THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS



The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY and SECURITY

CRIMINAL HISTORY SYSTEMS BOARD

200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, Massachusetts 02150

Request For QUOTES (RFQ)

CHSB2008-002

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (iCJIS)

iCJIS Mainframe Reduction Project

issued: April 15, 2008

This Request for Quotes and all responses hereto, incluDing the winning bid, shall become public record as of the date the contract referenced herein is awarded and can be obtained from the Criminal History System Board by sending an e-mail to tracy.varano@state.ma.us

POINT OF CONTACT:

Tracy Varano

Senior Project Manager

Criminal History Systems Board

200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200

Chelsea, MA 02150

Telephone: (617) 660-4731

Facsimile: (617) 660-4613

E-mail: tracy.varano@state.ma.us

SECTION 1 – PURPOSE OF THIS PROCUREMENT 3

Executive Summary 3

Current Massachusetts CJIS Mainframe Environment 3

SECTION 2 – ACQUISITION METHOD TO BE USED FOR THIS CONTRACT 5

SECTION 3 – REQUEST FOR SINGLE OR MULTIPLE CONTRACTORS 5

SECTION 4 – USE OF THIS PROCUREMENT BY SINGLE OR MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS 5

SECTION 5 – TOTAL ANTICIPATED DURATION OF CONTRACT + RENEWAL OPTION 5

SECTION 6 – TOTAL ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES FOR DURATION OF THE CONTRACT 5

SECTION 7 – CONTRACT AND PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS 7

Procurement Initiatives 7

Technologies to be used on this project 8

SECTION 8 – INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES 10

SECTION 9 – DEADLINE FOR RESPONSES 12

SECTION 10 – RESPONSE FORMAT 13

SECTION 11 –RESPONSE EVALUATION 15

SECTION 12 – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) STANDARDS 16

SECTION 13 – FINANCIAL TERMS 21

SECTION 14 – BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS 22

SECTION 15 – MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT 22

|Procuring Department: |Criminal History System Board (CHSB) |

|Address: |200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, Massachusetts 02150 |

|RFQ File Name: |ICJIS Mainframe Reduction Project |

|RFQ File Number: |CHSB2008-002 |

|RFQ Point of Contact: |Tracy Varano |

|Telephone Number: |(617) 660-4731 |

|Facsimile Number: |(617) 660-4613 |

|E-mail Address: |tracy.varano@state.ma.us |

SECTION 1 – PURPOSE OF THIS PROCUREMENT

Executive Summary

The Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB) seeks to engage a qualified vendor from the statewide contract(s) ITS23 or ITS33 to assist the CHSB in its efforts to reduce the volume of transactions against its Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Unisys mainframe computer environment by re-engineering CJIS Web transactions and re-directing these messages and responses to alternative in-place systems/interfaces.

The goal of this effort is to reduce the total number of monthly mainframe transactions from approximately 24 million to 14 million. It is expected that by redirecting CJIS Web inquires and response away from the mainframe, the processing demands of the mainframe CPU will lessen dramatically.

The CHSB has identified a set of software engineering tasks and services the selected vendor must undertake and complete to assist the CHSB with meeting its goal of reducing the transaction volume.

All services must be completed, tested and implemented no later than September 12, 2008. There will be no exceptions.

Request for Quotes (RFQ) responses are due to the CHSB Tuesday, May 6, 2008, no later than 12:00 p.m. EDT.

Current Massachusetts CJIS Mainframe Environment

The backbone of the CJIS is a Unisys NX5800 model mainframe computer which is approximately eight (8) years old. The underlying software is approximately 800,000 lines of Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) and Algorithmic Language (ALGOL) programming code some of which dates back to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. About 600,000 lines of this COBOL code have been created over the last 20 years, much of which generated with a 4th generation COBOL generator. There are about 120 programs that represent the core transactions, and a few hundred support programs that maintain the underlying infrastructure.

The Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) or Board of Probation (BOP) file is the primary operational CJIS database and is maintained in the proprietary Unisys DMS II database environment. The CORI database comprises a copy of the Criminal Activity Record Information (CARI) file and custodial offender records provided by the Department of Correction (DOC), Massachusetts Parole Board (MPB), Sex Offender Registry (SOR), the Department of Youth Services (DYS) and the U.S. Probation and Parole Service (USPPS). The CORI file is updated nightly from a File Transfer Process (FTP) batch process from the Massachusetts Administrative Office of the Trial Court (AOTC).

Additional data sources include the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) driver and vehicle registration files, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database and other state’s criminal, driver’s and vehicle files via National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (Nlets). The CHSB has established Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) and IBM MQ series gateway server functionality to the NCIC, NLETS and the RMV, as well as web services to NLETS for several functions.

The CJIS enterprise application provides law enforcement users access to state and national criminal justice information systems via a terminal emulation environment to the mainframe and more recently a JAVA-based web-browser interface was deployed. The CJIS interfaces to four (4) major data sources: NCIC; NLETS; RMV and the AOTC.

The CJIS contains application logic (Q2 message key) that bundles a series of queries (vehicle, person, vehicle and person, VIN number …etc.) and returns responses from the mainframe, the RMV database and the NCIC database. The current CJIS Web architecture leverages the Q2 application logic to run these bundled queries; however the architecture serializes the input and output through a “handler” process. The success of the CJIS Web has resulted in a dramatic increase to the volume of transactions, thus the processing demands of the mainframe has also increased.

SECTION 2 – ACQUISITION METHOD TO BE USED FOR THIS CONTRACT

The acquisition method for this contract is a Project Based Service Contract.

SECTION 3 – REQUEST FOR SINGLE OR MULTIPLE CONTRACTORS

The contract resulting from this procurement will be awarded to a single contractor. Public employees should refer to the State Ethics Commission’s Conflict of Interest Law, M.G.L. c. 268A, and their rules and regulations, and/or consult with the State Ethics Commission, prior to submitting a response to this RFQ.

SECTION 4 – USE OF THIS PROCUREMENT BY SINGLE OR MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS

This procurement is being conducted for the exclusive use of the CHSB.

SECTION 5 – TOTAL ANTICIPATED DURATION OF CONTRACT + RENEWAL OPTIONS

The initial contract resulting from this RFQ is expected to run six (6) months with up to five (5) one (1) year options to renew, contingent upon available funding and the procuring needs of the department. This option can only be exercised if the awarded ITS23 vendor is subsequently approved on ITS33.

SECTION 6 – TOTAL ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES FOR DURATION OF THE CONTRACT

This is a fixed-fee project with a maximum project all-inclusive cost. The vendor’s response must include a cost proposal for the total fixed-fee cost for the engagement and must also provide a detailed explanation of all of the charges included in the fixed fee.

Travel expenses may be incurred separately from the fixed-fee rate. However, please note that the proposed fixed-fee plus estimated travel expenses will together comprise the all-inclusive cost for this project. Estimated travel expenses, NOT including commuting to and from the State work site, must be included with the vendor’s response. No travel expenses will be reimbursed without the prior written approval of the iCJIS Project Manager.

Payments will be made as defined in the final statement of work between the CHSB and the selected vendor. It is critical that all work is completed, tested, implemented and accepted by the CHSB by September 12, 2008. In order to ensure vendors meet this requirement, the CHSB will hold back forty- percent of the total negotiated cost until accepted by the CHSB. As an example, if the total award is $1 million, the CHSB will hold back $400,000 until all of the deliverables have been accepted by the CHSB.

The CHSB reserves the option to ask for a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) of vendors.

SECTION 7 – CONTRACT DELIVERABLES

Procurement Initiatives

The focus of this project is to redirect all CJIS Web and CJIS Extensible Markup Language (XML) transactions from the Q2 mainframe application logic. The tasks listed below represent the steps that must be undertaken by the vendor to achieve this objective. CHSB programming and technical staff will manage and work in conjunction with vendor staff to meet the project deadline.

Initiative 1: Re-platform the legacy Unisys DMS II Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) – Board of Probation (BOP) database.

The vendor must supply the nature and design of the new data source, and the nature and mechanism for updating and reconciling the new data source with updates from the Court’s CARI-BOP file and the other contributors, such as the DOC, MPB, DYS and others.

Associated Tasks:

A. Identify business requirements to re-platform the CORI/BOP database;

B. Develop existing mainframe CARI/BOP table load process and load data into new database environment;

C. Develop daily CARI/BOP records synchronization process into new database environment;

D. Identify business requirements for NEWCORI to be implemented;

E. Develop existing mainframe table load process and load data in new database;

F. Develop daily NEWCORI records synchronization process into new database such as DOC, MPB, DYS, Probation, and US Probation files; and

G. Develop BOP web services.

Initiative 2: Redirect CJIS Web – BOP transactions from the CJIS mainframe environment to the newly staged CORI/BOP database environment

Associated Tasks:

A. Identify Q2 CJIS message function business requirements to be implemented; and

B. Develop Q2 CJIS message function application.

Initiative 3: Redirect CJIS Web RMV transactions from the CJIS mainframe environment to the established RMV MQ series gateway.

Associated Tasks:

A. Identify driver history transaction requirements to be used by CJIS Web consumers using the RMV gateway and Q2 logic;

B. Develop driver history transaction using existing RMV gateway to be used by CJIS Web consumers;

C. Develop RMV portion of Q2 logic; and

D. Develop driver history web services.

Initiative 4: Redirect CJIS NCIC and NLETS web transactions from the CJIS mainframe environment to the established NCIC/NLETS TCP/IP, MQ Series gateways and/or NLETS web services.

Associated Tasks:

A. Identify CJIS NCIC and Nlets Q2 redirect requirements;

B. Develop NCIC portion of Q2 logic;

C. Identify Law Enforcement Agency Processing System (LEAPS) Q2 redirect requirements; and

D. Develop LEAPS portion Q2 logic.

Initiative 5: Redirect CJIS Web Warrant Management System (WMS) transactions from the CJIS mainframe environment to the WMS XML web service.

Associated Tasks:

A. Identify WMS redirect requirements;

B. Develop WMS synchronization process with AOTC and CJIS mainframe; and

C. Develop WMS web services

Initiative 6: Re-architect existing interface to CJIS Web applications and CJIS XML mobile environment using web services model.

Associated Tasks:

A. Identify CJIS Web applications and CJIS XML mobile requirements Implement web services into CJIS Web;

B. Implement web services into CJIS Web Massachusetts State Police (MSP);

C. Implement web services for XML vendors; and

D. Implement web services for Massachusetts Instant Record Check System (MIRCS).

Technologies to be used on this project

• Development

o Must use Java-enabled programming;

o XML schemas: Global Justice Data XML;

o Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) messaging services and / or other newly developed programming techniques and protocols; and

o Application generation tools.

• Database options

o Microsoft SQL;

o MySql; or

o Oracle.

• Operating System

o Must be Linux

SECTION 8 – INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES

The Original Response package must include one (1) hard-copy printed version with original signatures in blue ink, ten (10) paper copies, and ten (1o) electronic copies on CD-ROM. Electronic versions of submissions must be submitted in two (2) formats: (1) Microsoft Word 6.0 or lower and Microsoft Excel, Version 7.0 or lower, and (2) Adobe™ PDF format. All RFQ-related materials submitted in electronic format must be identical to those submitted in hard-copy. In the event of a discrepancy between a paper submission and an electronic submission, the paper submission will prevail. Any CDs submitted must be labeled with the Bidder’s Name, Bidder’s Address, Bidder’s Contact Name, Telephone Number, E-mail Address, and RFQ CHSB2008-002. The bidder must guarantee that all electronic submissions are virus-free.

The original response should be double-sided and printed on recycled paper with a minimum post-consumer content of 30% or paper made with tree-free fibers (i.e. paper made from raw materials other than trees, such as kenaf). All responses should clearly indicate the level of recycled content contained in the paper being used. To document the use of such paper, a photocopy of the ream cover/wrapper should be included with the response. Unless absolutely necessary, all responses and copies should minimize or eliminate use of non-recyclable or non-reusable materials such as plastic report covers, plastic dividers, vinyl sleeves, and GBC binding. Three-ringed binders, glued materials, paper clips, and staples are acceptable. Respondents should submit materials in a format that allows for easy removal and recycling of materials. Respondents are also encouraged to use other products that contain recycled content in their response documents. Such products include, but are not limited to, folders, binders, paper clips, diskettes, envelopes, boxes, etc. Where appropriate, respondents should note hich products in their responses are made with recycled materials. Respondents should not submit any unnecessary samples, corporate brochures, attachments, or documents.

The completed package of Original Response and copies (paper and electronic) must be received at CHSB no later than Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. It is anticipated that the selection of a contractor will be completed by Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Delivery of responses may be made by U.S. Postal Service, courier, or personal delivery. Faxed or electronic responses are not acceptable.

Proposals must be submitted to:

Tracy Varano

Senior Project Manager

Criminal History Systems Board

200 Arlington Street

Suite 2200

Chelsea, MA 02150

All packaging materials must be clearly labeled with the words “Commonwealth of Massachusetts Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (iCJIS) Mainframe Reduction Project, RFQ CHSB2008-002”.

SECTION 9 – DEADLINE FOR RESPONSES

The CHSB has forecast these milestones and dates. These dates are subject to change at the department’s sole discretion. Bidders will be notified by the CHSB’s project manager of any date or time changes.

|Event |Date |

|Release of RFQ to Vendors |Tuesday, April 15, 2008 |

|Submission of Vendor Written Questions (no CHSB face-to-face meetings|Tuesday, April 22, 2008 no later than 5:00 p.m. EST |

|will be offered | |

|CHSB Response to Vendor Written Questions |Tuesday, April 29, 2008 no later than 5:00 p.m. EST |

|Vendor Submission of Responses Deadline Date |Tuesday, May 6, 2008 no later than 12:00 p.m. EDT |

|Vendor to Receive Award Bid Notification |Tuesday, May 13, 2008 |

|Anticipated Start Date of Contract |Monday, May 19, 2008 |

|Anticipated End Date of Contract |Friday, September 12, 2008 |

SECTION 10 – RESPONSE FORMAT

The Commonwealth expects vendors to propose creative, competitive solutions in response to the need identified above. While adherence to specifications is desired, vendors may propose alternative solutions. Proposals should be prepared as simply as possible and provide a straightforward and concise description of the respondent’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this Request for Quotes.

Cover Letter

Respondent must include contact information in a cover letter for post submission follow-up and award notification. The contact information provided must include an email address.

Vendor Experience

Vendors must demonstrate through work history and references that the company and its resources assigned to this engagement have detailed knowledge, skill, practical experience and documented success in the area of data exchange and criminal justice information sharing initiatives, and have successfully completed similar engagements.

Vendors must describe their knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice community business needs. For example, How many application design and implementation projects has your firm participated in with criminal justice agencies? Detail the size and scope of the projects that your firm has been involved in and what your specific involvement was in those projects.

Contract Manager

Vendors must designate a Contract Manager who will be responsible for overall management and ensuring performance under the Contract.

Key Personnel

Vendors must document their ability to provide qualified staff and other personnel resources to successfully complete the requirements set forth in this proposal. Each vendor must list the key personnel who will be responsible under the Contract, including qualifications, years of experience and how their qualifications will enhance and ensure adequate performance by the vendor during the contract period. Include an organizational chart highlighting the key people who shall be assigned to accomplish key deliverables. Vendors must provide resumes for each recommended team member.

All key personnel shall be subject to a background investigation. No employee of the vendor shall be employed pursuant to the terms of any contract awarded in response to this RFQ until a background investigation is completed and the vendor is informed that the CHSB has approved employment of the employee for purposes of carrying out the terms of the contract.

Identification of Company

The vendor must provide a brief firm profile, not to exceed one page in length, including basic information about the company such as Company name, full location address, URL address (if applicable), contact person, telephone number, fax number, and email address.

Methodology

The proposal shall provide a detailed methodology that addresses how the vendor will develop and implement the project. (Include a statement on what tools and methodology will be used).

Project Plan

The vendor shall include in the proposal a project plan that sets forth the various phases of the project, gives initiation, milestones and completion dates for each phase, identifies the proposed project team members responsible for each phase, and provides estimates of the person hours required to complete each phase.

References

The vendor shall submit three (3) business references, including points of contact (name, address, and telephone number). The references shall be entities for which the vendor has performed similar services or which can otherwise substantiate the vendor’s capability to meet contract performance.

Cost Proposal

This is a fixed-fee project with a maximum project all-inclusive cost. The vendor’s response must include a cost proposal for the total fixed-fee cost for the engagement and must also provide a detailed explanation of all of the charges included in the fixed fee.

Travel Expenses may be incurred separately from the fixed-fee rate. However, please note that the proposed fixed-fee plus estimated travel expenses will together comprise the all-inclusive cost for this project. Estimated travel expenses, NOT including commuting to and from the State work site, must be included with the vendor’s response. No travel expenses will be reimbursed without the prior written approval of the iCJIS Project Manager.

SECTION 11 –RESPONSE EVALUATION

All complete responses received on or before the submission deadline defined in this RFQ will be evaluated by a Procurement Management Team (PMT) assigned by the CHSB. Late responses will be automatically rejected. The successful contractor will be selected based on:

Criminal Justice Information Systems Experience

Points will be awarded for previous experience in developing and deploying criminal justice information systems and based on the Bidder’s capability to provide the services identified in the requirements and deliverables sections of this RFQ. Higher points will be awarded to those Bidder’s who can demonstrate successful experience in similar Massachusetts CJIS engagements and who can demonstrate a thorough understanding of the current CJIS mainframe environment including the communications and interfaces to the NCIC, NLETS, RMV and AOTC (including probation and warrant systems and processes), as well as the CJIS Web interface.

Ability to Meet the Requirements of this RFQ

Points will be awarded reflecting the Bidder’s commitment, including depth of its project team and approach to meet the business, functional, and technical requirements of the RFQ.

Technical Skills and Experience of Bidder

Points will be awarded based on level and experience of technical qualifications of the bidder as well as demonstrated experience in similar engagements.

Overall Solution Cost

Points will be awarded with the lowest total price receiving the maximum points in this category.

These criteria are listed in order of importance.

The successful bidder will be required to sign a Statement of Work (SOW). The SOW, when signed by both parties, will constitute a “Service Contract”.

SECTION 12 – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) STANDARDS

The technology solution resulting from this engagement must adhere to applicable state and federal laws, rules, policies and supporting technology standards and security requirements regarding criminal justice data.

Additional requirements include conformance with the latest Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS) information technology and security standards as published and administered within the Commonwealth by the Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB) on behalf of those respective regulatory organizations.

All IT systems and applications developed by, or for Executive department agencies or operating within the Massachusetts Access to Government Network (MAGNet), must conform to the Enterprise Information Technology Policies, Standards and Procedures promulgated by the Commonwealth’s Chief Information Officer. Non-conforming IT systems cannot be deployed unless the purchasing agency and their contractor have jointly applied for and received in writing from the Commonwealth’s CIO or his designee, notice that a specified deviation will be permitted. The Enterprise Information Technology Policies, Standards and Procedures, with the exception of the Enterprise Public Access Policy For e-Government Applications and the Enterprise Public Access For e-Government Applications Standards, are available at itd. The Enterprise Public Access Policy For e-Government Applications and the Enterprise Public Access For e-Government Applications Standards are available in hard copy from the purchasing agency. Purchasing agencies may also obtain a current copy of these documents, on behalf of their contractor, by contacting the Information Technology Division's CommonHelp group at commhelp@state.ma.us or 1 (866) 888-2808.

Please Note: Given the pace of information technology innovation, purchasing agencies and their contractors are encouraged to contact the Information Technology Division's CommonHelp group at commhelp@state.ma.us or 1 (866) 888-2808 to signal a system or application design and development initiative. Such advance notice helps to ensure conformance with the relevant Enterprise Technology Policies, Standards and Procedures.

Contractor delivery of IT systems and applications that fail to conform to the Commonwealth’s Enterprise Information Technology Policies, Standards and Procedures, absent the Commonwealth CIO’s grant of written permission for a deviation, shall constitute breach of any contract entered as a result of this Request for Response and any subsequent Request for Quotes. The Commonwealth may choose to require the contractor, at his own cost, to re-engineer the non-conforming system for the purpose of bringing it into compliance with Commonwealth Enterprise Information Technology Policies, Standards and Procedures.

Information Technology - Clarification of Language in Section 11, Indemnification of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions. Pursuant to Section 11. Indemnification of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, the term “other damages” shall include, but shall not be limited to, the reasonable costs the Commonwealth incurs to repair, return, replace or seek cover (purchase of comparable substitute commodities and services) under a contract. “Other damages” shall not include damages to the Commonwealth as a result of third party claims, provided, however, that the foregoing in no way limits the Commonwealth’s right of recovery for personal injury or property damages or patent and copyright infringement under Section 11 nor the Commonwealth’s ability to join the contractor as a third party defendant. Further, the term “other damages” shall not include, and in no event shall the contractor be liable for, damages for the Commonwealth’s use of contractor provided products or services, loss of Commonwealth records, or data (or other intangible property), loss of use of equipment, lost revenue, lost savings or lost profits of the Commonwealth. In no event shall “other damages” exceed the greater of $100,000, or two times the value of the product or service (as defined in the contract scope of work) that is the subject of the claim. Section 11 sets forth the contractor’s entire liability under a contract. Nothing in this section shall limit the Commonwealth’s ability to negotiate higher limitations of liability in a particular contract, provided that any such limitation must specifically reference Section 11 of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions.

Web Accessibility Standards

In addition to the above listed IT standards, the selected vendor shall ensure that all deliverables delivered pursuant to this RFQ adhere to (1) the Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility, 36 C.F.R. §1194, issued under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794(d)) (the “Section 508 Standards”), and (2) the Web Accessibility Standards, (the “ITD Standards”) issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Information Technology Division (“ITD”), available online at itd. For purposes of this RFQ, the vendor’s obligations pertaining to these standards shall be limited to those subsections thereof that have been certified by ITD and the Massachusetts Office on Disability as objective and measurable. Such subsections shall be posted by ITD at itd. The Section 508 and ITD Standards may be modified from time to time, and Vendor is responsible for compliance with the most current version in effect on the date that vendor executes the contract resulting from this RFQ.

Training

The selected vendor shall coordinate with the CHSB in the identification of all prospective attendees at vendor training who require accommodation, and shall cooperate with CHSB in its provision of such accommodation.

All technical and user documentation and any additional training material delivered by the vendor under this Agreement shall include alternative keyboard commands that may be substituted for mouse commands. Any documentation delivered under this Agreement and wholly owned by the CHSB shall be in an agreed-upon editable format.

AT/IT Environment List

Generic Assistive Technology and Information Technology (AT/IT) Environment List (included in the RFQ Document Library) sets forth a list of the specific assistive technology (AT) (including class, brand, and version) and specific desktop configuration against which the vendor’s] deliverables will be tested under this Agreement (the “AT/IT Environment List”).

Software Developed Under the Agreement

Prior to commencing any design work under this Agreement, the vendor’s Project Manager and design professionals shall meet with the Commonwealth’s project manager to review the Section 508 and ITD Standards, and the AT/IT Environment List, and to discuss their impact on the design process.

The vendor shall test every software deliverable delivered under this Agreement, including the custom code created to customize commercial off the shelf software (COTS) (collectively, “Deliverables”), and any updates, new releases, versions, upgrades, improvements, bug fixes, patches or other modifications to the software (“Enhancements”) developed under this agreement, against Section 508 and ITD Standards, and for interoperability with the AT and IT environment listed in the AT/IT Environment list. At the time each such Deliverable or Enhancement is delivered to CHSB, the vendor shall deliver to CHSB and to the ITD Accessibility Laboratory (the “ITD ATL”) the results of such testing.

In addition, the vendor shall cooperate with the ITD ATL, and any Accessibility Testing Vendor engaged by the ITD ATL, or by the CHSB under the supervision of the ITD ATL, in the performance of testing. The ITD ATL, any Accessibility Testing Vendor engaged by the ITD ATL, or by CHSB under the supervision of the ITD ATL, shall test each Deliverable or Enhancement against the Section 508 and ITD Standards, and for interoperability with the AT and the IT environment described in the AT/IT Environment List. The ITD ATL shall certify such deliverables or Enhancements as compliant with the Section 508 and the ITD Standards and interoperable with the AT and environment described in the AT/IT Environment List.

The vendor shall be responsible for curing each instance in which its deliverables fail to comply with the Section 508 or ITD Standards. The vendor shall use best efforts to cooperate with CHSB, the ITD ATL, and any pertinent AT vendor to correct any problems identified during such testing with the interoperability of the Deliverables or Enhancements with the AT and the IT environment specified in the AT/IT Environment List.

The vendor shall provide a credit against amounts due by CHSB under this agreement for all testing, including repeat accessibility testing required with respect to Deliverables or Enhancements that fail initial testing with respect to the Section 508 or ITD Standards and are required by the ITD ATL to be retested in that regard. Such credits shall not exceed 5% of either (1) the total fixed price due the vendor under the Agreement resulting from this RFQ, or (2) the total not-to-exceed amount of the Agreement if entered under a time and materials basis.

COTS and ASP Software

The vendor shall conduct testing against the Section 508 and ITD Standards, and for interoperability with the AT and IT environment listed in the AT/IT Environment list, on all COTS referenced in the vendor’s bid that must be acquired by CHSB through another agreement (such as the Commonwealth’s statewide software reseller agreement) in order to implement the system to be delivered by the vendor under this Agreement, and all COTS (including for purposes of this section COTS configured by the vendor), or software to be provided by the vendor or its subcontractors in their capacity as application service providers (ASP), delivered under this agreement, and any Enhancements thereto or new versions thereof, prior to its delivery to the CHSB (collectively, COTS and ASP Software).The vendor shall deliver to both CHSB and the ITD ATL the results of such testing with each delivery of COTS or ASP Software.

The vendor need not conduct such tests for COTS and ASP Software for which accessibility testing has already been conducted and test results have already been provided to the ITD ATL. Instead, the vendor shall provide notice to CHSB that such software has already been certified by the ITD ATL. The notice shall include the name of the software or Enhancement, and the date the software was so certified.

The ITD ATL, or any Accessibility Testing Vendor engaged by the ITD ATL, or by the CHSB under the supervision of the ITD ATL, shall test such software for accessibility against the Section 508 Standards and the ITD Standards, and for interoperability with the specific AT and the IT environment set forth in the AT/IT Environment List. The ITD ATL shall certify as accessible all software so tested that complies with the Section 508 Standards and the ITD Standards, and is interoperable with the AT and the environment specified in the AT/IT Environment List, and shall maintain a central web-based list of certified software for use by the Executive Department.

The vendor shall be responsible for curing each instance in which its deliverables fail to comply with the Section 508 and ITD Standards. Vendor shall use best efforts to cooperate with CHSB, the ITD ATL, and any pertinent AT vendor to correct any problems identified during such testing with the interoperability of the Deliverables or Enhancements with the AT and the IT environment specified in the AT/IT Environment List.

The vendor shall provide a credit against amounts due by the CHSB under this agreement for all testing, including repeat accessibility testing required with respect to Deliverables or Enhancements that fail initial testing with respect to the Section 508, ITD Standards and are required by the ITD ATL to be retested in that regard. Such credits shall not exceed 5% of the either the total fixed price due [Vendor] under this Agreement, or the total not-to-exceed amount of this Agreement if entered under a time and materials basis.

The vendor shall not deliver COTS or ASP software under this Agreement that fails to meet such standards unless it has documented (1) that it has performed due diligence in seeking accessible alternative COTS or ASP Software, offering equivalent features and functionality to the inaccessible COTS or ASP Software, for which the vendor is or can readily become a licensed distributor; and (2) the cost of developing substitute accessible software under this Agreement. (Such documentation need not include reference to any specific competing COTS or ASP Software and its level of accessibility). COTS or ASP Software delivered under this Agreement or under another contract with a state agency in connection with a system delivered under this Agreement that does not meet the Section 508 Standards or the ITD Standards shall be acceptable if either (1) the software vendor provides a roadmap for meeting such standards and interoperating with such AT or (2) the agency seeks and obtains a waiver from ITD that it would be an undue hardship on the agency to eschew use of such COTS or ASP Software.

Maintenance Agreements

Any maintenance agreement entered by the vendor and CHSB in connection with the system delivered pursuant to this RFQ shall require the vendor to cooperate with CHSB in its efforts to resolve interoperability problems that arise during the term of the maintenance agreement related to the use of such system with specific AT in a specific IT environment.

Access to Security-Sensitive Information

This solicitation contains security-sensitive information which, pursuant to MGL c. 4, s. 7, cls. 26(n) is generally exempt from public disclosure under the Commonwealth’s public records laws and must, for public safety purposes, be safeguarded from widespread public disclosure. This security-sensitive information is in the form of blueprints, plans, policies, procedures, schematic drawings, which relate to internal layout and structural elements, security measures, emergency preparedness, threat or vulnerability assessments, and/or any other records relating to the security or safety of persons (pursuant to M.G.L. c. 66A) or buildings, structures, facilities, utilities, transportation, information technology or other infrastructure located within the commonwealth.

 

Qualified prospective bidders that are interested in accessing this information for the purpose of preparing a bid response must, before being allowed to access the information, sign a confidentiality agreement, thereby agreeing to:

• Restrict the use of these sensitive records for any other purpose than as authorized and for the purpose of putting together a bid proposal;

• Safeguard the information while it is in their possession (consistent with Section 6 of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions); and

• Return such records and materials to the Commonwealth upon completion of the project.

In addition, all vendor personnel and sub-contractors will be required to undergo criminal background checks before being allowed access to security-sensitive information, systems, and sites.

SECTION 13 – FINANCIAL TERMS

This is a fixed-fee project with a maximum project all-inclusive cost. The vendor’s response must include a cost proposal for the total fixed-fee cost for the engagement and must also provide a detailed explanation of all of the charges included in the fixed fee.

Travel Expenses may be incurred separately from the fixed-fee rate. However, please note that the proposed fixed-fee plus estimated travel expenses will together comprise the all-inclusive cost for this project. Estimated travel expenses, NOT including commuting to and from the State work site, must be included with the vendor’s response. No travel expenses will be reimbursed without the prior written approval of the iCJIS Project Manager.

Payments will be made upon acceptance of the vendor’s invoice and the successful completion of expected deliverables.

It is expected that the submitted bid, after any necessary negotiated modifications, will be the final performance and contract specifications for this engagement.

SECTION 14 – BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS

All vendor personnel, including sub-contractors, will be required to undergo criminal background checks before being allowed access to security-sensitive information, systems, and sites. All criminal background investigations will include:

• Completion the CORI Non-Disclosure Forms that will be issued to the vendor by CHSB and subsequently processed by CHSB; and

• As mandated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) CJIS Security Policy, Section 4.5, completion of a fingerprint background check. Project personnel will have to schedule an appointment with the Criminal History System Board (CHSB) to have their fingerprints taken and processed electronically

No employee of the vendor or any sub-contractors they employ shall be employed pursuant to the terms of any contract awarded in response to this RFQ until a the background investigation is completed and the vendor is informed that the CHSB has approved employment of the employee for purposes of carrying out the terms of the contract.

SECTION 15 – MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT

Contingent of funding, CHSB seeks for the selected vendor to provide maintenance and support for a minimum of one (1) year with an option to renew for up to three (3) years.

At a minimum, the maintenance and support plan must include the following:

• Application Support;

• Interface Support;

• Maintenance on all user and system documentation; and

• Technical consultation to CHSB staff.

Please include a part of the response to RFQ, a description of a proposed maintenance and support plan. In addition, please include a separate cost proposal for an annual maintenance and support plan.

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