Town of Coventry

Request for Proposals

No. 950-1001-2019A

Municipal and School Financial Software System

TOWN OF COVENTRY

1670 Flat River Road, Coventry, RI 02816

Tel. (401) 822-9130 Fax (401) 822-6237

Contact: John Arnett, Finance Director

Email Address: JArnett@CoventryRI.Org

Phone: (401) 822-9130

Submittal Due: 12/2/2019 @ 2:00 PM (EST)

Table of Contents Town of Coventry ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Request for Proposals........................................................................................................................... 1

DISCLAIMER .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Purpose for this Request: ..................................................................................................................... 3

Vendor Minimum Qualifications: ......................................................................................................... 3

Budget and Accounting System Solution Requirements .......................................................................... 4

Global Features .................................................................................................................................... 4

Module Integration .............................................................................................................................. 5

Report Generation ................................................................................................................................ 5

Security and Administrative Control .................................................................................................... 5

Customer Support ................................................................................................................................ 6

Submission Requirements .................................................................................................................... 6

History of Contract Termination .......................................................................................................... 7

Cost of Services..................................................................................................................................... 7

Conversion and Project Management .................................................................................................. 7

Training ................................................................................................................................................. 8

Direct Management Team .................................................................................................................... 8

References ............................................................................................................................................ 8

Evaluation Criteria and Process ............................................................................................................ 8

Disclaimers ........................................................................................................................................... 9

Deadline, Terms & Requirements for Proposal Submission .................................................................. 10

Submission Information ..................................................................................................................... 11

Proposed Implementation Schedule ...................................................................................................... 12

Required Compliance Signature ............................................................................................................. 13

3

DISCLAIMER ANY VENDER WHICH SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED TO RFP #950-1001-2019 MAY ONLY SUBMIT PRICING MODELS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREVIOUS SUBMISSION. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE SUPPLIED TO ADD SUPPORT TO ANY FIGURE NOT PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED.

Introduction

The Town of Coventry (the Town), established in 1643 and incorporated in 1741, is located about 19 miles southwest of Providence, Rhode Island. The Town is governed by charter giving authority to a five member Council. For more information and to learn more about the Town of Coventry, visit https://www.coventryri.org. The Town is reviewing its financial software system which it utilizes for preparing the annual budget and running all day-to-day operations, i.e. School, Police, and the Department of Public Works. The Town uses same Budget and Accounting System since 1999 and is assessing its current requirements and resources for a financial system replacement. As a part of this assessment, alternative Budget and Accounting Systems will be reviewed for compatibility with the Town’s needs.

Purpose for this Request: The Town is seeking proposals from qualified vendors for an administrative data processing system to serve the current and projected needs of the Town. The software should comply with the minimum specifications as outlined in this RFP. The software must be compliant with recognized governmental fund accounting standards and Rhode Island General Law 45-10-5.1 Uniform Accounting Procedures. The Town requires the proposals to include all application software, data conversion, initial training, project implementation/administration, and on-going maintenance, training and support services. The Town currently uses PowerSchool/ SunGard/Phoenix software for financial functions (i.e. General Ledger, Funds, Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable). In addition, the Town uses APro (Tax Assessor software), Vision RI Tax Administration, Vision Building Inspection, MyRec Recreation Management Software, Alpha Dog Licensing, Vision Collection System, MySeniorCenter, and Avenu Insights & Analytics Land Evidence Records.

Vendor Minimum Qualifications: Five (5) years of experience in Municipal Financial Software. Project Manager with at least five (5) years of related experience. Proven track record of working with the public sector. Proven track record of migrating clients to the vendor’s Municipal Financial Software System. Respond to all elements requested in the RFP. Client Services Recommendations.

Submission Requirements: Proposal specifications may be obtained at the Town of Coventry Finance Department, Town Hall, 1670 Flat River Road, RI 02816 during normal working hours. These documents will also be posted on the Town website at https://coventryri.org/ , and the RI State Purchasing website at http://www.purchasing.ri.gov/bidding/ExternalBidSearch.aspx. Additional information is available from

4

the Finance Department, John Arnett, Finance Director, at JArnett@CoventryRI.org. Any addendums will be posted on the webpage and/or sent via email to persons requesting the information. Sealed proposals clearly marked “RFP# 950-1001-2019A” will be received at the Town of Coventry Finance Department, Town Hall, 1670 Flat River Road, RI 02816 until 2:00 PM on December 2nd, 2019. The bid submittal shall consist of the original bid proposal and three (3) copies. Awards shall be made based on the best value solutions that meet the requirements of the Town of Coventry’s administrative municipal services needs as outlined in this RFP. The Town reserves the right to waive any and all proposals or parts thereof, to waive any informality in same, to reject any or all proposals when deemed to be in the best interest of the Town.

Budget and Accounting System Solution Requirements

Solution Requirements: The solution provided must be SQL Server compatible and may include a cloud-based component. Simplicity, integration with other systems, and maintainability will be important aspects of the assessment as the Town is looking to streamline its daily financial operations. If the Municipal Software System is solely cloud-based, additional information will be required stating how the Town could remain operational during cases of a power outage or significant interruption in Wi-Fi service. Furthermore, the vendor must supply a plan which Town could seamlessly continue full operations during afore mentioned instances. A new Municipal Financial Software must address, in core functionality, all of the following application software components. Features listed for each component are described in more detail in the following sections.

Global Features Please include in any response the software’s ability to the listed global feature requirements. The Global Features of the software must include, but is not limited to, the following features:

Ability to convert a minimum of five years of legacy data (including chart of accounts and vendor files) in current software to proposed solution

User defined account number structure Provides a Chart of Accounts system that provides a flexible account numbering format that meets

the requirements of the Town and the Rhode Island Department of Education Uniform Chart of Accounts

Accounts Payable with 1099 capability including electronic purchase orders, encumbrances, tracking by vendor and by budget line, paper check, and ACH payments

Accounts Receivable – billing and payment processing General Ledger Reconciliation of bank accounts Ability to post manual journal entries Fixed Assets and Inventory management Payroll summary import internally or through a 3rd party vendor file Tax billing and collection summary import from 3rd party vendor files Employee benefits administration

5

Cash receipting Budget development and reporting, including ease of reporting information to the public. System

should support multiple budget types and comparative analyses between each type, and actuals by month and cumulative (default, year to date, adopted, estimated year-end).

Drill down capability for detail transaction data Account inquiry access for department heads for budget to actual information Multiple funds for fund accounting Employee expense reporting and reimbursement Auto-integration of modules and multiple funds. Report writing functionality for standard and customizable reports with user defined reporting

fields tied to specific accounts. Also including ease of producing data in Excel format and exporting to email.

Module Integration Specifically, please address the following:

How are the modules integrated? How many module bases are required for the full set of features? How many accounting periods are supported by each module? Require ability to provide 13th

month capabilities. How are adjustments to prior periods handled in the system in terms of data transactions and

reporting? How are pro-forma projections of expenses accommodated for budgeting and tracking purposes? How are adjustments to personal information, such as contact information, position, and ACH,

captured? a. Is there an ability for employees to view and/or request changes to the information?

Date and time the record was entered into the system or edited. Ability to provide alerts to various management tiers such as file submissions and approval

requests. Capture the date and time a record was entered into the system and/or edited. Capture the user's information, both internal and external, and who created and/or edited a

record.

Report Generation Please address the software’s interaction with the financial data through report generation. Specific examples would be helpful to evaluators.

Provide examples of standard (out of the box) reports and describe how each report will be produced as routine scheduled reports.

Please provide a listing of existing “canned” reports. Does the software provide the ability to perform "what-if" scenarios to model various approaches

for budget creation, prioritization, and projections for future years Describe the report writer provided with the system, including an identification of the modules

whose data is accessible with the report writer. Provide examples of custom reports. Provide a list of those custom reports that have been provided to other Municipalities.

Include experience with report generation specific to Rhode Island Municipal Transparency Report.

Security and Administrative Control

6

Describe the system’s security and access control, including: Capability to accommodate multiple levels of role-based user access that restricts access to the

appropriate role. Capability to manage, track and report user access to a specific data element. Is there a user

defined audit that is already built into the proposed system, to track changes? Describe on-line help provided with the system and specify whether this feature is field or screen

specific, or generic.

Customer Support Does the Vendor provide a toll-free support number? Does the Vendor provide Online Support? Other options for support? Please provide Response Times and Resolution Times to the following incident levels

o Standard Help Call o Emergency o Critical

Problem Escalation Procedures o How are incidents handled? o What tools do the Vendor Support Staff use? o What is the basic chain of command?

How are updates managed? How often are updates released? What is the typical downtime during an update? Is there downtime during updates or are they performed off-hours or on the cloud and then

imported? Please explain. Describe your service approach and procedures regarding user unique custom programming, if

needed.

Submission Requirements The following information shall be required in the RFP submittal:

Executive Summary o Company name, address, and telephone number(s) of the firm submitting the proposal. o Name, title, address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the person or persons to

contact who are authorized to represent the firm and to whom correspondence should be directed.

o Federal and state taxpayer identification numbers of the firm. o Briefly state your understanding of the services to be performed and make a positive

commitment to provide the services as specified. o The letter must be signed by a corporate officer or another individual who is legally

authorized to bind the applicant to both its proposal and cost schedule. o Statement which indicates: “Proposal and cost schedule shall be valid and binding for

ninety (90) days following proposal due date and will become part of the contract that is negotiated with the Town."

o Typical financing arrangements (cost requested to be spread up to 5 years). General Vendor Information

o Length of time in business. o Length of time in business providing proposed services. o Total number of public sector clients utilizing financial software. Also, total number in

7

Rhode Island. o Number of full-time personnel.

Conversion/Installation o Help Desk Support o Training o Location of office which would service this account

History of Contract Termination If your company had a contract terminated for default during the past five years, all such

incidents must be described. Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the vendor's

nonperformance or poor performance; and the issue was either (a) not litigated or (b) litigated and such litigation determined the vendor to be in default.

If default occurred, list complete name, address and telephone number of the party. If NO such determinations for default have been experienced by the vendor in the past five years,

please declare.

Cost of Services The proposal must contain a fee schedule that includes hourly rates for proposed services broken into four sections: Managed Information Technology Services, Cloud based services, Annual Maintenance, and Other Charges. Is your company listed on Rhode Island’s Master Purchase Agreement list?

Under what name and for what products and/or services? Please include a copy of your certification.

Managed Information Technology Services. Define any additional charges that could be incurred.

Cloud Based Services Define any additional charges that could be incurred.

Annual Maintenance The proposal should address ongoing maintenance costs after 12-18 months. Such costs should include all system upgrades, patches and fixes. Such costs should also be capped and state a specific maximum allowable percentage increase

per year.

Conversion and Project Management Project management and the ability to timely turnover financial software is imperative to determining a successful bid. Please describe the following:

Approach - Describe your approach to providing converting municipal financial software systems services and your methodology for providing on-going support. Include a brief history of experience on delivering similar services, especially as they relate to the public sector.

Is the Implementation done in Phases? o If so, how many? o What do they comprise?

Describe the configuration/adaptation methodology that will be utilized in your project approach, in sufficient detail for the Town to understand how this methodology works and why it is well suited to Town’s needs.

Do you assist in the development of the detailed implementation plan?

8

o Do both the vendor and the Town provide approval of the plan and time deadlines in writing?

Project Management o Methodology o Milestones/Deliverables o Implementation Team Experience (provide resumes of all proposed staff)

Vendor/Town Responsibilities o What is the Town responsible for during Implementation? o What services does the Vendor supply?

Data Conversion o Conversion Methods o Conversion process o Data Extraction o Scheduling o Data Validation o Based on your previous experience with similar engagements, describe the methodology,

tools, and processes that will be utilized in mapping, standardization, conversion, and validation of legacy data to the proposed

Describe the system testing methodology you will utilize to ensure appropriate testing of system functionality, data integrity, interfaces, and system performance across all testing stages, in sufficient detail for the Town to understand how successful implementation will be achieved.

Training Training Options Training Requirements Syllabus Information and example collateral Describe your methods for ensuring a complete “knowledge transfer” such that Town will

become fully capable of managing the system during project implementation and after project completion.

Based on your previous experience with similar engagements, discuss the typical recommended curriculum for technical and functional staff involved in the initial implementation.

Direct Management Team Identify names of principals and key personnel who will provide the services to the Town of

Coventry. Describe the role and responsibilities that each of these individuals will have on the team. Full resumes of these individuals should be appended to the proposal.

References Provide the name, title, address, and telephone number of five (5) references for clients whom

you have provided similar services. Please provide information referencing the actual services provided, customer size (number of

users), and the length of tenure providing services to this client. At least two of the references should be from clients located in the Rhode Island.

Evaluation Criteria and Process Award of the contract resulting from this RFP will be based upon the most responsive and responsible

9

Vendor whose offer will be the most advantageous to the Town of Coventry in terms of cost, functionality, and other factors as specified elsewhere in this RFP. In accordance with Coventry Code of Ordinances § 56-11, the Town Manager will select the winning bidder. The Town Manager may request interviews of some, all, or none of the applicants. The Town Manger will conduct an evaluation of qualifications and will rate each submittal based upon the following criteria:

The ability, capacity, and skill of the bidder to perform the contract. Whether the bidder can perform the contract within the time specified without delay or

interference. The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience and efficiency of the bidder. The quality of performance of previous contracts. The previous and existing compliance by the bidder with laws and ordinances relating to the

contract. The sufficiency of the financial resources and ability of the bidder to perform the contract or

provide the service. The quality, availability, and adaptability of the suppliers or contractual services to the particular

use required. The ability of the bidder to provide future maintenance and service for the use of the subject of

the contract. Response to minimum requirements Project approach/Strategy proposed Cost/benefit analysis of proposed solutions and financing arrangement References Successful conversions from PowerSchool/SunGard, if any, to your proposed software.

Disclaimers The Town of Coventry reserves the right to reject any and all proposals for failure to meet the requirements contained herein, to waive any technicalities, and to select the proposal which, in the Town of Coventry sole judgment, best meets the requirements of the project. The RFP creates no obligation on the part of the Town to award a contract or to compensate the proposer for any costs incurred during proposal presentation, response, submission, presentation, or oral interviews (if held). The Town reserves the right to award a contract based upon proposals received without further discussion or negotiation. Proposers should not rely upon the opportunity to alter their qualifications during discussions. The Town further reserves the right to make such investigation as it deems necessary to determine the ability of proposers to furnish the required services, and proposers shall furnish all such information for this purpose as the Town may request. Proposers must specifically identify any portions of their submittals deemed to contain confidential or proprietary information, or trade secrets. Those portions must be readily separable from the balance of the proposal. Such designations will not necessarily be conclusive, and proposers may be required to justify why the Town of Coventry should not, upon written request, disclose such materials.

10

Deadline, Terms & Requirements for Proposal Submission

Proposals are due NO LATER than December 2nd, 2019 to the Town of Coventry Finance Department, Town Hall, 1670 Flat River Road, RI 02816. Proposals received after the deadline will not be accepted. Three (3) copies of the proposal must be placed in an envelope that is sealed and clearly marked “Town of Coventry - RFP for Municipal Financial Software System, 950-1001-2019A”.

A bidder filing a proposal certifies that no officer, agent, or employee of the Town has a

pecuniary interest in the proposal or has participated in contract negotiations on the part of

the Town; that the proposal is made in good faith without fraud, collusion or connection of

any kind with any other bidder for the same call for proposals; and that the bidder is

competing solely in its own behalf without connection with, or obligation to, any undisclosed

person or firm.

Negligence on the part of the bidder in preparing the proposal confers no rights for the

withdrawal of the proposal after it is opened.

Any deviation from the specifications must be noted in writing and included in the response.

The bidder shall indicate the item and indicate how the proposal will deviate from

specifications.

No proposal will be accepted if made in collusion with any other bidder.

A bidder who is an out-of-state corporation shall qualify or register to transact business in this

State, in accordance with R.I. General Laws (as amended). Sections 7-1 -1.1-105. 7-1.1-106.

The Town of Coventry reserves the right to reject any and all bids(s).

As the Town of Coventry is exempt from the payment of Federal Excise Taxes and Rhode Island

Sales Taxes, prices quoted are not to include these taxes. The price or prices proposed should

be stated both in WRITING and in FIGURES, and any proposal not so stated may be rejected.

The contractor will not be permitted to either assign or underlet the contract, nor assign either

legally or equitably any moneys hereunder. Or its claim thereto without the previous written

consent of the Finance Director of the Town of Coventry.

The successful bidder must provide the Town of Coventry with an original certificate of

insurance (faxes are not acceptable), for Professional Liability, Errors and Omissions, in a

minimum amount of $1,000,000, naming the Town of Coventry as the additional insured and

so stated on the certificate with the proposal name and proposal number. The contractor must

carry sufficient liability insurance and agree to indemnify the Town against all claims of any

nature, which might arise as a result of the selected bidder’s operations or conduct of work.

The successful bidder will provide said insurance coverage within ten (10) calendar days after

notification of award or the Town reserves the right to rescind said award. Failure to provide

adequate insurance coverage within the specified duration of time as set forth is a material

breach of contract and grounds for termination of the contract.

The successful bidder must comply with all Rhode Island Labor Laws, Chapter 37-12-13, and all

other applicable Local, State and Federal Laws. The vendor will not discriminate against any

11

employee or applicant for employment because of physical or mental handicap for any

position for which the employee or applicant is qualified and that in the event of

noncompliance the Town may declare the vendor in breach and take necessary legal recourse

including termination or cancellation of the contract.

The IRS Form W-9 must be completed and submitted with the proposal if the bidder falls

under IRS requirements to file this form.

The Town reserves the right to terminate the contract or any part of the contract in the best

interests of the Town, upon sixty (60) day notice to the vendor. The Town shall incur no

liability for materials or services not yet ordered if it terminates in the best interest of the

Town. If the Town terminates in the interest of the Town after an order for materials or

services have been placed, the contractor shall be entitled to compensation upon submission

of invoices and proper roof of claim, in that proportion which its services and products were

satisfactorily rendered or provided, as well as expenses necessarily incurred in the

performance of work up to time of termination.

All costs directly or indirectly related to the preparation of a response to this solicitation, or

any presentation or communication to supplement and/or clarify any response to this

solicitation, which Certificate & Warrant Form.

Bids shall be opened publicly at the mailing address provided in this bid, in full view of the

public, on December 2nd at 2:00PM, 2019. Each bid, together with the name of the bidder,

shall be recorded and an abstract made available for public inspection. Subsequent to the

awarding of the bid, all documents will be retained in accordance with Rhode Island’s record

retention policy.

This RFP is advertised within the required timeframe provided under Rhode Island Law 45-55-5 twenty-one (21) day limit. (Ref: RI Law 45-55-5).

Submission Information

NOTE: ALL COST INFORMATION IS FOR BUDGETARY PURPOSES ONLY AND NO CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WILL BE ISSUED AS A RESULT OF THIS RFP. PLEASE MARK YOUR RESPONSE ACCORDINGLY IF YOUR RESPONSE IS CONSIDERED A TRADE SECRET OR OTHERWISE NOT FOR PUBLIC DISSEMINATION. ANY INFORMATION RECEIVED SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND RHODE ISLAND STATE LAW.

For additional concerns, please contact John Arnett at JArnett@CoventryRI.org. Ensure any email correspondence include “RFP 950-1001-2019A” as the subject line.

The responder assumes all responsibilities for proposals submitted by mail or commercial delivery service. Proposals misdirected to other state locations or which are otherwise not present in the Town of Coventry Finance Department at the time of opening, for any cause, will be determined to be late and may not be considered. Proposals faxed, or emailed, to the Town of Coventry Finance Department will not be considered.

12

Proposed Implementation Schedule

December 15th, 2019: RFP Reopened

December 2nd, 2019, at 2:00 PM Bid Opening at Coventry Town Hall

December 3rd– 4th, 2019: Interviews of Qualified & Responsive Bidders, including Product Demos

December 5th - 6th: Evaluation and Selection by Town Manager

December 9th, 2019: Town Manager presents preference to Town Council Vote

December 10th, 2019: Vendors Notified of Vote Outcome

November 1st – December 31st: Communication with vendor for comprehensive plan (vendor to

provide detailed timetable)

January – March, 2020: Data transfer and foundation building

April – June, 2020: Overlapping systems

July 2020: Migration of Services Complete

13

Required Compliance Signature THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED WITH THE SEALED BID. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC REJECTION. Any and all bids shall contain a certification and warrant that they comply with all relevant and pertinent statues, laws, ordinances and regulations, in particular, but not limited to conflicts of interest of the Code of Ordinances of the Town of Coventry. Any proven violation of this warranty and representation by a bidder at the time of the bid or during the course of the contract, included, but not limited to negligent acts, either directly or indirectly through agents and/or sub-contractors, shall render the bidder's contract terminated and the bidder shall be required to reimburse the Town for any and all costs incurred by the Town, including reasonable attorney fees, to prosecute and/or enforce this provision.

Title:

Company Name:

Address:

Printed Name:

Signature: Date: