RFP for Business and Commercial Services Software Developer

Request for Proposal For Business and Commercial Services Software Developer Notice
Request for Proposal For Business and Commercial Services Software Developer RFP # 2022-2  
Contract and Grant Disclosure and Certification Form
 

The Arkansas Secretary of State (SOS) is soliciting Requests for Proposal (RFP) from qualified vendors to provide a new electronic filing system for the SOS Business and Commercial Services (BCS) Division which provides a wide range of services to individuals and companies conducting business within the State of Arkansas, whether based inside the state or elsewhere.  The BCS Division records business entities, trademarks, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and charity filings; files notary public certifications; and issues authentication of documents and apostilles. If the project proceeds, the vendor shall be responsible for complete replacement of the existing system, all necessary conversion functions, installation, training, testing, and ongoing maintenance.      

To be considered for scoring for this RFP, the vendor must meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. Five (5) consecutive years of experience in sales and service of computer software;
2. Five (5) consecutive years of specified software experience in similar projects displaying a history of sales, installation, service, and support;
3. Demonstrated ability of assisting clients with testing and providing solutions to issues;
4. Provision of at least three (3) client references using like software in similar applications;
5. Ability to provide on-site and/or cloud based demonstration of the proposed software;
6. Provide a complete, all-inclusive quote for the system as specified herein;
7. Currently have a majority of the modules listed in the detailed specifications already operating in at least four (4) other states; and
8. The system must be able to integrate with a separate payment processor via API or other electronic means. This RFP does not include any payment processing services associated with any specified module. Any such services will be procured separately.

Vendor’s official response packet shall contain responses that best exemplify vendor’s ability to meet all of the detailed specifications of the RFP.  Modifications to the response packet shall be made only in accordance with addenda issued by the Arkansas Secretary of State (SOS).  Vendors are advised to check with the SOS periodically for any issued addenda.

The proposed software must be compatible and be able to integrate with the existing SOS network servers. Vendors shall provide a full turn-key operating system to include, but not be limited to: initial set up, cost of replacement software, software testing, software usage training (initial and ongoing), maintenance and support, and conversion of existing data to the data format of the new system. The system must integrate with a separate payment processor via API or other electronic means. The SOS requires the ability to modify any document or certification at no additional cost.

This project shall consist of seven (7) individual modules completed in two (2) separate phases:

Phase I: To be completed no later than June 30, 2023. Phase I modules:

Module 1: Apostilles and Certifications

Module 2: Charities

Module 3: Facsimile Signatures

Module 4: Uniform Commercial Code

Module 5: Notary

 

Phase II: To be completed no later than June 30, 2024. Phase II modules:

Module 6: Corporations

Module 7: Trademarks and Service Marks

Response Documents Shall Include (Ordered and Labeled as Follows):

1. Vendor Information:

Provide a Letter of Introduction, signed by an officer or principal of the vendor, which:

1. Summarizes the history of the vendor, the number of years in business, business structure, locations, parent affiliations, foreign ownership (if any), names and titles of all directors and officers, and number of employees.
2. Illustrates the vendor’s unique abilities to meet the specified requirements of this Request for Proposal. Examples may include specialized experience, skills, certifications, and awards attained.
3. Includes the name of one designated contact person and his or her physical address, email address, and phone number to be used for communication related to interviews and vendor selection.

2. Provide a detailed description of the vendor’s experience and qualifications including:
   1. Five (5) consecutive years of experience in the sales and service of computer software;
   2. Five (5) consecutive years of specified software experience in projects consistent with the above scope of work and detailed specifications; and
   3. Demonstrated evidence of providing systems in comparative size and complexity to the above scope of work to at least four (4) states.

Responses should indicate the vendor’s proficiency in creating websites and applications with a focus on site usability and user experience and demonstrate knowledge and proficiency with leading-edge Web and media solutions, architectures, technologies, nomenclature, development practices, and use of industry best practices.

 

3. List any contracts that have been cancelled for non-performance or default within the past five (5) years.
4. List any litigation, arbitration, or mediation with prior or current clients.
5. Provide a summary of current workload and ongoing contracts. 
6. Provide the last three (3) years of financial statements subject to an independent audit.

2. Project Team (Key Staff):

1. Provide names, titles, and resumes for all proposed project managers/supervisors who will be assigned to the contract to oversee all contractual obligations and responsibilities and serve as the primary contact(s) for the SOS.  Highlight previous experience in this role.
2. Provide a description of project team members to be assigned to this project, their experience, and areas of specialization specific to the proposed scope of work.
3. Describe the process by which work will be assigned, implemented, and tested.

3. References:

Provide the names and contact information for at least three (3) references familiar with the quality of your work of similar nature as that described in the above scope of work. Include the names of the clients, a description of the contracts, and the length of the contracts and reasons for termination.

4. Proposed System:

Provide a formal, detailed description of the design, development, testing, implementation, delivery (including staff training), and ongoing maintenance of the System proposed to achieve all of the criteria specified in the detailed specifications of the RFP. Must be able to provide onsite and /or cloud based demonstration of the proposed software. Must be able to integrate with a separate payment processor via API or other electronic means.

5. Cost Proposal:

Total cost proposal provided in accordance with the above scope of work, inclusive of all state and local sales taxes, to design, develop, test, implement, and deliver (including staff training) both phases of a fully-functional System in accordance with the scope of work delineated in this RFP and provide annual maintenance, updates, licensure, taxes, etc., for the initial term of the agreement ending June 30, 2027, subject to annual renewal thereafter, from the date of contract execution. The cost proposal shall be submitted on the provided form, which shall be completed in ink or typewritten.(See forms section of the RFP.)

6. Required Forms:

Complete, sign, and submit the following forms with your response packet:

1. Vendor Certification Form
2. Cost Proposal
3. W-9 Form
4. Contract and Grant Disclosure and Certification Form
5. Company’s Equal Opportunity Policy

The SOS may require vendors to make oral and visual presentations.

The official response packet shall contain all of the information delineated in the RFP and shall be modified only by addenda issued by the SOS. 

All responses shall be submitted no later than 4:00 pm CST on November 4, 2022 to:
Arkansas Secretary of State
Attn: Business Office, Tiffany Bilon
500 Woodlane Street, Suite 12
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-2008
Email: purchasing@sos.arkansas.gov

Individual responses received by mail shall be enclosed in an outer sealed envelope or container prominently marked with the RFP number (RFP # 2022-2), submission deadline November 4, 2022, responder’s name, and return address.

Individual responses received via email shall prominently state the RFP number (RFP # 2022-2) submission deadline November 4, 2022, responder’s name, and return address.

For any additional information or to request an RFP packet, please call 501-682-2008, or email purchasing@sos.arkansas.gov.

Q&A Pertaining to RFP #2022-2

#7 -Currently have a majority of the modules listed in the detailed specifications listed below already operating in at least four (4) other states; and.  Could you please clarify if “other states” would be applicable to only the United States of America or if the Arkansas Secretary of state would accept business registry systems that are operating out of the United States in a level of Secretary of State equivalent? 
Our intent was for registry systems created in USA states, however, other nation’s USA state equivalents such as provinces, territories, states, etc. with similar political and geographic characteristics would not prohibit vendors from submitting responses to the RFP. How that fact is weighted and considered is a question for the individual RFP scorers.

#6 Required Forms (on page 11) asked for a number of documents, one of which is c. W-9 Form.  As we would are not a US entity a W-9 form does not apply to organization.  Would there a separate form that would be applicable to us, as a foreign vendor? 
If your company has an affiliate office that does business in the United States, we can work thorough that office to receive invoices and transact business.  Please send us your county’s equivalent W-9 form so that we may send to our state’s Department of Finance and Administration to capture the requisite information for tax reporting purposes and garner their approval. This will not prohibit a vendor from submitting a response.

Contract and Grant Disclosure and Certification Form – It says it is attached as a PDF attachment, but we cannot seem to find it. Could you please provide a copy or point us to the location?
Please find attached.

Is there any flexibility for the SOS to consider a phased approach that includes a Phase 1 of a slightly longer duration but results in an overall project timeline in line with the 18 months proposed by the RFP? 
Vendors may submit RFP responses that propose slightly different completion schedules than specified in the RFP, however, how that fact is weighted and considered is a question for the individual RFP scorers.

Is there a hard requirement for using “Microsoft Word” for generating correspondence templates or would other modern, viable, and more efficient built-in functionality be considered? We note that the other modules do not get as specific as to the technology used for template generation.
Modules other than Microsoft Word may be proposed.

The Cost Proposal Form does not include any provision or instructions for itemizing vendor hosting options and costs (i.e. Cloud). In order to evaluate apples-to-apples we would recommend itemizing any proposed Vendor-hosted cost options separately from Maintenance and Support. If hosting options and costs will be considered outside of this RFP, or if SOS is only considering On-Premise hosting, please confirm for clarity of all vendors.
It is the intention of this RFP for the SOS to acquire a “turn-key” system which is wholly designed, implemented, and maintained by the vendor. For the purposes of cost proposals, vendors are advised to develop all cost data with the understanding that all elements, including material and data, will be hosted by the vendor throughout the project- initial set up, cost of replacement software, software testing, software usage training (initial and ongoing), maintenance and support, and conversion of existing data to the data format of the new system.

In the Charities section, the option to view the most recent organizations that have visited, is this a requirement for the online application as it pertains to a public filer?  
This pertains to the internal dashboard where the administrator has quick access to the previously filed documents for the day.

In the UCC section, the requirement to allow supervisor access to make changes to documents, what documents would a supervisor need to update? Is this a filing image update, application generated correspondence, or data entered into the system that needs correction?
Need the ability to update system data but no images.  No corrections will be made to online filings.

Is it possible to move a module from Phase 1 to Phase 2 and Phase 2 to Phase 1? Can UCC and Trademark be swapped in their delivery phase?
We would prefer our schedule but would look this possibility.

The RFP states specifically that “This RFP does not include any payment processing services associated with any specified module.” What about the online frontend components for each of the modules? Will the successful bidder be expected to develop online forms and user-facing applications that businesses use to submit filings and information online to the Secretary of State’s Office?
The scope of services for this RFP does not include any payment processes for any modular processes. All existing forms will need to be replaced and integrated into one system. The system also needs to have the flexibility to modify and incorporate new forms that may be required as a result of future legislation.

• For example, will the vendor be expected to replace the online Corporation Filing forms found here https://www.ark.org/sos/corpfilings/index.php and integrate those with the BCS System, in addition to the other forms that integrate with the current BSC system?  Yes, all existing forms from all filings from the current system shall be replaced.
• If so, please provide a list of all the forms and online applications that bidders will be expected to replace/provide as part of their response.  All forms are available on the existing BCS website. 

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