Purpose
The University of Ottawa (University) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to schedule strategy discussions (via a conference call) from interested Suppliers with experience in ERP Integrations.
The intent of these discussions are to obtain feedback from Suppliers to assist the University in developing a more accurate Scope of Work and overall approach for an upcoming Request For Proposal (RFP) for ERP Integration solutions. The University firmly believes that participation will be mutually beneficial to both the Supplier and to the University, however, participation in these discussions are completely optional (they are NOT mandatory in order to participate in the future RFP).
Format
The format of these strategy discussions will be via informal, and performed via a conference call or video call (on a “1-on-1” basis between each Supplier and the University). The University anticipates spending about 1-hour on each call. The content & topics of the strategy discussions are shown in Section 3. The University is NOT requesting a formal written response to these questions or topics (as is common in most RFI’s). All information will be collected via the conference call / video call.
The University will not disclose (or share) the contents of each discussion with each supplier (this will not be made public). However, the University does intend to use information gathered from each discussion to help shape the strategy and path forward on a future RFP. The University reserves the right to cap the number of RFI sessions it will hold.
Attendees
The University attendees will include representatives the ERP Program Team (Program Owner, Program Manager, Procurement Representatives, and other key stakeholders within the business).
Supplier attendees are requested to consist of:
- The primary point of contact such as an Account Representative.
- At least one representative who can speak to technologies and systems (i.e. a Functional, Systems, or Business Analytics lead who is familiar with the technology and system(s) being discussed)
- At least one representative who can speak to the Supplier’s implementation/deployment capabilities, pathways, and considerations (such as a Project Manager, Deployment Manager, or leader within the Professional Services Group who oversees such individuals)
- Any additional Technical Subject Matter Experts who may have input to help guide the University’s path forward.
RSVP
Suppliers are requested to RSVP to the Point of Contact to participate in these discussions. Please identify:
- The Contacts that will be attending the discussion (Names, Job Titles or Areas of Expertise) and;
- The preferred date/time for the call (as shown in the table below). Due to the number of Suppliers that may RSVP, please also provide a secondary date/time that will work for your team (if the primary date/time is unavailable).
The University plans to conduct discussions during these dates/times (all time is local Ottawa time):
July 13 (Mon) 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
July 14 (Tue) 9:00 am – 10:00 am
July 15 (Wed) 10:30 am –11:30 am
July 15 (Wed) 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Please RSVP as soon as possible. Time-slots will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once your time-slot is confirmed, the University will provide a link to the conference-call or video-call.
Background Information:
The University of Ottawa is expecting to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified and experienced firms to provide and implement a complete Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to replace and modernize its existing systems and business processes, including Human Resources Management and Financial Management. The University is conducting this procurement in a 2-Stage process, as shown below:
Stage 1: Qualification of ERP Software Solutions (the University is currently evaluating and competing ERP Software companies to be qualified & eligible to be selected by Integrators in the second Stage); (please see enclosed in Appendix B a copy of the RFSQ 2020003-RFSQ);
Stage 2: Selection of an ERP Integrator and the final ERP solution (Integrators will be required to submit proposals to incorporate/integrate one of the pre-qualified Software Solutions).
Additional information is highlighted below:
- The University anticipates awarding an overall contract for ERP integration & software services in early 2021. If possible, the University would like the ERP integration to be complete by 2023.
- The term of this contract would be for 5 years + 3 optional terms (2 years + 2 years + 1 year) for a total of 10 years for the software. Note: If the University issues separate contracts to the Integration Firm and the Software Firm, each Firm may have separate and different schedule terms.
- The University has estimated that the overall size of this contract is approximately up to $32 million over the 10-year term. This includes all integration costs, software costs, hosting costs, licensing costs, maintenance costs, etc.
- Unique/Challenging Condition: The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, French and English, working environment and with all employees having the right to work in the language of their choice.
- Unique/Challenging Condition: The University of Ottawa is a unionized environment with 12 collective agreements amongst administrative and academic staff.
- Unique/Challenging Condition: Some of Finance and HR processes are centralized (e.g. payroll, payments), while most of them are decentralized with faculties and services maintaining their own finance and HR resources, processes, procedures, and workflows to varying degrees. Central visibility of processes is further limited by non-standard documentation methods.
- Unique/Challenging Condition: The University of Ottawa has a mixed computing environment with a variety of legacy and current systems, including in-house developed applications, to support the application portfolio. Multiple disparate systems are used across the university to track financial and HR data, regulatory compliance, and performance analytics. Faculties and services often utilize point solutions for data tracking and analysis, leading to multiple versions of the truth and data manipulation and reconciliations.
- Unique/Challenging Condition: The current ERP solution (Banner and FAST) were implemented in 2008. Over time, numerous add-ons, in-house applications and diverse methodologies were implemented to receive and process data from internal and external sources. Furthermore, several separate and distinct software applications were installed for some purchasing and HR functions. Each software application requires its own administration and maintenance
The University intends on discussing the following items during the “Strategy Discussions” with each Supplier. A written response is NOT required.
- To enable your firm to prepare an accurate proposal at the RFP stage, what is the most critical information for the University to provide about our Current Conditions (Current State Environment)?
- To enable your firm to prepare an accurate proposal at the RFP stage, what is the most critical information for the University to provide about our Future State Requirements? And our overall vision/goals/objectives/desired outcomes?
- In general, who are the key 3-5 personnel (from the Supplier side) that are critical to the success of the overall solution? These individuals can be from the integration firm and/or software firm.
- The University is considering a multi-step award process (as discussed below). Do you see any challenges or concerns with this approach?
High level summary of approach:
Part 1 (Proposal Evaluation): The University would issue an RFP and evaluate Proposals/Suppliers based upon factors such as technical qualifications, experience, and cost. The University would then shortlist/prioritize the highest-ranking Supplier/Solution and invite them into a “Fit-Gap” stage.
Part 2 (Fit-Gap): The University will award a contract (to the highest-ranking Supplier/Solution) to perform a “Fit-Gap” assessment. This contract will include activities such as: proposal validation, negotiation of the contract for the overall solution, and a traditional fit-gap analysis.
Part 3 (ERP Solution): Once the Fit-Gap contract has been successfully executed/completed, the University will award the overall ERP contract.
- What would be a reasonable amount of time to set aside to perform the “Fit-Gap” phase?
- What would be a reasonable budget for the University to set aside to perform the “Fit-Gap” phase?
- Are there any other factors/issues/items the University be considering at this time?
- Could you provide us a few examples of costing templates previously used for ERP implementations in Higher Education?
- Open Discussion - What questions does the Supplier have for the University?
A Copy of the Request for Supplier Qualification for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Solutions has been attached for your convenience.
