Title X Federal Reporting

1 Department of Buildings and General Services Agency of Administration Office of Purchasing & Contracting 133 State Street, 5th Floor | Montpelier VT 05633-8000 802-828-2211 phone |802-828-2222 fax http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing SEALED BID REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Title X Federal Reporting ISSUE DATE QUESTIONS DUE RFP RESPONSES DUE BY August 14,, 2023 August 25, 2023 -- 4:30 PM (EST) September 1, 2023 – 4:30 PM (EST) PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES, AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFP WILL BE POSTED AT: http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php THE STATE WILL MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT INTERESTED PARTIES WITH UPDATED INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH BIDDER TO PERIODICALLY CHECK THE ABOVE WEBPAGEFOR ANY AND ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFP.

STATE CONTACT: Kyle Emerson E-MAIL: kyle.emerson@vermont.gov USE SUBJECT : TITLE X FEDERAL REPORTING Revised July 28, 2022 Page 2 of 86 1. OVERVIEW: 1.1. SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) the Vermont Department of Health (hereinafter the “State”) is seeking to establish a contract with an experienced vendor that can provide a Software as a Service (SaaS), vendor hosted, data system for the Title X Family Planning Services Program to meet program requirements related to the Family Planning Annual Report 2.0 (FPAR 2.0). BACKGROUND The overarching goal of Vermont’s Title X Family Planning Service Program (Title X) is to provide high quality clinical family planning and related preventive health services, outreach, education, and counseling to Vermonters who would otherwise not have access, with a special focus on low-income populations, to ensure the health and wellbeing of all Vermonters. The Vermont Department of Health has been collaborating with Vermont’s family planning service delivery system for more than 40 years to support the delivery of high-quality Title X services. The Health Department has a proven record of excellent performance and compliance with Title X and state rules, and commitment to serving all Vermonters with a special attention to underserved populations. The Vermont Title X Program ensures access to comprehensive reproductive health care, with an emphasis on services to lower income Vermonters. VT Title X is intended to assist individuals in determining the number and spacing of their children, to promote positive birth outcomes and healthy families. Title X health centers deliver clinical, informational, educational, and referral services as appropriate for health and social needs, relating to family planning services to patients who want such services at health centers statewide. Related preventive health services are also provided and include patient education and counseling; breast and pelvic examinations; breast and cervical cancer screening according to nationally recognized standards of care; sexually transmitted disease (STD) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention education, counseling, testing and referral; and pregnancy diagnosis and counseling. The purpose of the program is to:  Reduce unintended pregnancy  Improve access to a broad range of effective contraceptive methods  Reduce sexually transmitted infections  Promote healthy relationships, healthy sexual behaviors and strengthen community capacity to promote positive reproductive health The Vermont Department of Health has served as the state’s sole Title X Family Planning Services Program grantee for decades. The Title X Program is administered by the Division of Family and Child Health at the Health Department and contracts with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) to serve as the state’s Title X service provider. PPNNE presently operates seven (7) health centers throughout the state. Vermont’s Title X program is carried out in accordance with the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) Program Priorities:  Advance health equity through the delivery of Title X services  Improve and expand access to Title X services  Deliver Title X services of the highest quality  Implement a quality improvement and quality assurance (QI/QA) plan This RFP for a Family Planning Data System seeks to support and strengthen our work by providing data to inform and enhance Title X Family Planning program knowledge, service delivery, quality improvement, and information for programmatic decision making. 1.2. CONTRACT PERIOD: Any Contract(s) arising from this RFP will be for a period of up to 3 Months for implementation and 5 years for annual operation. The State anticipates the start date for such contract(s) will be October 1, 2023. The system must be in production by January 1, 2024. 1.3. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed in writing to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Actual or attempted contact with any other individual from the State concerning this RFP is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification. 1.4. BIDDERS’ CONFERENCE: A bidders’ conference will not be held. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 3 of 86 1.5. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD: Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this RFP or wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFP must submit specific questions in writing no later than the deadline for question indicated on the first page of this RFP. Questions may be e-mailed to the point of contact on the front page of this RFP. Questions or comments not raised in writing on or before the last day of the question period are thereafter waived. At the close of the question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State’s web site http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Every effort will be made to post this information as soon as possible after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. 1.6. CHANGES TO THIS RFP: Any modifications to this RFP will be made in writing by the State through the issuance of an Addendum to this RFP and posted online at http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Modifications from any other source are not to be considered. 1.7. SOURCE OF FUNDS: This project is funded with federal funds. Socioeconomic affirmative steps under 2 C.F.R. § 200.321 If using applicable federal funds Socioeconomic affirmative steps under 2 C.F.R. § 200.321 affirmative steps must include at least the following six steps: 1. Placing qualified small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises on solicitation lists; 2. Assuring that small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises are solicited whenever they are potential sources; 3. Dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by small and minority businesses, and women’s business enterprises; 4. Establishing delivery schedules, where the requirement permits, which encourage participation by small and minority businesses, and women’s business enterprises; 5. Using the services and assistance, as appropriate, of such organizations as the Small Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce; and 6. Requiring the prime/general contractor, if subcontracts are to be let, to take the same affirmative steps as listed in numbers 1 through 5. If a bidder requires assistance in preparing their proposal or needs guidance on socioeconomic certifications, the bidder may contact the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). PTAC specializes in helping small businesses navigate the documentation associated with State and Federal procurement. Their website is: https://accd.vermont.gov/economic-development/programs/ptac 2. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES: 2.1. The State of Vermont is interested in obtaining bids to meet the following business need(s): This RFP is specifically to purchase an existing SaaS data management system that is secure, effective, and implementable in diverse clinical settings and that can be modified or customized to meet the needs of the program as needed and as funding allows. The Vermont Department of Health’s Division of Family and Child Health seeks proposals from qualified vendors to provide a Title X Family Planning Services Program Family Planning Data System to ensure compliance with the program reporting requirements for the Family Planning Annual Report 2.0 (FPAR 2.0). Title X Family Planning Service grantees must submit data for the Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) to the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) annually for monitoring and reporting purposes (45 CFR 75.342). The FPAR is the only source of annual, uniform reporting by all Title X grantees funded under Section 1001 of the Title X Public Health Service Act. The goals of FPAR 2.0 are to (1) monitor compliance with Revised July 28, 2022 Page 4 of 86 statutory requirements, regulations, and operational guidance in Title X program requirements; (2) comply with accountability and federal performance requirements; and (3) guide strategic and financial planning and responses to inquiries from policymakers and Congress. FPAR 2.0 will enable OPA and grantees to improve quality, access, and equity in Title X family planning services. It will create opportunities to better understand the diverse needs of the people who receive Title X services, provide focused support to Title X providers, and help identify successes and gaps to improve the Title X program overall and the services provided at the grantee and subrecipient levels. The purpose of the data system is to support a data management solution available to key health department staff, clinicians, administrators, support staff, and other healthcare professionals to manage the Title X program and ensure the availability of data for program oversight of the Title X Family Planning Services Program. Currently, there is one (1) agency funded by the Vermont Department of Health providing Title X services to approximately 10,000 Vermonters each year, which includes approximately 18,000 clinical visits per year. The data system will enable the Title X provider to submit their health center family planning encounter data directly from their EMR systems on a scheduled basis to the health department. These data will then be available to all authorized users for local, state and FPAR analysis, review and reporting as required by OPA. The Contractor will obtain data from the Family Planning Services subrecipient agency, which provide Title X services to serve approximately 10,000 low-income individuals (estimate for January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024). The data system provided by the Contractor must fulfill the federal reporting requirements set by the Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, which administers the Title X Family Planning Services Program. The system will allow for the collection, aggregation and reporting of program specific data from the Health Department’s one (1) Family Planning Services subrecipient health care agency and it’s seven (7) clinical service sites on demographic and social characteristics of clients and their use of family planning and related preventive health services. The data system provided by the Contractor will support the FPAR 2.0 data elements and adhere to the FPAR 2.0 Implementation Guidance found here. Eligibility for funding is limited explicitly to organizations that can provide data collection and reporting that complies with the expectations of the Title X program in their entirety. Applicants must not have internal policies and protocols or requirements of other funding streams that directly conflict with these expectations, including Title X statues, regulations and legislative mandates. The Title X Program Handbook provides information critical to managing a Title X project in one place and serves as a one-stop reference document for new and existing Title X programs. Primary responsibilities of the vendor will include: Providing a customizable, secure, HIPAA-compliant data management system for the Vermont Title X Family Planning Services Program. At a minimum this includes:  Maintenance of this system for program data collection and reporting,  Modification options as needed and required and maintenance for this system,  Providing the means for EHR data extraction and reporting by subrecipient family planning health centers, and  Working directly with staff located at health centers, including IT staff and clinical staff, to provide technical assistance for the implementation and use of the data management system. The Contractor will maintain and provide the data system, project management, training, technical support, data collection, customer services, and support report generation and have the capacity to assist in the program's compliance with Office of Population Affairs for the submission of the Family Planning Annual Report and any new updates required to the Family Planning Annual Report by the Office of Population Affairs. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 5 of 86 The ideal vendor will have experience working with various EHR systems for data extraction and management and will have experience working with clinics and healthcare systems with differing technical capacities. Preference will be given to candidates who have demonstrated experience and expertise working with sexual and reproductive health providers or other clinical programs, and in particular, Title X health care providers. The data system should include the following characteristics:  A customizable, secure data system that will include, at a minimum, individual encounter level EHR extraction.  EHR extraction or data transfer mechanism that will integrate with the subrecipient EHR system.  Provide an auditing function to ensure that the data submitted by sites is accurate and complete.  Implementation of the data system. The selected vendor will work with the VDH-funded Title X Family Planning Services Program staff to implement the use of the data system. This activity will also require working directly with the Title X service provider administrative and clinical staff, IT staff, and agency EHR administrators. To support the data system's implementation, the selected vendor may conduct an initial needs assessment of the VDH-funded Title X service provider to identify the capacity, strengths, and limitations of sites and EHRs. They will then tailor implementation strategies to be acceptable and viable for VDH-funded Title X service provider (s) and the Title X Family Planning Services Program.  As needed, the vendor will have the ability to add special reports as requested by VDH or providers (if appropriate, with additional funding).  Customer support, technical assistance, and training will be available to end users at clinical sites and VDH. o Provide customer support via a help desk during regular business hours (7:45-4:30 M- F). o Provide training to system users including onboarding new providers and their sites, making revisions to data extraction processes as needed due to EHR upgrades. o Ensure that system users are able to create files for processing on a monthly basis; support online data entry and review of family planning encounter records; and generate reports and conduct data analysis. o Provide Technical Assistance and follow up with sites for CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement), with the ability to modify or review/flag/audit reports for accuracy or missing data. The Vermont Department of Health requires the following to assure quality operations and program delivery. 1) The Family Planning Data System vendor will work collaboratively with VDH Title X to establish priorities, considering needs assessment results, VDH and FCH priorities, changes in the service delivery landscape, and changes in the provision of sexual and reproductive health care. 2) The Family Planning Data System vendor will administer training sessions for the contracted agency that are geographically and operationally accessible to staff throughout the state. 3) The Family Planning Data System vendor will assume responsibility for all aspects of administering the program, including such areas as: o Developing specifications in partnership with VDH creating and maintaining a data submission and reporting calendar o Creating and hosting materials, such as job aids and handouts 4) The Family Planning Data System vendor will establish an advisory group consisting of stakeholders from contracted agency to provide input into program development and programs' needs. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 6 of 86 5) The Family Planning Data System vendor will maintain an understanding of racial equity efforts within sexual and reproductive health programs, including the importance of accurate race and ethnicity data capture to measure progress towards defined racial equity objectives and potential barriers to accurate data collection that may be mediated by race. 6) The Family Planning Data System vendor will need programming flexibility to accommodate changing priorities within VDH and FCH if OPA priorities shift over the course of the grant. 7) The Family Planning Data System vendor will be familiar with and understand the needs of the existing Title X Family Planning Program service delivery network. The Vermont Department of Health’s, Division of Family and Child Health, anticipates awarding one (1) contract. Applicants’ funding requests must be based on detailed budgets with clear budget justifications. Funding awards will also be based on a demonstrated ability to work with safety net healthcare providers, a commitment to the Title X 2022-2026 Program Priorities as outlined in Title X regulation, “Title X projects must ensure that services are provided in a manner that is client-centered, culturally and linguistically appropriate, inclusive, and trauma-informed; protects the dignity of the individual; and ensures equitable and quality service delivery consistent with nationally recognized standards of care.” Additionally, a commitment to advancing health equity must be demonstrated. All data will protect the confidentiality of individuals who receive family planning services as required by 42 CFR Part 59. Data collected has multiple uses, which include monitoring performance and compliance with statutory requirements, fulfilling federal accountability and performance reporting requirements, and guiding programmatic activities. To be eligible for selection vendors must demonstrate their ability to provide data collection, reporting, and technical assistance for clinical sexual and reproductive health organizations who are contracted through the Vermont Department of Health’s Division of Family and Child Health Family Planning Services Program upon signing of the contract or following a brief startup period. This startup period may include conducting and analyzing a needs assessment of contracted Title X family planning provider. The goal of this RFP is to have a system in production capable of collecting data for encounters beginning January 1, 2024. If the system is not in place by this date, it must be retroactively collected back to this date. 2.2. The State of Vermont seeks to achieve the following Business Value(s): 2.2.1. Compliance: Title X Family Planning Service grantees must submit data for the Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) to the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) annually for monitoring and reporting purposes (45 CFR 75.342). The FPAR is the only source of annual, uniform reporting by all Title X grantees funded under Section 1001 of the Title X Public Health Service Act. The goals of FPAR 2.0 are to (1) monitor compliance with statutory requirements, regulations, and operational guidance in Title X program requirements; (2) comply with accountability and federal performance requirements; and (3) guide strategic and financial planning and responses to inquiries from policymakers and Congress. 2.2.2. Improved Processes for Data Reporting: The data system will enable the Title X provider to submit their health center family planning encounter data directly from their EMR systems on a scheduled basis to the health department without requiring direct data entry by subrecipient staff. These data will then be available to all authorized users for local, state and FPAR analysis, review and reporting as required by OPA. 2.2.3. Improved Quality, Access, and Equity of Program Services: FPAR 2.0 will also enable OPA and grantees to improve quality, access, and equity in Title X family planning services. It will create opportunities to better understand the diverse needs of the people who receive Title X services, provide focused support to Title X providers, and help identify successes and gaps to improve the Title X program overall and the services provided at the grantee and subrecipient levels. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 7 of 86 2.3. Functional and Non-Functional Requirements 2.3.1. The State’s Functional are provided in the attached State of Vermont Bidder Response Form (Exhibit C). 2.3.2. The Non-Functional Requirements are provided in the attached State of Vermont Bidder Response Form (Exhibit C) and include the following: 2.3.2.1. Hosting 2.3.2.2. Application Solution 2.3.2.3. Security 2.3.2.4. Other Non-Functional Requirements 2.3.2.5. Data Compliance: Solutions must adhere to applicable State and Federal standards, policies, and laws. The Bidder Response Form includes a table of data types and their applicable State and Federal standards, policies, and laws. The boxes in the table that are checked are the ones that are applicable to this procurement. 3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: 3.1. PRICING: Bidders must price the terms of this solicitation at their best pricing. Any and all costs that Bidder wishes the State to consider must be submitted for consideration. If applicable, all equipment pricing is to include F.O.B. delivery to the ordering facility. No request for extra delivery cost will be honored. All equipment shall be delivered assembled, serviced, and ready for immediate use, unless otherwise requested by the State. 3.1.1. Prices and/or rates shall remain firm for the initial term of the contract. The pricing policy submitted by Bidder must (i) be clearly structured, accountable, and auditable and (ii) cover the full spectrum of materials and/or services required. 3.1.2. Cooperative Agreements. Bidders that have been awarded similar contracts through a competitive bidding process with another state and/or cooperative are welcome to submit the pricing in response to this solicitation. 3.1.3. Retainage. In the discretion of the State, a contract resulting from this RFP may provide that the State withhold a percentage of the total amount payable for some or all deliverables, such retainage to be payable upon satisfactory completion and State acceptance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract. 3.2. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select the Bidder(s) as may be determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the goals and performance requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain clarification or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Failure of bidder to respond to a request for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of that bidder's proposal. To secure a project that is deemed to be in the best interest of the State, the State reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, with or without cause, and to waive technicalities in submissions. The State also reserves the right to make purchases outside of the awarded contracts where it is deemed in the best interest of the State. 3.2.1. Best and Final Offer (BAFO). At any time after submission of Responses and prior to the final selection of Bidder(s) for Contract negotiation or execution, the State may invite Bidder(s) to provide a BAFO. The state reserves the right to request BAFOs from only those Bidders that meet the minimum qualification requirements and/or have not been eliminated from consideration during the evaluation process. 3.2.2. Presentation. An in-person or webinar presentation by the Bidder may be required by the State if it will help the State’s evaluation process. The State will factor information presented during presentations into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all costs associated with providing the presentation. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 8 of 86 3.3. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), Bidders must comply with the following provisions and requirements. 3.3.1. Self Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidder shall complete the appropriate section in the attached Certificate of Compliance for purposes of self-reporting information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers. The State is requiring information on any violations that occurred in the previous 12 months. 3.3.2. Subcontractor Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidders are hereby notified that upon award of contract, and prior to contract execution, the State shall be provided with a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors’ subcontractors, together with the identity of those subcontractors’ workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54). This requirement does not apply to subcontractors providing supplies only and no labor to the overall contract or project. This list MUST be updated and provided to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. A sample form is available online at http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing-contracting/forms. The subcontractor reporting form is not required to be submitted with the bid response. 3.4. EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS IN STATE PROCUREMENTS: For bid amounts exceeding $25,000.00 Bidders are requested to complete the Climate Change Considerations in State Procurements Certification, which is included in the Certificate of Compliance for this RFP. After consideration of all relevant factors, a bidder that demonstrates business practices that promote clean energy and address climate change as identified in the Certification, shall be given favorable consideration in the competitive bidding process. Such favorable consideration shall be consistent with and not supersede any preference given to resident bidders of the State and/or products raised or manufactured in the State, as explained in the Method of Award section. But, such favorable consideration shall not be employed if prohibited by law or other relevant authority or agreement. 3.5. METHOD OF AWARD: Awards will be made in the best interest of the State. The State may award one or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to other compliant bidders at any time if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. All other considerations being equal, preference will be given first to resident bidders of the state and/or to products raised or manufactured in the state, and then to bidders who have practices that promote clean energy and address climate change, as identified in the applicable Certificate of Compliance. 3.5.1. Evaluation Criteria: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select the Bidder(s) determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the goals and performance requirements outlined in this RFP. Consideration shall be given to the Bidder’s project approach and methodology, qualifications and experience, ability to provide the services within the defined timeline, cost, and/or success in completing similar projects, as applicable, and to the extent specified below. In general, bids are awarded based on “the best interest of the State of Vermont”. EVALUATION CRITERIA TOTAL POINTS General background and qualifications for Title X Family Planning Services Program FPAR 2.0 data gathering and reporting 25 Successful implementation of similar products 25 Ability to provide services as specified (meet functional and non-functional requirements) 25 Cost proposal 25 Total 100 Revised July 28, 2022 Page 9 of 86 3.6. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION: Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State may select one or more bidders with which to negotiate a contract, based on the evaluation findings and other criteria deemed relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the State. In the event State is not successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the State reserves the option of negotiating with another bidder, or to end the proposal process entirely. 3.7. COST OF PREPARATION: Bidder shall be solely responsible for all expenses incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFP and shall be responsible for all expenses associated with any presentations or demonstrations associated with this request and/or any proposals made. 3.8. CONTRACT TERMS: The selected bidder(s) will be expected to sign a contract with the State, including the Standard Contract Form and Attachment C as attached to this RFP for reference. If IT Attachment D is included in this RFP, terms may be modified based upon the solution proposed by the Bidder, subject to approval by the Agency of Digital Services. 3.8.1. Business Registration. To be awarded a contract by the State of Vermont a bidder (except an individual doing business in his/her own name) must be registered with the Vermont Secretary of State’s office https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/registration/and must obtain a Contractor’s Business Account Number issued by the Vermont Department of Taxes http://tax.vermont.gov/ . 3.8.2. The contract will obligate the bidder to provide the services and/or products identified in its bid, at the prices listed. 3.8.3. Payment Terms. Percentage discounts may be offered for prompt payments of invoices; however, such discounts must be in effect for a period of 30 days or more in order to be considered in making awards. 3.8.4. Quality. If applicable, all products provided under a contract with the State will be new and unused, unless otherwise stated. Factory seconds or remanufactured products will not be accepted unless specifically requested by the purchasing agency. All products provided by the contractor must meet all federal, state, and local standards for quality and safety requirements. Products not meeting these standards will be deemed unacceptable and returned to the contractor for credit at no charge to the State. 3.9. DEMONSTRATION: An in-person or webinar demonstration by the Bidder may be required by the State if it will help the State’s evaluation process. The State will factor information presented during demonstrations into the evaluation. Bidder will be responsible for all costs associated with the providing the demonstration. 3.10. INDEPENDENT REVIEW: Certain State information technology projects require independent expert review as described under 3 V.S.A. § 3303(d). Such review, if applicable, will inform the State’s decision to award any contract(s) resulting from this RFP 4. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF RESPONSES: The content and format requirements listed below are the minimum requirements for State evaluation. These requirements are not intended to limit the content of a Bidder’s proposal. Bidders may include additional information or offer alternative solutions for the State’s consideration. However, the State discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals, and Bidders are advised to include only such information in their response as may be relevant to the requirements of this RFP. 4.1. The bid should include a Cover Letter and Technical Response and Price Schedule. 4.2. COVER LETTER: 4.2.1. Confidentiality. To the extent your bid contains information you consider to be proprietary and confidential, you must comply with the following requirements concerning the contents of your cover letter and the submission of a redacted copy of your bid (or affected portions thereof). 4.2.2. All responses to this RFP will become part of the contract file and will become a matter of public record under the State’s Public Records Act, 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq. (the “Public Records Act”). If your response must include material that you consider to be proprietary and confidential under the Public Revised July 28, 2022 Page 10 of 86 Records Act, your cover letter must clearly identify each page or section of your response that you consider proprietary and confidential. Your cover letter must also include a written explanation for each marked section explaining why such material should be considered exempt from public disclosure in the event of a public records request, pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 317(c), including the prospective harm to the competitive position of the bidder if the identified material were to be released. Additionally, you must include a redacted copy of your response for portions that are considered proprietary and confidential. Redactions must be limited so that the reviewer may understand the nature of the information being withheld. It is typically inappropriate to redact entire pages, or to redact the titles/captions of tables and figures. Under no circumstances may your entire response be marked confidential, and the State reserves the right to disqualify responses so marked. 4.2.3. Exceptions to Contract Terms and Conditions. If a Bidder wishes to propose an exception to any terms and conditions set forth in the Standard Contract Form and its attachments, such exceptions must be included in the cover letter to the RFP response. Failure to note exceptions when responding to the RFP will be deemed to be acceptance of the State contract terms and conditions. If exceptions are not noted in the response to this RFP but raised during contract negotiations, the State reserves the right to cancel the negotiation if deemed to be in the best interests of the State. Note that exceptions to contract terms may cause rejection of the proposal. 4.3. TECHNICAL RESPONSE. In response to this RFP, a Bidder shall: 4.3.1. Provide details concerning your form of business organization, company size and resources. 4.3.2. Describe your capabilities and particular experience relevant to the RFP requirements. 4.3.2.1. Identify all current or past State projects. 4.3.3. Identify the names of all subcontractors you intend to use, the portions of the work the subcontractors will perform, and address the background and experience of the subcontractor(s), as per RFP section 4.3.2 above. 4.4. REFERENCES. Provide the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three companies with whom you have transacted similar business in the last 12 months. You must include contact names who can talk knowledgeably about performance. 4.5. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: Provide a sample of any reporting documentation that may be applicable to the Detailed Requirements of this RFP. 4.6. PRICE SCHEDULE: Bidders shall submit their pricing information in the Price Schedule attached to the RFP. 4.7. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE: This form must be completed and submitted as part of the response for the proposal to be considered valid. 4.8. STATE OF VERMONT BIDDER RESPONSE FORM: This form must be completed and submitted as part of the response for the proposal to be considered valid. The State of Vermont Bidder Response Form provides a standard format and content for bidder proposals. When required, this form will prompt Bidders to supply the information required in the above RFP sections 4.3 through 4.7. Note: In addition to completing the State of Vermont Bidder Response Form, Bidders are required to provide the specific attachments that are described within the Bidder Response Form. 5. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: 5.1. CLOSING DATE: Bids must be received by the State by the due date specified on the front page of this RFP. Late bids will not be considered. 5.1.1. The State may, for cause, issue an addendum to change the date and/or time when bids are due. If a change is made, the State will inform all bidders by posting at the webpage indicated on the front page of this RFP. 5.1.2. There will not be a public bid opening. However, the State will record the name, city and state for any and all bids received by the due date. This information will be posted as promptly as possible following the due date online at: https://bgs.vermont.gov/content/opc-bid-tabulation-sheets-0 . Revised July 28, 2022 Page 11 of 86 Bidders are hereby notified to review the information posted after the bid opening deadline to confirm receipt of bid by the State. Any bidder that submitted a bid, and is not listed on the bid tabulation sheet, shall promptly notify the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Should a bidder fail to notify the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP within two weeks of posting the bid tabulation sheet, the State shall not be required to consider the bid. USE SUBJECT : TITLE X FEDERAL REPORTING 5.2. BID DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS: 5.2.1. ELECTRONIC: Electronic bids will be accepted. 5.2.1.1. E-MAIL BIDS. Emailed bids will be accepted. Bids will be accepted via email submission to SOV.ThePathForward@vermont.gov. Bids must consist of a single email with a single, digitally searchable PDF attachment containing all components of the bid. Multiple emails and/or multiple attachments will not be accepted. There is an attachment size limit of 40 MB. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to compress the PDF file containing its bid if necessary in order to meet this size limitation. 6. BID SUBMISSION CHECKLIST:  Cover Letter  Redacted Technical Response, if applicable  State of Vermont Bidder Response Form and Attachments o Technical Response (included in Bidder Response Form) o References (included in Bidder Response Form) o Price Schedule (included in Bidder Response Form) o Certificate of Compliance (included in Bidder Response Form) 7. ATTACHMENTS: 7.1. Worker Classification Compliance Requirement; Subcontractor Reporting Form 7.2. State of Vermont Bidder Response Form 7.3. Standard State Contract with its associated attachments, including but not limited to: 7.3.1. Attachment A: Statement of Work 7.3.2. Attachment B: Payment Provisions 7.3.3. Attachment C: Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants (December 15, 2017) 7.3.4. Attachment D: Other Provisions for IT Systems Implementation (July 14, 2022) 7.3.5. Attachment E: Business Associate Agreement (May 22, 2020) 7.3.6. Attachment F: Agency of Human Services’ Customary Contract Provisions (May 16, 2018) 7.3.7. Attachment G: Federal Terms Supplement (July 28, 2022) Revised July 28, 2022 Page 12 of 86 RFP/PROJECT: DATE: SUBCONTRACTOR REPORTING FORM This form must be completed in its entirety and submitted prior to contract execution and updated as necessary and provided to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. The Department of Buildings and General Services in accordance with Act 54, Section 32 of the Acts of 2009 and for total project costs exceeding $250,000.00 requires bidders to comply with the following provisions and requirements. Contractor is required to provide a list of subcontractors on the job along with lists of subcontractor’s subcontractors and by whom those subcontractors are insured for workers’ compensation purposes. Include additional pages if necessary. This is not a requirement for subcontractor’s providing supplies only and no labor to the overall contract or project. Subcontractor Insured By Subcontractor’s Sub Insured By Date: Name of Company: Contact Name: Address: Title: Phone Number: E-mail: Fax Number: By: Name: Failure to adhere to Act 54, Section 32 of the Acts of 2009 and submit Subcontractor Reporting: Worker Classification Compliance Requirement will constitute non-compliance and may result in cancellation of contract and/or forfeiture of future bidding privileges until resolved. Send Completed Form to: Office of Purchasing & Contracting 133 State Street, 5th Floor Montpelier, VT 05633-8000 Revised July 28, 2022 Page 13 of 86 State of Vermont Bidder Response Form State of Vermont Bidder Response Form Request for Proposal Name: Title X Federal Reporting Revised July 28, 2022 Page 14 of 86 Vendor Instructions: Provide the information requested in this form and submit it to the State of Vermont as part of your Request for Proposal (RFP) response. All answers must be provided within the form unless otherwise specified. Important: This form must be completed and submitted in response to this RFP for your proposal to be considered valid. The submission must also include the eight (8) additional artifacts requested within this form (denoted by underlined green font). See the RFP for full instructions for submitting a bid. Bids must be received by the due date and at the location specified on the cover page of the RFP. Direct any questions you have concerning this form or the RFP to: Kyle Emerson, State Purchasing Agent State of Vermont Office of Purchasing & Contracting 133 State Street, 5th Floor Montpelier VT 05633-8000 E-mail Address: SOV.ThePathForward@vermont.gov Revised July 28, 2022 Page 15 of 86 Part 1: VENDOR PROFILE 1. Complete the table below. Item Detail Company Name: [insert the name that you do business under] Physical Address: [if more than one office – put the address of your head office] Postal Address: [e.g. P.O Box address] Business Website: [url address] Type of Entity (Legal Status): [sole trader/partnership/limited liability company or specify other] Primary Contact: [name of the person responsible for communicating with the Buyer] Title: [job title or position] Email Address: [email] Phone Number: [landline] Fax Number: [fax] 2. Provide a brief overview of your company including number of years in business, number of employees, nature of business, and description of clients. Identify any parent corporation and/or subsidiaries. 3. Is your organization currently or has it previously provided solutions and/or services to any agency or entity of the Vermont State government? If so, name the State entity, the solution and/or services provided, and the dates. 4. Provide a Financial Statement* for your company and label it Attachment #1. A confidentiality statement may be included if this financial information is considered non-public information. This requirement can be filled by:  A current Dun and Bradstreet Report that includes a financial analysis of the firm; Revised July 28, 2022 Page 16 of 86  An Annual Report if it contains (at a minimum) a Compiled Income Statement and Balance Sheet verified by a Certified Public Accounting firm; or  Tax returns and financial statements including income statements and balance sheets for the most recent 3 years, and any available credit reports. *Some types of procurements may require bidders to provide additional or specific financial information. Any such additional requirements will be clearly identified and explained within the RFP, and may include supplemental forms in addition to this Bidder Response Form. 5. Disclose any judgments, pending or expected litigation, or other real potential financial reversals, which might materially affect the viability or stability of your company or indicate below that no such condition is known to exist. 6. Provide a list of three references similar in size and industry (preferably another governmental entity). References shall be clients who have implemented your Solution within the past 48 months. Reference 1 Detail Reference Company Name: [insert the name that you do business under] Company Address: [address] Type of Industry: [industry type: e.g., government, telecommunications, etc.] Contact Name: [if applicable] Contact Phone Number: [phone] Contact Email Address: [email] Description of system(s) implemented: [description] Date of Implementation: [date] Reference 2 Detail Reference Company Name: [insert the name that you do business under] Company Address: [address] Revised July 28, 2022 Page 17 of 86 Type of Industry: [industry type: e.g., government, telecommunications, etc.] Contact Name: [if applicable] Contact Phone Number: [phone] Contact Email Address: [email] Description of system(s) implemented: [description] Date of Implementation: [date] Reference 3 Detail Reference Company Name: [insert the name that you do business under] Company Address: [address] Type of Industry: [industry type: e.g., government, telecommunications, etc.] Contact Name: [if applicable] Contact Phone Number: [phone] Contact Email Address: [email] Description of system(s) implemented: [description] Date of Implementation: [date] Revised July 28, 2022 Page 18 of 86 PART 2: VENDOR PROPOSAL/SOLUTION 1. Provide a description of the technology solution you are proposing. 2. Provide a description of the capabilities of the technology solution you are proposing. 3. If a proprietary software is being proposed, provide a description of the: A. Standard features and functions of the software: B. The software licensing requirements for the solution: C. The standard performance levels:  Hours of system availability:  System response time:  Maximum number of concurrent users:  Other relevant performance level information: 4. Give a brief description of the evolution of the system/software solution you are proposing. Include the date of the first installed site and major developments which have occurred (e.g. new versions, new modules, specific features). 5. List the total number of installations in the last 3 years by the year of installation. 6. Provide the total number of current users for the proposed system and indicate what version they are using. 7. Have you implemented the proposed solution for other government entities? If so, tell us who, when, and how that implementation went? 8. Provide a Road Map that outlines the company’s short term and long term goals for the proposed solution/software and label it Attachment #2. 9. Provide a PowerPoint (minimum of 1 slide and maximum of 10 slides) that provides an Executive level summary of your proposal to the State. Label it Attachment #3. 10. Does your proposed solution include any warranties? If so, describe them and provide the warranty periods. 11. Describe any infrastructure, equipment, network or hardware required to implement and/or run the solution. 12. What is your recommended way to host this solution? Revised July 28, 2022 Page 19 of 86 13. Describe how your solution can be integrated to other applications and if you offer a standard-based interface to enable integrations. 14. Respond to the following questions about the solution being proposed: Vendor Response/Explanation Question Yes or No A. Does the solution use Service Oriented Architecture for integration? B. Does the solution use a Rules Engine for business rules? C. Does the solution use any Master Data Management? D. Does the solution use any Enterprise Content Management software? E. Does the solution use any Case Management software? F. Does the solution use any Business Intelligence software? G. Does the solution use any Database software? H. Does the solution use any Business Process Management software? I. Is this a browser based solution and if so what browsers do you support? J. Does the solution include an API for integration? Revised July 28, 2022 Page 20 of 86 PART 3: FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS The table below lists the State’s Functional Requirements. Indicate the “Availability” for each requirement for your proposed solution. Use the “Vendor Comments” column to provide any additional information or explanations. A - Feature is available in the core (“out-of-the-box”) solution. D - Feature is currently under development (indicate anticipated date of availability in the Vendor comments column). C - Feature is not available in the core solution, but can provided with customization. N - Feature is not available. 3.1 Data Collection and Management ID# Functional Requirement Description Availability Vendor Comment 3.1.1 The data system provided by the Contractor must support collection of the FPAR 2.0 data elements in adherence to the FPAR 2.0 Implementation Guidance found here. Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) 2.0 | HHS Office of Population Affairs 3.1.2 The data system must enable Sub-recipients to submit health center family planning encounter data to the Vermont Department of Health on a scheduled basis from their EMR systems either via extraction and import, or a data transfer mechanism that will integrate with the subrecipient EHR system. At a minimum this must include encounter level data and be consistent with the specifications outlined in the Encounter-level Data Reporting Guidelines fond here: Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) 2.0 | HHS Office of Population Affairs 3.1.3 The system must provide the option for web-based data entry of family planning encounter data. This must include the same data elements and meet the same quality specifications as data submitted via extraction or transfer from an EHR. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 21 of 86 3.1.4 The system must enforce FPAR standards for data elements upon data at the time of import if submitted via an EHR extract or at the time of entry if entered directly by a user. 3.2 Access to Data Governed by Role and Association to Provider ID# Functional Requirement Description Availability Vendor Comment 3.2.1 Both Title X providers (sub-recipients) and VDH user must have access to the data via the application and reports. 3.2.2 All data submitted by Title X providers (Sub- recipients) must be available to all authorized users for local, state and FPAR analysis, review and reporting as required by OPA. 3.2.3 Access to data from each Title X provider (Sub- recipient) must be limited to authorized users associated with the Title X provider sub-recipient or State of Vermont. This includes limiting sub- recipient access to data specific to provider site. Vermont currently has one sub-recipient that has seven sites. This may change in the future. 3.3 Generate FPAR 2.0 Report ID# Functional Requirement Description Availability Vendor Comment 3.3.1 The data system must provide the means for the State of Vermont to generate the Family Planning Annual Report 2.0 (FPAR 2.0) to the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) annually for monitoring and reporting purposes (45 CFR 75.342) per the requirements set by the Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, which administers the Title X Family Planning Services Program and outlined here Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) 2.0 | HHS Office of Population Affairs Revised July 28, 2022 Page 22 of 86 3.4 Access to Data for Analysis, Quality Control, and Planning ID# Functional Requirement Description Availability Vendor Comment 3.4.1 The system must provide customizable reports and data visualization, and access to the raw data, as agreed upon by VDH and the selected vendor. 3.4.2 The system must have the ability to extract data in formats that can integrate with SAS, Tableau, Excel, and Access or other common applications for use by VDH Title X staff. 3.4.3 As needed, the vendor must have the ability to add special reports as requested by VDH or providers (if appropriate, with additional funding). 3.4.4 The system must include the capacity to create Auditing and quality control reports to ensure data integrity (e.g., records submitted and accepted, records missing required data elements). 3.4.5 The system must include the capacity to create Standard management reports to monitor site and agency productivity and activities (e.g., unduplicated client counts by age and gender and visit reports by type of service). 3.4.6 The system must include the capacity to create Reports to generate data at the individual site level, at the agency level (a group of sites operated by the same provider) and the system level (all sites and agencies). 3.4.7 The system must include the capacity to create Reports that can be generated by both unique visits and unduplicated clients, with the capacity to cross- tab with other core data elements (e.g., sex, age, race/ethnicity). 3.4.8 The system must include report builder functionality to create ad hoc reports with multiple variables in addition to pre-determined (canned) reports. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 23 of 86 PART 4: NON- FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS The tables below list the State’s Non-Functional Requirements. Indicate if your proposed solution complies in the “Comply” column. Yes = the solution complies with the stated requirement. No = the solution does not comply with the stated requirement. N/A = Not applicable to this offering. Describe how the requirement is met in the “Vendor Description of Compliance” column. 4.1 Hosting ID # Non-Functional Requirement Description Comply Vendor’s Description of Compliance H1 Any technical solution must be hosted in a data center located in the United States of America. H2 Vendor will ensure that the provided system and services will adhere to ITIL best practices for change requests, incident management, problem management and service desk implementation. H3 Vendor must provide to the State, for its review and approval, a Backup Plan document, and a Disaster Recovery Plan document. H4 All System data must be backed up daily. Backups must be stored off site in a secure facility. Backups will be retained for two years. Recovery Time Objective (RTO) must be 48 hours or less. Recovery Point Objective (RPO) must be two days or less. 4.2 Application Solution A1 Vendor must develop plans for backup and recovery, secure data retention and disaster recovery for the solution system and its data, which must be reviewed and approved by the State prior to implementation or any changes thereto. A2 Vendor must utilize appropriate multiple hosting environments to facilitate the development, testing and production of the proposed SaaS solution. (Viz., Development, Staging, Production and Disaster Recovery.) A3 Vendor will adhere to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) applicable to system and application performance, provision of service and support, incident reporting, continuity of operations, and maintenance, to be approved by the State prior to contract acceptance. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 24 of 86 A4 The State owns any data they enter, migrate, or transmit into the solution and the vendor shall allow the State to pull or copy this data at any time free of charge. A5 As a contract deliverable, the vendor shall supply an up-to- date data dictionary that represents all data respective of the solution it will provide. The data dictionary must contain the following attributes: 1. The technology (RDBMS platform) that hosts the data source, i.e. Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, DB2, etc. 2. The location where the data source is hosted 3. Thorough descriptions of each table in the data source 4. Thorough descriptions of each column within each table in the data source. In addition to business definitions, column descriptions must include the following detail: schema names; file group names (if applicable); data types; lengths; primary and foreign key constrains; applied formatting; applied calculations; applied aggregations; NULL-ability; default values. 4.3 Security As a solution vendor, you must have documented and implemented security practices for the following and have a process to audit/monitor for adherence. Indicate “Yes” or “No” in the “Comply” column or “N/A” if the requirement is not applicable to this offering. Use the “Vendor Description of Applicable Security Processes” column to describe how you meet the requirement and the “Audit/Monitor” column to indicate how you monitor for compliance. ID # Non-Functional Requirement Description Comply Vendor’s Description of Applicable Security Processes Audit/Monitor Process S1 Input validation S2 Output encoding S3 Authentication and password management S4 Session management S5 Access control S6 Cryptographic practices S7 Error handling and logging S8 Data protection from unauthorized use, modification, disclosure or destruction Revised July 28, 2022 Page 25 of 86 (accidental or intentional). S9 Communication security S10 System configuration S11 Database security S12 File management S13 Memory management S14 Fraud detection S15 General coding practices S16 POA&M management S17 Risk Assessment Practices including but not limited to vulnerability assessment and pen testing S18 Incident response planning and testing S19 System Security Plan delivery 4.4 Other Non-Functional Requirements For each requirement listed, indicate if and how you comply or type “N/A” if it is not applicable to your offering. ID# Non-Functional Requirement Description Comply Vendor’s Description of Compliance O-1 The system must be capable of supporting modification and customization as may be required to meet changes in FPAR requirements and program needs in a timely manner. O-2 The Proposed system must log all user data transactions (viz., create, read, update, and delete) so that authorized State personnel can efficiently audit and otherwise effectively supervise data usage. O-3 At the conclusion of the contract, all data must be promptly returned to the VDH in an appropriate standard format. O-4 All access, collection and sharing of data via the system must protect the confidentiality of individuals who receive family planning services as required by 42 CFR Part 59. O-5 System must be compliant with Section 508 or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).  State of Vermont Accessibility Policies: https://www.vermont.gov/policies/accessibility#gsc.tab=0  508 Standards: https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and- policies  United States Department of Justice; Software, The Evaluation Revised July 28, 2022 Page 26 of 86 Tools: https://www.justice.gov/crt/httpgcsedgovconinfoclibrarysoftwar ehtm  United States Department of Justice Section 508 Home Page: https://www.justice.gov/crt/section-508-home-page-0  W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Accessibility Standards: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Overview (WCAG): https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/ 4.5 Data Compliance Vendors and their solutions must adhere to applicable State and Federal standards, policies, and laws based on the type of data that will be stored, accessed, transmitted and/or controlled by the solution. If the “Type of Data” column is checked below, respond “Yes” or “No” in the “Comply” column and provide an explanation on how you comply in the “Vendor’s Description of Compliance” column. Type of Data Applicable State & Federal Standards, Policies, and Laws Comply Vendor’s Description of Compliance ☒ Publicly available information  NIST 800-171 ☒ Confidential Personally Identifiable Information (PII)  State law on Notification of Security Breaches  State Law on Social Security Number Protection  State law on the Protection of Personal Information  National Institute of Standards & Technology: NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4 “Moderate” risk controls  Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. ☐ Payment Card Information  Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) v 3.2 ☐ Federal Tax Information  Internal Revenue Service Tax Information Security Guidelines for Federal, State and Local Agencies: IRS Pub 1075 ☒Personal Health Information (PHI)  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996: HIPAA  The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act HITECH  Code of Federal Regulations 45 CFR 95.621 Revised July 28, 2022 Page 27 of 86 ☐ Affordable Care Act Personally Identifiable Information (PII)  Internal Revenue Service Tax Information Security Guidelines for Federal, State and Local Agencies IRS Pub 1075  Minimum Acceptable Risk Standards for Exchanges MARS-E 2.0 (Scroll down the page) ☐ Medicaid Information  Medicaid Information Technology Architecture MITA3.0  Code of Federal Regulations 45 CFR 95.621 ☐ Prescription Information  State law on the Confidentiality of Prescription Information ☐ Student Education Data  Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: FERPA ☐ Personal Information from Motor Vehicle Records  Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (Title XXX) (“DPPA”) 18 U.S.C. Chapter 123, §§ 2721 – 2725 ☐ Criminal Records  Criminal Justice Information Security Policy: CJIS ☒ Other:  All access, collection and sharing of data via the system must protect the confidentiality of individuals who receive family planning services as required by 42 CFR Part 59. 4.6 State of Vermont Cybersecurity Standard Update 2023-01 Vendor shall certify by checking the box below the Solution shall not include, incorporate, rely on, utilize or be supported by any products or services subject to the limitations provided under State of Vermont Cybersecurity Standard Update 2023-01, which Contractor acknowledges has been provided to it, and is available on-line at the following URL: https://digitalservices.vermont.gov/cybersecurity/cybersecurity- standards-and-directives ☐ Contractor hereby certifies that in connection with the Request for Proposal, none of the applicable products or services will be included in or used to support State systems in a manner prohibited under the Standard. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 28 of 86 PART 5: IMPLEMENTATION/PROJECT MANAGEMENT APPROACH 1. Describe the approach you would recommend for project managing this engagement. 2. Provide a list of the standard project management deliverables that you would normally produce for this type of engagement. 3. Provide a proposed list of project phases, major milestones, and an implementation time-line. Label this Attachment #4. 4. What types of difficulties have other clients experienced with implementation of the proposed solution? 1. Describe the experience and qualifications of the Project Manager you would offer as the resource for this engagement. Provide a copy of their resume and label it Attachment #5. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 29 of 86 PART 6: TECHNICAL SERVICES 1. Describe the technical services included in your proposal (e.g., business analysis, configuration, testing, implementation, etc.). 2. Provide a list of the standard deliverables for the technical services described above. 3. Provide a description of the roles/services/tasks the State will be expected to cover as part of this engagement. Describe any additional roles/services/tasks that are optional, but would be beneficial for the State to provide. 4. Describe your typical conversion plan to convert data from existing systems to your proposed solution (if applicable). 5. Describe and attach your typical Implementation Plan (label it Attachment #6), which shall include planning for the transition to maintenance and operations. 6. Describe the experience and qualifications of the technical resources proposed for this engagement. Provide their resume(s) and label them Attachment #7. 7. Describe the training that is included in your proposal. 8. Describe the system, administrator, and/or user documentation that is included in your proposal. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 30 of 86 PART 7: MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES 1. Provide answers to the questions below regarding your company’s Maintenance and Support Services: Questions Vendor Response Service: Customer Phone &/or Email Support What is the method for contacting technical support? What are the hours of operation for support? What is the turnaround time for responses? What is the escalation process for support issues? Who comprises the support team and what are their qualifications? Define your response resolution metrics and how you capture and report them. Service: Incident/Security Breach Notification and Process Describe your identification and notification process for security breaches. Service: Data Management Describe how data is stored, retained and backed-up (including frequency). Service: Hosting Describe the hosting service and associated service levels. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 31 of 86 Questions Vendor Response Service: Scheduled Maintenance/Downtime What is the frequency of scheduled maintenance and downtime? What is the notification process for scheduled maintenance and downtime? Describe how “maintenance” updates are tested with customers prior to installing them in their live environments. Service: System Upgrades Are software upgrades provided as part of the software support contract? Describe your software upgrade process. How often are new versions released? Is documentation and training provided for system upgrades? Are there additional costs for upgrades and/or new releases? Describe how and when the State will have an opportunity to test system upgrades/releases prior to live installation. Describe how the State will validate post installation and how changes will be backed out in the event that a problem is encountered. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 32 of 86 Questions Vendor Response Service: Bug Fixes and Minor Enhancements Describe the frequency and process for providing, testing, and installing bug fixes and minor enhancements. Service: Disaster Recovery Describe the disaster recovery services included in this proposal for any non-state hosted services. What is your standard RPO and RTO? Describe the plan your company has in place for its own disaster recovery of any sites that may be involved in support of this proposal. 2. Describe any other services not mentioned in the above list that are included in your standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) and include a copy of your SLA with your response to this RFP. Label the SLA Attachment #8. 3. Describe how adherence to your service levels is measured and what remedies you would provide the State when performance doesn’t meet the standard? Revised July 28, 2022 Page 33 of 86 PART 8: PRICING 1. Submit pricing for your proposed solution in the table below. Fill in only the lines that are applicable to your proposal. Insert lines for additional costs, but do not delete or rename any lines in the Table. Total each column and provide a total of all columns in the “Total Implementation, plus 5 Year Costs” box on the next page. Cost Type One Time (Implementation) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Software Enterprise Application: License Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Maintenance &/or License Fee Add-Ons $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Subscription cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Storage Limitations and/or Additional Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Database Software: License Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Middleware Tools: License Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Operating System Software: License Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Upgrade Costs for Later Years $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Support and Maintenance Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Implementation Services Project Management $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Requirements $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Design (Architect Solution) $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Development (Build, Configure or Aggregate)/Testing $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 System Testing $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Defect Removal $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Implement/Deploy or Integrate $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Quality Management $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Cost Type One Time (Implementation) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Implementation Services Continued Revised July 28, 2022 Page 34 of 86 Training $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Telecom $0.00 Bandwidth $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Hardware $0.00 Computing Hardware $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Storage and Backup Hardware $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Network Hardware $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Facilities/Data Center $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Hosting $0.00 Hosting Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Total Base Costs $0.00 Total Implementation plus Five Year Costs $ 0.00 2. Describe any assumptions you have made in relation to the above cost and pricing information. 3. Provide pricing information for any volume discounts that are available based on the number of software licenses purchased or support years purchased. 4. Provide pricing for any Functional Requirements marked as “C” (feature is not available in the core solution, but can be provided with customization). Revised July 28, 2022 Page 35 of 86 PART 9: TERMS AND CONDITIONS In deciding which Respondent/s to shortlist the State will take into consideration each Respondent’s willingness to meet the State’s terms and conditions. Indicate any objections or concerns to our stated terms and conditions in the RFP or any of the exhibits, addendums or attachments including Attachment C. Add lines to the table below as needed. Important: Bidder will be bound to all terms and conditions stated in the State’s RFP, exhibits, attachments, and/or addendums except and then only to the extent specifically set forth in the table below, and only if and to the extent expressly agreed and incorporated in writing in a resulting contract. Note that exceptions to contract terms may cause rejection of the proposal. Clause Location Concern Proposed Verbiage [indicate RFP, exhibit, attachment or addendum, section & page number] [briefly describe your concern about this clause] [describe your suggested alternative wording for the clause or your solution] [indicate RFP, exhibit, attachment or addendum, section & page number] [briefly describe your concern about this clause] [describe your suggested alternative wording for the clause or your solution] [indicate RFP, exhibit, attachment or addendum, section & page number] [briefly describe your concern about this clause] [describe your suggested alternative wording for the clause or your solution] Revised July 28, 2022 Page 36 of 86 PART 10: CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE/AUTHORIZED COMPANY SIGNATURE For a bid to be considered valid, this Part 10 must be completed in its entirety, executed by a duly authorized representative of the bidder, and submitted as part of the response to the proposal. A. NON COLLUSION: Bidder hereby certifies that the prices quoted have been arrived at without collusion and that no prior information concerning these prices has been received from or given to a competitive company. If there is sufficient evidence to warrant investigation of the bid/contract process by the Office of the Attorney General, bidder understands that this paragraph might be used as a basis for litigation. B. CONTRACT TERMS: Bidder hereby acknowledges that is has read, understands and agrees to the terms of this RFP, including Attachment C: Standard State Contract Provisions, and any other contract attachments included with this RFP. C. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT: In accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), the following provisions and requirements apply to Bidder when the amount of its bid exceeds $250,000.00. Self-Reporting. Bidder hereby self-reports the following information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers, that occurred in the previous 12 months. Summary of Detailed Information Date of Notification Outcome Subcontractor Reporting. Bidder hereby acknowledges and agrees that if it is a successful bidder, prior to execution of any contract resulting from this RFP, Bidder will provide to the State a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors’ subcontractors, together with the identity of those subcontractors’ workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), and Bidder will provide any update of such list to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. Bidder further acknowledges and agrees that the failure to submit subcontractor reporting in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54) will constitute non-compliance and may result in cancellation of contract and/or restriction from bidding on future state contracts. D. Executive Order 05 – 16: Climate Change Considerations in State Procurements Certification Revised July 28, 2022 Page 37 of 86 Bidder certifies to the following (Bidder may attach any desired explanation or substantiation. Please also note that Bidder may be asked to provide documentation for any applicable claims): 1. Bidder owns, leases or utilizes, for business purposes, space that has received:  Energy Star® Certification  LEED®, Green Globes®, or Living Buildings ChallengeSM Certification  Other internationally recognized building certification: ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Bidder has received incentives or rebates from an Energy Efficiency Utility or Energy Efficiency Program in the last five years for energy efficient improvements made at bidder’s place of business. Please explain: _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. Please Check all that apply:  Bidder can claim on-site renewable power or anaerobic-digester power (“cow-power”). Or bidder consumes renewable electricity through voluntary purchase or offset, provided no such claimed power can be double-claimed by another party.  Bidder uses renewable biomass or bio-fuel for the purposes of thermal (heat) energy at its place of business.  Bidder’s heating system has modern, high-efficiency units (boilers, furnaces, stoves, etc.), having reduced emissions of particulate matter and other air pollutants.  Bidder tracks its energy consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. What tool is used to do this? _____________________  Bidder promotes the use of plug-in electric vehicles by providing electric vehicle charging, electric fleet vehicles, preferred parking, designated parking, purchase or lease incentives, etc..  Bidder offers employees an option for a fossil fuel divestment retirement account.  Bidder offers products or services that reduce waste, conserve water, or promote energy efficiency and conservation. Please explain: ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Please list any additional practices that promote clean energy and take action to address climate change: _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Revised July 28, 2022 Page 38 of 86 E. Executive Order 02 – 22: Solidarity with the Ukrainian People  By checking this box, Bidder certifies that none of the goods, products, or materials offered in response to this solicitation are Russian-sourced goods or produced by Russian entities. If Bidder is unable to check the box, it shall indicate in the table below which of the applicable offerings are Russian-sourced goods and/or which are produced by Russian entities. An additional column is provided for any note or comment that you may have. Provided Equipment or Product Note or Comment Revised July 28, 2022 Page 39 of 86 I am authorized to submit a proposal to the State of Vermont in response to this RFP on behalf of my organization. The information provided as part of my organization’s response is a true and accurate representation of my organization’s ability to meet the State of Vermont’s business needs as expressed in this RFP. Signature: Full name: Title: Company: Date: Revised July 28, 2022 Page 40 of 86 STANDARD CONTRACT FOR TECHNOLOGY SERVICES 1. Parties. This is a contract for services between the State of Vermont, _____________ (hereinafter called “State”), and _____________, with a principal place of business in _____________, (hereinafter called “Contractor”). Contractor’s form of business organization is _____________. It is Contractor’s responsibility to contact the Vermont Department of Taxes to determine if, by law, Contractor is required to have a Vermont Department of Taxes Business Account Number. 2. Subject Matter. The subject matter of this contract is services generally on the subject of _____________. Detailed services to be provided by Contractor are described in Attachment A. 3. Maximum Amount. In consideration of the services to be performed by Contractor, the State agrees to pay Contractor, in accordance with the payment provisions specified in Attachment B, a sum not to exceed $________.00. 4. Contract Term. The period of Contractor’s performance shall begin on _____________, 20__ and end on _____________, 20__. 5. Prior Approvals. This Contract shall not be binding unless and until all requisite prior approvals have been obtained in accordance with current State law, bulletins, and interpretations. 6. Amendment. No changes, modifications, or amendments in the terms and conditions of this contract shall be effective unless reduced to writing, numbered and signed by the duly authorized representative of the State and Contractor. 7. Termination for Convenience. This contract may be terminated by the State at any time by giving written notice at least thirty (30) days in advance. In such event, Contractor shall be paid under the terms of this contract for all services provided to and accepted by the State prior to the effective date of termination. 8. Attachments. This contract consists of ___ pages including the following attachments which are incorporated herein: Attachment A – Statement of Work o Exhibit 1 – State Technical and Functional Requirements o Exhibit 2 – Preliminary Implementation Master Schedule o Exhibit 3 – State Third Party Software o Exhibit 4 – Contractor Software Attachment B – Payment Provisions Attachment C – Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants (revision date 12/15/2017) Attachment D – Other Provisions for IT Systems Implementation (revision date 7/14/2022) Attachment E – Business Associate Agreement (revision date 5/22/2020) Attachment F – Agency of Human Services’ Customary Contract Provisions (revision date 5/16/2018) Attachment G – Federal Terms Supplement (revision date 7/28/2022) 9. Order of Precedence. Any ambiguity, conflict or inconsistency between the documents comprising this contract shall be resolved according to the following order of precedence: 1) Standard Contract 2) Attachment D Other Provisions for IT Systems Implementation 3) Attachment C (Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants) 4) Attachment A – Statement of Work with Exhibits Revised July 28, 2022 Page 41 of 86 5) Attachment B – Payment Provisions 6) Attachment E – Business Associate Agreement 7) Attachment F – Agency of Human Services’ Customary Contract Provisions 8) Attachment G – Federal Terms Supplement WE THE UNDERSIGNED PARTIES AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS CONTRACT By the State of Vermont: By the Contractor: Date: Date: Signature: Signature: Name: Name: Title: Title: Revised July 28, 2022 Page 42 of 86 ATTACHMENT A SPECIFICATIONS OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED 1. PURPOSE This Contract sets forth the terms and conditions under which Contractor agrees to provide to the State with a [web- based,] Contractor-supported _______________________ (the “Solution”). The Solution shall ________________________________. The Contractor shall provide [development and design services, project and operations management, support and maintenance, consulting, training, engineering and application development , monitoring, support, backup and recovery, change management, technology updates and upgrades and other professional services as described herein] (individually and collectively referred to herein as the “Services”), as necessary for the State’s productive use of the Solution as further set forth in this Contract. This Contract specifies the obligations of each party with additional provisions detailed in the attached Attachments and Exhibits. 2. EXISTING SYSTEMS. This does not replace an existing system. 3. OBJECTIVE This Contract identifies the tasks required by each party to implement and support the Solution through the following major activities: [development of project management planning documentation; requirements collection and validation, Solution design, data migration, configuration, integration and testing; deployment and training; operations, support, and maintenance services], all as detailed herein. The project will be executed in phases as described herein. The successful outcome of the project is defined by the following:  completed in accordance with this Contract and applicable project management planning documentation;  Resolution of all material functional and operational deficiencies prior to deployment in the production environment;  completed within budget;  configured to meet all specified requirements and needs of the State;  the Solution meets and adheres to all requirements and timeframes set forth in service level terms set forth herein;  the Solution is fully documented, including but not limited to requirements specifications, architecture, design, configuration, operational environment and user manuals; and  trained State staff and stakeholders. 4. PERIOD OF INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING The period of installation and implementation and training shall not exceed ________________________ months from the date of this Contract. Support and maintenance shall begin [upon Solution deployment] and shall continue through the Contract Term as the same may be extended by the parties. 5. DEFINITIONS. Capitalized terms used in this Contract not specifically defined in the text shall have the following meanings: (a) “Certificate of Acceptance” means written certification, delivered to Contractor and signed by an authorized representative of the State, stating that any Defects in a particular Phase or the Solution discovered after implementation and testing have been corrected as required under this Contract, and that the Phase complies in all material respects with all of the applicable Requirements. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 43 of 86 (b) “Certificate of Completion” means written certification, delivered to the State and signed by an authorized representative of Contractor, stating that any Defects in a particular Phase or the Solution discovered after implementation, testing and Acceptance have been corrected as required under this Contract, and that the Phase or Solution complies in all material respects with all of the applicable Solution Requirements. The State must provide written acceptance to Contractor of any and all Certificates of Completion for them to become effective. (c) “Contractor Personnel” means and refers to Contractor’s employees and employees of Contractor’s permitted subcontractors or permitted agents assigned by Contractor to perform Services under this Contract. (d) “Defect” means any failure by the Solution or any Phase or component thereof to conform in any material respect with applicable Requirements. (e) “Defect Correction” means either a modification or addition that, when made or added to the Solution, establishes material conformity of the Solution to the applicable Requirements, or a procedure or routine that, when observed in the regular operation of the Solution, eliminates the practical adverse effect on the State of such nonconformity. (f) “Documentation” means any and all descriptions and specifications of the Requirements included herein or created or developed hereunder, operational, functional and supervisory reference guides, manuals and instructive materials, in whatever form and regardless of the media on which it may be contained, stored or transmitted, which is developed, prepared, used or otherwise available from Contractor and/or Contractor’s suppliers, in connection with and applicable to the provision, use, operation and support of the Services hereunder. Documentation shall be sufficient to enable State personnel to understand, operate, use, access, support, maintain, update and modify Services, notwithstanding that Contractor is or may be responsible for any or all of the foregoing obligations. Documentation shall also include all standards applicable to the Services, including those applicable to: (i) Contractor for its own comparable items or services; (ii) the State for its own comparable items or services; and (iii) such standards and guidelines as the parties mutually agree apply to the Services involved. (g) “Final Acceptance” means the issuance of Certificate of Acceptance executed by the State which specifies the mutually agreed upon Go Live Date for the Solution. (h) “Facilities” means the physical premises, locations and operations owned or leased by the State (a “State Facility”) or the Contractor (a “Contractor Facility”), and from or through which the Contractor and/or its permitted contractors will provide any Services. (i) "Go Live Date." The date that the all or any part of the entire Solution is first available for use by the State in an operational, non-test environment, utilizing actual production data. (j) “Phases.” A particular portion of the Solution, as set forth in the Implementation Master Schedule or as may be modified in accordance with this Contract. Unless modified by written agreement of the parties, the five project Phases are [Solution Definition and Design, Requirements Gathering, Customization, Deployment, Training and Maintenance and Support]. (k) “Requirements” means the State’s baseline Functional and Technical Requirements attached as Exhibit 1 to Attachment A of this Contract. (l) “Service Level” means the specific level of performance Contractor is required to comply with and adhere to in providing the Services in conformity with the Requirements, consistent with the criteria and parameters specified in this Contract. Service Level Terms are set forth in Attachment __ to this Contract. Revised July 28, 2022 Page 44 of 86 6. PROJECT MANAGEMENT The scope of work as detailed below describes the services, deliverables and key assumptions. Contractor will develop an overall project schedule that details the tasks, timelines, and deliverables for the fully integrated solution. 6.1. CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT 6.1.1 CONTRACTOR’S PROJECT MANAGER Contractor will designate an individual to serve as the “Contractor Project Manager” who will: (i) be a senior employee within Contractor’s organization, with the information, authority and resources available to properly discharge the responsibilities required hereunder; (ii) serve as primary point of contact and the single-point of accountability and responsibility for all Contract-related questions and issues and the provision of Services by Contractor; (iii) have day-to-day responsibility for, and authority to manage, State customer satisfaction; (iv) devote full time and dedicated efforts to managing and coordinating the Services; and (v) be located at State Facilities or such other appropriate location as Contractor and the State may mutually agree. Contractor’s Project Manager shall be responsible for all tasks necessary to manage, oversee, and ensure success of the project. These tasks include documenting requirements, developing and updating project plans, assigning staff, scheduling meetings, developing and publishing status reports, addressing project issues, risks, and change orders, and preparing presentations for the State. Contractor’s project manager shall be responsible for the successful delivery of all Contractor tasks and subtasks defined in the Project Management Plan (as defined herein). Progress will be monitored and plans adjusted, as necessary, in project status meetings. The Project Management Plan deliverables (for both State and Contractor tasks) shall be updated by the Contractor, subject to review and approval of the State, and reports printed for each status meeting. Contractor’s project manager shall be responsible for developing and implementing the following project management documentation: Deliverable Description Update Frequency Project Charter The Project Charter provides basic information about the project. It includes a: Scope Statement (what’s in and out of scope); list of Project Deliverables; high level Project Timeline; Key Roles & Responsibilities; known Risks, Assumptions and/or Constraints. It should be signed off on by the State. Once unless there are changes Project Management Plan The Project Management Plan will dictate specifics on how the Contractor Project Manager will administer the project and will include the following documentation: 1. Change Management Plan (will dictate how changes will be handled including any Service level terms on over/under estimates) 2. Communication Management Plan (will dictate what will be communicated, to who, and how often) 3. Requirements Management Plan (will dictate the approach that the requirements will be gathered, approved, and maintained) 4. Human Resources Management Plan (will dictate what resources will be assigned to the project, for how long, under what allocation, who they report to, and how to handle changes to the resource plan) 5. Procurement Management Plan (will dictate how the Revised July 28, 2022 Page 45 of 86 vendor(s) will interact with the project and expectations regarding vendor relations with State resources) 6. Quality Management Plan (will dictate the quality controls over the work being done on the project as well as determine Key Performance Indicators – this document is not limited to deliverables) 7. Risk and Issues Management Plan (will dictate how risks and issues will be managed over the course of the project) 8. Scope Management Plan (will dictate how the scope will be maintained to prevent “scope creep”) Formal Acceptance Criteria Criteria that establishes what the acceptance and rejection criteria of each document on this list. Formal Acceptance Sign Off Obtain sign-off at the completion of each project deliverable as defined by the formal acceptance criteria. Change Requests Formal document which outlines any changes to the Contract scope, schedule, budget, and resources. Change Requests Log Tracks the specific change requests approved and their impact to the project scope, budget and schedule. Budget Log Outlines original Contract costs by deliverable with billed and paid-to-date information. Risk Log A log of all risks (opened or closed) that could impact the project. Risks should be outlined by their impact and their potential to occur. All risks should have an owner. Issue/Action Items/Decision Log A Log of open and resolved/completed Issues. Issues should be outlined by their impact, owner, date of occurrence, and remediation strategy. Decision Log A log of all decisions made over the course of the project. Decisions should have a date and name of decider. Requirements Documents Finalized list of the project requirements to be approved by the State. The approach is dictated by the Requirements Management Plan (see Project Management Plan), and can include:  Stated requirements document (SRD): The SRD contains current state process flows, user stories, and business rules and states the business need at a high level.  Business requirements document (BRD): The BRD contains a medium level of requirements as well as required metrics of project success.  Functional requirements document (FRD): The FRD contains detailed requirements that can be handed off to the Contractor for execution. Test Plans A description of the testing approach, participants, sequence of testing and testing preparations Once Test Cases & Results The specific test cases to be tested and the testing results. Test Cases tie back to the project requirements (to ensure each one has been met). Create once then update with Results Revised July 28, 2022 Page 46 of 86 Implementation Master Schedule The IMS outlines how the project will go-live and will include a mini-project plan for the exact events that need to occur assigned to the resources that need to do them and the timeframe for when they need to get done. (See Section 4.4 for more detail.) Once per implementation Project Status Reports Provides an update on the project health, accomplishments, upcoming tasks, risks and significant issues. The Status Report and the project color being report shall be developed in consultation with the State business lead and State project manager, as set forth in greater detail in Section 4.2.2. Weekly Project Phase Audit/Gate Check At the end of each Phase, the Contractor Project Manager shall submit an audit of all deliverables and milestones achieved during the Phase to the State Project manager for review. Once per phase. Meeting Agenda/ Minutes All scheduled meetings will have an agenda and minutes. The minutes shall contain risk issues, action items, and decision logs. Minutes shall be transcribed over to the main logs. Per occurrence End of Project Metrics These are metrics that reflect how well the project was performed. Metrics will be outlined in the Quality Management Plan Lessons Learned A compilation of the lessons learned having 20/20 hindsight. Lessons learned shall be delivered in an Excel template and collected from each of the State and Contractor project team members to get a full 360 degree view of the project in retrospect. Once Closeout Report This report will include all the lessons learned, project metrics, and a summary of the project’s implementation and outcome in operation. Once Contractor shall use State templates for the foregoing, unless otherwise approved by the State. The State Project Manager shall be responsible for the review and acceptance of project management documentation. Contractor’s project manager shall assist the State’s project manager (upon request) in creating materials for periodic presentations to State project sponsors and key stakeholders. Contractor’s project manager may be required to present information to, and answer questions from, State stakeholders at these presentations. 6.1.2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT The Contractor will apply PMI (Project Management Institute’s PMBOK) principles to ensure on-time and within- budget delivery of the Solution, while meeting all of the Requirements in this Contract. The State will approve all project management methods and tools used during the project. These project management methods and tools are considered project deliverables. 6.1.3 KEY PROJECT STAFF Contractor will perform and support the Services consistent with this Contract and the Solution Requirements. Contractor Personnel will be properly educated, trained and qualified for the Services they are to perform and Contractor will put appropriate training in place to meet initial and ongoing training requirements of Contractor Personnel assigned to perform Services. (a) Contractor shall be responsible, at its own cost and expense, for any and all recruitment, hiring, Contractor-specific training, education and orientation for all Contractor Personnel assigned or to be assigned to perform Services or support the Requirements. (b) All Contractor Personnel, in addition to any Contractor security policies and procedures, shall be required to comply with the security requirements in this Contract (c) Contractor shall conduct its hiring process in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws to Revised July 28, 2022 Page 47 of 86 include, but not be limited to, anti-discrimination laws. (i) Eligibility for Employment: Contractor shall verify that all prospective employees are eligible for employment in the United States. (ii) Criminal Records: Contractor or an agent of Contractor shall perform criminal background checks on all prospective employees utilizing a national criminal database acceptable to the State. Before any Contractor Personnel begin work on the Services x) such background check shall have returned a “no record” result or, y) to the extent that the result revealed that a felony record or records exist for a given individual, the associated conviction(s) shall be unrelated to the work to be performed as specified under the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission’s EEOC Enforcement Guidance regarding the employment of convicted felons issued April 25, 2012. Contractor shall provide the State with notice of proposed Contractor Personnel with felony or misdemeanor convictions that involve a crime against a person; a crime involving the use or misuse of computer network; a crime involving weapons, explosives or arson; a crime involving trade secret/proprietary information; a crime involving theft, dishonesty, embezzlement, breach of fiduciary duty, identity theft, or other financial-related crimes; a felony conviction for drug possession; or a crime involving the distribution or trafficking of illegal drugs and/or controlled substances. (d) All Contractor Personnel providing or assigned to provide Services or otherwise in a position to obtain or have access to State Information, shall execute a non-disclosure agreement in a form acceptable to the State. (e) The timing for transfer, reassignment or repla