Certification Testing Software Solution

Template V5.1 Page 1 of 56 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety: 2023-038 Certification Testing Software Solution RFP ISSUED: January 5, 2023 VENDOR CONFERENCE: January 20, 2023 LOCATION: 33 Hazen Drive Concord, NH 03305 STATE POINT of CONTACT: NAME: Heather Clough, Business Administrator EMAIL: Heather.C.Clough@DOS.NH.GOV TEL: (603) 223-4200 CONTRACT TYPE: Not to Exceed PROPOSALS DUE: February 16, 2023 3:00 PM ET STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety, Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2 of 56 Contents SECTION 1: OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ..............................................................................5 1.1. Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................5 1.2. Schedule of Events

.....................................................................................................................................6 SECTION 2: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION, DEADLINE, AND LOCATION INSTRUCTIONS ........................8 Proposal Submission ..................................................................................................................................8 Physical Proposals ......................................................................................................................................8 Number of Proposals ..................................................................................................................................8 Vendor Inquiries .........................................................................................................................................9 Restriction of Contact with Agency Employees .........................................................................................9 Validity of Proposal ..................................................................................................................................10 SECTION 3: PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT, AND REQUIRED ITEMS ..................................11 3.1. Proposal Organization ..............................................................................................................................11 3.1.1. Cover Page ............................................................................................................................................11 3.1.2. Transmittal Form Letter........................................................................................................................11 3.1.3. Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................14 3.1.4. Section I: Executive Summary ............................................................................................................14 3.1.5. Section II: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ...............................................................................14 3.1.6. Section III: Responses to System Requirements and Deliverables .....................................................14 3.1.7. Section IV: Narrative Responses .........................................................................................................14 3.1.8. Section V: Corporate Qualifications ....................................................................................................14 3.1.9. Section VI: Qualifications of Key Vendor Staff ..................................................................................14 3.1.10. Section VII: Vendor Attachments .......................................................................................................14 3.1.11. Section VIII: Vendor Risk Assessment Report (VRAR) ....................................................................14 SECTION 4: EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS...........................................................................................15 4.1. Criteria for Evaluation and Scoring ..........................................................................................................15 4.2. Scoring Detail ...........................................................................................................................................15 4.3. Planned Evaluations .................................................................................................................................17 4.4. No Best and Final Offer ...........................................................................................................................18 4.5. Rights of the Agency in Accepting and Evaluating Proposals .................................................................18 SECTION 5: TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS .....................................20 5.1 RFP Addendum ........................................................................................................................................20 5.2 Non-Collusion ..........................................................................................................................................20 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety, Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3 of 56 5.3 Property of the State .................................................................................................................................20 5.4 Confidentiality of a Proposal ....................................................................................................................20 5.5 Public Disclosure ......................................................................................................................................20 5.6 Electronic Posting of Resulting Contract .................................................................................................22 5.7 Non-Commitment .....................................................................................................................................22 5.8 Proposal Preparation Cost ........................................................................................................................22 5.9 Ethical Requirements ................................................................................................................................22 5.10 Debarment ................................................................................................................................................22 5.11 Challenges on Form or Process of the RFP ..............................................................................................22 SECTION 6: CONTRACT TERMS AND AWARD .....................................................................................24 6.1 Non-Exclusive Contract ...........................................................................................................................24 6.2 Award .......................................................................................................................................................24 6.3 Anticipated Contract Term .......................................................................................................................24 6.4 Standard Contract Terms ..........................................................................................................................24 6.5 Related Documents Required ...................................................................................................................25 APPENDIX A: VENDOR CONFERENCE REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................26 APPENDIX B: BUSINESS / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES .............................27 B-1. Statement of Work ....................................................................................................................................27 B-1.1. Data Location .......................................................................................................................................27 B-2. Business Requirements/Technical Requirements .....................................................................................28 B-3. Activity, Deliverable, or Milestone ..........................................................................................................28 APPENDIX C: TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES .........................................................................30 C-1. Proposed Solution .....................................................................................................................................31 C-2. Vendor’s Technical, Service and Project Management Experience .........................................................32 C-2.1 Security and Protection of Data ..............................................................................................................32 C-2.2 State Personnel and Training ....................................................................................................................32 C2.3 Project Execution .........................................................................................................................................33 C-2.4 Project Management ...................................................................................................................................34 C-2.5 Ongoing Operations For Vendor Hosted Solution .....................................................................................35 APPENDIX D: STANDARDS FOR DESCRIBING VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS ....................................38 D-1. Vendor Qualifications ..............................................................................................................................38 D-2. Required Information on Corporate Qualifications ..................................................................................38 D-3. Team Organization and Designation of Key Vendor Staff ......................................................................38 APPENDIX E: PRICING ..................................................................................................................................39 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety, Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 4 of 56 E-1. Implementation Pricing ............................................................................................................................39 E-1.1. Software & Hosting License Pricing ....................................................................................................39 E-1.2. Software Operations, Maintenance and Support Pricing ......................................................................39 E-1.3. Implementation Pricing Summary ........................................................................................................40 E-1.4. Future Vendor Rates .............................................................................................................................40 APPENDIX F: TERMS AND DEFINITIONS .................................................................................................41 APPENDIX G: P-37 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE GENERAL PROVISIONS AND EXHIBITS ..........45 AGREEMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 45 EXHIBIT A - SPECIAL PROVISIONS .................................................................................................... 51 Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Page 5 of 56 SECTION 1: OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 1.1. Executive Summary 1.1.1. Introduction The Division of Fire Standards and Training and Emergency Medical Services (FSTEMS) operates within the New Hampshire Department of Safety. This Division is responsible for the education, training, and Pro Board and NH certifications meeting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Professional Qualification Standards within the State of New Hampshire including: • NFPA 1001. Firefighter • NFPA 1002. Diver Operator • NFPA 1003 Airport Firefighter • NFPA 1006 Technical Rescue • NFPA 1021 Fire Officer • NFPA 1031 Fire Inspector • NFPA 1033 Fire Investigator • NFPA 1041 Fire and Emergency Service Instructor • NFPA 1051 Wildland Firefighter • NFPA 1072 Hazardous Materials FSTEMS is the only recognized fire training and certifying agency in the State of New Hampshire for nearly 6,000 firefighters comprised of full time, on-call part time, per diem, and volunteer firefighters with approximately 5,500 active EMS responders for the State. The division administers nearly 2,000 proctored exams each year for 26 different certification levels. In order to meet the professional qualification standards, all exams must be proctored in person. A proctored exam is an exam which is monitored by a person (proctor) within the room where the exam is being given and does not allow for virtual or remote exam participation. Project Overview/Justification: The current software LXR, is utilized for exam administration and creation as part of proctored exams for the state. LXR is at the end of life and is no longer supported. The current software requires a significant amount of manual effort as the exams must be printed for each individual sitting for an exam. The individual responds to the test questions by manually filling in a bubble for the correct question. At the conclusion of the exam, all tests are then scored and graded using an optical character reader, Scantron. From there, division personal then manually enter test results into the student information system (SIS) www.RespondNH.Org, a repository for training records and certifications. The Scantron machine is maintained via a maintenance contract. http://www.respondnh.org/ STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Page 6 of 56 1.1.2 Scope of Work (SOW) Overview FSTEMS is looking for a modernized testing solution for proctored exams that must be cloud based accessible via a variety of browsers. Exams are administered throughout the State of New Hampshire and at locations where internet connectivity is limited or unavailable. The modernized solution is expected to be capable of providing exams to students in an offline environment so that when devices are reconnected to the internet, exams scores and related statistics are available for FSTEMS personnel to complete the examination process. The ideal solution must be accessible from a range of devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones) where the proctored exams are conducted at various locations within the state. The modernized solution must be capable of interfacing with FSTEMS SIS, RespondNH.Org utilizing a Single Sign-on in the identification of testers and only display eligible exams after the successful authentication of the student. The ideal solution should randomize test questions during a proctored exam to the testers from various question banks within the same discipline [ex. for tester A question 3 is question 9 for tester B] and be capable of other anti-cheating features such as not allowing a tester to start an exam until prompted to do so nor indicate exam results to the testers as the results will be electronically delivered to students’ training records through the interface with RespondNH.Org The ideal solution must provide enhanced functionality for division personnel in the development, administration, scoring and grading of exams, and allows for easy mining of data for statistical analysis. The solution must have a functionality to migrate test bank questions and pertinent notes from current LXR software. FSTEMS expects the vendor of the ideal solution to provide a day of on-site training to key division personnel. This solution will greatly enhance the division personnel’s ability to create exams, modify test questions for accuracy and compliance while tracking those changes, along with seamlessly incorporating NFPA references. 1.2. Schedule of Events The following table provides a Schedule of Events for this RFP through contract finalization and approval. The Agency reserves the right to amend this Schedule at its sole discretion and at any time through a published Addendum. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS EVENT DATE & TIME (ET) RFP Released to Vendors / Inquiry Period Begins (on or about)/ January 5, 2023 Notification to the State of the Number of Representatives Attending the Vendor Conference (Optional) January 12, 2023 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Page 7 of 56 Vendor Conference (Virtual) January 20, 2023 Vendor Inquiry Period Ends (Final Inquiries due) January 26, 2023 Final State Responses to Vendor Inquiries February 2, 2023 Final Date and Time for Proposal Submission February 16, 2023 3:00 PM ET Invitations for Oral Presentations February 23, 2023 Vendor Presentations/Discussion Sessions/Interviews (Mandatory or Optional) March 9, 2023 Estimated Date of Vendor Selection March 16, 2023 Anticipated Governor and Council Approval TBD Anticipated Effective Contract Date TBD Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL SUBMISSION, DEADLINE, AND LOCATION INSTRUCTIONS Page 8 of 56 SECTION 2: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION, DEADLINE, AND LOCATION INSTRUCTIONS Proposal Submission Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be received no later than the time and date specified in the Schedule of Events, herein. The Price Proposal must be labeled clearly and submitted separately from the Technical Proposal. Late submissions will not be accepted. Delivery of the Proposals shall be at the Vendor’s responsibility. The time of receipt shall be considered when a Proposal has been officially documented by the Agency, in accordance with its established policies, as having been received at the location designated above. The Agency accepts no responsibility for damaged, mislabeled, or undeliverable mailed or emailed proposals. Physical Proposals Physical Proposals must be addressed to: STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Division of Fire Standards & Training and Emergency Medical Services Heather Clough, Business Administrator 33 Hazen Drive Concord, NH 03305 Proposals must be clearly marked as follows: STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE RESPONSE TO RFP: FSTEMS-2023-038- Certification Testing Software Solution Physical Submissions shall include: a. Five (5) Printed (Physical Copies); and b. One (1) Electronic submission via USB drive. Number of Proposals Vendors are permitted to submit One (1) Proposal(s) each with a unique solution in response to this RFP. All Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must consist of: Package 1- Technical Proposal: a. One (1) original and Four clearly identified copies of the Technical Proposal, including all required Attachments. b. One (1) copy of the Proposal Transmittal Form Letter (described in Section 3.1.2: Transmittal Form Letter, herein) shall be signed by an official authorized to legally bind the Vendor and shall be marked “ORIGINAL.” c. One (1) electronic copy of proposal in MS WORD format and One (1) electronic copy of the Requirements Attachment C in MS EXCEL format. Email copies will not be accepted. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL SUBMISSION, DEADLINE, AND LOCATION INSTRUCTIONS Page 9 of 56 Package 2 – Cost Proposal: a. A separate Cost Proposal must be labeled clearly and sealed separately from the Technical Proposal. b. Each cost proposal one (1) original and two (2) copies of the Cost Proposal, including Pricing Worksheets (as described in Appendix E), must be bound separately. c. One (1) Excel spreadsheet–based version on CD/DVD-ROM or USB drive must also be provided. The original and all copies shall be bound separately, delivered in sealed containers, and permanently marked as indicated above. A Vendor’s disclosure or distribution of its Proposal other than to the State will be grounds for disqualification Vendor Inquiries All inquiries concerning this RFP, including but not limited to, requests for clarifications, questions, and any changes to the RFP, shall be submitted via Email to the following RFP Point of Contact: Heather Clough, Business Administrator Email: Heather.C.Clough@DOS.NH.GOV Inquiries must be received by the RFP Point of Contact no later than the conclusion of the Vendor Inquiry Period identified in the Schedule of Events. Inquiries received later than the conclusion of the Vendor Inquiry Period shall not be considered properly submitted and may not be considered. The State assumes no liability for assuring accurate/complete Email transmission/receipt and is not required to acknowledge receipt. The Agency intends to issue official responses to properly submitted inquiries on or before the date specified in the Schedule of Events section, herein. The Agency may consolidate and/or paraphrase questions for sufficiency and clarity. Oral statements, representations, clarifications, or modifications concerning the RFP shall not be binding upon the Agency. Official responses by the Agency will be made only in writing by the process described above. The Agency will require the successful bidder to execute a Contract using the P-37 State of New Hampshire General Provisions and any attached exhibits. To the extent that a Vendor believes that exceptions to the standard form contract will be necessary for the Vendor to enter into the Agreement, the Vendor must submit those exceptions during the Vendor Inquiry Period. Restriction of Contact with Agency Employees From the date of release of this RFP until an award is made and announced regarding the selection of a Vendor, all communication with personnel employed by or under contract with the Agency regarding this RFP is prohibited unless first approved by the RFP Points of Contact listed herein. Agency employees have been directed not to hold conferences and/or discussions concerning this RFP with any potential Contractor during the selection process, unless otherwise authorized by the RFP Point of Contact. Vendors may be disqualified for violating this restriction on communications. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL SUBMISSION, DEADLINE, AND LOCATION INSTRUCTIONS Page 10 of 56 Validity of Proposal Proposals must be valid for one hundred and eighty (180) days following the deadline for submission of Proposals in the Schedule of Events, or until the Effective Date of any resulting Contract, whichever is later. Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT AND REQUIRED ITEMS Page 11 of 56 SECTION 3: PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT, AND REQUIRED ITEMS 3.1.Proposal Organization Proposals should adhere to the following outline. a. Cover Page b. Transmittal Form Letter c. Table of Contents d. Section I: Executive Summary e. Section II: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations f. Section III: Responses to Requirements and Deliverables g. Section IV: Narrative Responses h. Section V: Corporate Qualifications i. Section VI: Qualifications of Key Vendor staff j. Section VII: Vendor Attachments k. Section VIII: Vendor Risk Assessment Report (VRAR) 3.1.1. Cover Page The first page of the Vendor’s Proposal should be a cover page containing the following text: STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training and Emergency Medical Services RESPONSE TO RFP: FSTEMS-2023-038-Certification Testing Software Solution The cover page should also include the Vendor’s name, contact person, contact telephone number, address, city, state, zip code, fax number, and Email address. 3.1.2. Transmittal Form Letter The Vendor must submit a signed Transmittal Form Letter with their response using the Transmittal Form Letter template provided on the following page. Any electronic alteration to the content of this Transmittal Form Letter template is prohibited. Any such changes shall result in a Proposal being rejected. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT AND REQUIRED ITEMS Page 12 of 56 State of New Hampshire Proposal Transmittal Form Letter Company Name: ________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ __________________________________ To: Heather Clough, Business Administrator (603) 223-4200 Heather.C.Clough@dos.nh.gov RE: Proposal Invitation Name: Certification Testing Software Solution Proposal Number: 2023-038 Proposal Due Date and Time: February 16, 2023 3:00 PM ET To Whom It May Concern: Company Name: _________________________ hereby submits an offer to provide to the State of New Hampshire the Services indicated in 2023-038- Certification Testing Software Solution at the price(s) quoted in Vendor Response Section VII: Price Proposal, in complete accordance with all conditions of this RFP and all Specifications set forth in the RFP and in the P-37 State of New Hampshire General Provisions and Exhibits, identified in Appendix I. We attest to the fact that: 1. The company has reviewed and agreed to be bound by the RFP. 2. The company has not altered any of the language or other provisions contained in the RFP document. 3. The Proposal is effective for a period of 180 days from the RFP Closing Date or until the Effective Date of any resulting Contract, whichever is later. 4. The prices quoted in the Proposal were established without collusion with other vendors. 5. The Vendor has read and fully understands this RFP. Further, in accordance with RSA 21-I:11-c, the undersigned Vendor certifies that neither the Vendor nor any of its subsidiaries, affiliates or principal officers (principal officers refers to individuals with management responsibility for the entity or association): a. Has, within the past 2 years, been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, a violation of RSA 356:2, RSA 356:4, or any state or federal law or county or municipal ordinance prohibiting specified bidding practices, or involving antitrust violations, which has not been annulled; b. Has been prohibited, either permanently or temporarily, from participating in any public works project pursuant to RSA 638:20; c. Has previously provided false, deceptive, or fraudulent information on a vendor code number application form, or any other document submitted to the state of New Hampshire, which information was not corrected as of the time of the filing a bid, proposal, or quotation; d. Is currently debarred from performing work on any project of the federal government or the government of any state; e. Has, within the past 2 years, failed to cure a default on any contract with the federal government or the government of any state; f. Is presently subject to any order of the department of labor, the department of employment security, or any other state department, agency, board, or commission, finding that the applicant is not in compliance with the requirements of the laws or rules that the department, agency, board, or commission is charged with implementing; g. Is presently subject to any sanction or penalty finally issued by the department of labor, the department of employment security, or any other state department, agency, board, or commission, which sanction or penalty has not been fully discharged or fulfilled; h. Is currently serving a sentence or is subject to a continuing or unfulfilled penalty for any crime or violation noted in this section; STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT AND REQUIRED ITEMS Page 13 of 56 i. Has failed or neglected to advise the division of any conviction, plea of guilty, or finding relative to any crime or violation noted in this section, or of any debarment, within 30 days of such conviction, plea, finding, or debarment; or j. Has been placed on the debarred parties list described in RSA 21-I:11-c within the past year. This document shall be signed by a person who is authorized to legally obligate the responding Vendor. A signature on this document indicates that all State of New Hampshire terms and conditions are accepted by the responding Vendor and that any and all other terms and conditions submitted by the responding Vendor are null and void, even if such terms and conditions have terminology to the contrary. The responding Vendor shall also be subject to State of New Hampshire terms and conditions as stated on the reverse of the purchase order, if any. Our official point of contact is: _________________________________________________ Title: _____________________________________________________________________ Telephone: (___) ___-_______________ Email: __________________________________ Authorized Signature Printed: __________________________________________________ Authorized Signature: ________________________________________________________ STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT AND REQUIRED ITEMS Page 14 of 56 3.1.3. Table of Contents The Vendor must provide a table of contents with corresponding page numbers relating to its Proposal. 3.1.4. Section I: Executive Summary Section I shall provide an executive summary, not to exceed two (2) pages, identifying how the Vendor satisfies the goals of this RFP. The executive summary will also provide an overview of the Vendor’s proposed Solution and Services highlighting those factors that they believe distinguish their Proposal. 3.1.5. Section II: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Section II shall provide a glossary of all terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in the Vendor’s Proposal. 3.1.6. Section III: Responses to System Requirements and Deliverables Section III shall include the response tables from the Business/Technical Requirements and Deliverables Appendix. The Vendor must document the ability to meet the Requirements and Deliverables of this RFP. 3.1.7. Section IV: Narrative Responses Section IV solicits narrative responses describing the Software, Technical, Services and Project Management topics defined for this RFP Project. The Topic for Mandatory Responses Appendix is organized into sections, which correspond to the different aspects of the scoring process of the proposal. Discussion of each topic must begin on a new page. 3.1.8. Section V: Corporate Qualifications Section V shall provide the corporate qualifications of the Vendor and any Subcontractors proposed to participate in the Project. Specific information to be provided is described in the Standards for Describing Vendor Qualifications Appendix. 3.1.9. Section VI: Qualifications of Key Vendor Staff Section VI shall be used to provide required information on the Vendor’s Key Project Staff. Specific information to be provided is described in the Standards for Describing Vendor Qualifications Appendix. 3.1.10. Section VII: Vendor Attachments Section VII provides for extra materials as referenced in the Topic for Mandatory responses Appendix such as Product Literature, Ad Hoc/Federal Reporting, Interface Standards, Testing (For UAT Plan) and Status Meetings and Reports. 3.1.11. Section VIII: Vendor Risk Assessment Report (VRAR) Section VIII shall include a completed Vendor Risk Assessment Report (VRAR). STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Page 15 of 56 SECTION 4: EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS 4.1.Criteria for Evaluation and Scoring Each responsive Proposal will be evaluated and considered with regard to the Solution and Services proposed, qualifications of the Vendor and any Subcontractors, experience and qualifications of proposed candidates, and cost. If the Agency determines to make an award, the Agency will begin negotiations with a Vendor based on these evaluations. Should the Agency be unable to reach agreement with the high scoring Vendor during Contract discussions, the Agency may then undertake Contract discussions with the next high scoring Vendor and so on; or the Agency may reject all proposals, cancel this RFP, or solicit new Proposals under a new acquisition process. The Agency will use a scoring scale of one thousand (1000) Points. Points will be distributed as set forth in the table below. SCORING TABLE CATEGORIES POINTS Adherence to Mandatory Requirements Pass/Fail Proposed Software Solution 500 Points Vendor’s Technical, Service and Project Management Experience 100 Points Vendor Company 75 Points Staffing Qualifications 25 Points Price Proposal Potential Maximum Points 300 Points TOTAL POTENTIAL MAXIMUM POINTS AWARDED one thousand (1000) The Agency will select a Vendor based upon the criteria and standards contained in this RFP and from applying the weighting in this section. Oral interviews and reference checks, to the extent they are utilized by the Agency, will be used to refine and finalize technical scores. 4.2.Scoring Detail 4.2.1. Scoring of the Proposed Software Solution STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Page 16 of 56 The Vendor’s Proposed Software Solution will be allocated a maximum score of 500 Points. The main purpose of this section is to measure how well the Solution meets the business needs of the Agency. Scoring is primarily measured using vendor responses in the following sections: a. Proposal Section III: Responses to Requirements and Deliverables b. Proposal Section IV: Narrative Responses c. Vendor Presentation and Demonstration (if applicable) 4.2.2. Scoring of Vendor Technical, Service, and Project Management Experience Vendor proposed Technical, Service, and Project Management Experience will be allocated a maximum score of 100 Points. In this section, the State will score the technical merits of how the Vendor will carry out the Implementation and maintenance of the Solution. Technical details of the System including security and protection of data, proposed training administrative procedures, how the Vendor manages its team and the Project will be critical. How compatible the Vendor’s procedures and technologies are with the State contribute to an assessment of risk both in the short and long term. Scoring is primarily measured using vendor responses in the following sections: a. Proposal Section III: Responses to Requirements and Deliverables b. Proposal Section IV: Narrative Responses c. Proposed Work Plan d. References 4.2.3. Scoring of Vendor Company Vendor Company qualifications will be allocated a maximum score of 75 points. It must be established that the Vendor Company is capable of carrying out the Project through Implementation, the Warranty Period and the maintenance period. Scoring is primarily measured using vendor responses in the following sections: a. Proposal Section V: Corporate Qualifications b. References 4.2.4. Scoring of Vendor Staffing Qualifications Vendor’s Staff must have the training and experience to support the Vendor’s plans to implement and support the System. Vendor’s Staff qualifications will be allocated a maximum score of 25 points. Scoring is primarily measured using vendor responses in the following sections: a. Proposal Section VI: Qualifications of Key Staff b. Vendor Presentations & Demonstrations (if applicable) c. References 4.2.5. Scoring the Software Solution Price The Vendor’s Software Solution price will be allocated a maximum score of 300 points. The State will consider both Five (5) years from implementation and subsequent Two (2) optional years License and maintenance costs as well as the costs associated in Appendix E - Pricing. The price information required in a Proposal is intended to provide a sound basis for comparing costs. The STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Page 17 of 56 cost point formula described in the Price Proposal Review section will be utilized for this scoring portion. 4.3.Planned Evaluations The Agency plans to use the following process: a. Initial screening to ensure that the Proposals are in compliance with submission requirements; b. Preliminary evaluation of the Proposals; c. Oral interviews and Product Demonstrations (if applicable); d. Final Evaluation of Technical Proposals and scoring; e. Review of Price Proposals and scoring; and f. Select the highest scoring Vendor and begin contract negotiation. 4.3.1. Initial Screening The Agency will conduct an initial screening step to verify Vendor compliance with the submission requirements set forth in the RFP and the minimum content set forth in the Proposal Format, Content and Required Items within this RFP. The Agency may waive or offer a limited opportunity to cure immaterial deviations from the RFP requirements if it is determined to be in the best interest of the State. A Proposal that fails to satisfy either submission requirements or minimum standards may be rejected without further consideration. 4.3.2. Preliminary Technical Scoring of Proposals The Agency will establish independent evaluation teams to perform the initial proposal evaluation, one to evaluate the Technical Proposal and one to evaluate the Price proposal. An initial screening and certification that the vendor solution meets the list of the mandatory requirements and functions as provided in Appendix B-1. Statement of Work; should a vendor fail to meet the seven (7) minimum solution functionality, it will receive no further consideration from the evaluation team and the Vendor’s Price Proposal will remain unopened. Price Proposals will remain unopened during the preliminary technical review, Oral Interviews and Product Demonstrations. Adherence to Requirements (Pass/Fail): The Vendor must certify to the State that they meet 90% of the mandatory requirements as identified in DOS RFP 2023-038 Attachment A Business- Technical Requirements.xlsx. A proportion of the 700 technical points will be allocated for the scoring of mandatory requirements whilst the rest will be reserved to allow scoring for optional requirements. 4.3.3. Oral Interviews and Product Demonstrations At the Agency’s discretion, Vendors may be invited to oral interviews and/or product demonstrations including demonstrations of any proposed automated systems or technology components. The Agency retains the sole discretion to determine whether to conduct oral interviews and product demonstrations, with which Vendors, the number of interviews and the length of time provided for the interview and Product demonstration. The Agency may decide to conduct oral interviews and product demonstrations with less than all responsive Vendors. The purpose of oral interviews and product demonstrations is to clarify and expound upon information provided in the written Proposals. Vendors are prohibited from altering the basic substance of their Proposals during the oral interviews and product demonstrations. The Agency STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Page 18 of 56 may ask the Vendor to provide written clarifications of elements in their Technical Proposal regardless of whether it intends to conduct oral interviews. Information gained from oral interviews and product demonstrations will be used to refine technical review scores assigned from the initial review of the Proposals. All costs associated with oral presentations/interviews shall be borne entirely by the Vendor. 4.3.4. Final Scoring of Technical Proposals Following Oral Interviews, Product Demonstrations, Reference Checks (if appropriate) and/or review of written clarifications of proposals requested by the Agency, the evaluation team will determine a final score for each Technical Proposal. 4.3.5. Price Proposal Review and Scoring Price proposals will be reviewed as the same time of the Technical Proposals. The Vendor’s Price Proposal will be allocated a maximum potential score of 300 points. Vendors are advised that this is not a low bid award and that the scoring of the price proposal will be combined with the scoring of the Technical Proposal to determine the overall highest scoring Vendor. The following formula will be used to assign points for Price: Vendor’s Price Score = (Lowest Proposed Price / Vendor’s Proposed Price) x Maximum Number of Points for price proposal. For the purpose of use of this formula, the lowest proposed price is defined as the lowest price proposed by a Vendor who has scored above the minimum necessary for consideration on the Technical Score. 4.4.No Best and Final Offer The Proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the Vendor can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure. The Vendor should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or the entire Proposal. 4.5.Rights of the Agency in Accepting and Evaluating Proposals The Agency reserves the right to: a. Make independent investigations in evaluating Proposals; b. Request additional information to clarify elements of a Proposal; c. Waive minor or immaterial deviations from the RFP requirements, if determined to be in the best interest of the State; d. Omit any planned evaluation step if, in the Agency’s view, the step is not needed; e. At its sole discretion, reject any and all Proposals at any time; and f. Open contract discussions with the second highest scoring Vendor and so on, if the Agency is unable to reach an agreement on Contract terms with the higher scoring Vendor(s). STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Page 19 of 56 Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS Page 20 of 56 SECTION 5: TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS 5.1 RFP Addendum The Agency reserves the right to amend this RFP at its discretion, prior to the Proposal submission deadline. In the event of an addendum to this RFP, the Agency, at its sole discretion, may extend the Proposal submission deadline, as it deems appropriate. 5.2 Non-Collusion The Vendor’s signature on a Proposal submitted in response to this RFP guarantees that the prices, terms and conditions, and Work quoted have been established without collusion with other Vendors and without effort to preclude the Agency from obtaining the best possible competitive Proposal. 5.3 Property of the State All material received in response to this RFP shall become the property of the State and will not be returned to the Vendor. Upon Contract award, the State reserves the right to use any information presented in any Proposal. 5.4 Confidentiality of a Proposal The substance of a proposal must remain confidential until the Effective Date of any Contract resulting from this RFP. A Vendor’s disclosure or distribution of Proposals other than to the Agency without the Agency’s prior consent may be grounds for disqualification. 5.5 Public Disclosure In general, the State is obligated to make public the information submitted in response to this RFP (including all materials submitted in connection with it, such as attachments, exhibits, addenda, and presentations), any resulting contract, and information provided during the contractual relationship. The Right-to-Know law (RSA 91-A) obligates the State to conduct an independent analysis of the confidentiality of the information submitted, regardless of whether it is marked confidential. In addition, the Governor and Council (G&C) contract approval process more specifically requires that pricing be made public and that any contract reaching the G&C agenda for approval be posted online. Disclosure of Information Submitted in Response to RFP Information submitted in response to this RFP is subject to public disclosure under the Right-to- Know law after the award of a contract by G&C. At the time of closing date for Proposals, the State will post the number of responses received with no further information. Pursuant to RSA 21-G:37, the State will also post the name and rank or score of each Vendor pursuant to the timeliness requirements therein. Notwithstanding the Right-to-Know law, no information concerning the contracting process, including, but not limited to information related to proposals, communications between the parties or contract negotiations, shall be available until a contract is approved by G&C, or, if the contract does not require G&C approval, until the contract has been actually awarded. This means unsuccessful Vendors shall not be notified of the outcome until that time. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS Page 21 of 56 Confidential, commercial, or financial information may be exempt from public disclosure under RSA 91-A:5, IV. If a Vendor believes any information submitted in response to this request for proposal should be kept confidential, the Vendor must specifically identify that information where it appears in the submission in a manner that draws attention to the designation and must mark/stamp each page of the materials that the Vendor claims must be exempt from disclosure as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Vendors must also provide a letter to the person listed as the point of contact for this RFP, identifying the specific page number and section of the information you consider to be confidential, commercial or financial and providing your rationale for each designation. Marking or designating an entire proposal, attachment or section as confidential shall neither be accepted nor honored by the State. Vendors must also provide a separate copy of the full and complete document, fully redacting those portions and shall note on the applicable page or pages that the redacted portion or portions are “confidential.” Submissions which do not conform to these instructions by failing to include a redacted copy (if necessary), by failing to include a letter specifying the rationale for each redaction, by failing to designate the redactions in the manner required by these instructions, or by including redactions which are contrary to these instructions or operative law may be rejected by the State as not conforming to the requirements of the proposal. Pricing, which includes but is not limited to, the administrative costs and other performance guarantees in Proposals or any subsequently awarded contract shall be subject to public disclosure regardless of whether it is marked as confidential. Notwithstanding a Vendor’s designations, the State is obligated under the Right-to-Know law to conduct an independent analysis of the confidentiality of the information submitted in a proposal. If a request is made to the State by any person or entity to view or receive copies of any portion of the proposal, the State shall first assess what information it is obligated to release. The State will then notify you that a request has been made, indicate what, if any, information the State has assessed is confidential and will not be released, and specify the planned release date of the remaining portions of the proposal. To halt the release of information by the State, a Vendor must initiate and provide to the State, prior to the date specified in the notice, a court action in the Superior Court of the State of New Hampshire, at its sole expense, seeking to enjoin the release of the requested information. By submitting a proposal, Vendors acknowledge and agree that: a. The State may disclose any and all portions of the proposal or related materials which are not marked as confidential and/or which have not been specifically explained in the letter to the person identified as the point of contact for this RFP; b. The State is not obligated to comply with a Vendor’s designations regarding confidentiality and must conduct an independent analysis to assess the confidentiality of the information submitted in your proposal; and c. The State may, unless otherwise prohibited by court order, release the information on the date specified in the notice described above without any liability to a Vendor. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS Page 22 of 56 5.6 Electronic Posting of Resulting Contract RSA 91-A obligates disclosure of contracts resulting from responses to RFPs. As such, the Secretary of State provides to the public any document submitted to G&C for approval, and posts those documents, including the contract, on its website. Further, RSA 9-F:1 requires that contracts stemming from RFPs be posted online. By submitting a proposal, Vendors acknowledge and agree that, in accordance with the above-mentioned statutes and policies, (and regardless of whether any specific request is made to view any document relating to this RFP), any contract resulting from this RFP that is submitted to G&C for approval will be made accessible to the public online via the State’s website. 5.7 Non-Commitment Notwithstanding any other provision of this RFP, this RFP does not commit the Agency to award a Contract. The Agency reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any and all Proposals, or any portions thereof, at any time; to cancel this RFP; and to solicit new Proposals under a new acquisition process. 5.8 Proposal Preparation Cost By submitting a Proposal, a Vendor agrees that in no event shall the Agency be either responsible for or held liable for any costs incurred by a Vendor in the preparation of or in connection with the Proposal, or for work performed prior to the Effective Date of a resulting Contract. 5.9 Ethical Requirements From the time this RFP is published until a contract is awarded, no bidder shall offer or give, directly or indirectly, any gift, expense reimbursement, or honorarium, as defined by RSA 15-B, to any elected official, public official, public employee, constitutional official, or family member of any such official or employee who will or has selected, evaluated, or awarded an RFP, or similar submission. Any bidder that violates RSA 21-G:38 shall be subject to prosecution for an offense under RSA 640:2. Any bidder who has been convicted of an offense based on conduct in violation of this section, which has not been annulled, or who is subject to a pending criminal charge for such an offense, shall be disqualified from bidding on the RFP, or similar request for submission and every such bidder shall be disqualified from bidding on any RFP or similar request for submission issued by any State agency. A bidder that was disqualified under this section because of a pending criminal charge which is subsequently dismissed, results in an acquittal, or is annulled, may notify the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), which shall note that information on the list maintained on the State’s internal intranet system, except in the case of annulment, the information, shall be deleted from the list. 5.10 Debarment Vendors who are ineligible to bid on proposals, bids or quotes issued by the Department of Administrative Services, Division of Procurement and Support Services pursuant to the provisions of RSA 21-I:11-c shall not be considered eligible for an award under this proposal. 5.11 Challenges on Form or Process of the RFP A bidder questioning the Agency’s identification of the selected Vendor may request that the Agency review its selection process. Such request shall be made in writing and be received by the Agency within 5 (five) business days after the rank or score is posted on the agency website. The request shall specify all points on which the bidder believes the Agency erred in its process and shall contain such argument STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS Page 23 of 56 in support of its position as the bidder seeks to present. In response, the issuing Agency shall review the process it followed for evaluating responses and, within 5 (five) business days of receiving the request for review, issue a written response either affirming its initial selection of a Vendor or canceling the bid. In its request for review, a bidder shall not submit, and an Agency shall not accept nor consider, any substantive information that was not included by the bidder in its original bid response. No hearing shall be held in conjunction with a review. The outcome of the Agency's review shall not be subject to appeal. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution SECTION 6 - CONTRACT TERMS AND AWARD Page 24 of 56 SECTION 6: CONTRACT TERMS AND AWARD 6.1 Non-Exclusive Contract Any resulting Contract from this RFP will be a Non-Exclusive Contract. The State reserves the right, at its discretion, to retain other contractors to provide any of the Services or Deliverables identified under this procurement or make an award by item, part or portion of an item, group of items, or total Proposal. 6.2 Award Any resulting Contract is contingent upon approval of the Contract by Governor and Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire and upon continued appropriation of funding for the Contract. 6.3 Anticipated Contract Term The Vendor shall be fully prepared to commence work after full execution of the Contract by the parties, and the receipt of required governmental approvals, including, but not limited to, Governor and Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire approval (“Effective Date”). The Vendor’s initial term will begin on the Effective Date for a term of five (5) years. In addition, the Contract shall provide an option to extend the contract for an additional two (2) years (“Extended Term”) at the sole option of the State, subject to the parties’ prior written agreement on terms and applicable fees for each extended Contract Term, contingent upon satisfactory vendor performance, continued funding and Governor and Executive Council approval. 6.4 Standard Contract Terms The Agency will require the successful bidder to execute a Not to Exceed Contract. The P-37 State of New Hampshire General Provisions and Exhibits, identified in Appendix I will form the basis of any Contract resulting from this RFP. To the extent that a Vendor believes that exceptions to the standard form Contract will be necessary for the Vendor to enter into the Agreement, the Vendor should note those issues during the Vendor Inquiry Period. The Agency will review requested exceptions and accept, reject or note that it is open to negotiation of the proposed exception at its sole discretion. If the Agency accepts a Vendor’s exception the Agency will, at the conclusion of the inquiry period, provide notice to all potential Vendors of the exceptions which have been accepted and indicate that exception is available to all potential Vendors. Any exceptions to the standard form contract that are not raised during the Vendor inquiry period are waived. In no event is a Vendor to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions as a replacement for the State’s terms in response to this solicitation. 6.4.1. Contract Negotiations and Unsuccessful Bidder Notice If a Vendor is selected, the State will notify the selected Vendor in writing of their selection and the State’s desire to enter into contract discussions. Until the State successfully completes discussions with the selected Vendor, all submitted Proposals remain eligible for selection by the State. In the event contract discussions are unsuccessful with the selected Vendor, the evaluation team may recommend another Vendor. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution SECTION 6 - CONTRACT TERMS AND AWARD Page 25 of 56 6.4.2. Subcontractors The Vendor shall remain wholly responsible for performance of the entire Contract regardless of whether a Subcontractor is used. The State will consider the Vendor to be the sole point of contact with regard to all contractual matters, including payment of any and all charges resulting from any Contract. 6.5 Related Documents Required The selected Vendor will be required to submit the following documents prior to Contract approval: a. Certificate of Good Standing obtained by the Secretary of State of New Hampshire. b. Certificate of Authority/Vote - The Certificate of Authority/Vote authorizes, by position, a representative(s) of your corporation to enter into an Agreement or amendment with the State of New Hampshire. c. Certificate of Insurance - Certificate of Insurance evidencing coverage as required under the Contract. d. Workers’ Compensation coverage must comply with State of NH RSA 281-A. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX A - VENDOR CONFERENCE REQUIREMENTS Page 26 of 56 APPLICABLE Applicable A non-mandatory but highly recommended Vendor Conference will be hosted online through video conference on the date and at the time identified in Section 1: Schedule of Events: All Vendors who intend to submit Proposals are encouraged to attend the Vendor Conference. Conference numbers will be emailed to registrants upon request. Vendors are requested to RSVP via email by the date identified in Section 1: Schedule of Events, indicating the number of individuals who will attend the Vendor Conference. Vendors are allowed a maximum of three (3) attending by teleconference. Vendors will have an opportunity to ask questions about the RFP and the State will make a reasonable attempt to answer questions it deems appropriate. Questions may include, without limitation, a request for clarification of the RFP; a request for changes to the RFP; suggestions or changes to the RFP that could improve the RFP competition or lower the offered price; and to review any applicable Documentation. Vendors are encouraged to email inquiries at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the Vendor Conference. No responses will be given prior to the Vendor Conference. Oral answers will not be binding on the State. The State’s final response to Vendor inquiries and any requested changes to terms and conditions raised during the Vendor Inquiry Period will be posted to the Department of Administrative Services website by the date specified as the final State responses to Vendor inquiries as specified in Section 1: Schedule of Events. Vendors are responsible for any costs associated with attending the Vendor Conference. Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX B BUSINESS / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES Page 27 of 56 The ideal solution must provide enhanced functionality for Division of Fire Standards & Training personnel in the development, administration, scoring and grading of exams, and allows for easy mining of data for statistical analysis. This solution will greatly enhance the division personnel’s ability to create exams, modify test questions for accuracy and compliance while tracking those changes, seamlessly incorporate NFPA references, and deliver exams results more efficiently. In order to meet the needs of Division of Fire Standards & Training the following is considered minimum solution functionality and must be met to be considered for the RFP: 1. Solution must have a function/templates to manually create exams and select test questions for various disciplines and cross curriculums from various question banks and manually create multiple versions of the same exam for various disciplines and cross curriculums from various question banks. 2. Solution must be cloud based accessible via a variety of browsers such as FireFox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, and with a range of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. 3. Solution must be able to generate paper tests or provide exams to students in an offline environment where there is little to no connectivity. 4. Solution must have an electronic function or tool to grade paper tests (ex. OCR). 5. Solution must be flexible enough to allow multiple vendors to supply test questions. 6. Solution must provide statistics and data to calculate p(diff). P(diff) refers to difficulty and calculates the percentage of students who answer a question correctly. 7. Solution must have system credential roles that allow an internal user to modify questions from imported question banks to include edit, add, delete, etc. for compliance and accuracy while tracking all the changes made sequentially. The Vendor shall provide its Services to the State and its end users solely from data centers within the Continental United States. All storage, processing and transmission of State Data shall be restricted to information technology systems within the Continental United States. The Vendor shall not allow its personnel or sub-contractors to store State data on portable devices, including STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX B BUSINESS / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES Page 28 of 56 personal computers, except as specified and allowed by the Contract, and then only on devices that are used and kept at its data centers within the Continental United States. The Vendor shall permit its personnel and contractors to access State data remotely only to provide technical support and as specified or required by the Contract. Business and Technical Requirements are identified in the Business and Technical Requirements Workbook attachment. Vendors shall review the instructions and complete the workbook. Vendor shall be responsible for meeting the Deliverables, Activities and/or Milestones identified in Table B-3: Deliverables. Table B-3: Deliverables DELIVERABLES ACTIVITY, DELIVERABLE, OR MILESTONE DELIVERABLE TYPE PLANNING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT 1 Implementation Plan To include: Work Plan, Implementation, Change Management, Interfaces, etc. Written 2 Software Configuration Plan Written 3 Security Plan Written 4 Testing Plan Written 5 Data Conversion Plan and Design Written 6 Comprehensive Training Plan and Curriculum Written 7 End User Support Plan Written 8 Documentation of Operational Procedures Written INSTALLATION 9 Provide access to Software, Configured, and Operational to Satisfy State Requirements Software TESTING 10 Conduct User Acceptance Testing Non-Software 11 Perform Production Tests Non-Software SYSTEM DEPLOYMENT 12 Conduct Training Non-Software 13 Cutover to New Software Non-Software OPERATIONS 14 Ongoing Hosting Support Non-Software 15 Ongoing Support & Maintenance Software STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX B BUSINESS / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES Page 29 of 56 Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 30 of 56 This section provides a series of technical topics that the State of New Hampshire will consider in selecting a Solution for this RFP. Responses provided should be relevant to the Project described within this RFP. Vendors must limit narrative responses describing the Software, Technical, Services and Project Management topics defined for this Project. The following table identifies specific topics for narratives. A page limit is identified for each topic. If a response to a topic exceeds the page limit, the State will limit its consideration to the prescribed page limit. TABLE C: Topics PAGE LIMIT C-1 Proposed Solution Topic 1 – Description of Solution 7 - Attachment Unlimited (optional) Topic 2 – Technical Architecture 5 Topic 3 – Enhancements and New Releases 5 Topic 4 – Data Import/Export Standards 3 - Include Attachment C-2 Vendor’s Technical, Service and Project Management Experience C-2.1 Security and Protection of Data Topic 5 – System Security 10 Topic 6 – Security Testing 3 Topic 7 – Historical Data 5 C-2.2 State Personnel and Training Topic 8 – User Training Approach 3 Topic 9 – Preparation and Expectations of State Staff 4 C-2.3 Project Execution Topic 10 – Implementation Approach 10 Topic 11 – Testing Management 6 Topic 12 – Migration Strategy 3 C-2.4 Project Management Topic 13 – System Acceptance Criteria 6 Topic 14 – Work Plan, Status Meetings and Reports No Limit Topic 15 – Risk and Issue Management 3 Topic 16 – Scope Control 2 Topic 17 – Quality Assurance Approach 6 C-2.5 Ongoing Operations For Vendor Hosted Solution Topic 18 – Hosted System 5 Topic 19 – Backup and Recovery 2 Topic 20 – Support and Maintenance for Vendor Hosted System 2 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 31 of 56 TOPIC 1 DESCRIPTION OF SOLUTION The State will evaluate whether the proposed Solution includes the required features. 1. Provide a detailed description of your proposed Solution, including features and functionality. 2. Describe how your Solution meets the business requirements in B-2 Business Requirements/Technical Requirements. 3. Provide an attachment with product literature describing the functionality of the proposed Software. TOPIC 2 TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE The State will evaluate the degree to which the architecture can be supported over an extended period, including the ease of support. 1. Describe the technical architecture (software and hosting) of the proposed Solution. 2. How will the proposed software Solution be accessed? Which specific browsers are supported? 3. Describe any add-on or third-party Software required. 4. Describe any hardware requirements associated with the hardware Solution. 5. Describe any additional software that will be required on end-point devices and the access authorization level required to install it. 6. Describe the degree to which the proposed Solution meets the requirements of RSA chapter 21-R:10, 21-R:11, 21-R:13. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/i/21-r/21-r-mrg.htm TOPIC 3 ENHANCEMENTS AND NEW RELEASES The State will evaluate the degree to which the solution appears likely to evolve and the burden, if any, of keeping pace with the expected evolution. 1. Discuss the following aspects of anticipated future releases of the proposed Solution. Coverage should include but not be limited to the following: 2. What types (maintenance, Enhancement, other) of releases are planned? 3. How is the content of future releases determined? Required maintenance, security, user input? 4. Are Enhancements made for specific clients included in future releases for all clients? 5. What specific Enhancements are planned for release within the next 24 months? 6. How is the content of a release communicated to the client? TOPIC 4 DATA IMPORT/EXPORT STANDARDS The State will evaluate the ease of interfacing with our current Data import and export layouts for Data exchange. 1. Provide a detailed description of the mechanism and tools included in the proposed System to enable Interfaces defined in B-2 Business Requirements/Technical Requirements. 2. What types of Interfaces are possible with the proposed System (On-line, batch, etc.)? http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/i/21-r/21-r-mrg.htm STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 32 of 56 3. What standard Interface formats are used with the proposed Software. What degree of flexibility is available? TOPIC 5 SYSTEM SECURITY The State will evaluate the degree to which the proposed System is designed and architected to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of its valued asset, Data. 1. Describe the System security design and architectural features incorporated into the proposed Software Describe the System assurance provisions incorporated into the proposed Software. At a minimum, discuss the following: 1. What process or methodology is employed within the proposed Software to ensure Data integrity? 2. To what degree does your approach rely on System assurance capabilities? 3. If multiple Databases are employed, what extra procedures are employed to ensure synchronization among Databases? TOPIC 6 SECURITY TESTING The State will evaluate the Vendor’s approach to Security Testing. 1. Describe the testing tools and methodologies used for testing the security of the Software Application and Hosting environment. 2. How can you ensure the security and confidentiality of the State Data collected on the system? 3. What security validation Documentation will be shared with the State? 4. Do you use internal or external resources to conduct Security Testing? TOPIC 7 HISTORICAL DATA The State will evaluate the degree to which the proposed Solution provides for the ability to view historical transactions. 1. Describe your experience with organizations similar to FSTEMS and discuss what historical Data they have and have not converted/migrated into the new system. 2. How many years of historical Data is typically converted in a project similar to this one? TOPIC 8 USER TRAINING APPROACH The State will evaluate whether the training approach is likely to prepare users adequately to use the new System from the day of deployment, including maximum knowledge transfer to allow the State to conduct its own training in the future. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 33 of 56 1. Describe in detail the options for Vendor-supplied training. Include a proposed training schedule, training topics, and options for participation (e.g., in-person, webinars, one-on-one, on-line on-demand) that you would provide. 2. Describe in detail the Documentation that is available to support the training of users of your proposed Solution. Include help screens, On-line or printable manuals and Knowledge bases. If any of these resources would need to be developed or modified for your proposed Solution include a timeline for their availability. If there are access restrictions on any of this material indicate what those restrictions are. TOPIC 9 PREPARATION AND EXPECTATIONS OF STATE STAFF INCLUDING TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER The State will evaluate whether the provisions to prepare State staff participating in the Project will enable the staff to contribute appropriately and the State will evaluate requirements for State staff to support the system after Implementation. 1. Describe how State staff assigned to the Project Team will be involved throughout the Project, including design meetings, decision making, and scope control. 2. Provide recommendations for State staff requirements to maintain the system after Implementation (skill, # of resources, etc.) TOPIC 10 IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH The State will evaluate the quality of analysis, reasonableness, and flexibility evident in the proposed Implementation approach. 1. Provide one or more feasible Implementation Plans. For each plan provided: 2. Identify timeframes for major milestones, including timing for discontinuing legacy Systems; TOPIC 11 TESTING MANAGEMENT The Contractor shall provide end-to-end planning and preparation for testing and Acceptance of solutions throughout the Project using an industry standard methodology. This shall include training, a detailed testing methodology which covers all “areas of testing” (refer to Terms and Definitions), security, required staffing with clear roles and responsibilities, test cases and scripting with associated Data, status and results Reporting. The Test Plan defined shall ensure designed and implemented Solutions are fully supported, tested, and documented. It is anticipated that the following testing phases will be included in the Project described in this RFP. The State will evaluate the quality of testing approach used by the Vendor. 1. Describe in detail the end to end testing methodology you propose for this Project. 2. Describe testing tools that will be used as part of the Solution testing. Will these tools be available to the State or will the State be required to purchase tools? 3. What support will be provided to prepare State staff prior to and during Acceptance Testing? (Training, user Documentation, staff on site, remote support, etc.) 4. Provide a sample User Acceptance Test Plan from a completed project as an appendix. 5. Outline your methodology for Security and Penetration Testing and provide confirmation that it is NIST SP800-115 compliant. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 34 of 56 TOPIC 12 MIGRATION STRATEGY The State will evaluate the degree to which the Vendor will ensure that Data conversion is effective and impacts State staff to the minimum extent possible. 1. It is our assumption that the Data Conversion/Migration Plan is a Deliverable that will ultimately lay out the plan required to convert and migrate Data from FSTEMS legacy system to the new environment. Discuss your high-level approach to carrying out Data conversion/migration activities. Be sure to discuss software tools and processes used to support this effort. a. At a minimum, we expect to convert approximately 7,500 certification questions from the LXR platform into the new System. Discuss how you will convert, integrate and validate this historical data. 2. Discuss your approach to working with the Agency to document a Data conversion/migration plan and process. Describe how you will determine how much historical Data is available and what is appropriate to be made available within the new system. 3. Define expectations for State and Vendor roles during the development of the Data conversion/migration plan and process. TOPIC 13 SYSTEM ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA The State will evaluate whether proposed Acceptance criteria will assure the State that the new System is functioning effectively before being turned over for State for User Acceptance Testing. 1. Propose measurable criteria for State final Acceptance of the System. TOPIC 14 WORK PLAN, STATUS MEETINGS AND REPORTS The State will evaluate whether the Vendor’s preliminary proposed Work Plan includes a description of the Schedule, tasks, Deliverables, major milestones, task dependencies, and a payment Schedule. The Work Plan shall also address resource allocations (both State and Vendor team members). This narrative should reflect current Project Management “best practices” and be consistent with narratives on other topics. The Software to be used to support the ongoing management of the Project should also be described in the Work Plan. Additionally, the State will evaluate the degree to which Project Reporting will serve the needs of State Project leaders. 1. The State sees a Work Plan as essential to reaching a comprehensive agreement with a Vendor. Consequently, the State will seek to refine the proposed Work Plan prior to Contract approval with the selected Vendor and to incorporate the refined Work Plan by reference into a Contract. 2. Provide a preliminary Work Plan depicting tasks, task dependencies, Schedule, milestones/critical events, Deliverables, and payment Schedule. Include the Deliverables outlined in Appendix B (Business/Technical Requirements and Deliverables), appropriate status meetings and Reports, and include other Deliverables that you, based on past experience, would recommend be developed on this Project. TOPIC 15 PROJECT RISK AND ISSUE MANAGEMENT The State will evaluate the extent to which the proposed approach will contribute to the timely identification and effective action on project issues and risks. The State will also evaluate whether the STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 35 of 56 approach recognizes and addresses appropriate State involvement in project risk and issue management. 1. Provide proposed methodologies for project risk and issue management. Discuss State and Vendor responsibilities. The State seeks a clear means to compare planned versus actual status, including percentages, at a sufficiently detailed level to ensure the State can adequately monitor the progress of the Project. Be sure to identify any essential time constraints on State actions. Escalation procedures will be defined in a Contract between the State and the Vendor. TOPIC 16 SCOPE CONTROL The State will evaluate the degree to which proposed modifications in scope are scrutinized to ensure that only essential changes are approved. Evaluation will also address the quality and timeliness of information that will be available about a proposed scope change. 1. Demonstrate your firm’s ability to manage scope creep by discussing tools and methodologies, as well as past project experiences. TOPIC 17 QUALITY ASSURANCE APPROACH The State will evaluate the degree to which proposed procedures will ensure that Deliverables require limited modification when submitted for approval. 1. Describe the methodology that will be employed to assure that each type of Deliverable is of high quality before submission for State consideration (Written, Software, and Non-Software). Discussion should include but not be limited to; and 2. Testing of Software Deliverables prior to submission for Acceptance Testing. TOPIC 18 HOSTED SYSTEM Describe the service model being offered. 1. Service is Commercial Off the Shelf Software (COTS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform- as-a-service (PaaS), or Infrastructure-as-a-Services (IaaS). Refer to the glossary for definitions. 2. The State requires the service provider to use web services exclusively to Interface with the State of New Hampshire’s Data in near Real-Time when possible. Describe any client software or plug- in downloads that may be required. It is preferred the service provider’s relevant Data Center(s) are certified to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) level 3 ATO4 and/or Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) CSP5, and have independent annual SOC 2 Type 2 audits performed. 1. Provide Certifications and latest audit of the Data Center(s) being used in the Solution offered. 2. If Certifications and audits cannot be provided the service provider will be required to implement and maintain appropriate administrative, technical and organizational security measures to safeguard against unauthorized access, disclosure or theft of Personal Information and Non-Public Information. Such security measures must be in accordance with recognized industry practices such as in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Controls 800-53 Rev 4 where applicable. Describe controls including but not limited to: a. Data storage, Data Encryption, Data destruction, Data location, Data handling, STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 36 of 56 b. business continuity and disaster recovery plan; c. Security incident or Data Breach notification, d. change control and maintenance, e. patching and upgrades 3. Describe how the service provider will provide compliance to all Federal and State of New Hampshire laws, regulations, statutes, policies, standards, and best practices relevant to internet- based Hosting. 4. The State requires the system to be available 24/7/365 (with agreed-upon maintenance downtime), and for the Vendor to provide service to customers as defined in a Service Level Agreement (SLA) which will be developed and agreed to in the Contract phase. The State also requires the service provider to guarantee 99.9% uptime (excluding agreed-upon maintenance downtime). Describe how you will meet these requirements. TOPIC 19 BACKUP AND RECOVERY The State seeks a sound Backup and Recovery provision as part of the Solution. 1. Describe the tools used for Backup and Recovery of Applications and Data. 2. Describe timelines for scheduled backup of Data and Servers including the retention schedule. 3. Describe the impact of the proposed backup process on the operation of the System. TOPIC 20 SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE FOR VENDOR HOSTED SYSTEM The State will evaluate whether the Vendor’s proposed support and maintenance plan includes a description of the types and frequency of support, detailed maintenance tasks – including Scheduled maintenance and upgrades, and any other dependencies for on-going support and maintenance of the system. This narrative should reflect current “best practices” for these tasks. 1. Describe how the Software, and Database will be maintained in accordance with the Specifications, terms, and conditions of the RFP, including providing upgrades and fixes as required. 2. Describe the Help Desk Support that will be available to State staff including hours of operation, phone vs Email, access to technical support staff. 3. Detail the types and frequency of support tasks required. 4. Describe any different levels and or models of support and maintenance that you provide 5. Describe how the State will be informed of emergency maintenance or system outages? 6. Describe how the Vendor will ensure all hardware and Software components of the Vendor Hosting infrastructure will be fully supported by their respective manufacturers at all times. All critical patches for Operating Systems, Databases, web services, etc., shall be applied within sixty (60) days of release by their respective manufacturers. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX C TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES Page 37 of 56 Remainder of this page intentionally left blank. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX D STANDARDS FOR DESCRIBING VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS Page 38 of 56 Vendor qualifications are important factors in selecting Software and accompanying Implementation and Support Services. To facilitate evaluation of Vendor qualifications, the State seeks information about: a. Corporate qualifications of each Vendor proposed to participate in the Project; b. This Appendix identifies specific information that must be submitted. Describe the major business areas of the firm and length of time in business. Provide a high- level description of the firm’s organization and staff size. Discuss the firm’s commitment to the public sector, experience with this type of Project Implementation and experience in New Hampshire. D-2.1. Financial Strength Provide at least one of the following: a. The current Dunn & Bradstreet Report on the firm; b. The firm’s two most recent audited financial statements; and the firm’s most recent un- audited, quarterly financial statement; c. The firm's most recent income tax return. D-2.2. Litigation The relevance of involvement of the company in litigation will be considered. Identify and describe any claims made by clients during the last ten (10) years. Discuss merits, current status and, if available, outcome of each matter. D-2.3. Prior Project Descriptions Provide descriptions of no more than Three (3) similar projects completed in the last Five (5) years. Each project description should include: a. An overview of the project covering type of client, objective, project scope, role of the firm and outcome; D-2.4. Subcontractor Information Vendors must provide information on any Subcontractors proposed to work on this Project. Required information shall include but not be limited to: a. Identification of the proposed Subcontractor and a description of the major business areas of the firm and their proposed role on the Project; b. A high-level description of the Subcontractor’s organization and staff size; Provide an organizational chart depicting the Vendor Project Team. This chart should identify key staff required from the Vendor, any Subcontractors, and the State. Define the responsibilities and length of assignment for each of the roles depicted in the organizational chart. A single team member may be identified to fulfill the experience requirement in multiple areas. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX E PRICING Page 39 of 56 Vendor’s Price Proposal must be based on the worksheets formatted as described in this Appendix. The Vendor must assume all reasonable travel and related expenses. All labor rates will be “Fully Loaded”, including, but not limited to: meals, hotel/housing, airfare, car rentals, car mileage, and out- of-pocket expenses. Please utilize the following table to detail the required Software & Hosting costs associated with your Proposal. Table E-1.1. SOFTWARE & HOSTING LICENSE PRICING WORKSHEET SOFTWARE ITEM INITIAL COST 1 2 3 Total NOTE to Vendor: Key Assumption(s): Vendors should add/use a separate row for each Software License item proposed. Use the following table to provide a detailed listing of the annual operational costs of each Software product that is part of your Proposal, including operations, maintenance and support. This should not include the initial cost identified in the Software License Cost Table listed above. Table E-1.2. SOFTWARE OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, AND SUPPORT PRICING WORKSHEET SOFTWARE NAME SFY 1 SFY 2 SFY 3 SFY 4 SFY 5 Optional SFY 6 Optional SFY 7 Total NOTE to Vendor: Key Assumption(s): Vendors should add/use a separate row for each Software package proposed that requires annual support costs. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX E PRICING Page 40 of 56 Please complete the following table that should summarize all Implementation costs associated with your Proposal. Table E-1.3. IMPLEMENTATION COST SUMMARY PRICING WORKSHEET COST TABLE # COST TYPE TOTAL COST 1 E-1.1. Software & Hosting License Pricing (Total from Software License Pricing Worksheet) 2 E-1.2. Software Operations, Maintenance, and Support Pricing (Total from Software Operations, Maintenance, and Support Pricing Worksheet) Grand Total The State may request additional services from the selected Vendor and require rates in the event that additional services are required. The following format must be used to provide this information. The New Hampshire State Fiscal Year (SFY) runs from July 1 of the preceding calendar year through June 30 of the applicable calendar year. This information is for reference purposes only and will not be taken into account during our price proposal scoring. Table E-1.4. FUTURE VENDOR PRICING WORKSHEET VENDOR ROLE SFY 1 SFY 2 SFY 3 SFY 4 SFY 5 Optional SFY 6 Optional SFY 7 Project Manager Trainer Software Developer Total NOTE to Vendor: Key Assumption(s): Denote key roles by adding “(key)” to the ‘Name/Vendor’s Role’ column. Add as many rows as necessary to complete the full proposed team. Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX F DEFINITIONS Page 41 of 56 The following general contracting terms and definitions apply except as specifically noted elsewhere in this document. Term Definition Acceptance Notice from the State that a Deliverable has satisfied Acceptance Test or Review. Agreement A Contract duly executed and legally binding. Commercial Off The Shelf Software Software that is purchased from a vendor and is ready for use with little or no change. Confidential Information Information required to be kept Confidential and restricted from unauthorized disclosure under the Contract. “Confidential Information” or “Confidential Data” means all private/restricted confidential information disclosed by one party to the other such as all medical, health, financial, public assistance benefits and personal information including without limitation, Protected Health Information and Personally Identifiable Information. Confidential Information also includes any and all information owned or managed by the State of NH - created, received from or on behalf of any state agency or accessed in the course of performing contracted services - of which collection, disclosure, protection, and disposition is governed by state or federal law or regulation. This information includes, but is not limited to Personal Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Federal Tax Information (FTI), Social Security Numbers (SSN), Payment Card Industry (PCI), and or other sensitive and confidential information. Contract An agreement between the State of New Hampshire and a Vendor which creates binding obligations for each party to perform as specified in the contract documents. Contract documents include the State P-37 General Provisions, and all Exhibits and attachments, which represent the understanding and acceptance of the reciprocal legal rights and duties of the parties with respect to the Scope of Work. Data State records, files, forms, electronic information and other documents or information, in either electronic or paper form, that will be used /converted by the Vendor during the contract term. Data Breach “Data Breach” means the loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, unauthorized access, or any similar term referring to situations where persons other than authorized users and for an other than authorized purpose have access or potential access to personally identifiable information, whether physical or electronic. With regard to Protected Health Information, “Data Breach” shall have the same meaning as the term “Breach” in section 164.402 of Title 45, Code of Federal Regulations. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX F DEFINITIONS Page 42 of 56 Deficiency (-ies)/Defects A failure, shortcoming or error in a Deliverable resulting in a Deliverable, the Software, or the System, not conforming to its Specifications. Deliverable A Deliverable is any Written, Software, or Non-Software Deliverable (letter, report, manual, book, code, or other), provided by the Contractor to the State or under the terms of a Contract requirement. Documentation All information that describes the installation, operation, and use of the Software, either in printed or electronic format. Enhancements Updates, additions, modifications to, and new releases for the Software or System, and all changes to the Documentation as a result of improvement in quality, value, or extent. Hosted Services Applications, IT infrastructure components or functions that organizations access from external service providers, typically through an internet connection. Hosted System The combination of hardware, software and networking components used by the Application Service Provider to deliver the Hosted Services. Identification and Authentication Supports obtaining information about those parties attempting to log on to a system or application for security purposes and the validation of those users. Implementation The process for making the System fully Operational for processing the Data. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) The Contractor is responsible for ownership and management of the hardware that support the software, including servers, networking and storage. Non-Public Information Information, other than Personal Information, that is not subject to distribution to the public as public information. It is deemed to be sensitive and confidential by the State because it contains information that is exempt by statute, ordinance, agreement or administrative rule from access by the general public as public information. Open Source Software Software that guarantees the user unrestricted use of the Software as defined in RSA chapter 21-R:10 and RSA chapter 21-R:11. Operational Operational means that the System is ready for use and fully functional, all Data has been loaded; the System is available for use by the State in its daily operations, and the State has issued an Acceptance Letter. Personal Information “Personal Information” (or “PI”) or “Personally Identifiable Information” (PII) means information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, personal information as defined in New Hampshire RSA 359-C:19, biometric records, etc., alone, or when combined with other personal or identifying information which is linked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc. Project The planned undertaking regarding the entire subject matter of an RFP and Contract and the activities of the parties related hereto. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX F DEFINITIONS Page 43 of 56 Proposal A written plan put forth by a Vendor for consideration in response to a solicitation by the State. Security Incident “Incident” means an act that potentially violates an explicit or implied security policy, which includes attempts (either failed or successful) to gain unauthorized access to a system or its data, unwanted disruption or denial of service, the unauthorized use of a system for the processing or storage of data; and changes to system hardware, firmware, or software characteristics without the owner's knowledge, instruction, or consent. Incidents include the loss of data through theft or device misplacement, loss or misplacement of hardcopy documents, and misrouting of physical or electronic mail, all of which may have the potential to put the data at risk of unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or destruction. Services The work or labor to be performed by the Vendor on the Project as described in a contract. Software All Custom, SAAS and/or COTS Software provided by the Vendor under the Contract. Software Deliverables All Custom, SAAS and/or COTS Software and Enhancements. Software License Licenses provided to the State under this Contract. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) The capability provided to the State to use the Contractor’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin-client interface such as a Web browser (e.g., Web-based email) or a program interface. The State does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, Operating Systems, storage or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user- specific application configuration settings. Specifications The written details that set forth the requirements which include, without limitation, this RFP, the Proposal, the Contract, any performance standards, Documentation, applicable State and federal policies, laws and regulations, State technical standards, subsequent State-approved Deliverables, and other specifications and requirements described in the Contract Documents. The Specifications are, by this reference, made a part of the Contract as though completely set forth herein. State Data All Data created or in any way originating with the State, and all Data that is the output of computer processing of or other electronic manipulation of any Data that was created by or in any way originated with the State, whether such Data or output is stored on the State’s hardware, the Contractor’s hardware or exists in any system owned, maintained or otherwise controlled by the State or by the Contractor. State Fiscal Year (SFY) The New Hampshire State Fiscal Year (SFY) runs from July 1 of the preceding calendar year through June 30 of the applicable calendar year. Subcontractor A person, partnership, or company not in the employment of, or owned by, the Vendor, which is performing Services under this Contract under a separate Contract with or on behalf of the Vendor. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Safety- Division of Fire Standards & Training RFP 2023-038 – Certification Testing Software Solution APPENDIX F DEFINITIONS Page 44 of 56 Support Services The maintenance and technical support services provided by Contractor to the State during the Term of the Contract. System All Software, specified hardware, and interfaces and extensions, integrated and functioning together in accordance with the Specifications. Verification Supports the confirmation of authority to enter a computer system application or network. Warranty Period A period of coverage during which the Vendor is responsible for providing a guarantee for products and Services delivered as defined in the Contract. Work Plan Documentation that details the activities for the Project created in accordance with the Contract. The plan and delineation of tasks, activities and events to be performed and Deliverables to be produced under the Project as specified in Appendix B: Business/Technical Requirements and Deliverabl...