RFEI 2020 - #006 - Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Great Plains

Request for Expression of Interest



Date Issued:                                    Monday June 1, 2020
                                   
Request from:                                 Infrastructure Health and Safety Association
                                                            21 Voyager Court South
                                                            Etobicoke, ON M9W 5M7

Contact:                                            Alan Hansen

Type of Service Required:          Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 (or 365) and
                                                            Great Plains 2018 Updates and Patches


Request for Proposal:                  This should be considered a formal procurement document for the services of a Microsoft Certified Partner focusing on Dynamics CRM and Great Plains.

Date Response Required:          

 RFEI 2020 - #006

 








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­­­


                                                                       

Request for Expression of Interest Checklist 
Infrastructure Health & Safety Association recommend that Proponents use the following checklist when completing the RFEI to help ensure that all the key components to your organization’s proposal are submitted on time.  Documents must be delivered to the Project Representative by the dates and times set out below. 

Courier, E-Mail or Deliver By:
 Monday, June 22, 2020 2:00 pm EDT  

TO:

Alan Hansen
Manager Finance
21 Voyager Court South
Etobicoke, ON M9W 5M7

Submissions that are received after the closing time will be returned unopened.

Include all RFEI materials, in one (1) package. 
The package should contain:
 

• One (1) envelope prominently marked “Original”  signed by an authorized representative in your organization and containing
  • one (1) printed original of all documents and exhibits in response to the RFEI

 

• One (1) envelope marked “Copies”  and containing
  • three (3) copies of all documents and exhibits in response to the RFEI

or
 

• • PDF Copy by e-mail   ahansen@ihsa.ca

Proposals are to be prominently marked Confidential with the RFEI title and number (see RFEI cover), with the full legal name and return address of the Proponent, and with the Proposal Submission Deadline date and time.

Proposals submitted in any other manner may be disqualified.


Introduction 

1. Definitions 

“Proponent” wherever used shall mean RFEI respondent/participant.

“Proposal” wherever used shall mean a Proponent’s written response to this RFEI.

“RFEI” wherever used shall mean this Request for Expression of  Interest..

“BPS” as of April 2, 2012, IHSA is required to follow the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive.
 

2. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities

The selected Proponent shall comply with the requirements for all relevant accessibility standards established by regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
 

3. Background

           
The Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA) works with employers and workers in Ontario to eliminate occupational injury and illness. The membership of IHSA includes seven major industries: construction, transportation, electrical, utilities, aggregates, natural gas pipelines, and ready-mix concrete.
Office Locations:

Etobicoke
21 Voyager Court South
Etobicoke ON M9W 5M7


Mississauga
5345 Creekbank Road
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5L5


Ottawa
2515 St. Laurent Blvd.
Ottawa, ON K1H 8P5




Purpose and Intent of RFEI
IHSA leverages technology to deliver effective business services. The purpose of this RFEI is to solicit interest from a Microsoft Certified Partner for the provision of acquiring services to support IHSA’s technical services.
Overview
Vendor must have demonstrated experience and resourcing to deliver the analysis, design, development, QA, testing, implementation, training and support for IHSA technical platforms/services.
 

4. Scope of Services

Platform
Technical platforms include the following:
MS Dynamics CRM

• Dynamics 365 on premise (V. 9)
• CRM 2015 (currently transition to D365)
  • For the above platforms – web services, plugins, workflow and business rules and JavaScript features and functions
• Key modules include: sales order module, event management (scheduling management), event registration, timesheets, activity based costing, expense management including integration with GP
• CRM is integrated with an eCommerce solution receiving orders for products and training event registrations. This is currently migrating to a web services API model.

GP 2018 key features and functions include:

• Purchasing module
• Sales Module
• Inventory management module
• Financials
• Reporting services
• Vendor must demonstrate experience working with Canadian accounting standards for no-for-profit organizations (ASNPO)

Integration services

• Tibco Scribe - integration between CRM and GP services

Custom projects may include the following experience and expertise:
 

• Analysis and consulting for new business services and architectural advisory
• .Net framework
• CORE
• Kendo UI Angular
• Angular 6+ development
• Web services development (API)

For each project identified, a formal requirements and project plan outlining time and effort is required. Once approved, implementation process to follow an Agile approach.
Vendor resourcing is to work closely with IHSA business staff and IT staff for requirements, design approval and implementation services when required.
Provide project experiences and background regarding:

• Company experience
• Company size
• Canadian accounting standards for no-for-profit organizations (ASNPO)
• Scope and size of previous projects with a focus on the following features/functions:
  • Event management
  • Training registration
  • Timesheet/activity
  • Integration between Dynamics and Great Plains
  • Automating manual processes through the use of Dynamics CRM
  • Migration from CRM 2015 to D365
  • Custom web portals integrating with CRM
  • Data ETL
• Support SLA times and process
• Number of MS Dynamics 365 on premise implementations
• Staff expertise including certifications
• References

Term/Service Agreement

The term of the agreement/contract will be three (3) years in duration with an option to extend for two (2) years at the sole discretion of IHSA. 


 

5. Project Management

We require that a dedicated representative be assigned to assist us with the planning, staged purchasing, delivery and follow up phases required given the information above.

 

6. Guidelines for Proponent’s Submission

The preferred format for the Proponent’s “Offer of Service” or response to this RFEI is as follows:
 

• Project Understanding.  In narrative form, provide a summary of your understanding of the assignment, the major tasks to be completed, and the skills required to do the project.

Each Proponent is to include in its proposal a description of how the Proponent will provide the services outlined, which must include a project work plan that includes milestones, methodology and approach; project main contacts; and, the process for managing and resolving any issues.

• Qualifications.  Provide a detailed explanation of your firm’s qualifications, and the qualifications of the individuals you are proposing to undertake the project. See below.
• Previous experience. Provide an outline of your firm’s previous experience working on projects of this nature.
• Provide a complete listing of pricing/costs, including staff, expenses and any contingencies.  Please provide detailed pricing on all aspects of this project.

1. Any out-of-pocket expenses should be clearly stated.
2. Any assumptions incorporated in the proposal.
3. Value-added services offered free of charge.
4. Other services available by the Proponent and any other information that may support the proposal.

 

7. Experience & Qualifications

Each Proponent must provide as part of its proposal a summary outlining:
 

• Company history including information of any recently formed partnerships or strategic alliances with other companies that may be beneficial to the IHSA for the purposes of the services requested in this RFEI
• Personnel working on the project with qualifications & experience
• Describe Proponent’s relationship with other companies with whom Proponent may partner to service HSA needs and requirements as described in this RFEI
• Any additional information that will support your proposal

8. Evaluation of Proposals

There is an Evaluation Team made up of three (3) members of the IHSA. This Team will review submissions, select and recommend the successful Proponent.



Stage I – Mandatory Requirements

Stage 1 will consist of a review to determine which proposals comply with all the mandatory requirements.  Proposals, which do not comply with all the mandatory requirements, may be disqualified and not evaluated further.

Other than inserting the information requested on the mandatory submission forms set out in this RFEI, a Proponent may not make any changes to any of the forms.  Any proposal containing such changes, whether on the face of the form or elsewhere in this proposal, may be disqualified.

Each proposal must include the following completed documents located as Appendices:


Mandatory Documents to be Completed and Submitted
Appendix AGeneral Proponent Information/References
Appendix BTax Compliance Declaration
Appendix CConflict of Interest Declaration
Appendix DRespondent Acknowledgement Form

The Proponent, by submitting the proposal, warrants that to its best knowledge and belief no actual or potential Conflict of Interest exists with the submission of the proposal or performance of the contemplated contract other than those disclosed under General Proponent Information.  Where the IHSA discover a Proponent’s failure to disclose all actual or potential Conflicts of Interest, the IHSA may disqualify the Proponent or terminate any contract awarded to that Proponent pursuant to this procurement process.

A proposal that includes conditions, options, variations or contingent statements that are contrary to or inconsistent with the terms set out in the RFEI may be disqualified.




Stage II – Rated Criteria/Price

Stage II will consist of scoring by the Evaluation Team of each qualified proposal on the basis of the rated criteria. 

The HSA evaluation team will base selection decisions on responses received and the best outcome for the IHSA.  Each response will be carefully evaluated and scored by the evaluation team.

Each response will be scored in accordance with the relative importance weighting indicated in the table below.  It is suggested you address these criteria in sufficient depth in your response. 




#Rated CriteriaWeighting
(Points)
1Scope of Technical Expertise20
2The Ability to complete projects with direct resourcing 20


3References5
4Qualifications10
5Virtual Presentation5
6Price (Hourly Rates)30

Total Points100

Cumulative Score

All scores for qualified Proponents will be added and the highest scoring Proponent will be selected.

Negotiations

The IHSA may, at their sole discretion, enter into negotiations with one or more Proponents. The IHSA reserve the right to negotiate with more than one Proponent concurrently or consecutively, and to add to, expand, reduce or modify the scope of this RFEI.  If the IHSA and the selected Proponents are unable to negotiate an agreement, the IHSA may begin or continue negotiations with any other Proponent, at any time.  Negotiations may take place with selected Proponents without the obligation to recall proposals or provide an opportunity for other Proponents to quote on the same changes.  No Proponent shall have any rights against the IHSA arising from such negotiation. 
 

1. Confidentiality

All information contained in this Request for Proposal, and all information and material obtained during the course of this project, is confidential, and remains the property of the IHSA. The Proponent must agree to sign a confidentiality agreement. All outputs of the project will remain the property of the IHSA.

10. Sub-contracting or Substitution

No sub-contracting or substitution on the part of the Proponent will be accepted without explicit agreement from the IHSA.

11. References

Provide three (3) references from clients for whom your company has provided the same or similar services within the past three (3) years and include the following information for each reference: Name of Company, Address, Name of Contact, Title of Contact, Telephone Number of Contact, Date Work Undertaken, and Brief Description of Assignment. Refer to Stage I Mandatory Requirements – Appendix A.

50. Costs and Expenses

When providing complete pricing/costs, a Proponent must be aware of and affirm the following:

On June 17, 2009, the Ontario government established new standards relating to the procurement of consulting services and management of consulting contracts for all government agencies and the IHSA. As a result the IHSA will not pay for any hospitality, incidental and food expenses, including, but not limited to: meals, beverages, gratuities, personal telephone calls, etc. under the new rules.

The IHSA will not be responsible for any travel expenses.

All fees for services shall be quoted in Canadian Funds.  The fees quoted for services or goods shall not include applicable taxes (i.e. HST, GST, PST, VAT …).

Any services supplied to one or more of the IHSA are to be invoiced by the Proponent to the individual organization and will be paid separately by that organization.

The IHSA will not be responsible for any payments to the Provider(s)/Vendor(s) selected to provide Group Benefit Brokerage Services for the IHSA.  The IHSA will be responsible for paying the monthly benefit premiums directly to the carrier.

The benefit carrier will assume full responsibility for any and all payments to the Provider(s)/Vendor(s) selected to provide Benefit Brokerage Services for the IHSA.
 

1000. Review Representative

All contact and questions with regard to this RFEI must be made through the Project Representative selected for this initiative, by e-mail. For the purposes of this RFEI, the Project Representative is:

Name: Alan Hansen
Email:  ahansen@ihsa.ca

Any questions received and responses will be provided to all Proponents.  Questions will be accepted up to and including Monday, June 15, 2020 @ 2:00 p.m. EDT.

The IHSA reserves the rights to not answer a proponent’s question.  The reasons for this might be:
 

1. The information requested is not needed for the preparation of a submission, or
2. The answer to the question posed can be found in the RFEI, or
3. The answer to the question posed is the purpose of the RFEI

The IHSA will not provide answers to questions in any form or electronic format by direct reply in order that the fairness of the HSA procurement process is maintained.

Unless otherwise notified, the time required by the IHSA to answer questions will not change the deadline specified for submission of a proposal.

14. Additional Information

The IHSA may request additional data, discussions, presentations or on-site visits in support of the response to this RFEI, all without obligation to provide other RFEI recipients with similar information or notice of such communication. Additionally, the IHSA reserve the right to implement the appropriate due diligence processes to organize or clarify any information provided, or to collect more evidence of managerial, financial and technical abilities, including but not limited to, meetings and visits with current customers served by the Proponent.
 

• The deadline for submission of an Offer is Monday, June 22, 2020 @ 2:00 pm EDT.
• The successful Proponent will do everything possible to exceed delivery expectations.

 

• Other Consideration

Circumstances may arise in which additional billable work or services may be required by the IHSA that cannot be currently determined for this RFEI. The Proponent will provide in their response their lowest hourly or unit pricing and/or highest discount structure that will be extended to the IHSA if additional work/service outside the scope of this RFEI is approved by the IHSA. This pricing may be used as further consideration by the IHSA during the evaluation of offer stage.

When replying to this RFEI, a Proponent should consider their response as an investment and cornerstone of the potential for additional engagements.
 

16. Notification to Other Proponents of Outcome of Procurement Process

Once the successful Proponent executes a contract, the others will be notified in writing of the outcome of the procurement process.
 

17. Debriefing

Proponents may request a debriefing after receipt of a notification of award.  All requests must be in writing to the Project Representative and must be made within sixty (60) days of notification of award.  The intent of the debriefing information session is to aid the Proponent in presenting a better proposal in subsequent procurement opportunities.  Any debriefing provided is not for the purpose of providing an opportunity to challenge the procurement process.

RFEI Terms
By submitting a proposal, the Proponent agrees the following terms and conditions shall apply:
 

1. Information Gathering Process

This RFEI is being issued for information gathering purposes only. The IHSA shall not be bound or obligated in any manner as a result of issuing this RFEI to enter into contract negotiations, or to conclude a contract. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the IHSA expressly reserve the right, at their sole discretion, (i) to initiate any form of procurement process including without limitation direct negotiations with any Proponent regardless of whether such Proponent responded to this RFEI; or (ii) to elect not to procure the good or service that is the subject of this RFEI.

B.      Cost of RFEI Response
All work undertaken by any Proponent in preparation of its Proposal is performed on a speculative basis.  The IHSA accept no responsibility for costs of proposal preparation, benchmarking, piloting, interviews, meetings, or other activities related to proposal preparation or any contract negotiations. All proposals submitted will be regarded as the personal property of the IHSA and will not be returned.

C.      Use of the IHSA Names or Logos
The Proponent shall not use the IHSA’ names or logos or associated names or logos or make reference to this RFEI in any advertising copy or other promotional materials or messages without prior written consent.

D.      Explanation of Information Evaluation/Decision Making
The IHSA are not bound to explain how any proposal was evaluated nor are the IHSA bound to explain any decision they make based upon the subject matter of the proposal.

E.      Restriction on HSA Contacts
All contacts, written and oral, concerning this RFEI in any respect, should be made through the Representative named in this RFEI or a member of the Evaluation Team. Discussion of this RFEI with any other parties within the IHSA may result in your organization’s proposal not being considered.

F.       Confidentiality of Proponent’s Information
Information provided by a Proponent and all or a portion of the proposal itself, even if identified as being confidential, may be used, reproduced, and disclosed by the IHSA, and on a confidential basis, to third parties retained by the IHSA in connection with the subject matter of this RFEI, including without limitation, for the purposes of evaluating the information.

Information provided by a Proponent is subject to disclosure in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, and c.F.31, as amended. Each Proponent is requested to identify in its proposal any information it wishes the IHSA to keep confidential. Proponents are advised that the information provided by a Proponent and all or a portion of the proposal itself, may be disclosed by the IHSA to third parties where an order by the Information and Privacy Commissioner or a court requires the IHSA to do so.

G.      Data Validity
All data and information included in this RFEI have been extracted from sources, which the IHSA consider to be reliable. However, the IHSA make no warranties and accept no responsibility for inaccurate data contained herein. 
H.    Errors and Omissions
The IHSA shall not be held liable for any errors or omissions in any part of this RFEI.  While the IHSA have used considerable effort to ensure an accurate representation of information in this RFEI, the information contained in the RFEI is supplied solely as a guideline for potential companies.  This information is not necessarily comprehensive or exhaustive.  Nothing in the RFEI is intended to relieve the company from forming their own opinions and conclusions with respect to the matters addressed in the RFEI.
I.    Indemnification
The Proponent shall indemnify and hold harmless the IHSA, it’s officers, board members, partners, agents and employees from and against all actions, claims, demands, losses, costs, damages, suits or proceedings whatsoever which may be brought against or made upon the IHSA and against all loss, liability, judgments, claims, suits, demands or expenses which the IHSA may sustain, suffer or be put to resulting from or arising out of the Proponent’s failure to exercise reasonable care, skill or diligence or omissions in the performance or rendering of any work or service required hereunder to be performed or rendered by the company, it’s agents, officials and employees.
J.  Conflict of Interest
Proponents that respond to this RFEI must identify any real or perceived situations where a conflict of interest, past, current or future exists.  All instances are to be declared in Appendix C.
K.  Right to Termination
The IHSA may, in their sole discretion, cancel this RFEI or revise the scope of this RFEI at any time.

L.  Dispute Resolution
In order to address suppliers’ concerns related to any aspect of the procurement process in an ethical, fair, reasonable and timely fashion, the following dispute resolution process will be followed:

1. Notice of Dispute received
2. Conduct Negotiation (if negotiation is successful, proceed to Step 6 - End of Process; if not successful, both parties must agree to proceed to Step 3 - Mediation)
3. Conduct Mediation (if mediation is successful, proceed to Step 6 - End of Process; if not successful, both parties must agree to proceed to Step 4 - Arbitration)
4. Conduct Arbitration (if arbitration is successful, proceed to Step 6 - End of Process; if not successful, proceed to Step 5 - Litigation)
5. Litigation
6. End of Process

Appendix A - General Proponent Information
Please provide concise responses to all of the following questions.  Where you do not provide a response, please explain why.  Please review all Appendix materials before completing this questionnaire.
Contact Information Full Organization Legal Name:         

Street Address:

City, Province/State:

Postal Code:

Phone Number:         

Fax Number:  

Organization Website (if one exists):

Organization Ownership
(specify private or public company): 

Parent Organization Name (if any):            
RFEI Contact Person and Title:         

E-mail Address for RFEI Contact Person:


References – Current Clients
Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name

Title of Contact

Contact Phone Number

Date Work Undertaken

Brief Description of Assignment







Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name

Title of Contact

Contact Phone Number

Date Work Undertaken

Brief Description of Assignment

Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name

Title of Contact

Contact Phone Number

Date Work Undertaken

Brief Description of Assignment





APPENDIX B – Tax Compliance Declaration
The Ontario Government expects all suppliers to pay their provincial taxes on a timely basis. In this regard, Proponents are advised that any contract with the Ontario Government will require a declaration from the successful Proponent that the Proponent's provincial taxes are in good standing.
In order to be considered for a contract award, the Proponent must submit the following tax compliance status statement and the following consent to disclosure:

Declaration

I/WE hereby certify that__________________________ at the time of submitting its proposal,
(Legal Name of Proponent)
is in full compliance with all tax statutes administered by the Ministry of Revenue for Ontario and that, in particular, all returns required to be filed under all provincial tax statutes have been filed and all taxes due and payable under those statutes have been paid or satisfactory arrangements for their payment have been made and maintained.

Consent to Disclosure
I/We consent to the Ministry of Revenue releasing the taxpayer information described in this Declaration to the Ministry issuing the RFEI as necessary for the purpose of verifying that I/we am/are in full compliance with all statutes administered by the Ministry of Revenue.

Dated at                        this                 day of                          20    

An authorized signing officer)

(Print Name)


(Title)

(Phone Number)                                               (Fax Number)





 

Request for Expression of Interest



Date Issued:                                    Monday June 1, 2020
                                   
Request from:                                 Infrastructure Health and Safety Association
                                                            21 Voyager Court South
                                                            Etobicoke, ON M9W 5M7

Contact:                                            Alan Hansen

Type of Service Required:          Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 (or 365) and
                                                            Great Plains 2018 Updates and Patches


Request for Proposal:                  This should be considered a formal procurement document for the services of a Microsoft Certified Partner focusing on Dynamics CRM and Great Plains.

Date Response Required:          

 RFEI 2020 - #006

 








­­­­­­
­­­


                                                                       

Request for Expression of Interest Checklist 
Infrastructure Health & Safety Association recommend that Proponents use the following checklist when completing the RFEI to help ensure that all the key components to your organization’s proposal are submitted on time.  Documents must be delivered to the Project Representative by the dates and times set out below. 

Courier, E-Mail or Deliver By:
 Monday, June 22, 2020 2:00 pm EDT  

TO:

Alan Hansen
Manager Finance
21 Voyager Court South
Etobicoke, ON M9W 5M7

Submissions that are received after the closing time will be returned unopened.

Include all RFEI materials, in one (1) package. 
The package should contain:
 

• One (1) envelope prominently marked “Original”  signed by an authorized representative in your organization and containing
  • one (1) printed original of all documents and exhibits in response to the RFEI

 

• One (1) envelope marked “Copies”  and containing
  • three (3) copies of all documents and exhibits in response to the RFEI

or
 

• • PDF Copy by e-mail   ahansen@ihsa.ca

Proposals are to be prominently marked Confidential with the RFEI title and number (see RFEI cover), with the full legal name and return address of the Proponent, and with the Proposal Submission Deadline date and time.

Proposals submitted in any other manner may be disqualified.


Introduction 

1. Definitions 

“Proponent” wherever used shall mean RFEI respondent/participant.

“Proposal” wherever used shall mean a Proponent’s written response to this RFEI.

“RFEI” wherever used shall mean this Request for Expression of  Interest..

“BPS” as of April 2, 2012, IHSA is required to follow the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive.
 

2. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities

The selected Proponent shall comply with the requirements for all relevant accessibility standards established by regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
 

3. Background

           
The Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA) works with employers and workers in Ontario to eliminate occupational injury and illness. The membership of IHSA includes seven major industries: construction, transportation, electrical, utilities, aggregates, natural gas pipelines, and ready-mix concrete.
Office Locations:

Etobicoke
21 Voyager Court South
Etobicoke ON M9W 5M7


Mississauga
5345 Creekbank Road
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5L5


Ottawa
2515 St. Laurent Blvd.
Ottawa, ON K1H 8P5




Purpose and Intent of RFEI
IHSA leverages technology to deliver effective business services. The purpose of this RFEI is to solicit interest from a Microsoft Certified Partner for the provision of acquiring services to support IHSA’s technical services.
Overview
Vendor must have demonstrated experience and resourcing to deliver the analysis, design, development, QA, testing, implementation, training and support for IHSA technical platforms/services.
 

4. Scope of Services

Platform
Technical platforms include the following:
MS Dynamics CRM

• Dynamics 365 on premise (V. 9)
• CRM 2015 (currently transition to D365)
  • For the above platforms – web services, plugins, workflow and business rules and JavaScript features and functions
• Key modules include: sales order module, event management (scheduling management), event registration, timesheets, activity based costing, expense management including integration with GP
• CRM is integrated with an eCommerce solution receiving orders for products and training event registrations. This is currently migrating to a web services API model.

GP 2018 key features and functions include:

• Purchasing module
• Sales Module
• Inventory management module
• Financials
• Reporting services
• Vendor must demonstrate experience working with Canadian accounting standards for no-for-profit organizations (ASNPO)

Integration services

• Tibco Scribe - integration between CRM and GP services

Custom projects may include the following experience and expertise:
 

• Analysis and consulting for new business services and architectural advisory
• .Net framework
• CORE
• Kendo UI Angular
• Angular 6+ development
• Web services development (API)

For each project identified, a formal requirements and project plan outlining time and effort is required. Once approved, implementation process to follow an Agile approach.
Vendor resourcing is to work closely with IHSA business staff and IT staff for requirements, design approval and implementation services when required.
Provide project experiences and background regarding:

• Company experience
• Company size
• Canadian accounting standards for no-for-profit organizations (ASNPO)
• Scope and size of previous projects with a focus on the following features/functions:
  • Event management
  • Training registration
  • Timesheet/activity
  • Integration between Dynamics and Great Plains
  • Automating manual processes through the use of Dynamics CRM
  • Migration from CRM 2015 to D365
  • Custom web portals integrating with CRM
  • Data ETL
• Support SLA times and process
• Number of MS Dynamics 365 on premise implementations
• Staff expertise including certifications
• References

Term/Service Agreement

The term of the agreement/contract will be three (3) years in duration with an option to extend for two (2) years at the sole discretion of IHSA. 


 

5. Project Management

We require that a dedicated representative be assigned to assist us with the planning, staged purchasing, delivery and follow up phases required given the information above.

 

6. Guidelines for Proponent’s Submission

The preferred format for the Proponent’s “Offer of Service” or response to this RFEI is as follows:
 

• Project Understanding.  In narrative form, provide a summary of your understanding of the assignment, the major tasks to be completed, and the skills required to do the project.

Each Proponent is to include in its proposal a description of how the Proponent will provide the services outlined, which must include a project work plan that includes milestones, methodology and approach; project main contacts; and, the process for managing and resolving any issues.

• Qualifications.  Provide a detailed explanation of your firm’s qualifications, and the qualifications of the individuals you are proposing to undertake the project. See below.
• Previous experience. Provide an outline of your firm’s previous experience working on projects of this nature.
• Provide a complete listing of pricing/costs, including staff, expenses and any contingencies.  Please provide detailed pricing on all aspects of this project.

1. Any out-of-pocket expenses should be clearly stated.
2. Any assumptions incorporated in the proposal.
3. Value-added services offered free of charge.
4. Other services available by the Proponent and any other information that may support the proposal.

 

7. Experience & Qualifications

Each Proponent must provide as part of its proposal a summary outlining:
 

• Company history including information of any recently formed partnerships or strategic alliances with other companies that may be beneficial to the IHSA for the purposes of the services requested in this RFEI
• Personnel working on the project with qualifications & experience
• Describe Proponent’s relationship with other companies with whom Proponent may partner to service HSA needs and requirements as described in this RFEI
• Any additional information that will support your proposal

8. Evaluation of Proposals

There is an Evaluation Team made up of three (3) members of the IHSA. This Team will review submissions, select and recommend the successful Proponent.



Stage I – Mandatory Requirements

Stage 1 will consist of a review to determine which proposals comply with all the mandatory requirements.  Proposals, which do not comply with all the mandatory requirements, may be disqualified and not evaluated further.

Other than inserting the information requested on the mandatory submission forms set out in this RFEI, a Proponent may not make any changes to any of the forms.  Any proposal containing such changes, whether on the face of the form or elsewhere in this proposal, may be disqualified.

Each proposal must include the following completed documents located as Appendices:


Mandatory Documents to be Completed and Submitted
Appendix AGeneral Proponent Information/References
Appendix BTax Compliance Declaration
Appendix CConflict of Interest Declaration
Appendix DRespondent Acknowledgement Form

The Proponent, by submitting the proposal, warrants that to its best knowledge and belief no actual or potential Conflict of Interest exists with the submission of the proposal or performance of the contemplated contract other than those disclosed under General Proponent Information.  Where the IHSA discover a Proponent’s failure to disclose all actual or potential Conflicts of Interest, the IHSA may disqualify the Proponent or terminate any contract awarded to that Proponent pursuant to this procurement process.

A proposal that includes conditions, options, variations or contingent statements that are contrary to or inconsistent with the terms set out in the RFEI may be disqualified.




Stage II – Rated Criteria/Price

Stage II will consist of scoring by the Evaluation Team of each qualified proposal on the basis of the rated criteria. 

The HSA evaluation team will base selection decisions on responses received and the best outcome for the IHSA.  Each response will be carefully evaluated and scored by the evaluation team.

Each response will be scored in accordance with the relative importance weighting indicated in the table below.  It is suggested you address these criteria in sufficient depth in your response. 




#Rated CriteriaWeighting
(Points)
1Scope of Technical Expertise20
2The Ability to complete projects with direct resourcing 20


3References5
4Qualifications10
5Virtual Presentation5
6Price (Hourly Rates)30

Total Points100

Cumulative Score

All scores for qualified Proponents will be added and the highest scoring Proponent will be selected.

Negotiations

The IHSA may, at their sole discretion, enter into negotiations with one or more Proponents. The IHSA reserve the right to negotiate with more than one Proponent concurrently or consecutively, and to add to, expand, reduce or modify the scope of this RFEI.  If the IHSA and the selected Proponents are unable to negotiate an agreement, the IHSA may begin or continue negotiations with any other Proponent, at any time.  Negotiations may take place with selected Proponents without the obligation to recall proposals or provide an opportunity for other Proponents to quote on the same changes.  No Proponent shall have any rights against the IHSA arising from such negotiation. 
 

1. Confidentiality

All information contained in this Request for Proposal, and all information and material obtained during the course of this project, is confidential, and remains the property of the IHSA. The Proponent must agree to sign a confidentiality agreement. All outputs of the project will remain the property of the IHSA.

10. Sub-contracting or Substitution

No sub-contracting or substitution on the part of the Proponent will be accepted without explicit agreement from the IHSA.

11. References

Provide three (3) references from clients for whom your company has provided the same or similar services within the past three (3) years and include the following information for each reference: Name of Company, Address, Name of Contact, Title of Contact, Telephone Number of Contact, Date Work Undertaken, and Brief Description of Assignment. Refer to Stage I Mandatory Requirements – Appendix A.

50. Costs and Expenses

When providing complete pricing/costs, a Proponent must be aware of and affirm the following:

On June 17, 2009, the Ontario government established new standards relating to the procurement of consulting services and management of consulting contracts for all government agencies and the IHSA. As a result the IHSA will not pay for any hospitality, incidental and food expenses, including, but not limited to: meals, beverages, gratuities, personal telephone calls, etc. under the new rules.

The IHSA will not be responsible for any travel expenses.

All fees for services shall be quoted in Canadian Funds.  The fees quoted for services or goods shall not include applicable taxes (i.e. HST, GST, PST, VAT …).

Any services supplied to one or more of the IHSA are to be invoiced by the Proponent to the individual organization and will be paid separately by that organization.

The IHSA will not be responsible for any payments to the Provider(s)/Vendor(s) selected to provide Group Benefit Brokerage Services for the IHSA.  The IHSA will be responsible for paying the monthly benefit premiums directly to the carrier.

The benefit carrier will assume full responsibility for any and all payments to the Provider(s)/Vendor(s) selected to provide Benefit Brokerage Services for the IHSA.
 

1000. Review Representative

All contact and questions with regard to this RFEI must be made through the Project Representative selected for this initiative, by e-mail. For the purposes of this RFEI, the Project Representative is:

Name: Alan Hansen
Email:  ahansen@ihsa.ca

Any questions received and responses will be provided to all Proponents.  Questions will be accepted up to and including Monday, June 15, 2020 @ 2:00 p.m. EDT.

The IHSA reserves the rights to not answer a proponent’s question.  The reasons for this might be:
 

1. The information requested is not needed for the preparation of a submission, or
2. The answer to the question posed can be found in the RFEI, or
3. The answer to the question posed is the purpose of the RFEI

The IHSA will not provide answers to questions in any form or electronic format by direct reply in order that the fairness of the HSA procurement process is maintained.

Unless otherwise notified, the time required by the IHSA to answer questions will not change the deadline specified for submission of a proposal.

14. Additional Information

The IHSA may request additional data, discussions, presentations or on-site visits in support of the response to this RFEI, all without obligation to provide other RFEI recipients with similar information or notice of such communication. Additionally, the IHSA reserve the right to implement the appropriate due diligence processes to organize or clarify any information provided, or to collect more evidence of managerial, financial and technical abilities, including but not limited to, meetings and visits with current customers served by the Proponent.
 

• The deadline for submission of an Offer is Monday, June 22, 2020 @ 2:00 pm EDT.
• The successful Proponent will do everything possible to exceed delivery expectations.

 

• Other Consideration

Circumstances may arise in which additional billable work or services may be required by the IHSA that cannot be currently determined for this RFEI. The Proponent will provide in their response their lowest hourly or unit pricing and/or highest discount structure that will be extended to the IHSA if additional work/service outside the scope of this RFEI is approved by the IHSA. This pricing may be used as further consideration by the IHSA during the evaluation of offer stage.

When replying to this RFEI, a Proponent should consider their response as an investment and cornerstone of the potential for additional engagements.
 

16. Notification to Other Proponents of Outcome of Procurement Process

Once the successful Proponent executes a contract, the others will be notified in writing of the outcome of the procurement process.
 

17. Debriefing

Proponents may request a debriefing after receipt of a notification of award.  All requests must be in writing to the Project Representative and must be made within sixty (60) days of notification of award.  The intent of the debriefing information session is to aid the Proponent in presenting a better proposal in subsequent procurement opportunities.  Any debriefing provided is not for the purpose of providing an opportunity to challenge the procurement process.

RFEI Terms
By submitting a proposal, the Proponent agrees the following terms and conditions shall apply:
 

1. Information Gathering Process

This RFEI is being issued for information gathering purposes only. The IHSA shall not be bound or obligated in any manner as a result of issuing this RFEI to enter into contract negotiations, or to conclude a contract. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the IHSA expressly reserve the right, at their sole discretion, (i) to initiate any form of procurement process including without limitation direct negotiations with any Proponent regardless of whether such Proponent responded to this RFEI; or (ii) to elect not to procure the good or service that is the subject of this RFEI.

B.      Cost of RFEI Response
All work undertaken by any Proponent in preparation of its Proposal is performed on a speculative basis.  The IHSA accept no responsibility for costs of proposal preparation, benchmarking, piloting, interviews, meetings, or other activities related to proposal preparation or any contract negotiations. All proposals submitted will be regarded as the personal property of the IHSA and will not be returned.

C.      Use of the IHSA Names or Logos
The Proponent shall not use the IHSA’ names or logos or associated names or logos or make reference to this RFEI in any advertising copy or other promotional materials or messages without prior written consent.

D.      Explanation of Information Evaluation/Decision Making
The IHSA are not bound to explain how any proposal was evaluated nor are the IHSA bound to explain any decision they make based upon the subject matter of the proposal.

E.      Restriction on HSA Contacts
All contacts, written and oral, concerning this RFEI in any respect, should be made through the Representative named in this RFEI or a member of the Evaluation Team. Discussion of this RFEI with any other parties within the IHSA may result in your organization’s proposal not being considered.

F.       Confidentiality of Proponent’s Information
Information provided by a Proponent and all or a portion of the proposal itself, even if identified as being confidential, may be used, reproduced, and disclosed by the IHSA, and on a confidential basis, to third parties retained by the IHSA in connection with the subject matter of this RFEI, including without limitation, for the purposes of evaluating the information.

Information provided by a Proponent is subject to disclosure in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, and c.F.31, as amended. Each Proponent is requested to identify in its proposal any information it wishes the IHSA to keep confidential. Proponents are advised that the information provided by a Proponent and all or a portion of the proposal itself, may be disclosed by the IHSA to third parties where an order by the Information and Privacy Commissioner or a court requires the IHSA to do so.

G.      Data Validity
All data and information included in this RFEI have been extracted from sources, which the IHSA consider to be reliable. However, the IHSA make no warranties and accept no responsibility for inaccurate data contained herein. 
H.    Errors and Omissions
The IHSA shall not be held liable for any errors or omissions in any part of this RFEI.  While the IHSA have used considerable effort to ensure an accurate representation of information in this RFEI, the information contained in the RFEI is supplied solely as a guideline for potential companies.  This information is not necessarily comprehensive or exhaustive.  Nothing in the RFEI is intended to relieve the company from forming their own opinions and conclusions with respect to the matters addressed in the RFEI.
I.    Indemnification
The Proponent shall indemnify and hold harmless the IHSA, it’s officers, board members, partners, agents and employees from and against all actions, claims, demands, losses, costs, damages, suits or proceedings whatsoever which may be brought against or made upon the IHSA and against all loss, liability, judgments, claims, suits, demands or expenses which the IHSA may sustain, suffer or be put to resulting from or arising out of the Proponent’s failure to exercise reasonable care, skill or diligence or omissions in the performance or rendering of any work or service required hereunder to be performed or rendered by the company, it’s agents, officials and employees.
J.  Conflict of Interest
Proponents that respond to this RFEI must identify any real or perceived situations where a conflict of interest, past, current or future exists.  All instances are to be declared in Appendix C.
K.  Right to Termination
The IHSA may, in their sole discretion, cancel this RFEI or revise the scope of this RFEI at any time.

L.  Dispute Resolution
In order to address suppliers’ concerns related to any aspect of the procurement process in an ethical, fair, reasonable and timely fashion, the following dispute resolution process will be followed:

1. Notice of Dispute received
2. Conduct Negotiation (if negotiation is successful, proceed to Step 6 - End of Process; if not successful, both parties must agree to proceed to Step 3 - Mediation)
3. Conduct Mediation (if mediation is successful, proceed to Step 6 - End of Process; if not successful, both parties must agree to proceed to Step 4 - Arbitration)
4. Conduct Arbitration (if arbitration is successful, proceed to Step 6 - End of Process; if not successful, proceed to Step 5 - Litigation)
5. Litigation
6. End of Process

Appendix A - General Proponent Information
Please provide concise responses to all of the following questions.  Where you do not provide a response, please explain why.  Please review all Appendix materials before completing this questionnaire.
Contact Information Full Organization Legal Name:         

Street Address:

City, Province/State:

Postal Code:

Phone Number:         

Fax Number:  

Organization Website (if one exists):

Organization Ownership
(specify private or public company): 

Parent Organization Name (if any):            
RFEI Contact Person and Title:         

E-mail Address for RFEI Contact Person:


References – Current Clients
Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name

Title of Contact

Contact Phone Number

Date Work Undertaken

Brief Description of Assignment







Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name

Title of Contact

Contact Phone Number

Date Work Undertaken

Brief Description of Assignment

Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name

Title of Contact

Contact Phone Number

Date Work Undertaken

Brief Description of Assignment





APPENDIX B – Tax Compliance Declaration
The Ontario Government expects all suppliers to pay their provincial taxes on a timely basis. In this regard, Proponents are advised that any contract with the Ontario Government will require a declaration from the successful Proponent that the Proponent's provincial taxes are in good standing.
In order to be considered for a contract award, the Proponent must submit the following tax compliance status statement and the following consent to disclosure:

Declaration

I/WE hereby certify that__________________________ at the time of submitting its proposal,
(Legal Name of Proponent)
is in full compliance with all tax statutes administered by the Ministry of Revenue for Ontario and that, in particular, all returns required to be filed under all provincial tax statutes have been filed and all taxes due and payable under those statutes have been paid or satisfactory arrangements for their payment have been made and maintained.

Consent to Disclosure
I/We consent to the Ministry of Revenue releasing the taxpayer information described in this Declaration to the Ministry issuing the RFEI as necessary for the purpose of verifying that I/we am/are in full compliance with all statutes administered by the Ministry of Revenue.

Dated at                        this                 day of                          20    

An authorized signing officer)

(Print Name)


(Title)

(Phone Number)                                               (Fax Number)