Idea Transcript
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
Information Technology (IT) Services Question and Answers
1. Q: As stated, our firm has been in business for over a year and yet most of our advisors and all of our leadership have more than 20+ years of experience and expertise in IT Service Delivery. Also, several of them have direct IT operational leadership experience in both the private and the public sectors. With this level of knowledge and expertise, will the City of Union City allow our firm to qualify as a RFP respondent on the basis of our team’s individual, but extensive collective experiences as an offeror, despite not meeting your required 5 years as a firm? (One additional point that probably is noteworthy here, is that several of our partners and senior advisors have actually worked together for much more than 5 years.) A: Respondents must have 5 years of experience in providing IT Services with preferably two or more years of government entity. For example; A respondent/offeror whose firm has provided IT Services for only 3 years would not qualify. 2. Q: It was also stated in the RFP: The Contractor will perform the services outlined in the detailed services section for a lump sum of $_________________________ and the City will make equal monthly payments in arrears based upon the proposal awarded. If awarded the contract, will these equal monthly payments begin approximately one month after contract commences (i.e. assume this is what is meant as in arrears?) and should we also assume that the final monthly payment, will be made within one month of the completion of the project. A: The City will make equal monthly payments in arrears based upon the proposal awarded. For example, if services are provided for the month of January, payment will be made in February. 3. Q: I think my confusion stems from the way I originally interpreted sections 2.4. and 3.2. Initially, I read that the RFP was looking for an offeror/Vendor to provide three alternative IT sourcing solutions for delivery of IT services after developing, reviewing and/or updating the IT strategic plan, conducting a full IT operational assessment (which updates the previous one (in Appendix D)) and ultimately, lays out the viable technical IT Service sourcing recommendations (i.e. where each of the three alternatives (defined in 3.2) are considered, costed and addressed as possible options for the city). However, when I was rereading sections within 2.4, it almost sounds like you want the offeror to be the service provider with the implementation responsibility for any one of the three options (from section 3.2) without or aside from the strategic planning activities, the operational IT assessment and consideration of viable recommendations. Thus, is the City expecting from this RFP that the Offeror/vendor actually is the service provider responsible for carrying out an immediate implementation of the activities requested within sections 2.4.2 – 2.4.5 as IT Services? Or is my initial understanding (stated above) of developing/refining the IT strategic plan, conducting a comprehensive IT operational assessment along with the development of viable options/recommendations
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
spelled out for the IT services and delivery, what you’re really expecting in the deliverables? Please provide this clarification. A: Yes this RFP specifically seeks a qualified contractor to provide IT Services. Services will include the immediate implementation of activities listed in the project scope and proposals for the three alternatives outlined. 4. Q: The solicitation does not state how many staff you will need for this project. Does the city have a number in mind? A: No. 5. Q: I saw no mention of applications. I'm assuming that Enterprise Resource Planning software is outside of scope. A: Our currently Applications are as follows: Gorrie Regan-Attendance Enterprise, Fire Programs, Tyler Technology- InCode, Sunesis TechNotes , Flex HR, JMS, and Syscon Court System. We not currently have an ERP solution; however offerors should note that any future acquisitions of applications will be considered in scope, as this proposal represents a turn-key approach to municipal IT Services. 6. Q: Regarding the Government Experience qualification in the solicitation--- Though the overwhelming majority of our résumé is in the private sector, one of our managing partners has five years of experience on the federal level, working for the Department of Energy. Would that count? A: The successful offeror must have 5 years of experience in providing IT Services with preferably two or more years of government entity. See amendment #1 7. Q: Is the solicitation mainly for staff augmentation? A: The existing IT Services contract expires December 31, 2011. The City is expecting the offeror selected through this RFP process to provide full IT Services. 8.
Q: Is there a predetermined period of performance: e.g., 3-year, 5-year, etc.> A: The period of performance is expected to extend from the contract award date until August 31, 2012 and can new for two (2) additional one-year terms.
9. Q: Would the resources be W-2 employees? A: The City currently has One (1) W-2 employee, with the remainder of staffing resources being outsourced. 10. Q: Is this an on-demand need? In other words, when municipalities put our contracts for staff augmentation, a lot of times they basically vet vendors and, if they pick them, they have an on-demand structure. Meaning: "We'll call you when the need arises for a database administrator . . . in, say, six months--if the need comes up". A: This proposal seeks 24/7 IT Services; it is not reflective of an on demand process as described within your question.
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
11. Q: Is the prior experience with government entities a MANDATORY requirement by the city? A: The successful offeror must have 5 years of experience in providing IT Services with preferably two or more years of government entity. See amendment #1 12. Q: Address each paragraph by inserting requested information following each RFP paragraph. If no information is requested, acknowledge paragraph by stating “read and understood”, “read and will comply” or other appropriate acknowledgement. For simplicity, type the Table of Contents and insert verbiage to verify that the document has been thoroughly read. Should we prepare our proposal and use the same numbering system and description in the Table of Contents of the RFP? If so, for areas where we have no response, then are we to put the words “read and understood”? A: For simplicity, yes you may utilize the table of contents. All offerors should note the numbering change listed in Addendum #2. 13. Q: Would it be possible to extend the due date for proposal responses? An additional week would allow sufficient time for respondents to provide you with more comprehensive and thorough proposals? A: At the present time, the due date for the proposals is 11/01/11 @ 2:00pm 14. Q: What is the allotted budget for the contract? A: Since this is a competitive bidding process, offerers are asked to submit cost estimates based on the components of this proposal. 15. Q: Will the budget include the purchasing of Hardware and software upgrades ie (Desktops, Servers, Software Applications) etc, or is there a separate budget allotted for the procurement of Hardware, software, etc? A: No – These items are procured as part of the annual budgeting process. 16. Q: In addition to what has been identified in the RFP, what are your top 3-5 business/technology goals? A: Development of a Enterprise Backup Solution, Development of a City-wide Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan, and Complete connectivity of all City sites. 17. Q: What are your top 3-5 business challenges that you are faced with today? A: Reference question #16. 18. Q: In addition to what has been identified in the RFP, are there any specific mandates (regulatory, compliance, governance, internal controls, etc.) that you have to act on immediately? A: The City has an annual audit cycle. Additionally an assessment has been conducted for IT Services.
19. Q: Describe your service level objectives, if any. A: TBD.
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
20. Q: Describe you data security requirements. A: The City requires both a strategic and operational approach to data security. The expectation is for data security to meet or exceed IT National best practices and industry standards. 21. Q: Describe your performance requirements. A: Provide high level IT services that will encompass strategic planning, network administration and day to day network support. 22. Q: Describe your existing disaster recovery plans, if any. A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 23. Q: List the applications/business functions that this environment supports. A: a) Applications- Gorrie Regan-Attendance Enterprise, Fire Programs, Tyler Technology- InCode, Sunesis TechNotes , Flex HR, JMS, and Syscon Court System. b) Business Functions- Police Services; Fire Services; Court Services; Community Development (Planning & Zoning, Taxes/Permits, Economic Development); Public Services; Water Services; Jail Services; Parks & Recreation; Operations; Code Enforcement; Finance; City Manager; Human Resources 24. Q: What are your current business and IT drivers? A: a) Our business drivers stem from the support of critical municipal services as listed below: Police Services; Fire Services; Court Services; Community Development (Planning & Zoning, Taxes/Permits, Economic Development); Public Services; Water Services; Jail Services; Parks & Recreation; Operations; Code Enforcement; Finance; City Manager; Human Resources b) With regard to IT drivers, it should be noted that technology services is a key component in the process to continuously improve city operations and reduce costs. Due to the diversified operation within the City, several types of applications and platforms exist. Risk associated with IT, such as data integrity and reliability, availability, security, and efficiency must be effectively managed. 25. Q: How do you currently justify/procure storage/servers/technology, project by project, multiple projects, or on an enterprise basis? A: Expenditures are justified via the City’s budget and procurement process. Standard components apply including requisition forms, Finance and City Manager’s Approval. 26. Q: Timing of pre bid meeting. Meeting is shown as October 28th in RFP document and as October 27th on the GA Bid Registry. Which date is correct? A: The pre bid meeting will be 10/28/11 @10:00am (see addendum #1)
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
27. Q: Is the current IT environment outsourced and if so, who is providing the current outsourced service? A: Yes, it is currently outsourced; the remainder of this information will be provided to the successful offeror. 28. Q: To which city function would we report? A: IT Services falls within the Department of Operations with services being provided to each municipal department. 29. Q: How many IP addresses in the internet-facing IP address range are active in each environment? A: The number of IP addresses will be provided to the successful offeror. However, please be aware that there are approximately 250 users, 170 PC Workstations, and 15 servers in IT’s existing environment. Additionally, there are IP Addresses for a portion of the City’s phones, switches and wireless devices. 30. Q: Can you share the approximate number and breakup of the network devices (i.e., switches, firewalls, routers, security devices) deployed in each network environment? A: The City has approximately 15 switches/ routers, 5 firewalls/security devices. 31. Q: How many network segments are there in each network environment? A: There are a total of 4 networks segments, 2 per network environment. 32. Q: How many wireless access points are currently deployed in each network environment? A: The City has approximately 5 wireless devices. 33. Q: How many firms do you believe will participate in RFP process? A: The City cannot predict the number of participants. 34. Q: What budget has been set in the past for this type of IT support and networking services? A: N/A. 35. Q: How many IP addresses are active in each internal network environment? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 36. Q: How many domain controllers are active in each internal network environment? A: There are approximately 4 total domain controllers. 37. Q: How many servers would be in scope and what are the operating systems? A: The City currently maintains 15 servers. However, offerors should note that any future acquisitions of servers will be considered in scope, as this proposal represents a turn-key approach to municipal IT Services. 38. Q: How many databases would be in scope and what types?
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
A: We currently have 7 databases. However, offerors should note that any future acquisitions of database will be considered in scope, as this proposal represents a turnkey approach to municipal IT Services. 39. Q: How many third-party connections into your network? A: Third party connections are limited to those applications limited to number listed in number 5. 40. Q: Are any systems within scope hosted or maintained by third-parties? A: Yes 41. Q: Approximately how many web applications are internet-facing in each network environment? A: There are approximately 5 web applications that are internet facing in the network environments. 42. Q: Number of syslog servers in each network environment? A: The City’s servers utilize a windows platform system log. 43. Q: Which of the IT and networking services require 24/7 support? A: All services require 24/7 support 44. Q: Who is the current ISP provider for the city offices? a. Are there backup (aka redundant) ISP providers provisioned at all office locations? b. If there are backup ISP providers who are they? c. What type of connection and bandwidth does each location have available (i.e. DSL, T1, T3, 3G Wireless) with each available ISP provider? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 45. Q: When you say some remote sites are silos, how many remote sites do you have outside of the City Hall and the Police Department? A: There are 9 remote sites outside of City Hall and the Police Department. 46. Q: What type of cabling infrastructure do you have currently (Cat5, 5e, Fiber, etc…)? A: The City’s cabling infrastructure consists of a combination of Dark Fiber and Cat 6. 47. Q: What area of expertise are you looking to have via our Managed Services Operation Support (MSOC) facilities? A: Expertise should culminate into high quality services realized via the City’s scope of work (RFP # OPS12-01) and, specifically, the implementation of the three (3) identified proposal options. 48. Q: When you say excluding MDTs are we referring to Microsoft Deployment Toolkit? A: MDTs is not listed with the City’s proposal.
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
49. Q: Do you have a written Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan? a. How often is it reviewed or modified? b. When was the last time it was reviewed? c. When was the last time it was tested? d. Has there ever been a time in the last 3 years when it was enacted? A: This information will be provided to successful offeror. 50. Q: What is the current file/data backup structure? a. Is there a Continuous Data Protection device in place? b. If so, what is the brand of devices are used? (EMC, SonicWall CDP) c. When are network backups performed on the network? A: The City’s structure is reflective of both onsite and offsite backup, remaining information will be provided to the successful offeror. 51. Q: Can you clarify the terms replacement vs. upgrade for the workstations? Is it upgrading of the Hard Drives and Operating Systems? A: It includes both Hard Drives and Operating Systems. 52. Q:What measures does the city use for virus and spyware monitoring and remediation? A: The City maintains an anti-virus and spyware monitoring solution. 53. Q: Is there a preference in AV security software? a. What is the current brand of Anti-Virus software currently deployed to user workstations? b. What is the current brand of Anti-Spyware/Malware software currently deployed to user workstations? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 54. Q: From a firewall perspective, what is most important to network health and protection? a. Content management? b. Email security and spam filtering? c. Intrusion protection? d. Bandwidth usage/abuse? A: All are equally important. 55. Q: What types of UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) devices are currently in use? a. When were the server UPS devices last load tested? b. How often are the UPS devices being utilized? c. How long is the available uptime on your current UPS devices rated for? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 56. Q:How many End-users currently including the IT staff? a. Does the city currently utilize Microsoft Active Directory Services for account management? b. Is there a written User Network Usage policy document in place? c. If so what was the date it last reviewed/modified?
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
A: Approximately 250 end users a.) Yes b.) Yes c.) This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 57. Q: How many servers network stand-alone (non Virtual) servers are currently deployed on the network? a. What are their responsibilities? b. Are there Virtual Servers in use? i. How many? ii. What roles are they used for? A: There are currently no stand alone servers. 58. Q: What level of system or hardware redundancy are you looking for? A: Union City is municipal entity. The City’s expect redundancy efforts meets or exceeds IT National standards and best practices and support seamless continuity of operations. 59. Q: What level of Onsite Technical IT support are you looking for? A: Please review request for proposal. 60. Q: Is there a current Network Map available? a. Is there a documented IP scheme available for review? b. When was the network mapping last updated? c. Is there a current workstation/mobile device inventory available? A: Yes, remaining information will be provided to the successful offeror. 61. Q: Will there be any VoIP telephone system supported? A: Yes 62. Q:Are there any mobile devices on the network? a. Blackberry? b. Apple i-phone? c. Android OS? A: Yes to a-c 63. Q: Are there any Apple products in the environment? a. Mac Desktop Computers? b. Laptop Computers? c. I-pad devices? A: No to a-c 64. Q: Do you have a testing environment for new software and applications? A: Yes 65. Q: Documentation ownership?
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
a. Who maintains and controls document security? b. Is file security owned by individual or department? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 66. Q: How many servers are not utilizing Microsoft? a. What OS are they using? A: The City has 1 server that is not utilizing Microsoft. a.)Linnux Debian 67. Q: List the top 10-20 business services that the City of Union City provides to its residents? A: Public safety, Planning and Zoning, Economic Development, Park and Recreational Services, Fire Protection, Utility Services, Code Enforcement Services, Community Appearance, Capital Improvements, Hospitality 68. Q: List the IT computer applications and systems that support the 10-20 business services. A: See answer to number 5. 69. Q: Name the last 5 IT initiatives that we started or completed in the last 2 years A: New Servers, New PC Workstations, VOIP, Network Cabling, Fiber Installs 70. Q: What are the management control mechanisms that provide a checks and balance or audit function to the IT functions including project management, cost controls, and return on investment? A: Consider the following: IT Financial requests must be approved by the City Manager and Comptroller. Items are checked to determine if they are conducive to the City’s budget. Additionally, the IT Department like all City Departments is subject to the City’s annual audit process. 71. Q: What quality rating from the list below would the customers rate the last 5 major IT solutions? A: A quality rating is unavailable. 72. Q: List the top 5 IT solutions that employ the most IT personnel on a daily basis to fix, support, build, repair the solution A: It is difficult to isolate 5 solutions. Joint projects may range from managing servers, phones, trouble shooting, helpdesk requests, etc. All tasks are shared as a team effort. 73. Q:Provide the top 5 IT risks A: Please refer to RPS # OPS 12-01 Appendix D. 74. Q: Name the top 10 infrastructure technologies that are deployed in IT?
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 75. Q:Provide the following information: a. The total number of IT employees? b. The turn-over rate of IT professionals? c. The total number of IT contractors? d. Average years of experience of the IT employees A:
a.) Zero (0). The IT Department is a contracted entity. b.) There has been no turn-over since 2007 c.) 1 Prime Contractor. 2 Sub-Contractors. d.) 15 years
76. Q: Name the top 10 Application Development technologies that are deployed in IT? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 77. Q: List the IT training that has been provided to the IT Staff over the last 4 years? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 78. Q: How many of these items does IT have? A: This question appears to be unclear and incomplete. 79. Q: What software management or development disciplines are used in IT? A: Cobit 80. Q: Describe the data/network security that is implemented? A: The City maintains both a hardware and software layer of security. 81. Q: Describe the data and information access process and flow A: Data access is granted based upon users/ user groups permissions. Additional information will be provided to the successful offeror. 82. Q: Describe the processes for new application functionality or code fixes to be migrated from a developers system to the production computer systems? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror.
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
83. Q: Is there a place the reports the health of the running applications and systems? a. If Yes, name the location or application A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 84. Q: Is there a place the reports the scheduled downtime of application and computer systems? a. If Yes, name the location or application A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 85. Q: Is there a place the reports the operational status of new code modules that are to migrated to a production system? a. If Yes, name the location or application A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 86. Q:Is there a place the reports the scheduled upgrades of existing applications and/or computer systems? a. If Yes, name the location or application A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 87. Q: Who updates this information? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 88. Q: Who archives this information? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 89. Q: Does upper management review this information? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 90. Q: Describe the LAN/WAN network A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 91. Q: Is there a software code repository? a. Is the code repository managed?
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
b. If so by whom? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 92. Q: Do you have code reviews? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 93. Q: Do you have published coding and development standards A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 94. Q: Describe you disaster recovery plans? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 95. Q: Describe your 311 plans? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 96. Q: What percentage of the city’s budget is designated for IT? A: N/A 97. Q: Describe your backup plans for the executing applications and computer systems? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 98. Q: What is the process of de-classifying internal sensitive data A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 99. Q: Describe the Process Automation or workflow a. What internal processes have been automated b. What external processes have been automated c. What technology has been deployed to facilitate this workflow? d. Is the workflow visible as it moves through to completion e. Can the workflow be altered after it has been initiated A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror.. 100.
Q: Describe the search functionality on customer facing applications A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror..
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
101.
Q: Describe the search functionality on the internal applications A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror..
102.
Q: What languages do you support on your customer facing web sites A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror..
103.
Q: Do you use cookies on your web site? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror..
104. Q: How often does IT perform a performance assessment, reliability assessment , scalability assessment, capacity planning assessment a. Where is this information stored? b. Is it accessible by the IT employees? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 105. Q: How do users and employees (internal and external) authenticate or login into the computer systems? a. Where is the username and passwords stored? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 106. Q: Name the detailed reports and integrated analytics showing user browsing and purchasing patterns. A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror. 107.
Q: Do your customer facing web sites perform any e-commerce functions? A: Yes
108.
Q: How many hours do you have for batch processing? A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror.
109.
Q: Name the detailed reports that focus on system health, uptime, cpu utilization. A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror.
110.
Q: What collaboration technologies do you use?
The City of Union City RFP # OPS-12-01 Information Technology (IT) Services
A: This information will be provided to the successful offeror.