1

Request for Proposal #2020-008 Information Technology

Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing Analysis

Due Date: October 4, 2019 Time: 2:00p.m. EST. Receipt Location: Government Center, 500 N. Main Street, Procurement Division, Suite #709, Monroe, NC 28112

Procurement Contact Person Name: Cheryl Wright, CPPO, CLGPO Title: Procurement Director E-mail: Cheryl.Wright@co.union.nc.us Telephone: 704.283.3563

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Submittal Deadline and Addendum Information…………………………………. 3

2 Purpose and Background …………………………………………………………. 4

3 Scope of Work …………………………………………………………………….. 5

4 Detailed Submittal Requirements …………………………………………………. 8

5 Selection Process …………………………………………………………………… 11

6 Insurance ………………………………………………………………………….. 13

7 Indemnification …………………………………………………………………… 16

8 General Conditions and Requirements …………………………………………… 16

APPENDIX A - Fee Schedule Information …………………………………………. 19

APPENDIX B - Proposal Submission Form ……………………………………….. 20

APPENDIX C - Addenda Receipt and Anti-Collusion …………………………….. 21

APPENDIX D - References ……………………………………………………………. 22

3

1 Submittal Deadline and Addendum Information

1.1 Proposal Submission Deadline Submittals shall be sealed and labeled on the outside of the package/box “RFP# 2020- 008, Information Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing Analysis”. RFPs are to be received by the Union County, Procurement Department by 2:00 p.m., October 4, 2019. Late proposals will not be accepted. Mail or hand-deliver submission packets to: Union County Government Center Procurement Division 500 North Main Street, Suite #709 Monroe, NC 28112 Attention: Cheryl Wright, Procurement Director The proposal must be submitted in printed form and electronically on non-returnable flash drive; one (1) original printed (mark “ORIGINAL COPY”) plus six (6) printed hard copies of the proposal must be submitted. The original proposal package must have original signatures and be signed by a person who is authorized to bind the proposing firm. All additional proposal sets may contain photocopies of the original package. Electronic (email) or facsimile submissions will not be accepted. There is no expressed or implied obligation for Union County to reimburse firms for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this request. Union County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to select the

proposal, which in its opinion, is in the best interest of the County.

1.2 Proposal Questions Proposal questions will be due on September 6, 2019 at 5:00 pm EST. The primary purpose of this is to provide participating firms with the opportunity to ask questions, in writing, related to the RFP.

Submit questions by e-mail to Cheryl Wright at cheryl.wright@unioncountync.gov by the deadline shown above. The email should identify the RFP number and project title. All questions and answers may be posted as addenda on www.co.union.nc.us and www.ips.state.nc.us.

1.3 Addendum Union County may modify the RFP prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals by the issuance of an addendum. Should a vendor find discrepancies or omissions in this RFP or any other documents provided by Union County, the vendor should immediately notify the County of such potential discrepancy in writing via e-mail as noted above.

4

Any addendum to these documents shall be issued in writing. No oral statements, explanations, or commitments by anyone shall be of effect unless incorporated in the written addendum. Receipt of Addendum shall be acknowledged by the Proposer on Appendix C - Addenda Receipt and Anti-Collusion form.

2 Purpose and Background

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals from qualified vendors to prepare an Information Technology Infrastructure Assessment and Staffing Analysis. We will consider proposals from single vendors or from multiple vendors working as a team. The ideal vendor(s) will have experience in information technology infrastructure architecture assessment and comprehensive staffing analysis. They will be excellent communicators and write clearly and concisely. They will have some experience in the public sector, and have worked with counties of varying populations.

2.2 Background

The County of Union IT department provides centralized support of approximately 1000 network users, 1200 networked devices, and a number of applications and services including the following:

All major applications such as Email, SQL Databases, Financial & Budgeting systems, Laserfische document management, MS Office productivity suites, and mobile applications. We also assist OSSI with supporting police CAD/RMS systems.

Support for desktop PC’s and network print devices including an internal help desk

All network and infrastructure support including internal wired and wireless networks, server infrastructure, and IP telephony.

Network security systems, including; firewalls, IPS, dedicated network security appliances and server and desktop endpoint systems

Cellular phone acquisition and account management

Audio/Visual Services, including support for County Commissioners & Planning Commission meetings, and setup and support of special events

Procurement of computer hardware, A\V equipment, printer supplies, and other related technology components and services.

5

THE COUNTY OF UNION

Union County, North Carolina (estimated population 231,366) is located in the central, southern piedmont. The County provides its citizens with a full array of services that include public safety, water/wastewater utilities and sanitation, human services, cultural and recreational activities, and general government administration.

Further information about County of Union and its history can be found on our website.

3 Scope of Work

3.1 COUNTY OF UNION COMPUTING/NETWORK

ENVIRONMENT

The County of Union has approximately 1200 full time employees and 1000 PC workstations and laptops. County employees are located at 8 primary locations, all connected by fiber. The County’s network operating system is Windows Server 2008, 2012, 2016 and the desktop operating system is Windows 7/10. The data backbone is 10 gigabit Ethernet. The County of Union's data center is configured as a limited access, controlled environment. The standard configuration is rack mounted Dell servers in configurations with redundant power supplies, Smart Array SCSI controllers, and built-in Ethernet 10/100/1000 network cards. The servers, also have a 10 Gig Ethernet card for the backbone. The Network is a managed TCP/IP switched Ethernet architecture with Fiber and leased connectivity between geographically dispersed locations. The data storage for the servers, is provided by a Dell/Compellent fiber attached SAN. The fiber channel switches are Brocade 300 with 24 ports. There is also a DR SAN located at the Judicial Center, where all volumes/datastores are replicated on a nightly basis. Servers are backed up on a regular schedule utilizing Veeam backup software, and all have Sophos Endpoint Security and are patched via Microsoft WSUS. The County’s telephony system is an Ericson/LG iPecs VOIP system supporting 1500 phone sets. It includes voice mail with forward to email.

6

3.2 REQUESTED SERVICES

We are looking for a consultant to help us create a detailed IT infrastructure plan (Strategic Plan including a road-map) that will guide us through the next 5-7 years.

Also the consultant will evaluate our current I.T. staff and its ability to effectively support, manage and maintain the existing equipment, software and systems that they are responsible for. Staffing recommendations should be made that will allow us to proactively support all of our system areas, while at the same time allowing us to provide excellent customer service to those departments whom we support.

What follows is some background detail regarding the requested service areas;

Infrastructure: We’ve done a great deal to enhance our infrastructure over the course of the last several years. The County is highly virtualized, with VMware as the hypervisor, using shared storage via the Dell/Compellent SAN.

We have newer switches at our primary locations, with excellent LAN bandwidth.

We are also interested in learning if we are selecting the right equipment and vendors.

Staffing: Currently the I.T. Department consists of thirteen full-time positions, the I.T. Director, Network Manager, Document Imaging Manager, Information Systems Security Officer, two Senior Systems Support Analysts, GIS Manager, two GIS Analysts, three Senior Systems Support and an AV Coordinator. The I.T. Department also has three part time positions, Webmaster and two document scanners. We would like to know if our current staffing levels are adequate to effectively manage and support the amount of equipment, devices and applications we have and the services we offer. The analysis should be an in-depth look at everything our I.T. department is responsible for and not just a comparison of similarly size counties.

Network diagrams, application lists, job descriptions, and additional supporting documentation will be made available upon request.

3.3 DELIVERABLES

The following deliverables are to be provided by the vendor. Additional deliverables may be identified during the initial meetings between the vendor and the County.

A Technology Infrastructure Assessment with a plan detailing where we should make improvements, or add new systems or capacity. This assessment should be designed to succeed within our anticipated available budget.

A comprehensive staffing analysis laying out our staffing needs for today and projecting staffing needs 5-10 years into the future.

7

3.3.1 Deliverables Scope

The selected vendor will be responsible for preparing a plan for the following (order of the list does not reflect the importance or priority):

Apprise elected officials and department heads as they develop technology- assisted improvements to their operations and the services delivered to their constituents.

Create a formal program for enterprise architecture that results in a regularly updated technology blueprint for Union County.

Develop the Union County IT Department into a modern, service-oriented support organization.

Develop partnerships with the County departments to design solutions that advance our customer’s business goals.

Create and manage consistent, repeatable processes that will deliver those solutions efficiently.

Create flexible application architectures that will give the County the ability to integrate its systems.

Develop support for business innovation with improved capability to develop, deploy, and adapt technology as change occurs.

Help create more efficient IT operations with the ability to address enterprise-wide issues, such as security and business continuity.

Utilize the NASCIO Enterprise Architecture Toolkit to leverage the experience of other State and County peers. (The National Association of State Chief Information Officers).

To develop, maintain, support, and upgrade a cost effective, responsive, secure and stable technical environment.

To apply commonly used business metrics to determine a true value of technology projects and associated investment for the County. These may include, but are not limited to: business process analysis, return on investment analysis (ROI), net present value, earned value, balanced scorecard, etc.

To develop a process for the prioritization and funding of County Information Technology initiatives.

To utilize enterprise solutions where feasible.

To implement an efficient purchasing model for Information Technology equipment, software and services.

8

To develop facility specifications for Information Technology infrastructure and business continuity.

Identify County wide training need in regards to Information Technology.

The vendor will provide upgrade schedules and their vendor’s policy for providing applying assessments which will include timelines, cost and downtime.

The vendor must provide clear, affordable and easy to follow pricing proposal.

PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

The procurement schedule for this project is listed below. These are estimated dates.

Note: The County reserves the right to adjust this schedule as necessary.

Milestone Date

Release RFP to Vendors August 14, 2019

Vendor Questions (if any) Due September 6, 2019

RFP Due Date: October 4, 2019

Notification of Shortlist (If needed. Estimated date.)

October 18, 2019

Interview’s with Shortlist Firms (estimated date)

November 5, 2019

4 Detailed Submittal Requirements

4.1 Proposal Format Offerors should prepare their proposals in accordance with the instructions outlined in this section. Each proposer is required to submit the proposal in a sealed package. Proposals should be prepared as simply as possible and provide a straightforward, concise description of the proposer’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Utmost attention should be given to accuracy, completeness, and clarity of content. All parts, pages, figures, or tables should be numbered and clearly labeled. Response information should be limited to pertinent information only. Marketing and sales type information is not to be included. The proposal should be organized into sections:

Tab A – Cover Letter and Company Background

Tab B – Experience and Service

Tab C – Proposed Strategy and Implementation Plan

Tab D – Project Schedule and Work Plan

Tab E – Staff Information

Tab F –Fee Schedule – Appendix A

Tab G - Required Signature Forms; Appendix B-Proposal Submission

Form and Appendix C-Addenda Receipt and Anti-Collusion.

9

Omissions and incomplete answers may be deemed unresponsive. Please

initial any corrections.

Tab A – Cover Letter and Company Background

Provide an executive summary to include company name, corporate history, and number of years in business under the current organizational name and structure, services offered, location of principal place of business and evidence of authority to do business in North Carolina. List the type of firm or organization (corporation, partnership, joint venture, etc.) that will serve as the prime contracting party. Describe your interest in this project and the unique advantage your firm and team brings. The cover letter may be a maximum of three (3) pages.

Provide the following information about your company. Respond to each item and provide supporting documentation and/or exhibits as requested or desired.

1. Company Name

Address

Telephone Number Fax Number E­mail Address

Name of Single Point of Contact Name of Person with binding authority to enter into contracts

2. Describe your company’s purpose, mission and values and explain how they will support the relationship with Union County by providing the services listed in this RFP.

3. Provide a brief history of your company and the proposed software.

4. Describe general characteristics that differentiate your company from others in the industry. Include any special advantages your services and system provides.

Tab B - Experience and Service

1. Describe the professional staff available for implementation and

maintenance support services. Include their qualifications and experience.

2. Provide a list of five (5) projects similar to Union County where “IT” Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing Analysis was completed. Include location and contact information. Please include with such list any governmental agencies in North Carolina for which you provide similar services as those requested within this RFP. Use Appendix D – References.

Tab C- Proposed Strategy and Implementation Plan 1. Describe your overall approach for providing and implementing the services listed

in this RFP. At a minimum, the plan should address the following.

10

IT Infrastructure Analysis/Evaluation

IT Staff Analysis

Assessments of current strengths and weaknesses

Development of existing technology inventory

Involvement of stakeholders in the staffing analysis discussion Tab D – Project Schedule and Work plan 1. Provide a detailed project implementation plan that includes:

A Gantt chart showing beginning and end dates of all tasks (the actual project start date will be determined during contract negotiations)

A table listing vendor staff assignments and proposed labor hours for all tasks. State if assigned staff is a designated individual or FTE equivalent.

A brief description of each task and its work products. Include milestone and associated work products.

A description of each proposed deliverable.

Include the items listed in Tab C above in the detailed project plan implementation.

Tab E – Staff Information For each Key Project Staff person that will be assigned to this project, provide the information listed below. At a minimum, key staff must include your proposed project manager and key contributors to this project.

1. List the designated staff’s,

Name and Position in Company.

E-mail, phone,

Length of Time in Position and In Company.

Percent of time dedicated to project and number of years in IT (list type of work) for this project. Project Position and Responsibilities.

Technical Skills and Qualifications for this Project. Include skills and experience with IT management, IT assessments and staffing analysis, IT network and infrastructure design, plus any other skills that might be considered relevant.

Education

Tab F – Fee Schedule Information – Appendix A Provide clear, affordable and easy to follow pricing proposal.

The Proposal must contain a fee schedule that includes estimated hours rates, and overall price. Pricing should be broken down so that we can see the actual price for the individual assessments, the first being the infrastructure assessment and the second being the staffing analysis. Any hourly rate shall be all inclusive of administrative, travel or other cost that the firm expects to charge.

Provide a fee schedule that includes Milestones that align with the Scope of Work listed in RFP.

11

Tab G- Required Signature Forms Offerors should include signed copies of the following documents:

Proposal Submission Form, Appendix B-Proposal Submission Form and Appendix C- Addenda Receipt and Anti-Collusion.

5 Selection Process

5.1 Maintaining the integrity of the RFP process is of paramount importance for

The County. To this end, do not contact any member of the Union County Board of Commissioners or any member of the Union County staff regarding the subject matter of this RFP until a selection is made, other than the County’s designated contact person identified in the introduction to this RFP. Failure to abide by this requirement shall be grounds for disqualification from this selection process. a) The County reserves the right to determine the suitability of proposals on the basis of

a proposal’s meeting scope and submittal criteria listed in the RFP.

b) The Owner will establish an RFP Evaluation Team to review and evaluate the proposals. The RFP Evaluation Team will evaluate the proposals independently in accordance with the published evaluation criteria. Union County may decide to negotiate/award a contract without conducting short list interviews. Union County reserves the right to conduct interviews with a shortlist of selected respondents.

c) At its sole discretion, the Owner may ask written questions of Offerors, seek written clarification, and conduct discussions with Offerors on the proposals.

d) The Owner will provide written notification to all Short Listed Offerors of the selection at the conclusion of the Procurement.

e) At the Owner’s discretion, it will initiate negotiations with the Preferred Offeror. The “Preferred Offeror” is the Offeror that the Owner determines achieves the apparent best overall score/ranking. If the Owner is unable to execute a contract with the Preferred Offeror, negotiations with the Preferred Offeror may be terminated, and provided that such negotiations are terminated in writing, the Owner may proceed to negotiate with the next Preferred Offeror. The Owner will continue in accordance with this procedure until a contract agreement is reached or the selection process is terminated. Negotiations are at the Owner’s sole discretion.

12

Evaluation and Ranking of Offerors

a) In the evaluation and score/ ranking of Offerors, the Owner will consider the

information submitted in the RFP as well as the meetings with the respect to the

evaluation criteria set forth in the RFP.

The initial evaluation criteria/factors and relative weights listed below will be used to recommend selection of the Proposed Offeror or for the purpose of selecting Short-Listed Offerors. The County may choose to award without without engaging in interview discussions.

RFP Criteria Weight

-Company Background and Experience 20%

-Proposed Strategy and Implementation Plan -Project Schedule and Work Plan 35%

-Staff Information 20%

-Fee Schedule Information -Compliance with information in RFP 25%

b) After identification of Short-Listed Offerors, the Owner may or may not decide to

invite Short-Listed firms to interviews. If interviews are scheduled with the

Short-Listed Offerors, previous evaluation scores and rankings are not carried

forward. For the purpose of selecting a Preferred Offeror, the evaluation criteria

will be given the following relative weights.

Interviews Criteria Weight

-Proposed Strategy, Schedule, Work Plan/Implementation -Staffing 75%

Quality and Relevance of Interview as it relates to the scope of the RFP 25%

5.2 Evaluation Selection Process

A weighted analysis of the evaluation criteria will be utilized to determine the vendor that represents the best value solution for the County.

13

5.3 Award Procedures

The County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposals received. Therefore, it is important that the proposal be submitted initially on the most favorable terms. It is understood that any proposal submitted will become part of the public record. A proposal may be rejected if it is incomplete. Union County may reject any or all proposals and may waive any immaterial deviation in a proposal. The County may accept that proposal that best serves its needs, as determined by County officials in their sole discretion. More than one proposal from an individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association under the same or different names, will not be considered. County may select and enter into negotiations with the next most advantageous Proposer if negotiations with the initially chosen Proposer are not successful. The award document will be a Contract incorporating, by reference, all the requirements, terms and conditions of the solicitation and the Proposer’s proposal as negotiated.

6 Insurance One or more of the following insurance limits may be required if it is applicable to

the project.

At Contractor’s sole expense, Contractor shall procure and maintain the following

minimum insurances with insurers authorized to do business in North Carolina and

rated A-VII or better by A.M. Best.

A. WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Statutory limits covering all employees, including Employer’s Liability

with limits of:

$500,000 Each Accident

$500,000 Disease - Each Employee

$500,000 Disease - Policy Limit

B. COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY

Covering Ongoing and Completed Operations involved in this Agreement.

$2,000,000 General Aggregate

$2,000,000 Products/Completed Operations Aggregate

$1,000,000 Each Occurrence

$1,000,000 Personal and Advertising Injury Limit

$5,000 Medical Expense Limit

14

C. COMMERCIAL AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY

$1,000,000 Combined Single Limit - Any Auto

D. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY

$1,000,000 Claims Made

Contractor shall provide evidence of continuation or renewal of

Professional Liability Insurance for a period of two (2) years following

termination of the Agreement.

E. POLLUTION LIABILITY INSURANCE

$1,000,000 Claims Made

Contractor shall provide evidence of continuation or renewal of Pollution

Liability Insurance for a period of two (2) years following termination of

the Agreement.

F. NETWORK SECURITY & PRIVACY LIABILITY (CYBER)

$1,000,000 Claims Made

Contractor shall provide evidence of continuation or renewal of

Technology Errors & Omissions Insurance for a period of two (2) years

following termination of the Agreement.

G. ABUSE AND MOLESTATION INSURANCE

$300,000 Per Claim

$300,000 Aggregate Limit

H. Builder’s Risk

Amount of Contract

ADDITIONAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor’s General Liability policy shall be endorsed, specifically

or generally, to include the following as Additional Insured:

UNION COUNTY, ITS OFFICERS, AGENTS AND EMPLOYEES

ARE INCLUDED AS ADDITIONAL INSURED WITH RESPECTS

TO THE GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE POLICY.

Additional Insured status for Completed Operations shall extend for a

period of not less than three (3) years from the date of final payment.

15

B. Before commencement of any work or event, Contractor shall provide a

Certificate of Insurance in satisfactory form as evidence of the insurances

required above.

C. Contractor shall have no right of recovery or subrogation against Union

County (including its officers, agents and employees).

D. It is the intention of the parties that the insurance policies afforded by

contractor shall protect both parties and be primary and non-contributory

coverage for any and all losses covered by the above-described insurance.

E. Union County shall have no liability with respect to Contractor’s personal

property whether insured or not insured. Any deductible or self-insured

retention is the sole responsibility of Contractor.

F. Notwithstanding the notification requirements of the Insurer, Contractor

hereby agrees to notify County’s Risk Manager at 500 N. Main Street #

130, Monroe, NC 28112, within two (2) days of the cancellation or

substantive change of any insurance policy set out herein. Union, in its

sole discretion, may deem failure to provide such notice as a breach of this

Agreement.

G. The Certificate of Insurance should note in the Description of Operations

the following:

Department: _____________________

Contract #: _____________________

H. Insurance procured by Contractor shall not reduce nor limit Contractor’s

contractual obligation to indemnify, save harmless and defend Union

County for claims made or suits brought which result from or are in

connection with the performance of this Agreement.

I. Certificate Holder shall be listed as follows:

Union County

Attention: Keith A. Richards, Risk Manager

500 N. Main Street, Suite #130

Monroe, NC 28112

J. If Contractor is authorized to assign or subcontract any of its rights or

duties hereunder and in fact does so, Contractor shall ensure that the

assignee or subcontractor satisfies all requirements of this Agreement,

including, but not limited to, maintenance of the required insurances

coverage and provision of certificate(s) of insurance and additional

16

insured endorsement(s), in proper form prior to commencement of

services.

7 Indemnification

Contractor agrees to protect, defend, indemnify and hold Union County, its officers, employees and agents free and harmless from and against any and all losses, penalties, damages, settlements, costs, charges, professional fees or other expenses or liabilities of every kind and character arising out of or relating to any and all claims, liens, demands, obligations, actions, proceedings, or causes of action of every kind in connection with or arising out of this agreement and/or the performance hereof that are due, in whole or in part, to the negligence of the Contractor, its officers, employees, subcontractors or agents. Contractor further agrees to investigate, handle, respond to, provide defense for, and defend the same at its sole expense and agrees to bear all other costs and expenses related thereto.

8 General Conditions and Requirements

8.1 Terms and Conditions The contract award will have an initial term of one (1) year with one (1) one year renewal options at the County’s option, pending annual budget approval.

All proposals submitted in response to this request shall become the property of Union County and as such, may be subject to public review.

Union County has the right to reject any or all proposals, to engage in further negotiations with any firm submitting a proposal, and/or to request additional information or clarification. The County is not obligated to accept the lowest cost proposal. The County may accept that proposal that best serves its needs, as determined by County officials in their sole discretion.

All payroll taxes, liability and worker’s compensation are the sole responsibility of the Offeror. The Offeror understands that an employer/employee relationship does not exist under this contract.

8.2 Sub-Contractor/Partner Disclosure A single firm may propose the entire solution. If the proposal by any firm requires the use of sub-contractors, partners, and/or third-party products or services, this must be clearly stated in the proposal. The firm submitting the proposal shall remain solely responsible for the performance of all work, including work that is done by sub-contractors.

8.3 Conflict of Interest and Communication with the Owner

a) Offerors are required to conduct the preparation of their proposals

with professional integrity and free of lobbying activities.

17

Communication with the Owner regarding this Project shall be via

email only and directed to the Procurement contact person listed

under Deadline for Questions.

From and after the issuance date of this RFP. Offerors shall not communicate about the Project or the Procurement with any other Owner employees, representatives, or consultants. Communication with other Owner employees, representatives, or consultants regarding the Procurement may cause the firm involved to be disqualified from submitting under this Procurement. Any verified allegation that a responding Offeror or Team Member or an agent or consultant of the foregoing has made such contact or attempted to influence the evaluation, ranking, and/or selection of short-listed Offerors may be cause for Owner to disqualify the Offeror team from submitting an RFP, to disqualify the Team Member from participating in the Procurement, and/or to discontinue any further consideration of such Offeror or Team Member.

8.4 Expenses of Offeror

The Owner accepts no liability for the cost and expenses incurred by firms in responding to this Procurement. Each Offeror that enters into the Procurement process shall prepare the required materials and the SOQ at its own expense and with the express understanding that the Offeror cannot make any claims whatsoever for reimbursement from the Owner for the costs and expenses associated with the process, even in the event the Owner cancels this Project or rejects all RFP’s.

8.5 Public Disclosure

All documentation and submittals provided to the Owner may be considered public documents under applicable laws and may be subject to disclosure. Offerors recognize and agree that the Owner will not be responsible or liable in any way for any losses that the Offeror may suffer from the lawful disclosure of information or materials to third parties.

Any materials requested to be treated as confidential documents, proprietary information, or trade secrets must be clearly identified and readily separable from the balance of the SOQ. Such designations will not necessarily be conclusive, and Offeror may be required to justify why such material should not, upon written request, be disclosed by the Owner under the applicable public records act. The Owner will endeavor to provide at least two (2) Business Days’ notice of a public records request for material submitted pursuant to this Procurement. Offerors must respond to the notice in writing with any objection to the production of the documents within two (2) Business days of receipt of the notice. All costs incurred by Offeror associated with any public records request are the responsibility of the Offerors.

18

8.6 Modification or Withdrawal of Proposal

Prior to the scheduled closing time for receiving proposals, any Vendor may withdraw their proposal. After the scheduled closing time for receiving proposals, no proposal may be withdrawn for 180 days. Only written requests for the modification or correction of a previously submitted proposal that are addressed in the same manner as proposals and are received by the County prior to the closing time for receiving proposals will be accepted. The proposal will be corrected in accordance with such written requests, provided that any such written request is in a sealed envelope that is plainly marked “Modification of Proposal – “2020-008 , Information Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing Analysis”. Oral, telephone, or fax modifications or corrections will not be recognized or considered.

8.7 Equal Employment Opportunity All Firms will be required to follow Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies. Union County will affirmatively assure that on any project constructed pursuant to this advertisement, equal employment opportunity will be offered to all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, and marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

8.8 Minority Businesses (MBE) or Disadvantaged Businesses (DBE)

It is the policy of Union County that Minority Businesses (MBEs), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and other small businesses shall have the opportunity to compete fairly in contracts financed in whole or in part with public funds. Consistent with this policy, Union County will not allow any person or business to be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be discriminated against in connection with the award and performance of any contract because of sex, race, religion, or national origin.

8.9 Licenses The successful Vendor/Supplier(s) shall have and maintain a valid and appropriate business license (if applicable), meet all local, state, and federal codes, and have current all required local, state, and federal licenses.

8.10 E-Verify

E-Verify is the federal program operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, or any successor or equivalent program, used to verify the work authorization of newly hired employees pursuant to federal law. Vendor/Contractor shall ensure that Contractor and any Subcontractor performing work under this contract: (i) uses E-Verify if required to do so; and (ii) otherwise complies with applicable law.

UNION COUNTY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND/OR ALL PROPOSALS.

19

APPENDIX A – FEE SCHEDULE INFORMATION

RFP#2020-008 Information Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and

Staffing Analysis

Provide clear, affordable and easy to follow pricing proposal.

The Proposal must contain a fee schedule that includes estimated hours, rates, and overall price. Pricing should be broken down so that we can see the actual price for the individual assessments, the first being the infrastructure assessment and the second being the staffing analysis. Any hourly rate shall be all inclusive of administrative, travel or other cost that the firm expects to charge.

Provide a fee schedule that includes Milestones that align with the Scope of Work listed in RFP.

20

APPENDIX B - PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM

RFP # 2020-008

Information Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing Analysis

This Proposal is submitted by:

Provider Name: _________________________________________________________

Representative (printed):__________________________________________________

Representative (signed):__________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip:__________________________________________________________

E-Mail Address:

__________________________________________________________

Telephone: _____________________________________________________________

(Area Code) Telephone Number

Facsimile: __________________________________________________________

(Area Code) Fax Number

It is understood by the Proposer that Union County

reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals, to make

awards according to the best interest of the County, to

waive formalities, technicalities, to recover and re advertise

this RFP. Proposal is valid for one hundred and twenty

(180) calendar days from the Proposal due date.

The Certificate of Insurance and W-9 must be received before any work is

performed.

_____________________________ ______________________

Offeror Date

________________________________ ______________________

Authorized Signature Please type or print name

21

APPENDIX C – Addenda receipt and Anti-Collusion

RFP # 2020-008

Information Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing Analysis

Please acknowledge receipt of all addenda by including this form with your

Proposal. Any questions or changes received will be posted as an addendum on

www.unioncountync.gov and/or www.ips.state.nc.us. It is your responsibility

to check for this information.

ADDENDUM # DATE ADDENDUM DOWNLOADED

I certify that this proposal is made in good faith and without collusion with any other offeror or officer or employee of Union County.

(Please Print Name)

Authorized Signature

Title

E-Mail Address

Company Name

Date

22

APPENDIX D – References

RFP # 2020-008

Information Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and Staffing

Analysis

Reference #1: Company Name:

Address:

Phone Number/E-mail:

Contact Name:

Service Description:

Customer Size: _____ Start Date: _____ End Date: ________Contract Amount: _______ Reference #2: Company Name:

Address:

Phone Number/ E-mail:

Contact Name:

Length Of Service:

Customer Size: _____ Start Date: _____ End Date: ________Contract Amount: _______ Reference #3: Company Name:

Address:

Phone Number:

Contact Name/ E-mail:

Length Of Service:

Customer Size: _____ Start Date: _____ End Date: ________Contract Amount: _______ Reference #4: Company Name:

Address:

Phone Number/ E-mail:

Contact Name:

Length Of Service:

Customer Size: _____ Start Date: _____ End Date: ________Contract Amount: _______ Reference #5: Company Name:

Address:

Phone Number/ E-mail:

Contact Name:

Length Of Service:

Customer Size: _____ Start Date: _____ End Date: ________Contract Amount: _______