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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TEMPLATEInstructions for Using the RFP Template This RFP template has been completely revised to accommodate the new business processes initiatedas a result of implementing the State Procurement Bureau’s electronic procurement system, eMACS.The sections that were defined in the old paper RFP process have been removed. All that is left are theparticular clauses that require decisions to be made by the agency. Instructions to agencies appear in blue. Insert appropriate information when requested in areas that appear in red. Decide which optional paragraphs are needed and delete those not needed. If you are preparing an IT RFP, be sure to include all language specific to IT projects. Include a copy of the contract you intend to use. For all solicitations for which Prevailing Wage Rates will be paid, the applicable Prevailing WageBooklet from the Department of Labor and Industry must be included as part of the solicitation. CurrentPrevailing Wage Booklets are available at the Department of Labor and Industry Website. Call the State Procurement Bureau with questions at 444-2575.Tips for fillable WORD documents:1.When you click on the text and see Click to Delete, you can select the word or sentence to delete.2.You will also have the option to click on the text and enter the appropriate information.Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20211 Page
SCHEDULE OF EVENTSEVENTDATEPre-Proposal Conference (Optional)Deadline for Receipt of Written QuestionsDeadline for Posting Written Responses to the State's WebsiteRFP Response Due DateNotification of Offeror Interviews/Product Demonstrations (Optional)*Offeror Interviews/Product Demonstrations (Optional)*Intended Date for Contract Award (Optional)**The dates above identified by an asterisk are included for planning purposes. These dates are subject tochange.Pre-Proposal Conference is optional. Customize for Conference or Conference Call. Carefully consider theconsequences of making this requirement mandatory.Pre-Proposal ConferenceA(n) mandatory/optional Pre-Proposal Conference/Conference Call will be conducted at insert address on insertdate at insert time. Offerors are encouraged to use this opportunity to ask clarifying questions, obtain a betterunderstanding of the project, and to notify the State of any ambiguities, inconsistencies, or errors discoveredupon examination of this RFP. All responses to questions during the Pre-Proposal Conference/Conference Callwill be oral and in no way binding on the State. Proposal responses from any offeror failing to participate in thePre-Proposal Conference/Conference Call will not be considered.If conducting a conference call, add the following sentence.If calling from the Helena area, call (406) 444-insert.If calling from outside the Helena area, call insert number.The password for both numbers is insert.The following sections are to be used for IT RFPs only.Department of Administration Powers and DutiesThe Department of Administration is responsible for carrying out the planning and program responsibilities forinformation technology (IT) for state government. (Section 2-17-512, MCA). The Chief Information Officer is theperson appointed to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Department of Administration relating toinformation technology. The Department of Administration shall:Review the use of information technology resources for all state agencies;Review and approve state agency specifications and procurement methods for the acquisition of informationtechnology resources; andReview, approve, and sign all state agency IT contracts and shall review and approve other formal agreementsfor information technology resources provided by the private sector and other government entities.Compliance with State of Montana IT Policies and StandardsThe offeror is expected to be familiar with the State of Montana IT environment. All services and productsprovided as a result of this RFP shall comply with all applicable State of Montana IT policies and standards ineffect at the time the RFP is issued. If offeror cannot comply with any applicable Policy or Standard, it mustrequest an exception by posting the requested changes to the Q&A Board by the deadline set for questionsubmittal. It will be the responsibility of the State to deny the exception request or to seek a policy or standardsexception through the State CIO.Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20212 Page
The links below provide information on State of Montana IT strategic plans, current environment, policies, andstandards.State of Montana Information Technology Strategic PlanState of Montana Information Technology EnvironmentState of Montana IT PoliciesState of Montana Approved Enterprise Software List (List)If an Offeror proposes to use third party software, the proposed software must meet the requirements of the List.The List will be made available to Offeror upon request to the Procurement Officer. Offeror’s failure to requestthe List does not release it from complying with all the requirements of the List.SUPPLY SPECIFICATIONS OR SCOPE OF SERVICESTo enable the State to determine the capabilities of an offeror to provide the supplies and/or perform theservices specified in the RFP, the offeror shall respond to the following regarding its ability to meet the State'srequirements.NOTE: Each item must be thoroughly addressed. Offerors taking exception to any requirements listed in thissection may be found nonresponsive or be subject to point deductions.Mandatory Requirements are optional and should be used with caution and only when absolutely necessary. Allmandatory requirements must be clearly identified, listed here. A mandatory requirement is a particularcondition or item that must be present for the proposal to be responsive, e.g. proof of licensure. Typically, amandatory requirement is not an evaluation criterion.Mandatory RequirementsTo be eligible for consideration, an offeror shall meet all mandatory requirements noted herein. The State willdetermine whether an offeror's proposal complies with the requirements. Proposals that fail to meet anymandatory requirements listed in this RFP will be deemed nonresponsive.This section is the core of the RFP. It delineates in detail what the agency is seeking the offeror to includein their proposal in terms of the specifications and/or requirements necessary for the project.As you begin, ask yourself the following questions:SMART Specific – Are the requirements for both the offeror and the State clear enough so they can only beinterpreted in one way by everyone who reads the requirements? Measurable – What criteria will be applied to the requirements to ensure they are met? Achievable – Can it be done? Realistic – Can it be done given our constraints – are you willing to pay the price for this solution aswritten? Traceable – Is the requirement linked to the initial need of the customer, from conception throughany changes and tests, on to implementation?Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20213 Page
Use these suggestions and tips to help develop your Scope of Services or Supply Specifications:Explain your reason or need for the service or supply. Give an overview and the background of the project.1. Use affirmative action words only if you mean them (will, shall, must); don't use "would, should, may, orplease". Avoid the use of jargon and vague references such as "prepared to our satisfaction" or "in atimely manner"; and "et cetera."2. Explain what work is to be performed.4. If possible, divide the contractor services or supplies into billable tasks or units.5. What are the contractor's responsibilities?6. What are the agency's responsibilities?7. Address the level of interaction/oversight you anticipate for the project and the performance standardsyou expect.8. Describe any overlapping duties and responsibilities between agency and contractor.9. Specify what to do in the event third parties or subcontractors are involved.10. What is the project timeline and/or the deadlines for deliverables? Is there more than one deadline date?11. Are meetings required? What is the frequency? Must they be face-to-face?12. If reports are required, when do you want them, in what format?13. What performance standards will be used? Will third-party metrics be applied?14. What will be the method of acceptance?15. What is the final product you expect when work is completed? Or what do you expect as an outcomeof the project?16. Describe regulations and laws the contractor must follow, or licenses that are required.17. How will problems be communicated and resolved?18. How often will the agency pay? Will it be based on the percentage of work completed?19. Clearly specify all mandatory requirements.20. Do you have an established Information Security Program, including an Incident Response process?Your response should refer, where applicable, to the title of the employee in charge of the program, thenumber of employees in the program, any credentials or special skills, your organization’s incidentresponse program, and security policies or procedures.21. Do you have any certifications for any compliance frameworks such as FISMA, HIPAA, PCI, etc.? Ifcustom application developed, describe any security frameworks (e.g., OWASP) used or formalprocesses (e.g., SDLC) in place.22. Describe the controls your firm has in place to address the threat of information being compromised byan external hacker or malicious software. Response should refer, where applicable, to safeguards suchas intrusion detection; antivirus; firewalls; vulnerability scanning; penetration testing; encryption;authentication; and authorization protections and policies, including those involving system hardening,such as passwords, removal of unnecessary network services, limiting of administrative access, codereview, logging, employee training, and other relevant safeguards.23. Describe controls to address the threat of information being intercepted in transit by unauthorizedpersons. Your response should refer where applicable to safeguards such as encryption duringtransmission, availability and/or encryption of wireless traffic, physically securing devices in transit,network traffic segregation, and other relevant safeguards, and include descriptions of encryptionprotocols and algorithms used.24. Describe controls to address the threat of information being mistakenly disclosed to unauthorizedpersons. Your response should refer where applicable to issues of awareness and training, removal ofunnecessary data (electronic and paper), use of screen savers and lockouts, limiting storage ofconfidential data on remote devices, verification of identity of individuals requesting access, and otherrelevant safeguards that enforce “need to know”.25. Describe controls to address the threat of information knowingly being misused by your workforce andRequest for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20214 Page
contractors. Your responses should refer, where applicable, to issues of strong sanctions policy andpractice, background checks, role-based access to information, oversight of data authorization bysupervisor, terminating access to data for terminated employees and employees changing jobfunctions, prohibition on sharing passwords, and other relevant safeguards.26. Describe controls to address the threat of physical theft or loss of data. Your responses should refer,where applicable, to policies on the storage of confidential data on laptops, PDAs, USB drives andother portable devices, encryption of data on portable devices, two factor authentication, removal ofunnecessary information, physical protection of desktops and servers, and other relevant safeguards.27. Describe controls to address community concerns regarding privacy practices. Your responses shouldrefer where applicable to privacy statements, opt-in or opt-out consents, compliance with applicableprivacy rules, and other relevant safeguards.28. Describe controls to address the use, handling, protection and sharing of confidential data shared withsubcontractors. Your responses should state any relevant relationships that may induce additional riskto the safe storage of sensitive data (such as outsourcing of key services, use of sub-contractors or cloudservices for hosting, etc.), and refer, where applicable, to contractual safeguards and reviews of securityprograms/practices.29. Describe controls to address threats to the availability of data based on inadequate business continuityprocedures. Your responses should refer to business continuity, disaster recovery plans andprocedures, regular testing, routine data backups, and offsite storage.Use the heading appropriate to your project.Ability to Meet Supply Specifications.ORProvision of Services.OFFEROR QUALIFICATIONSTo enable the State to determine the capabilities of an offeror to provide the supplies and/or perform theservices specified in the RFP, the offeror shall respond to the following regarding its ability to meet the State'srequirements.NOTE: Each item must be thoroughly addressed. Offerors taking exception to any requirements listed in thissection may be found nonresponsive or be subject to point deductions.The following questions are examples that need to be tailored for each RFP. The Equal Pay for MontanaWomen MUST be included in all RFPs.Use this section if you want references to be evaluated on a pass/fail basis.ReferencesOfferor shall provide a minimum of insert number references that are currently using or have previously usedsupplies and/or services of the type proposed in this RFP. The references may include state governments oruniversities for whom the offeror, preferably within the last insert number years, has successfully completedinsert language pertaining to this type of contract. At a minimum, the offeror shall provide the company name,location where the supplies and/or services were provided, contact person(s), contact telephone number, email address, and a complete description of the supplies and/or services provided, and dates of service. Thesereferences may be contacted to verify offeror's ability to perform the contract. The State reserves the right touse any information or additional references deemed necessary to establish the ability of the offeror to performthe contract. Negative references may be grounds for proposal disqualification.Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20215 Page
ORUse this section if you want references to be numerically scored. If you choose to request a written reference,there are optional forms available at the State Procurement Website. Choose the form that works the best foryour application and tailor it to fit your needs.Client Reference FormOfferor shall provide complete and separate Client Reference Form (found in prerequisites or buyerattachment), for insert number references that are currently using or have previously used supplies and/orservices of the type proposed in this RFP. The references may include state governments or universities forwhom the offeror, preferably within the last insert number years, has successfully completed insert languagepertaining to this project. A responsible party of the organization for which the supplies and/or services wereprovided to the client (the offeror's customer) must provide the reference information and must sign and datethe form. It is the offeror's responsibility to ensure that the completed forms are submitted with the proposalby the submission date, for inclusion in the evaluation process. Any Client Reference Forms that are notreceived or are not completed may adversely affect the offeror's score in the evaluation process. ClientReference Forms exceeding the specified number will not be considered. The State may contact the clientreferences for validation of the information provided in the Client Reference Forms. If the State finds erroneousinformation, evaluation points may be deducted, or the proposal may be rejected.Company Profile and ExperienceOfferor shall provide documentation establishing the individual or company submitting the proposal has thequalifications and experience to provide the supplies and/or services specified in this RFP, including, at aminimum: a detailed description of any similar past projects, including the supply/service type and dates thesupplies and/or services were provided; the client for whom the services were provided; and a general description of the firm including its primary source of business, organizational structure andsize, number of employees, years of experience performing services similar to those described withinthis RFP.ResumesA resume or summary of qualifications, work experience, education, and skills must be provided for all keypersonnel, including any subcontractors, who will be performing any aspects of the contract. Include years ofexperience providing services similar to those required; education; and certifications where applicable. Identifywhat role each person would fulfill in performing work identified in this RFP.The following option should be used only in very limited circumstances, depending on the nature of the projectand needs to be tailored accordingly. If this information is requested, agencies must be prepared to have aqualified financial staff member evaluate it, typically on a pass/fail basis.Offeror Financial StabilityOfferors shall demonstrate their financial stability to insert appropriate language specified by: (1) providingfinancial statements, preferably audited, for the insert number consecutive years immediately preceding theissuance of this RFP; and (2) providing copies of any quarterly financial statements that have been preparedsince the end of the period reported by its most recent annual report.Examples of service organizations are insurance and medical claims processors, trust companies, hosted datacenters, application service providers, managed security providers, credit processing organizations, andclearinghouses.Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20216 Page
Service Organization's Internal Control AssessmentOfferors shall provide a copy of the most recent independently conducted internal control assessment. Thisassessment should include review of accounting systems, IT security systems, and other transaction-basedprocesses. Provide internal policy for ensuring these reviews are conducted on a regular schedule.Equal Pay for Montana WomenExecutive Order No. 12-2016 promoting equal pay for Montana women directs the Department ofAdministration to include incentives in the RFP process for contractors who engage in best practices topromote wage transparency. These best practices include the following:(a) posting salary ranges in employment listings;(b) certifying that the contractor will not ask about wage history in employee interviews; and(c) certifying that the contractor will not retaliate or discriminate against employees who discuss ordisclose their wages in the workplace. No, I do not agree.Company Name (Clearly Printed):Authorized Signature:Date:Statement of Compliance with Equal Pay for Montana WomenOfferor indicating it will comply with Executive Order No. 12-2016 will receive 5% of the total points available.Offerors who do not comply will not receive the available points. Offerors are required to sign and upload a PDFcopy of this certification with their proposal to certify compliance. Yes, I agree and will comply with the best practices to promote wage transparency outlined in ExecutiveOrder No. 12-2016.Company Name (Clearly Printed):Authorized Signature:Date:Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20217 Page
ORAL PRESENTATION/PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION/INTERVIEWOral Presentations/Product Demonstrations/Interviews are optional. If oral presentations are to be conductedas part of the evaluation, they must be scored, and the evaluation criteria must be listed in this RFP.Consider listing offeror's staff that would be required to attend. Select ONE option from the list below:Offerors must be prepared to have the key personnel assigned to this project complete a(n) oralpresentation/product demonstration/interview in insert location, Montana. The State reserves the right to:(1) have presentations/demonstrations/interviews from only the insert number highest scoring offerors;(2) have presentations/demonstrations/interviews from all offerors within (insert percentage) of the highestscoring offeror; or(3) have presentations/demonstrations/interviews from all offerors who are deemed to have a passingscore prior to the presentations/demonstrations/interviews process, at the State's discretion.Tailor the following to fit the project needs.Offerors selected to participate in oral presentations/product demonstrations/interviews will be notified by theState in advance. For planning purposes, the State will submit an agenda and specific guidance as deemedappropriate to promote productive and efficient oral presentations/product demonstrations/interviews.Offerors will be required to bring certain key personnel to the oral presentations/productdemonstrations/interviews. The following key staff must be present at a minimum. If the offeror is proposing tohave a key staff member filling more than one position that information must be clearly addressed at the timeof the oral presentations/product demonstrations/interviews on how staff will produce and perform all of therequired functions, activities and deliverables for the combined job duties. Dual accountability, security issuesand deadlines cannot be compromised. Offerors are welcome to bring additional staff at their discretion.(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)Account ManagerProject ManagerOperations ManagerSoftware Development LeadTesting LeadTraining LeadCustomer Service ManagerThe State reserves the right to schedule and conduct interviews with offerors’ proposed key staff following theoral presentations if in the best interest of the State.COST PROPOSALIf possible, include the estimated budget for the project so that the offeror can provide a realistic cost proposalwithin that range. For guidance in determining how to evaluate cost, please see examples in the RFP Manualand read the State Procurement Bureau resource document entitled "Cost Evaluation Methods for Requests forProposals." Both are available at the State Procurement Website.Some items you may want to consider when developing this section are:1. How do you want costs presented?a) Itemized Budget with narrative justificationb) Total Project Costc) Task Order Basis (hourly rates)d) eMACS provides cost line items for both products and services. Each of these can be furtherdivided by groups, allowing for separation of project phases, product groupings, or optional items.Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20218 Page
2. How do you want to be invoiced? How often, e.g. monthly, per deliverable, etc.? How much detail doyou want, e.g. timesheets, subcontractor expenditures, supply invoices, etc.?3. Do you need to know their accounting methods?4. Is there a maximum amount? If so, include a statement that exceeding the maximum amount willdisqualify the response from further consideration and list it as a mandatory item. A response cannotbe disqualified for exceeding a budget ceiling unless that is stated in the RFP.5. When drafting the cost matrix, consider all initial and potential future costs such as enhancements,additional features, ongoing maintenance costs, renewals, etc. You may want to request estimatedcosts for future years of the contract to have a clearer picture of the total contract value. If appropriate,this may be reflected in the cost section of the contract.Price Sheets are optional. A sample price sheet can be found in the RFP Manual at the State ProcurementWebsite.Price SheetsOfferors must use the RFP Price Sheets provided. These price sheets serve as the primary representation ofofferor's cost/price. Offeror should include additional information as necessary to explain the offeror'scost/price.EVALUATION PROCESSFollowing are two scoring approaches:1. The first approach is based on tasks or requirements, easily defendable, and works very well for projectswith an extensive list of criteria;2. The second approach provides broader scoring assignments per guideline category which can resultin wider point separation, but also requires more detailed defending comments to support the scoreassignments.APPROACH 1BASIS OF EVALUATIONThe evaluator/evaluation committee will review and evaluate the offers according to the following criteria basedon a total number of insert number points.The Ability to Meet Supply Specifications OR Provision of Services, References (select the method forevaluating references based on the choice made earlier), Company Profile and Experience, Resumes, andOral Presentation/Product Demonstration/Interview portions of the proposal will be evaluated based on thefollowing Scoring Guide. The Financial Stability and/or Service Organization's Internal Control Assessmentportion of the proposal will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, with any offeror receiving a "fail" eliminated fromfurther consideration. The Cost Proposal will be evaluated based on the formula set forth below.SCORING GUIDEIn awarding points to each of the scored evaluation criteria, the evaluator/evaluation committee will considerthe following guidelines:Exceeds Requirement 3 points: A response exceeds the requirement when it is a highly comprehensive,excellent reply that goes beyond the requirement of the RFP to provide added value. In addition, the responsemay cover areas not originally addressed within the RFP and/or include additional information andrecommendations that would prove both valuable and beneficial to the agency. The response includes a full,clear, detailed explanation of how the solution fits the requirement. No errors in technical writing.Request for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.20219 Page
Meets Requirement 2 points: A good response that fully meets the requirement and demonstrates andexplains in a clear and concise manner a thorough knowledge and understanding, with no deficiencies notedregarding technical approach.Partially Meets Requirement 1 point: A fair response that minimally meets most of the requirement set forthin the RFP but may have one or more deficiency, such as typos. The offeror demonstrates some ability tocomply or has explained partly how their solution fits the requirement.Failed to Meet Requirement 0 points: A failed response does not meet the requirement set forth in the RFP.The offeror has not demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the subject matter or has grossly failed to explainhow their solution meets the requirement.EVALUATION CRITERIAThe following are the relative weights for each evaluated section of this RFP and a sample scoring sheetshowing the weighting/point assignments:Weight (%)(determines aggregate points)Evaluated RFP SectionAbility to Meet Supply Specifications%Requirement #1%Requirement #2%ORProvision of Services%Task Element #1%Task Element #2%ReferencesPass/FailComplete contact information provided.P/FORClient Reference Forms%Client Reference #1%Client Reference #2%Client Reference #3%%Company Profile and Experience%Years in Business%Relevant Experience%Relevant Past Projects%ResumesRequest for Proposal Template%Revised 9.202110 P a g e
Key Personnel%Financial StabilityPass/FailFinancial StabilityP/FEqual Pay for Montana Women CertificatepointsService Organization's Internal Control AssessmentPass/FailInternal Control AssessmentP/FOral Presentation/Product Demonstration/Interview20%Oral Presentation%Product Demonstration%Oral Interview%Cost Proposal20%NOTE TO AGENCIES:Cost Proposal must constitute 20% or more of the total available points. Exceptions to this must bedocumented in writing and approved by the Procurement Officer. There are several formulas that can be usedto score price/cost. The most common approach is as follows. For assistance with other scoring methods,please review the State Procurement Bureau resource document entitled "Cost Evaluation Methods forRequests for Proposals" available on the State Procurement website or contact the State Procurement Bureau.The Average Cost evaluation method requires consultation with the State Procurement Bureau before it canbe used.Lowest overall cost receives the maximum allotted points. All other proposals receive a percentage of thepoints available based on their cost relationship to the lowest. Example: Total possible points for cost are200. Offeror A's cost is 20,000. Offeror B's cost is 30,000. Offeror A would receive 200 points. Offeror Bwould receive 134 points ( 20,000/ 30,000) 67% x 200 points 134).Lowest Responsive Offer Total Cost x Number of available points Award Points This Offeror's Total CostRequest for Proposal TemplateRevised 9.202111 P a g e
APPROACH 2BASIS OF EVALUATIONThe evaluator/evaluation committee will review and evaluate the offers according to the following criteria basedon a total number of insert number points.The Ability to Meet Supply Specifications OR Provision of Services, References (select the method forevaluating references based on the choice made earlier), Company Profile and Experience, Resumes, andOral Presentation/Product Demonstration/Interview portions of the proposal will be evaluated based on thefollowing Scoring Guide. The Financial Stability and/or Service Organization's Internal Control Assessmentportion of the proposal will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, with any offeror receiving a "fail" eliminated fromfurther consideration. The Cost Proposal will be evaluated based on the formula set forth below.Achieve Minimum Score is optional. Do not include the Cost Section in a minimum score.Achieve Minimum ScoreAny proposal that fails to achieve (insert number) % of the total available points for (identify the criterion) (or atotal of (insert number) points)will be eliminated fr
Prevailing Wage Booklets are availableat the Department of Labor and Industry Website. Call the State Procurement Bureau with questions at 4442575.- Tips for fillable WORD documents: 1. When you click on the text and see Click to Delete, you can select the word or sentence to delete. 2.File Size: 379KBPage Count: 21Explore furtherRequest for Proposal (RFP) Samplewww.proposalkit.comSample Request for Proposalscdn.ymaws.comRFP examples - Purchasing & Procurement Centerwww.purchasing-procureme Free Request for Proposal (RFP) Templates 15-Steps Guidewww.wordlayouts.comRequest for Proposal Template for Free - Get 2022 RFP Sa www.pandadoc.comFree Request for Proposal Template - Project Management Do www.projectmanagementdoc Recommended to you b
