protest, all offerors who appear to have a substantial and reasonable prospect of winning the award shall be notified and may file their agreement/disagreement with the purchasing agency within three (3) days after receipt of notice of the protest.

5. Stay of Procurement. The head of the purchasing agency (or designee) shall immediately decide, upon receipt of the protest, whether or not the solicitation or award shall be stayed, or if the protest is timely received after the award, whether the performance of the contract should be suspended. The Issuing Office shall not proceed further with the RFP or with the award of the contract, and shall suspend performance under the contract if awarded, unless the agency head of the purchasing agency makes a written determination that the protest is clearly without merit or that award of the contract without delay is necessary to protect the substantial interests of the Commonwealth.

6. Procedures.

(a) Contracting Officer Response. Within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of a protest, the contracting officer may submit a written response to the head of the purchasing agency (or designee). The response may include any documents or information that the contracting officer deems relevant to the protest. (b) Protesting Party Reply. Within ten (10) days of the date of the contracting officer response, the protesting party may file a written reply.

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(c) Review. The head of the purchasing agency (or designee) shall:

(i) Review the protest and any response or reply. (ii) Request and review any additional documents or information he deems necessary to render a decision. (iii) Give the protesting party and the contracting officer reasonable opportunity to review and address any additional documents or information requested by the agency head. (iv) In his sole discretion, conduct a hearing. (v) Within sixty (60) days of the receipt of the protest, issue a written determination stating the reasons for the decision. (vi) If additional time is required to investigate the protest, inform the protesting party of the additional time needed to render a determination and obtain the protesting party’s consent.

(d) “Clearly Without Merit” Determinations. If the head of the purchasing agency (or designee) determines, upon receipt, that the protest is clearly without merit and does not stay the procurement, the head of the purchasing agency (or designee) shall immediately issue the decision as required by subparagraph (8) below.

7. Settlement. The Issuing Office has the authority to settle and resolve proposal protests.

8. Decision. The head of the purchasing agency (or designee) shall promptly, but in no event later than sixty (60) days from the filing of the protest, issue a written decision. The decision shall:

(a) State the reasons for the decision.

(b) If the protest is denied, inform the protesting party of its right to file an action in Commonwealth Court within fifteen (15) days of the mailing date of the decision. (c) If it is determined that the solicitation or award was contrary to law, enter an appropriate order.

The agency head (or designee) shall send a copy of the decision to the protesting party and any other person determined by the agency head (or designee) to be affected by the decision.

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PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED FROM CONTRACTORS

Contractor proposals must be submitted in the format, including heading descriptions, outlined below. To be considered, the proposal must respond to all requirements in this part of the RFP. Any other information thought to be relevant, but not applicable to the listed categories, should be provided as an appendix to the proposal. A. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. State in succinct terms the services which are required by this RFP. B. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY. Include a narrative description of the proposed effort and a list of the services to be provided. C. WORK PLAN. Describe in narrative form the technical plan for accomplishing the work. D. PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND PERSONNEL. State how long you have been in business. Explain the level of experience you have in providing services similar to those requested in this RFP. Cite similar projects, identifying the type of customer (name optional), the city address, and a brief description of the contract and results. Provide three specific references for which you have completed similar work which the Issuing Office may contact. List the names of the actual people who will be working on the Issuing Office project along with a brief biographical sketch for each person, including their educational background. Explain the level of experience each person who will be working on the Issuing Office project has in providing services similar to those requested in this RFP. Identify the person(s) responsible for managing the project. Provide a brief description of your organization, its structure (organization chart where appropriate), and annual report as appropriate. E. SERB INFORMATION. To receive credit for being a SERB, entering into a joint venture agreement with a SERB, or subcontracting to a SERB (including purchasing supplies and/or services through a purchase agreement), a company must include proof of SERB qualification in the SERB portion of the proposal:

• SERBs qualifying as a result of MBE/WBE certification from BMWBO must provide a photocopy of their BMWBO certificate.

• SERBs qualifying as a result of having their headquarters located in a designated

enterprise zone must provide proof of this status, including proof of the location of their headquarters (such as a lease or deed) and confirmation of the enterprise zone in which they are located (obtained from their local enterprise zone office). The owners of such businesses must also submit proof of United States citizenship and must attest to the fact that the SERB has 100 or fewer employees.

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More information on the locations of Enterprise Zones can be obtained by contacting:

Aldona M. Kartorie Center for Community Building Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development 4th Floor, Commonwealth Keystone Building 400 North Street Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225 Phone: (717) 720-7409 Fax: (717) 787-4088 Email: akartorie@state.pa.us.

• SERBs qualifying as a result of 8(a) or Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB)

certification from the U.S. Small Business Administration must submit proof of Small Business Administration Certification. The owners of such businesses must also submit proof of United States citizenship and must attest to the fact that the SERB has 100 or fewer employees.

• All companies claiming SERB status, whether as a result of BMWBO

certification, Small Business Administration certification as a disadvantaged business, or the location of their headquarters in an enterprise zone, must submit proof that their gross annual revenues are less than $8,000,000 ($18,000,000 for those businesses in the information technology sales or services business). This can be accomplished by including a recent tax or audited financial statement.

In addition to these verifications, the SERB portion of the proposal should include the following information:

• The name and the telephone number of your project (contact) person for SERB(s).

• The company name, address, telephone number of the prime contact person for

each specific SERB business included in the proposal. You must specify the SERB business(es) to which you are making commitments. You will not receive credit by stating you will find a SERB after the contract is awarded or by listing several companies and stating you will select one later.

• The specific work, goods, or services the SERB(s) will perform or provide.

• The location where the SERB(s) will perform these services.

• The timeframe for the SERB(s) to provide or deliver the goods or services.

• The amount of capital, if any, the SERB will be expected to provide.

• The form and amount of compensation each SERB will receive. In the SERB

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portion of the proposal, provide the estimated dollar value of the contract to each SERB.

• The percent of the total value of services or products purchased/subcontracted

under the proposal that will be provided by the SERB(s).

• In the case of a joint venture agreement, a copy of the agreement, signed by all parties, must be included in the SERB portion of the proposal. If subcontracting, a signed subcontract or letter of intent must be included in the SERB portion of the proposal.

The SERB portion of the proposal must be identified as Socially and Economically Restricted Business (SERB) information and sealed in an envelope separately from the remainder of the proposal. Only one copy of the SERB section is needed.

The dollar value of the SERB commitment must be sealed in the same envelope with the SERB portion of the proposal. The selected contractor’s SERB commitment amount, name of SERB, services to be provided including timeframe for performing services will be included as a contractual obligation when the contract is executed.

F. COST AND PRICE ANALYSIS. The information requested in this section is required to support the reasonableness of the quoted price and is for internal Departmental use only. THIS PORTION OF THE PROPOSAL MUST BE BOUND AND SEALED SEPARATELY FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE PROPOSAL. Further, this separate package must be marked "COST AND PRICE ANALYSIS." This portion of the proposal will not be opened until the review and rating of the other sections of the proposal is completed. INTERESTED RESPONDENTS FAILING TO SUBMIT THIS SECTION IN A SEPARATE SEALED PACKAGE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM FURTHER REVIEW.

The cost itself should be itemized so as to breakout the cost of travel and miscellaneous expenses from the remainder of the payment. The cost should be presented in the format of hourly billings of personnel with transportation and miscellaneous expenses presented separately. The number of whole or partial days, or hours per week, personnel will be available to the Commonwealth over the contract period and the hourly billing rate thereof should be presented.

Costs should be detailed in the following manner and presented separately for each of the five years the contract may be in effect:

1. The cost for each Server License, if required. Any costs for setting up/formatting the server at the Department’s Harrisburg offices should be stated here.

2. The cost of each user license for the clients at the Department who will be accessing

the database inside the firewall

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3. The cost for each day of training and travel costs. A training day is the cost the vendor charges for its personnel and related costs to conduct training on the HMIS software chosen. Location is to be determined, but could be anywhere in Pennsylvania. The Office of Community Development in the Department will handle site arrangements, including payment.

4. Any annual support or related fees. It should be clearly spelled out if this is a fee per

user, one overall charge for all users, or a cost per hour fee. If this charge does not include telephone and e-mail support, software upgrades, costs for HUD mandated changes, and ongoing system additions, it should be so stated and the cost of these charges identified. If there is a one time set up fee to the Department and/or a set up fee for each user seat, it must be stated.

5. Any other related costs. It should be clearly delineated if these are one-time, annual,

or pay as you go costs. 6. The cost, if any, for any changes in the software, such as a change in the Annual

Performance Report required by HUD.

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PART III CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

A. REVIEW COMMITTEE. All proposals received from contractors will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of qualified Commonwealth personnel. This committee will recommend for selection the proposal which most closely meets the requirements of the RFP and satisfies the Department's needs. Prior to the final selection, the Department may conduct discussions with contractors for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers, in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Field Procurement Handbook. B. The following areas of consideration will be used in making the selection:

1. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM. This refers to the contractor's understanding of the Department's needs that generated the RFP, of the Department's objectives in asking for the services or undertaking the study, and of the nature and scope of the work involved.

2. CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS. This refers to the ability of the contractor to meet the terms of the RFP, especially the time constraints and the quality, relevancy, and recency of studies and projects completed by the contractor. This also includes the contractor's financial ability to undertake a project of this size.

3. PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL. This refers to the competency of professional personnel who would be assigned to the job by the contractor. Qualifications of professional personnel will be measured by experience and education, with particular reference to experience in:

(a) design, development and operation of HMIS; (b) providing training on the HMIS software; and (c) setting up the HMIS on the DCED server.

4. SOUNDNESS OF APPROACH. Emphasis here is on the techniques for collecting and analyzing data, sequence and relationships of major steps, and methods for managing the service. Of equal importance is whether the technical approach is completely responsive to all written specifications and requirements contained in the RFP and if it appears to meet the Department objectives.

5. SERB PARTICIPATION. The following options will be considered as part of the

final criteria for selection:

Priority Rank 1. Proposals submitted by SERBs.

Priority Rank 2. Proposals submitted from a joint venture with a Commonwealth approved SERB as a joint venture partner.

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Priority Rank 3. Proposals submitted with subcontracting commitments to SERB.

Each proposal will be rated for its approach to enhancing the utilization of SERBs. Each approach will be evaluated with option number one receiving the greatest value and the succeeding options receiving values in accordance with the above-listed priority ranking. 6. COST. While this area will be weighted heavily, it will not normally be the

deciding factor in the selection process.

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PART IV WORK STATEMENT

The successful contract will work directly with the Office of Community Development in the Department. The Department is the primary housing and community development agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, administering a large number of federal and state programs that provide community development, housing and homeless services and assistance. As stated earlier in the Problem Statement, the development of the HMIS is required by HUD as a condition of receiving McKinney-Vento Act funds, which is the primary source of funding for homeless related programs in the country. HUD has established a September 30, 2004 deadline for having a system operational. Currently, the numerous agencies providing homeless services in four regional Continuums of Care have no common data collection system. Databases being used range from those developed for other purposes/programs to simple local agency developed systems. However, the majority of these agencies have no electronic data collection system. Any HMIS chosen will be used by a minimum of 150 end users in the first year with more in subsequent years. The local providers are in cities and towns throughout the state. The HMIS selected by the Department must be a web-based system. In addition to users in the four rural continuums, it is expected that a number of urban counties will utilize this RFP process and join in the state selected system. For this reason, the number of licenses could be considerably higher than 150 in the first year The Department will host the HMIS chosen at our headquarters facility in Harrisburg and will purchase servers and other necessary equipment and software to operate the HMIS selected. Potential contractors should be aware that the Department has standardized its platform on the following suite of products: Windows 2000 on PCs; Windows 2000 servers (Advanced and Standard) Oracle (7.4), Oracle 8i, WebDb, SQL Server 200x database software products on the backend. DCED is using Microsoft Access on the front end, .NET and Microsoft Outlook as an e-mail and messaging system. The HMIS System must adhere to the above said Commonwealth and Department standards. Potential contractors shall provide all of the resources necessary for the installation of the hardware and software to ensure compatibility and integration. This work includes the following tasks: • Installation of the software on the Department platform. • Testing of the system with the Enterprise Server Farm and the Department working through

the firewalls, etc. so that the public can access the system without interruptions. • Creation of a web-based application that is .NET or ASP (conforming to the Commonwealth

standard) which will be placed outside the firewall on the Application Server. • Creation of the database in an Oracle or MS SQL Server 200x format which will be placed

inside the firewall and on a Department server. • DCED uses VERITAS software for backup and restore for its data.

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• Development of specifications for the hardware and software. • Ability to work with the Department’s Information Technology staff and the Department’s

Community Development staff to ensure proper functionality. • The database changes will be identified at the user requirements phase. The Department seeks to purchase a Homeless Management Information System [HMIS] for a minimum of 150 end users in the first year, with additional users added in subsequent years. The physical location of the users are throughout the State, consequently an Internet, web-based system is required.

A. SYSTEM CRITERIA Key Criteria for the selection of an HMIS system are:

• 1. The ability to provide an existing Homeless Management Information System. • 2. The ability to provide the Department with the necessary software and related products

to host the server in Harrisburg and adhere to the Commonwealth standards. • 3. The ability to accommodate multiple levels of password and security protection at the

Department level, as well as being Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 {HIPPA) compliant ) including, but not limited to the confidentiality of protected health information, as defined under HIPAA, and HIPAA requirements relating to the security of information systems requirements.

• 4. The ability to provide a minimum of 128 bid encryption via a Secure Socket Layer [SSL].

• 5. The ability to provide a minimum of 150 licenses of the HMIS software to users across the state in the first year. Users will be identified by the Department.

• 6. The ability of the software to be in compliance with the HUD HMIS Data and Technical Standards, as published.

• 7. The ability to insure that the software provided has the ability to produce the currently approved Annual Performance Report required by the HUD and other custom reports based on the data collected via a custom report writer on a program, continua, agency, county and state level.

• 8. The ability to generate a unique means of identification for each person entered on the HMIS database, so that persons can be counted without duplication as they utilize different service providers.

• 9. The ability to provide an unduplicated count of homeless persons at any given point • in time. • 10. The ability to provide a secure Internet, web-based system easily accessed by the

licensed users. • 11. The ability to provide training sessions for users of the HMIS system at dates and

locations to be determined by the Department. Potential contractors should bid the cost of training on a per day basis, with training and travel as separate cost items, and also specify the minimum number of hours or days needed to train the typical user on the HMIS system.

• The system and user documentation should be part of any modification needed for

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DCED-HMIS system. • The cost information must be in the separate sealed envelope as described in F.

Cost and Price Analysis. Potential contractors should assume that persons to be trained have basic computer skills, can use a mouse and navigate through different programs.

12. The ability to comply with the provisions of section 6116 of the Protection From Abuse Act (23 Pa.C.S.A. §6116). • 13. The ability to securely transmit data between approved users and share or not share

identified data items. • 14. The ability to enter all data on an anonymous basis. • 15. The ability to indicate if a user manual is provided with all licenses and the

availability of support services and any cost thereof. Cost information must be separated as described in F. Cost and Price Analysis

• 16. Capability to produce the Annual Performance Report as required by HUD, which must be in conformance with HUD’s Data and Technical Standards.

• Any other modifications for the DCED-HMIS reports that are deemed necessary. • 17. Ability to restrict user access in whole, or in part

Additional features are a plus. Potential contractors should list by the above number how their product meets these criteria.

B. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The server will be located and maintained in the Department. Potential contractors must have a HMIS database system designed to operate on the following computer equipment - workstation at each of the locations statewide with these minimum requirements: Operating System: Windows 98 or later Macintosh 8.0 or later

Processing Speed: Pentium 133 Mhz

Memory: 120 MB RAM

Hard Disk Space: 4.3 GB SVGA monitor Mouse

Modems and/or Internet Connections: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5x

Or Netscape Navigator Potential contractors must have strong training experience in the product. The users of the HMIS are a minimum of 150 plus agencies at various, scattered locations throughout the state.

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As a group, they are expected to have a wide range of computer skills and experience and the need for a comprehensive and complete training effort is critical to the successful implementation of this product. The Department will permit the successful contractor to work from its location to retrofit the application system to integrate into the Department system and adhere to the Commonwealth standards. However, training shall be at various locations throughout the state. DETAILED WORK PLAN Potential contractors must submit the following information with respect to the HMIS software:

• Names and titles of the staff to be assigned to each task, including the number of hours required to complete each task, and the cost of personnel.

• A description of your experience in developing HMIS software products, the names locations and phone numbers for other state and local agencies using the product.

• A complete list of clients using your product for the last two years. • References for five customers currently using the HMIS product • The history of the software product offered to include when it was developed,

how many upgrades have been developed, the nature of any future upgrades planned, and the impact such upgrades have had on the software users.

• The method by which updated versions will be disseminated to the Pennsylvania users.

• Software documentation should be provided. • What arrangements the contractor will make to insure continued operation of the

HMIS in the event the contractor goes out of business. • Timeline for the project should be in Microsoft Project format. • Technical support and any future modifications, upgrades should all be included

in the proposal EXCEPT FOR THE COST.

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SERB Contract Requirements All contracts containing SERB participation must also include a provision requiring the contractor to meet and maintain those commitments made to SERBs at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation, unless a change in the commitment is approved by the contracting Commonwealth agency upon recommendation by the BMWBO. All contracts containing SERB participation must include a provision requiring SERB subcontractors and SERBs in a joint venture to perform at least 50 percent of the subcontract or SERB portion of the joint venture. Commitments to SERBs made at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation must be maintained throughout the term of the contract. Any proposed change must be submitted to BMWBO, which will make a recommendation as to a course of action to the contracting officer. If a contract is assigned to another contractor, the new contractor must maintain the SERB participation of the original contract. The contractor shall complete the Prime Contractor’s Quarterly Utilization Report (or similar type document containing the same information) and submit it to the contracting officer of the agency that awarded the contract and the Bureau of Minority & Women Business Opportunities within 10 workdays at the end of each quarter the contract is in force. If there was no activity, the form must also be completed, stating “No activity in this quarter.” This information will be used to determine the actual dollar amount paid to SERB subcontractors and suppliers, and SERBS involved in Joint Ventures. Also, it is a record of fulfillment of the commitment your firm made and for which it received SERB points. NOTE: EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND CONTRACT COMPLIANCE STATEMENTS REFERRING TO COMPANY EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POLICIES OR PAST CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PRACTICES DO NOT CONSTITUTE PROOF OF SERB STATUS OR ENTITLE A PROPOSER TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR SERB UTILIZATION.

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APPENDIX I