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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:
RFP No. 2015-01
“Information Technology Support Services”
This request for proposal consists of eight (8) pages beginning with this one excluding attachments.
MAAC is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from service providers to provide information
technology support services, complying with all terms and conditions described in this document.
Proposals will be accepted no later than 2:00 p.m. pacific standard time, January 23, 2015. Proposals
received after this time will not be accepted.
Mark all documents with “RFP No. 2015-01: IT Support Services.” Mail or deliver all proposals and
accessory documents to:
MAAC - Administration
c/o Kristina Muñoz, Purchasing Supervisor
1355 Third Avenue
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Proposals must be manually signed on this MAAC form in the space provided below.
Please submit 2 paper sets of your proposal. Clearly mark the original copy as "ORIGINAL" on the
cover.
MAAC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals and to award a contract in the best
interests of MAAC.
By signing below, Proposer agrees to the Terms and Conditions for this Request for Proposal.
I have read the terms and conditions of this RFP and submit for consideration the attached proposal and
exhibits, if any. I also affirm that I am authorized to offer this proposal on my behalf of my company, and
may bind the company under contract if selected.
The fees and costs in this proposal have been arrived at independently, and have not been divulged,
discussed, or compared with the proposals of other respondents. No attempt has been made nor will be
made to induce any other person or firm to submit or not submit a proposal for the purpose of
restricting competition.
Company Name __________________________________ Business Phone Number _____________________
Company Address__________________________________________ Fax Number _____________________
City, State, Zip Code___________________________ Email Address ________________________________
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Authorized Signer’s Full Name and Title
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Authorized Signature
Date
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 2
SECTION A: Introduction
MAAC is a multi-purpose social service agency with a successful 49-year history of serving various
communities throughout San Diego County. In 1965, MAAC opened its doors to serve San Diego's
disadvantaged and now has centers strategically located as far south as San Ysidro and as far north as
Camp Pendleton. Over one million clients later, MAAC is still acting as a catalyst to help individuals and
families become self-sufficient. Serving approximately 35,000 individuals per year, MAAC provides a
spectrum of unique programs designed to assist clients by engaging them in the enhancement of their own
lives through lifestyle changes. MAAC has an annual budget in excess of $42 million and employees over
400 staff.
MAAC’s programs strive to improve clients’ economic standing as well as their ability to access
resources available to them. Included among the many programs and services now offered are Head
Start/Early Start/State Preschool and other related early childhood development programs, two culturally
specific recovery homes: Casa De Milagros and Nosotros, award-winning affordable housing complexes,
community and workforce development programs, and a community charter school. MAAC’s
commitment to environmental sustainability carries the non-profit into the future with its low-income
home weatherization program. MAAC programs are currently housed in 45 locations throughout San
Diego County with the majority of those sites concentrated in the southern and northern portions of the
county. For more information, visit www.maacproject.org.
SECTION B: Request For Proposal / Qualifications
MAAC is requesting proposals from qualified professional technology vendors for Information
Technology Support Services. Since 2013, MAAC has been utilizing a “managed services” approach for
IT services. Currently there are no internal staff dedicated to IT operations. The selected provider will
provide all professional IT staff and supervision. The IT function is currently housed under the Vice
President & CFO. The proposal must include a high level single point of contact that will manage the
relationship/contract with the VP/CFO or their appointee.
The current network within MAAC is a complex architecture. We have a hub and spoke architecture
broken out into two hubs with spokes, one in Chula Vista and one San Marcos. The hubs connect to the
remote locations and the hubs are interconnected but there is no interconnection from each hub to each
remote location, if each remote location was connected to both hubs there would be some type of failover
capability. If one hub goes down all the remote sites connected to that system are down and work, until
the problem is resolved, basically stops. The majority of our desktops and laptops are running Windows
7.
MAAC recently entered into a 3 year agreement with Cox Communications for Internet Access,
Telephone Services, and a Private Data Network to connect all the MAAC Project sites. These Internet
Access services are comprised of Dedicated Fiber Internet at two core sites to support our corporate
requirements and Public WIFI at multiple Head Start locations. In addition, Cox provides Coax Internet
Access at multiple computer labs supported by MAAC Project. The phone services include PRIs at both
core sites to support VOIP phones at various field locations as well as quite a few analog lines across the
Enterprise. The Cox Private Data Network is a layer 2 solution called Metro Ethernet. The Metro
Ethernet supports MAAC to share Internet Access, Voice, and Application Data with the field
offices. The Metro Ethernet is configured as a Mesh network where MAAC Project currently routes
traffic to either a North County or South County Hub Site.
MAAC Currently operates an asterisk based VOIP system.
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 3
MAAC needs to refresh all of our existing server hardware and collapse as many servers as we can. We
are currently in plans to move to a server virtualization environment utilizing space with the Cox data
center, which may or may not be completed by the time this contract is awarded. Hardware for this
transition has been purchased.
All of MAAC’s employees have an email address and our IT Department oversees over 400 computers.
The qualified vendor would provide necessary technical services and support, which would include (but
is not limited to):
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Network Administration
Internet
Email
Application Management
Infrastructure Support
Software Support
Network Security
Disaster Recovery & Backups
On Site and Remote Client Service
24/7 System Monitoring and Response
On Site Services 5 Days per Week (during business hours)
Phone Systems
Hardware
Mobile Devices (including tablets)
MAAC Website Support
Virtual CTO type support
Software Applications utilized by MAAC includes (but is not limited to):
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Microsoft Office Suite
Microsoft Exchange
Adobe Suite
Abila MIP
Abila HRMS
Microix
Cyber-Recruiter
Child Plus
ServTraq
Yardi
Efforts to Outcomes
Spring CM
As an agency we are entering into our second year of a three year strategic plan which requires significant
changes in the way we utilize technology. For example, we have started the implementation of an
electronic timekeeping system (Microix) to replace paper timesheets for 400 plus county-wide employees
spread across over 30 locations. We are currently in our second round of implementation among a small
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 4
test group. In addition, we have recently changed our banking relationship which will require that we
essentially eliminate branch based transactions and deposits and utilize hardware and software to process
remotely. The final example is our need to replace some paper client files in our Head Start program with
tablet based data entry.
SECTION C: Information Required
Proposals should be submitted following the guidelines listed in this RFP. Additional information,
options, fee alternatives, and materials are welcome, but should be submitted following the specifics
listed in this RFP. Proposals may become public record, so proposers should be careful when submitting
proprietary information.
Mark all documents with RFP No. 2015-01 IT Support Services. Mail or deliver all proposals and
accessory documents to:
MAAC - Administration
c/o Kristina Muñoz, Purchasing Supervisor
1355 Third Avenue
Chula Vista, CA 91911
(619) 426-3595
Proposals must be submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. pacific standard time, January 23, 2015. Proposals
received after this time will not be accepted. All proposals shall include a statement indicating that the
submitter is authorized to offer this proposal by his/her company and may bind the company under
contract if selected.
SECTION D: MAAC Required Documentation
If selected for this contract, the following documents will be required prior to contract execution:
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W-9
Certificate of Liability Insurance naming MAAC as an additional insured and
Certificate Holder.
Certificate of Worker’s Compensation Insurance
Waiver of Subrogation
Additionally, all workers assigned to this contract MUST complete a criminal background check as required
by California State law for anyone who works in a licensed childcare or educational facility who is not a client. Must
have or obtain a current criminal background check clearance, signed criminal record statement, and signed
Acknowledgement to Report Child Abuse form prior to the first day of work on this contract.
SECTION E: Schedule of Events
MAAC intends to finalize the vendor selection process according to the following schedule. The
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 5
dates set forth below are for informational purposes only. All dates are tentative and subject to
change at the sole discretion of MAAC.
Schedule of Events
RFP Available
Deadline for Questions & Clarifications
Questions & Answers Posted
Proposal Due Date & Time
Proposal Review & Interview Period
Notice of Awards
Begin Work
Key Dates
December 22, 2014
January 7, 2015
January 16, 2015
January 23, 2015, 2PM PST
January 26-February 12, 2015
February 18, 2015
March 1, 2015
Failure to comply with any of the above shall be a reason for rejection of the proposal.
SECTION F: Communication/Questions
Vendors are expected to raise any questions, or additions they have concerning the RFP document as soon
as they become aware of them. Any questions or requests for clarifications must be directed in writing
via email to [email protected]. The subject line of the email must be labeled “RFP No.
2015-01 IT Support Services – Question,” and submitted no later than January 7, 2015. The only contact
allowed with MAAC staff is through [email protected] as stated above. Unauthorized
contact with any MAAC employee is cause for rejection of the bid. Any additional information or
clarifications that are provided to one bidder will be provided to all bidders in the form of email. Vendors
are responsible for watching for any addenda that may be issued.
SECTION G: Evaluation Criteria
MAAC is using a competitive negotiation process to award a contract to the successful proposer. A
MAAC evaluation committee will be established to evaluate proposers' responses to each of the RFP
requirements. Proposals should be complete on their face. However, after opening of responses,
MAAC reserves the right to waive irregularities in any proposal and/ or, to request clarifying
information it deems appropriate from one or more respondents.
Although cost is a significant criteria for selection, MAAC will be awarding based upon a number of
criteria evaluated based upon the proposal. Responses shall be reviewed on these critical factors with
the indicated relative importance factors:
1. Company experience, certifications, expertise, references from
similar agencies.
2. Client-Relationship approach
3. Service levels
4. Management (Change Control, Monitoring, Documentation)
5. Costs (Pricing of Proposal)
20%
10%
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50%
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
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SECTION H: Proposal Format and Content
Responses are to be formatted and tabbed in the form and sequence described in Section I below.
Please use the same order and titles to help facilitate scoring your proposal. Responses not following
the format outlined may not be considered. The evaluation and selection of a vendor will be based on
the information submitted in the vendor's response. Elaborate proposals (i.e. expensive artwork)
beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective response are not necessary or desired. The
response should not exceed 20 pages. Additional data may be provided in appendices. However, any
information provided beyond 20 pages or in the appendices may not be reviewed. Quality, not
quantity, is desired.
SECTION I: Response Organization
1. Signed Cover Page
The MAAC cover page must be signed by a vendor representative authorized to make
contractual obligations and submitted as Section 1 of the response. Please include all contact
information.
2. Company Information
Provide a profile of your company, including background and history, size, locations,
certifications, credentials, etc. Please provide details of your company’s practices for staying
current on regulations, legislation, certifications, and compliance especially as it relates to
HIPPA, public records, and federal contracts. Describe all staff that will be utilized to perform
contractual duties under your proposal, and their certifications, experience, and duties.
Include documentation to verify proposer's capacity of adequate financial support, assets, and
organization to provide the products and services required in this RFP.
Describe successful projects or experiences comparable to the services requested in this RFP
and in environments comparable or greater in size to MAAC.
3. Vendor References
Vendor shall provide at least three client references including the names of the individual(s)
you would propose MAAC to contact, together with phone numbers and company names and
addresses.
MAAC reserves the right to contact or visit any party listed as a reference that has previously
used, or is presently using your products or services in a manner similar to those proposed by
the vendor. MAAC also reserves the right to use other sources to obtain information about the
proposed products and services.
4. Women/Minority Business or Section 3 Enterprise
Please indicate whether you are a Veteran, Women, or a Minority owned business or a Section 3
Enterprise.
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 7
5. Security
Describe your strategy for securing your clients data. Include your company’s policies as well as
any security certificates that you possess. Explain how you will insure that any required security
clearances are adhered to.
Describe your company’s security certification and expertise.
6. Client Relationship Management
Describe how you would manage customer relationship within MAAC “clients.”
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Resumes (including dates of all relevant experience) of all staff expected to support
MAAC and an organization chart explaining the reporting relationships.
Describe how will you propose changes in technicians assigned to the contract and
seek approval to such changes from MAAC.
Describe your training program
Describe all support staff that would be expected to serve MAAC, including
executive, project, and account staff
Describe the responsibilities of each individual proposed to be assigned to
MAAC’s account
Describe the hours of operation for on-site staff as well as help desk staff.
Describe how afterhours support would be available
Describe how you would report to agency contacts and users about status of systems,
elicit needs of users, needs for change, etc.
Describe how you will implement the required single point of contact as reflected in
Section B of this RFP.
7. Service Levels
Describe service levels you will provide to MAAC. Note that penalties will be assessed for not
meeting service level response times identified.
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Describe your work order/trouble ticket system
Describe availability of key staff during normal business hours
Describe how staff is available 24/7
Provide your guaranteed response time for issues dependent upon severity and time of day
Provide your average response time for after hours issues
Scheduled down times for routine maintenance
How are scheduled down times determined; how communicated?
How do you propose that the service level agreement be enforced?
Describe your communication strategy for keeping clients informed of system conditions
and changes.
Describe how you would assist MAAC’s executive management strategically plan to
insure that the MAAC’s IT system retains its usefulness, viability, compatibility, and
dependability.
Describe your plans for disaster recovery.
Describe how your on-site support representative would work and describe any
special requirements that would need to be filled by MAAC.
Describe how major software upgrades would be applied and what upgrades would
require additional fees.
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 8
8. Change Control
MAAC requires preapproval by the Vice President/CFO of any changes made to the computing
environment--Please demonstrate how you would institute change control in MAAC’s computing
environment.
9. Monitoring
• Describe your monitoring tools and strategies to monitor and insure the stability of
MAAC’s computing environment.
• Describe how these monitoring results would be communicated to MAAC.
10. Documentation and Records
• Describe how you would document and record maintenance, installation, performance,
and changes to the system.
• Describe the documentation that you would make available to MAAC at the end of the
contract period.
• Describe how you would maintain confidentiality in strict conformance with HIPPA
and other confidentiality laws and regulations.
11. Not for Profit and Educational Discounts
As MAAC is a not for profit entity, any applicable discounts intended for not for profit entities
would be of interest to MAAC. Please detail any programs and discounts that may apply.
12. Fees
Respondents should clearly state their firm's pricing structure in response to this RFP. All
fees, charges, billing rates, etc. should be explained in detail. Each item must identify all
available discounts as stated in #11 above. Charges must be tied to deliverables, which must
be identified. Payments should not be associated with the passage of time. MAAC does not
reimburse for vendor out-of-pocket cost. MAAC does not pay in advance for services.
The following should also be included in your base bid:
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Fees for service initiation
Ongoing monthly fees and what is included and excluded.
Fees for connectivity to support site
Optional fees (if applicable):
• Extra work which is outside the proposal
• Optional ongoing services
• Ad-hoc services
• Escalation fees
• Off-site disaster recovery
• Response and emergency fees
13. Additional Materials, Brochures, Etc.
Materials added to this section will not count towards the stated page limit size of this
RFP. However, the materials may not be reviewed. Please only include relevant and
necessary information.
MAAC RFP No. 2015-01, IT Support Services
December 22, 2014
Page 9
SECTION J: Award
MAAC reserves the right to determine which vendor, in its sole judgment, best meets the agency’s
needs. Notification of award will be accomplished by notifying all parties of the award via email.
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