Request for Proposal Template for EDMS/ECMS



Criminal Background Check Services for ESU #3 and participating Member Districts

RFP ID # ESU3BSV0001

Educational Service Unit #3

6949 South 110th Street

Omaha, NE 68128-5721

PHONE 402-597-4800

FAX 402-597-4808

To locate RFP information:

All questions or requests for interpretations of the documents shall be emailed to rfp@. The RFP number must be referenced in the subject line. All questions and answers will be posted on the ESU #3 website. The website address is . Click on ESU3 Bid Information on the left hand side of the page. Then click on Audit RFP. Questions received by Wednesday at noon will be posted on the ESU #3 website by Friday at noon.

Table of Contents

Company Information

1 Company Background

Project Description

1 Project Goals and Objectives

Schedule of Events - Timeline

Procurement Procedures

1 Procuring Office and Contact Person

2 General Information

3 News Release

4 Vendor’s Intent to Respond to RFP

5 Written Questions and Answers

6 Amendment to RFP

7 Exceptions to RFP

8 Mandatory Requirements

9 Reference Checks

10 Submission of Proposals

11 Proposal Opening

12 Late Proposal

13 Rejection of Proposal

14 Evaluation Process

Terms and Conditions

1 General

2 Award

3 Proposed Contract

4 Compliance with Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Employment / Nondiscrimination

5 Permits, Regulations, Laws

6 Ownership of Information and Data

7 Independent Contractor

8 Vendor Responsibility

9 Vendor Personnel

10 New Employee Work Eligibility Verification

11 Assignment by the Vendor

12 Funding out Clause or Loss of Appropriations

13 Breach by Vendor

14 Confidentiality

15 Proprietary Information

16 Insurance Requirements

17 Payment Terms

Proposal Instructions

1 Introduction

2 Requirements

Scope of Work

1 Introduction

2 Summary

3 General Requirements

4 Production Use Requirements

5 Enterprise Requirements

6 Training

7 Implementation

Project Management and Planning

1 Project Manager

2 Management Section

3 Management Meetings

4 Management Reports

Company Information

A. Company Background

Educational Service Unit #3 (ESU #3) is a Nebraska political subdivision providing educational programs and technology services since 1966 to 18 public school districts in Cass, Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington Counties. The school districts range in size from 22,000 students to 365 students which includes suburban and rural districts surrounding the Omaha area. ESU #3 is the largest of seventeen ESUs in Nebraska and serves over 67,650 students and 5,000 professional educators.

Project Description

A. Project Goals and Objectives

Contract with a vendor who provides cost effective criminal background check services for Educational Service Unit #3 and participating member districts.

Schedule of Events / Timeline

ESU #3 expects to adhere to the tentative schedule shown below. It should be noted, however, that some dates are approximate and final dates are subject to mutual agreement. It is the intention of ESU #3 to move the process as quickly as possible.

| |ACTIVITY |DATE/TIME if applicable |

|1. |Release RFP |March 23, 2012 |

|2. |Vendor walk through/meeting/etc (if required by ESU #3) |N/A |

|3. |Last Day to Submit Written Questions |April 2, 2012 |

| |Last Day to Respond to ESU #3 of Intent to Bid | |

|4. |ESU #3 Responds to Vendors by posting on ESU #3 website |April 5, 2012 |

|5. |Deadline to Submit Proposal |April 19, 2012 at 1:45 p.m. (CST) |

|6. |Proposal Opening |April 19, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. (CST) |

| |Location: Educational Service Unit #3 – | |

| |Administrative Conference Room on the 2nd level | |

| |6949 S 110th St | |

| |Omaha, NE 68128 | |

|7. |Oral interviews/Presentation (if required by ESU #3) |Only if necessary: TBD – |

| | |April 2012 |

|8. |Onsite Demonstrations and Testing (if required by ESU #3). |N/A |

|9. |Contract Finalization Period / Verify Numbers with Vendor |April 2012 |

|10. |Board Approval |May 2012 |

|11. |Implementation Start Date |As soon as the contract is signed. |

|12. |Implementation Complete |June 2012 |

Procurement Procedures

A. Procuring Office and Contact Person

Procurement responsibilities related to this RFP reside with ESU #3. The point of contact for this procurement is as follows:

Name: Jan Glenn

RFP Number: ESU3BSV0001

Address: 6949 South 110th Street

Omaha, NE 68128-5721

Telephone: (402) 597-4804

Facsimile: (402) 597-4808

E-Mail: rfp@ with the RFP number in the subject line

B. General Information

The RFP is designed to solicit proposals from qualified vendors. Proposals that do not conform to the mandatory items as provided in the Mandatory Requirements (Section VI.) and Proposal Instructions (Section VII.) shall not be considered.

Proposals shall conform to all instructions, conditions, and requirements included in this RFP. Prospective vendors are expected to carefully examine all documentation, schedules and requirements stipulated in this RFP, and respond to each requirement in the format prescribed. Once proposals are opened they become the property of ESU #3 and shall not be returned.

The proposal shall contain the vendor’s best and final price.

ESU #3 reserves the right to accept all or a portion of the services or products proposed in any vendor’s proposal.

C. News Release

Vendors submitting proposals in response to this RFP may not discuss this RFP with anyone other than those people within the vendor’s company who are required to participate in the vendor’s proposal. Any public release of information about participation in this RFP will disqualify that vendor. The selected vendor may not release details of the RFP for public information. Any public release of information must be approved in advance by ESU #3.

D. Vendor’s Intent to Respond to RFP

Vendors intending to respond to this RFP should email their intent to rfp@ including the RFP number in the subject line by the date specified in the schedule of events section of this RFP. This will give ESU #3 the necessary contact information should questions arise regarding the RFP. If a vendor does not notify ESU #3 of its intent to respond, the vendor can still respond to the RFP. However, the vendor will not be included in the email correspondence that the other vendors receive regarding vendor questions.

E. Written Questions and Answers

Any explanation desired by a vendor regarding the meaning or interpretation of any RFP provision must be submitted in writing via email to rfp@ at ESU #3 and the RFP number must be clearly identified in the subject line. Only written explanations, instructions, or guidelines provided by ESU #3 contact personnel may be relied on by vendors. Answers to vendor questions shall be posted for all vendors on the ESU #3 website.

F. Amendments to RFP

If this RFP is amended by ESU #3, the amendment will be sent to each vendor in writing via email. No oral amendments will be considered or acknowledged. Vendors are required to acknowledge each amendment received by promptly replying to the email notification.

G. Exceptions to the RFP

Vendors must provide a list of exceptions taken to this RFP. Any exceptions must be identified and explained in writing. An exception is defined as the vendor’s inability to meet a mandatory requirement in the manner specified in the RFP. If the vendor proposes an alternate solution when taking an exception to a requirement, the benefits of the alternative solution must be explained.

H. Mandatory Requirements

The mandatory requirement items are as follows and shall be submitted by vendors in the form of (1) paper original, clearly identified as such, one (1) copy, and one (1) CD containing the entire proposal:

a) Cover letter signed by an officer of the vendor’s company attesting to the information provided in the vendor’s submission packet.

b) Executive Summary/Corporate Overview

c) Scope of Work

d) Pricing

e) Any exceptions taken to the RFP. State “NONE” if there are no exceptions

f) Proposed Contract

I. Reference Checks

ESU #3 reserves the right to check any vendor reference(s), regardless of the source of the reference information, including but not limited to, those that are identified by the company in the proposal, those indicated through the explicitly specified contacts, those identified during the review of the proposal, or those identified through communication with other entities involved with similar projects.

Information to be requested and evaluated from references may include, but is not limited to, some or all of the following: project description and background, tasks completed, functional and technical abilities, communication skills and timeliness, cost and schedule estimates and accuracy, problems (poor quality deliverables, contract disputes, work stoppages, et cetera), overall performance, and whether or not the reference would rehire the firm or individual.

J. Submission of Proposals

The following describes the requirements related to the proposal submission, proposal handling and review by ESU #3.

The proposal copy marked “Original” shall take precedence over any other copies, should there be any discrepancies between the copies. Proposals must be submitted by the proposal due date and time. A separate sheet must be provided that clearly states which sections have been submitted as proprietary or have copyrighted materials. Where applicable, submit web based documents in the following formats: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or Adobe PDF. Proposals must reference the RFP name and number and be sent to the specified address. Container(s) utilized for original documents should be clearly marked “ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS”. Please note that the address label should appear as specified on the face of each container. Regardless of the reason, proposals received late shall not be accepted. If ESU #3’s phone number is required for delivery purposes, (402) 597-4800 should be used. The RFP name, RFP number, and contact person must be included in all correspondence.

Emphasis should be concentrated on conformance to the RFP instructions, responsiveness to requirements, completeness and clarity of content. If a vendor’s proposal makes evaluation difficult or overly time consuming, it may impact ESU #3’s evaluation of the proposal. Elaborate and lengthy proposals are neither necessary nor desired.

A vendor’s proposal shall be organized in separately tabbed sections (loose-leaf binders are preferred) on standard 8 ½” by 11” paper, except that charts, diagrams and the like may be provided on fold-outs which, when folded, conform to the 8 ½” by 11” format. Pages may be consecutively numbered for the entire proposal, or may be numbered consecutively within sections. Figures and tables must be numbered and referenced in the proposal’s text by that number, and such figures and tables should be placed as close as possible to the referencing text.

K. Proposal Opening

The proposals shall be publicly opened and the responding vendors announced on the date, time and location specified in the Schedule of Events herein.

L. Late Proposals

Proposals received after deadline to submit proposals shall be considered late proposals. ESU #3 is not responsible for proposals that are late or lost due to mail service inadequacies, traffic or other similar reasons. Late proposals will not be accepted.

M. Rejection of Proposal

ESU #3 reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, wholly or in part, or to award to multiple vendors in whole or in part, and at its discretion, may withdraw or amend this RFP at any time. ESU #3 reserves the right to waive any deviations or errors in any proposal that, in ESU #3’s discretion, are immaterial, do not invalidate the legitimacy of the proposal, and do not improve the vendor’s competitive position. All awards will be made in a manner deemed in the best interest of ESU #3.

N. Evaluation Process

ESU #3’s evaluation of vendor proposals may include, at ESU #3’s sole discretion, up to three phases including: (1) an evaluation of the proposal for compliance of RFP requirements and budgetary feasibility; (2) vendor presentations onsite at ESU #3’s facilities; and (3) an onsite functionality analysis by ESU #3. Not all vendors may advance to phases 2 and 3.

The presentation process will allow selected vendors to demonstrate their proposed solution and explain or clarify any unique or significant elements related to their proposals. Only representatives of ESU #3 and the presenting vendor will be permitted to attend a vendor’s presentation.

Any cost incidental to a vendor’s presentation shall be borne entirely by the vendor and shall not be compensated or reimbursed by ESU #3.

Terms and Conditions

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP the vendor guarantees compliance with the provisions stated herein, agrees to the terms and conditions hereof, and certifies that the vendor maintains a drug free work place.

A. General

The contract resulting from this RFP shall incorporate the following documents:

a) Cover letter signed by an officer of the vendor attesting to the information provided within the vendor’s responsive proposal to this RFP

b) This RFP and any RFP addenda and/or amendments to include Questions and Answers. In the event of any conflict or discrepancy between this RFP (as the same may be amended) and the resulting contract, the terms of this RFP shall control.

c) The vendor’s proposal

d) Any contract amendments, in order of significance, subject to ESU #3 Board approval.

e) Required attestation language unless ESU #3 supplemental document is used.

f) Contract Award

B. Award

All contract awards will be made in a manner deemed in the best interest of ESU #3. This RFP does not commit ESU #3 to award a contract. If, in the opinion of ESU #3, revisions or amendments to this RFP will require substantive changes in proposals, the due date may be extended.

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, the vendor authorizes ESU #3 to contact any or all of the vendor’s past or current clients.

Final approval of any contract award will be determined by the Board of Education at its regular monthly board meeting.

C. Proposed Contract

The Contract section of a vendor’s proposal shall include all details of the contract terms that will be offered by the vendor if the vendor’s proposed solution is accepted by ESU #3. A sample proposed contract shall be included. If the language in section titled New Employee Work Eligibility Verification (Section V. J.) herein is not included in the proposed contract, the vendor agrees to sign a contract addendum generated by ESU #3 including such language.

D. Compliance with Civil Rights Laws and Equal Opportunity Employment / Nondiscrimination

The vendor shall comply with all applicable local, State and Federal statutes and regulations regarding civil rights laws and equal opportunity employment. The Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act prohibits vendors of ESU #3, and their subcontractors, from discriminating against any employee or applicant for employment, with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, or national origin (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1101 to 48-1125). The vendor guarantees compliance with the Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act, and breach of this provision shall be regarded as a material breach of contract. The vendor guarantees compliance with 34 CFR Sec. 99.31(6), the Department of Education’s regulations implementing FERPA. The vendor shall insert a similar provision in all subcontracts for services to be covered by any contract resulting from this RFP.

E. Permits, Regulations, Laws

The vendor shall procure and pay for all permits, licenses and approvals necessary for the implementation of the vendor’s solution unless otherwise provided for in the contract. The vendor shall comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, ordinances, rules, orders and regulations.

F. Ownership of Information and Data

ESU #3 shall have the unlimited right to publish, duplicate, use and disclose all information and data developed or derived by a selected vendor pursuant to the contract.

The vendor must guarantee that it has the full legal right to the materials, supplies, equipment, and other rights or titles (e.g. rights to licenses transfer or assign deliverables) necessary to execute the contract. The contract price shall, without exception, include compensation for all royalties and costs arising from patents, trademarks and copyrights that are in any way involved in the contract. It shall be the responsibility of the vendor to pay for all royalties and costs, and the vendor shall hold ESU #3 harmless from any such claims.

ESU #3 retains all ownership of data. The vendor shall guarantee the data will never be sold by the vendor. If the vendor is purchased by another company, the purchasing company shall be bound by all the terms of the contract. If all or part of the solution is no longer supported, the data shall be returned to ESU #3 with all necessary information and/or code to guarantee ESU #3’s continued use of the product and data.

Integrity and security of all data must be guaranteed.

G. Independent Contractor

Nothing contained in the contract is intended or should be construed in any manner as creating or establishing a partnership relationship between ESU #3 and the vendor. The vendor represents that it has, or will secure at its own expense, all personnel required to perform the services under the contract. The vendor’s employees and other persons engaged in work or services required by the vendor under the contract shall have no contractual relationship with ESU #3 and shall not be considered employees of ESU #3.

All claims on behalf of any person arising out of employment or alleged employment with the vendor (including without limit claims of discrimination against the vendor, its officers or its agents) shall in no way be the responsibility of ESU #3. The vendor shall hold ESU #3 harmless from any and all such claims. Such personnel or other persons shall neither require nor be entitled to any compensation, rights or benefits from ESU #3 including without limit, tenure rights, medical and hospital care, sick and vacation leave, severance pay or retirement benefits.

H. Vendor Responsibility

The vendor is solely responsible for fulfilling the contract, with responsibility for all services offered and products to be delivered as stated in the RFP, the vendor’s proposal, and the resulting contract. The vendor shall be the sole point of contact regarding all contractual matters. Vendor shall name and provide to ESU #3 the email address of the vendor’s designated project manager.

The vendor shall not utilize any subcontractor services without prior written approval by ESU #3. Following execution of the contract, the vendor shall proceed diligently with all services and shall perform such services with qualified personnel in accordance with the contract. This information must be disclosed in vendor’s responsive proposal to this RFP. Failure to properly disclose may result in termination of the contract.

Vendor will not, under any circumstance, give incentives/gifts/reward points including food, trinkets, clothing, hardware, software, travel, etc. to any ESU #3 employee as per Nebraska statute 49-14,101.01. Employees are prohibited by statute from receiving personal gain through the use of the governmental resources other than their compensation allowed for by law.

I. Vendor Personnel

The vendor must warrant that all personnel used to fulfill the contract shall be employees of the vendor, shall be fully qualified to perform the work required herein, and shall remain under the sole direction and control of the vendor.

Personnel commitments made in the vendor’s proposal shall not be changed without the prior written approval of ESU #3. Replacement of key personnel, if approved in advance by ESU #3, shall be with personnel of equal or greater ability and qualifications.

ESU #3 reserves the right to require the vendor to reassign or remove from the project any vendor employee.

In respect to its employees, the vendor agrees to be responsible for the following:

a) Any and all employment taxes and/or other payroll withholding

b) Any and all vehicles used by the vendor’s employees, including all insurance required by state law

c) Damages incurred by vendor’s employees within the scope of their duties under the contract

d) Maintaining workers’ compensation and health insurance and submitting any reports on such insurance to the extent required by governing state law

e) Determining the hours to be worked and the duties to be performed by the vendor’s employees.

Notice of cancellation of any required insurance policy must be submitted to ESU #3 when issued and a new coverage binder shall be submitted immediately to ensure no break in coverage.

J. New Employee Work Eligibility Verification

Pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute § 4-114, the vendor is required and must agree to use a federal immigration verification system to determine the work eligibility status of new employees physically performing services within the State of Nebraska. A federal immigration verification system means the electronic verification of the work authorization program authorized by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, 8 U.S.C. 1324a, known as the E-Verify Program, or an equivalent federal program designated by the United States Department of Homeland Security or other federal agency authorized to verify the work eligibility status of a newly hired employee. The vendor is further required and must agree to include this same provision in every contract with any approved subcontractor that will be physically performing services within the State of Nebraska in conjunction with the vendor’s contract with ESU #3.

Pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute § 4-108, if the vendor is an individual of sole proprietorship, then the following also applies:

a) The vendor must complete the United States Citizenship Attestation Form, available on the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services website at das.state.ne.us.

b) If the vendor indicates on such attestation form that he or she is a qualified alien, the vendor agrees to provide the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services documentation required to verify the vendor’s lawful presence in the United States using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program.

c) The vendor understands and agrees that lawful presence in the United States is required and the vendor may be disqualified or the contract terminated if such lawful presence cannot be verified as required by Neb. Rev. Stat. § 4-108.

K. Assignment by the Vendor

Vendor may not assign the contract or any of its rights or obligations there under (including, without limitation, rights and duties of performance) to any third party including as part of the sale in whole or part of the vendor’s operations or entity, and the contract may not be involuntarily assigned or assigned by operation of law, without the prior written consent of ESU #3, in the sole exercise of its discretion.

L. Funding out Clause or Loss of Appropriations

ESU #3 may terminate the contract, in whole or in part, in the event funding is no longer available. ESU #3’s obligation to pay amounts due for fiscal years following the current fiscal year is contingent upon ESU #3 Board’s appropriation of funds for the contract. Should said funds not be appropriated, ESU #3 may terminate the contract with respect to those payments for the fiscal years for which such funds are not appropriated. ESU #3 will give the vendor thirty (30) day’s written notice prior to the effective date of any termination, and advise the vendor of the location (address and room number) of any related equipment. All obligations of ESU #3 to make payments after the termination date will cease. All interest of ESU #3 in any related equipment will terminate. The vendor shall be entitled to receive just and equitable compensation for any authorized work that has been satisfactorily completed as of the termination date. In no event shall the vendor be paid for a loss of anticipated profit.

M. Breach by Vendor

ESU #3 may terminate the contract, in whole or in part, if the vendor fails to perform its obligations under the contract in a timely and proper manner. ESU #3 may, by providing a written notice of default to the vendor, allow the vendor to cure a failure or breach of contract within a period of thirty (30) days (or longer at ESU #3’s discretion considering the gravity and nature of the default). Allowing the vendor time to cure a failure or breach of contract does not waive ESU #3’s right to immediately terminate the contract for the same or different contract breach which may occur at a different time. In case of default of the vendor, ESU #3 may contract the service from other sources and hold the vendor responsible for any excess cost occasioned thereby.

N. Confidentiality

All materials and information provided by ESU #3 or acquired by the vendor on behalf of ESU #3 shall be regarded as confidential information and shall be handled in accordance with Federal and State Law (including, but not limited to, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”)), and ethical standards. The vendor must ensure the confidentiality of such materials or information.

It is incumbent upon the vendor to inform its officers and employees of the penalties for improper disclosure imposed by the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. Specifically, 5 U.S.C. 552a (i)(1), which is made applicable to the vendors by 5 U.S.C. 552a (m)(1), provides that any officer or employee of a vendor, who by virtue of his/her employment or official position, has possession of or access to agency records which contain individually identifiable information, the disclosure of which is prohibited by the Privacy Act or regulations established there under and who knowing that disclosure of the specific material is prohibited, willfully discloses the material in any manner to any person or agency not entitled to receive it, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $5,000.

O. Proprietary Information

Data contained in a vendor’s proposal and all documentation provided therein, becomes the property of ESU #3 and the data becomes public information upon opening the proposal. If the vendor wishes to have any information withheld from the public, such information must fall within the definition of proprietary information contained within Nebraska’s public record statutes. All proprietary information the vendor wishes ESU #3 to withhold from the public must be submitted in a sealed package, which is separate from the remainder of the proposal. The separate package must be clearly marked “PROPRIETARY” on the outside of the package. A vendor may not mark its entire proposal or pricing proposal as proprietary. Failure of the vendor to follow the instructions for submitting proprietary and copyrighted information may result in the information being viewed by other vendors and the public. Proprietary information is defined as trade secrets, academic and scientific research work which is in progress and unpublished, and other information which if released would give advantage to business competitors and serve no public purpose (see Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(3)). In accordance with Attorney General Opinions 92068 and 97033, vendors submitting information as proprietary may be required to prove specific, named competitor(s) who would be advantaged by release of the information and the specific advantage the competitor(s) would receive. Although every effort will be made to withhold information that is properly submitted as proprietary and meets ESU #3’s definition of proprietary information, ESU #3 is under no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of proprietary information and accepts no liability for the release of such information.

P. Insurance Requirements

A selected vendor must provide ESU #3 evidence of insurance underwritten by a company rated not less than “A” in A.M Best Company’s latest published guide. Vendor’s insurance coverage shall be within limits no less than those stated as follows:

Types of Insurance                                                 Minimum Limits of Liability

a. Comprehensive or Commercial General                            

   1. Bodily Injury and Property Damage Combined              $500,000 each occurrence

2. Products/Completed Operations                                  $1,000,000 Aggregate

b. Business (Commercial) Automobile Liability

1.  Bodily Injury Each Person                                           $100,000 $300,000 each occurrence

2. Property Damage                                                        $100,000 each occurrence

c. Umbrella Liability Insurance (Excess)                                $5,000,000

d. Includes coverage over the Worker’s Compensation

e. Comprehensive General Liability and Automobile Liability

ESU #3 shall be named as an additional insured on the vendor’s policy as to the subject project. Work cannot begin until a certificate of insurance has been presented to ESU #3.

Vendor must include a copy of its Certificate of Liability Insurance with vendor’s proposal.

Vendor agrees to update the insurance certificate annually during the contract period.

Q. Payment Terms

Vendor’s payment terms must be outlined in its proposal and in any awarded contract. Fees and expense reimbursements will be made upon submission and receipt of invoice for fees and any required detail of expenses. Services or goods must be completed or delivered prior to payment unless specifically negotiated with the vendor in unique circumstances.

Vendor agrees to complete a W-9 form if not already on file at ESU #3 and payment will not be made prior to ESU #3’s receipt of such W-9.

ESU #3’s standard payment procedure requires that invoices received prior to the 25th day of any month will be paid by the third week of the following month upon approval by the Board of ESU# 3. For invoices that do not include the necessary supporting documentation, payment may be delayed.

Proposal Instructions

A. Introduction

This section of the RFP provides specific instructions on the required format and content for vendor proposals. Proposals shall include all data and information required by this RFP. Non-conformance with the instructions may be cause for rejection of the proposal.

Vendor proposals shall be clear, coherent, legible, and prepared in sufficient detail for effective evaluation by ESU #3. Elaborate documentation, expensive binding, detailed art work, or other embellishments are neither necessary nor desirable. The vendor shall assume that ESU #3 has no previous knowledge of this technology and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the proposal.

Proposals shall address and track the numerical sequence of the specific information requested by these instructions and shall be consistent with the requirements of the technical section.

In preparing the proposal, emphasis should be placed on brief, complete, and factual data in (at a minimum) the areas that are set forth in the RFP. Maximum use should be made of tables and information summaries to describe the proposed solution.

The vendor’s proposal shall confirm that the vendor will comply with all specifications. Paraphrasing the specifications or parts thereof is insufficient. Phrases such as “yes,” “will comply,” “standard procedures will be employed,” “industry standards are followed,” or, “well-known techniques will be used,” are insufficient and cause for rejection of the proposal. Content and quality of vendor responses are more important than quantity.

Proposals are due by the date and time shown in the Schedule of Events (Section III.).

B. Requirements

In addition to the items outlined in the Terms and Conditions section herein, a vendor’s proposal must include the following.

Executive Summary/Corporate Overview

The Executive Summary shall condense and highlight the contents of the solution being proposed by the vendor to provide ESU #3 with a broad understanding of the vendor’s proposal.

The Corporate Overview must consist of the following subdivisions:

1. Vendor’s Identification and Information

The vendor’s office location responsible for performance pursuant to an award of a contract with ESU #3 must be identified.

2. Pending Litigation / Financial Statements

Upon request of ESU #3, the vendor must provide financial statements applicable to the financial status/viability of the vendor.

3. Change of Ownership

If any change in ownership or control of the vendor is anticipated during the twelve (12) months following the proposal due date, the vendor must describe the circumstances of such change and indicate when the change will likely occur. Any change of ownership to an awarded vendor requires notification to ESU #3.

4. References

Three (3) business references shall be included with the names and phone numbers of each reference. References must currently use the same solutions the vendor is proposing to ESU #3. If possible, at least one reference should be a K-12 school district.

Scope of Work

Refer to Scope of Work section, below, for detailed requirements.

Pricing

The vendor must submit its Pricing Proposal in a separately tabbed section as specified in the Proposal Instructions section herein. The vendor should present its pricing in a format that contains sufficient detail and justification for the services to be provided.

The Pricing Proposal shall provide a narrative breakdown of costs by the major task areas in the Scope of Work.

ESU #3 reserves the right to review all aspects of the Pricing Proposal for reasonableness and to request clarification of any proposal where the cost component shows significant and unsupported deviation from industry standards or in areas where detailed pricing is required.

The Pricing Proposal will be submitted in the format and sections outlined below:

|Package (defined in Scope of|Price per package |As per Bid |Indicate source(s) used for |Additional Notes/Comments |

|Work) | |Specification Y or|Nationwide/Multi-Court Jurisdictional | |

| | |N |criminal Database search and if “Real Time” | |

| | | |search | |

|Nebraska Package | | | | |

|Nebraska-Iowa Package | | | | |

|Comprehensive Package | | | | |

|Driver’s License Check | | | | |

|Volunteer Check Package | | | | |

|Ala Carte Pricing – List | | | | |

|services here: | | | | |

Exceptions to the RFP

Any and all exceptions to the RFP should be detailed.

Proposed Contract

The Contract section shall include all details of the contract terms that will be offered by the vendor if the vendor’s proposed solution is accepted by ESU #3. A sample proposed contract shall be included. If the language in section titled New Employee Work Eligibility Verification is not a part of the vendor’s proposed contract, the vendor agrees to sign a contract addendum generated by ESU #3 including such language.

Scope of Work

A. Introduction – ESU #3 is soliciting bids for criminal background check services. The services will be used by ESU #3 and participating member districts.

B. Summary – Criminal background check services are used by ESU #3 and participating member to ensure a safe environment for the children served and the staff of the organizations. Packages and ala carte service pricing is necessary to offer flexibility and comprehensive background checks based on the needs of the entity in an efficient and cost effective manner.

C. General Requirements

1. Each participating entity shall be invoiced separately for services. The organization that orders a service will be invoiced for that service. Invoice will detail the name of service, individual’s name and date performed. Invoices must be sent monthly for any services rendered. If possible, the name of the service requestor should be included on the invoice. If this is not available, please indicate on response to RFP.

2. Free consultation regarding interpretation of results from the vendor. Describe in detail the client support offered by the vendor.

3. Contract should be for initial term of 36 months with a guarantee that the price will not increase. If the vendor finds that their costs can be reduced due to various factors, the price can be decreased at any time during the contract period. The contract shall allow the vendor, ESU #3, and participating districts a 60 day termination option with written notification.

4. Services are requested on an “as needed” basis. There are no minimum or maximum use requirements. There should be no start-up or monthly usage fee charges assessed.

5. Describe in detail any additional fees above the quoted price that are required in addition to the background check package price such as county, state or federal agency fees that may include court costs, third party fees, copy fees, etc.

6. Fully describe the database used as indicated in E. Enterprise Requirements. Please include frequency that the database classification such as private or public and any general sources of information.

D. Product Use Requirements

1. Vendor will define any limitations regarding service use.

2. Vendor must use a secure online website with user access to:

a) Order services

b) Retrieve results

c) Generate action letters such as pre-adverse action, adverse action, and satisfactory action and attachments such as fair credit reporting act.

d) Retrieve template forms such as release / authorization to initiate background check, child abuse registry, and any other applicable forms.

3. The secure online website must:

a) Require unique usernames and passwords for each authorized user

b) Store the results of completed background checks

c) Archive and allow at no cost, accessibility to all previously ordered background checks

E. Enterprise Requirements

1. The following packages are necessary for the bid:

a) Nebraska package

1) Social Security number trace which addresses along with aliases and maiden name (if applicable)

2) Nationwide/Multi-Court Jurisdictional Database

3) Nebraska Statewide Criminal (County by County) record search

4) Nebraska Child Abuse registry

5) Federal Courts check – Federal Criminal Search

6) Global Watch / Homeland Security Alert

7) Nationwide Sex Offender Registry NOTE: Please fully describe the service/database system that is used for the research.

b) Nebraska and Iowa package checking both states

1) Social Security number trace which addresses along with aliases and maiden name (if applicable)

2) Nationwide/Multi-Court Jurisdictional Database

3) Nebraska Statewide Criminal (County by County) record search

4) Nebraska & Iowa Child Abuse registry

5) Federal Courts check – Federal Criminal Search

6) Global Watch / Homeland Security Alert

7) Nationwide Sex Offender Registry NOTE: Please fully describe the service/database system that is used for the research.

c) Comprehensive package

1) Social Security number trace which addresses along with aliases and maiden name (if applicable)

2) Nationwide/Multi-Court Jurisdictional Database

3) Nebraska Statewide Criminal (County by County) record search

4) Nebraska Child Abuse registry

5) Federal Courts check – Federal Criminal Search

6) Global Watch / Homeland Security Alert

7) Nationwide Sex Offender Registry NOTE: Please fully describe the service/database system that is used for the research.

d) Volunteer Check package

1) Social Security number trace which addresses along with aliases and maiden name (if applicable)

2) Nationwide/Multi-Court Jurisdictional Database

3) Nebraska Statewide Criminal (County by County) record search

4) Nebraska Child Abuse registry

5) Federal Courts check – Federal Criminal Search

6) Global Watch / Homeland Security Alert

7) Nationwide Sex Offender Registry NOTE: Please fully describe the service/database system that is used for the research.

e) Ala Carte pricing for services. List and describe service including the price per service. At a minimum, the following services should be included:

1) Driver’s License Check - Driving Record (MVR)

2) Child abuse registry for each state, other than Nebraska and Iowa, where a social security trace indicates residence (assuming the state will provide the information)

F. Training - Vendor will provide training to staff of ESU #3 and to participating member districts regarding use of the online system and procedures necessary in the background check cycle (authorization, results processing, notification of unsatisfactory results, confidentiality, timelines, etc.).

G. Implementation – Once the contract has been approved by the board, implementation will begin immediately. The vendor will be notified of the contact person in the district and the individuals authorized to use the system.

Project Management and Planning

A. Project Manager

The vendor will appoint a project manager (main contact) who serves as the primary point of contact with ESU #3 and member district contact on website, consultations, service issues, billing, and any other reason for communication. Vendor shall provide its project manager’s contact information, including email address, to ESU #3.

B. Management Section

In this section, the vendor shall provide information organized into the following sections.

Project Management – The vendor shall present its approach and capability to control and integrate the proposed solution. The vendor shall describe its organizational structure, listing all key personnel functions. More consideration will be given to vendors who can list personnel by name, placement in the project structure, title, qualifications, and experience.

Supporting rationale shall be provided to show that the organization is adequate to support the overall effort and to justify the number and allocation of personnel involved.

Vendor will detail how it screens its employees for employment including frequency of background check.

C. Management Meetings N/A

The vendor will support regular management meetings with ESU #3’s project management team. Weekly project management meetings will be held throughout the implementation phase of the solution and may be reduced to monthly meetings thereafter if jointly agreed upon by both parties. Additional project management meetings may be scheduled by either party.

D. Management Reports N/A

The vendor will provide the following reports:

1. Written project status reports accompany at each project management meeting through implementation.

2. Overall project implementation schedule.

3. Minutes of all meetings and conference calls.

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