1 - Information Technology Administrator Request for Proposal

VILLAGE OF MIDDLEVILLE, MIDDLEVILLE, MICHIGAN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

I. Introduction and General Information

The Village of Middleville (VOM) is seeking proposals from experienced information technology firms to provide VOM with information technology (IT) management services in the areas of network and technical administration and support, systems support, PC desktop technical support, software integration support, email, and web hosting and security. Respondents will be expected to advise on and make recommendations for VOM’s IT needs and policies on an ongoing basis.

II. Submission of Proposals

A.  Submit three (3) copies of your proposal in a sealed package, along with an electronic copy to ayalag@villageofmiddleville.org no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 24, 2023. Proposals received after that time will not be considered.  All proposals must remain open, valid, and subject to acceptance for one year from the deadline. You should submit your proposal in writing to:
Village of Middleville
c/o Village Clerk
PO Box 69
100 E Main St.
Middleville, MI 49333

Receipt of the hard copy submissions will be considered the official submission of a proposal and the submission used to determine timeliness.

Clearly identify the outside of the sealed proposal package with the respondent’s name and return address and the statement "Response to Request for Proposal, IT Administrator, 2023. FAILURE TO CLEARLY IDENTIFY THE OUTSIDE OF THE PROPOSAL PACKAGE MAY RESULT IN THE REJECTION OF THE PROPOSAL. The Village of Middleville is not
responsible for receipt of any proposal that is improperly labeled.
 

2. Should your proposal contain information designated as confidential, a statement to that effect must be included in the cover letter. (Please mark any pages designated as confidential in the upper right-hand corner.) VOM will use reasonable efforts to exempt such pages or items from public disclosure but makes no representations or warranties that such efforts will be successful. Please note that the entire proposal cannot be considered confidential.

 

3. If, prior to the final filing date for submission of proposals, a respondent discovers an error or omission in a proposal already submitted to VOM the only method of correcting, modifying, or completing the proposal is to withdraw the proposal in its entirety prior to the final filing date and time by written notification to Middleville. A complete, corrected proposal package may be resubmitted, but not after the final filing date and time. Modification offered in any other manner, oral, written, or facsimile transmission, will not be considered.

 

4. A firm may withdraw its proposal at any time before the due date for submission of proposals by delivering a written request for withdrawal signed by, or on behalf of the prospective firm.

 

5. The proposals become the property of the Village of Middleville upon submission. All costs for developing proposals and attending interviews are entirely the responsibility of the respondent and shall not be chargeable to the Village. Village of Middleville accepts no responsibility for lost and/or late delivery of proposals.

 

6. The VOM council reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas in your proposal regardless of whether that proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates your acceptance of the conditions contained in this RFP, unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract.

 

7. Only one proposal from an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or a combination thereof, will be considered.  Reasonable grounds for believing a respondent has submitted multiple proposals under more than one name will be cause for rejection of all proposals in which the respondent is interested.

III. Standards for Evaluating Proposals

The purpose of the proposal evaluation process is twofold:  (1) to assess the responses for compliance with minimum qualifications, content, and format requirements; and (2) to identify the respondents that have the highest probability of satisfactorily performing the services described herein. The evaluation process will be conducted in a comprehensive and impartial manner.

VOM may reject any or all proposals and may or may not waive any immaterial deviation or defect in a proposal.  Village of Middleville's waiver of an immaterial deviation or defect shall in no way modify the RFP documents or excuse the respondent from full compliance with the RFP requirements.

Proposals that contain false or misleading statements, or which provide references that do not support an attribute or condition claimed by the respondent shall be rejected.

By submitting a proposal, each prospective firm represents and warrants that; its proposal is genuine and not a sham or collusive or made in the interest of, or on behalf of any person not named therein; that the prospective firm has not directly, induced or solicited any other person to submit a sham proposal or any other person to refrain from submitting a proposal; and, that the prospective firm has not in any manner sought collusion to secure any improper advantage over any other person submitting a proposal.

Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the offer and all required information. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other expensive visual presentations are neither necessary nor desired.

All subcontracting arrangements require prior approval of the Village Manager. The contractor shall not assign, transfer, convey, sublet, or otherwise dispose of any award or any or all its right, title, or interest therein without the prior written consent of the Village Manager, which shall not be reasonably withheld.

Any attempt by a respondent to initiate contact with any member of the Middleville Village Council or staff other than the designated contact may disqualify the respondent from further consideration.

A.  Pre-evaluation Review

1.   Each proposal package will be date- and time-stamped when received. Proposals received after the final filing date, will not be considered.
2.   Each proposal package will be inspected to ascertain that it is properly sealed and labeled. Proposals not passing this inspection may not be accepted.
3.         Those not satisfying the Minimum Qualifications or submitting the information to be provided by Respondents may be rejected.

B.  Written Proposal Evaluation

Proposals that pass the pre-evaluation review will undergo an evaluation process conducted by the village council and staff.

C. Clarification

Respondents may be requested to provide additional information and/or clarify the contents of their proposal package.  Other than the information requested by VOM, no respondent will be allowed to alter the proposal or add new information after the final filing date.

D.  Finalists Selections

After completion of all evaluations of the written proposal and fee evaluation finalists will be determined.

E. Reference Checks and On-Site Inspections

Reference checks will be conducted for each finalist. On-site inspections of offices may be conducted for any or all finalists at the option of the village manager or council.

F.   Finalist Interviews

The finalists will have an interview with the village council. 

IV. Award of the Contract

Based upon the overall evaluation together with the finalists' presentations before the village council, the contract will be awarded on or before May 10, 2023.

V.  Term of Engagement

The term of the engagement is three years with the possibility of two one (1) year extensions. The Council may terminate the engagement at any time with or without cause.  The IT Administrator may not terminate the engagement except on 90 days advance written notice to the Village Council unless otherwise agreed to by the Council. The Village envisions a long-term and mutually satisfactory relationship; however, the Council reserves the right to re-evaluate performance and issue further RFPs at their sole discretion.

VI. Commencement Date

The contract shall be effective May 10, 2023.

VII.  Procurement Schedule

RFP Issued                       Feb 17, 2023
Deadline for Submitting Written Questions     Mar 3, 2023 Deadline for Intent to Respond Notice        Mar 10, 2023
Deadline for Submitting Proposal          Mar 24, 2023 Review Completed/Finalists Selected (tentative) April 21, 2023
Site visits for Finalists (optional)         April 24 – 28, 2023
Finalists' Presentations (Committee of the Whole) May 2, 2023
Finalist Selected                    May 9, 2023
Contract Begins                    May 10, 2023

VIII. Current Technical Environment

The VOM technical environment consists of 1 (one) worksite located in Middleville, Michigan.

VOM has an existing local area network which is utilized for central file storage and backup, email, printing, accounting, and support of a proprietary network application. The network consists of the following resources:

Trustee and staff email accounts (lastnamefirstinitial@villageofmiddleville.org) are loaded onto their computers.

IX.  Products and Services to be Provided

Your proposal should include a detailed discussion of your response time to requests for services (including any variations by nature of the request) and set forth a solution to comprehensively integrate the systems and equipment (current and purposed) detailed above and address in detail the following matters:

A. Central File Server and Backup Device

Provide Alternative Solutions for:

• Leased Central File Server and Backup Device: and
• Purchased Central File Server and Backup Device: and
• Transition plan to migrate to the cloud

Please provide specifications for the server OS configuration; network intrusion and virus software management; specific equipment and costs under both scenarios.

B. Network Administration, Security and Support

Maintenance and support of network equipment, including switches, firewalls, routers, connectors, and other security devices. Installation and maintenance of printers, scanners, network devices et al; analysis, routine configuration changes, and installation of patches and upgrades; minor cabling if needed; alert notifications in case of failure of equipment.

Proactive monitoring of network equipment, including performance indicators to report on threshold limitations; network performance and capacity management services; continuous troubleshooting are required.

Network, the network device and systems security administration and recordkeeping. Firewall configuration, version updates, and monitoring for intrusion attempts, attacks, viruses, etc.  Maintenance of network documentation for daily, weekly, and monthly services is required.

An off-site backup system in the fault-tolerant and secure data center is required. Backups should be performed nightly to the physical device; daily backup logs should be kept and checked regularly; backup system testing with staff will be performed periodically but not less than semi-annually.
Programs to restore systems and data if servers and/or computers go down are required.

Requirements for a data backup policy with procedures in place to handle daily, weekly, and monthly backups of the computer, data, information, email, and the like.

C. Systems and Hardware

Please provide detail of services to be provided under either the lease or purchase option described under ‘A’ above including the initial and ongoing costs associated with each service.

Installation of new equipment, and software, and transfer of existing data as needed. Plan and design services for major system enhancements and/or upgrades to existing systems; recommendations for future purchasing and technology needs when requested or necessary.

D. Remote Administration

Configuration of the VOM's network to enable remote access in a secure environment with provisions for remote access administration as needed.

E.   Email and Web Hosting

Maintenance of system email accounts, adding, changing, and/or deleting system trustee and staff accounts as requested; maintenance of virus detection programs on the server and trustee and staff computers and laptops; performance of periodic security audits, including notification of suspected breaches of security to the village manager is required.

F.   General  Ledger  and  Scanning  Software  and/or  Equipment Implementation

Installation and networking of general ledger software and scanning/document imaging software and/or equipment.

G.  Workstation Support and Upgrade

Your proposal should include a recommendation, including specifications and pricing, for replacing the VOM’s systems and hardware in accordance with the VOM IT replacement schedule.
Performance of all support functions, including the installation of PCs, laptops, printers, peripherals, and office software; diagnosis and correction of desktop application problems, configuring of PCs, tablets, and laptops for standard applications; identification and correction of user hardware problems, with advanced troubleshooting as needed; maintenance of an updated inventory of all computer-related hardware. Support will include changes, upgrades, patches, etc.; management of user logins and password security documentation.

H.  Laptop Setup and Support

Configuration of the system’s network and laptops to enable remote access in a secure environment as needed.

X.  Minimum Qualifications

Given the nature of the assignment, VOM requires the IT Administrator to:
 

• Provide timely, professional, and effective services, work harmoniously with staff, provide regular and timely reports, and make recommendations on improving VOM’s IT infrastructure.

 

• Comply with all VOM policies and directives relating to the use of information technology resources.   Provide technical advice and recommendations as needed.

 

• Agree that it will ensure that its employees and other performing services under this contract will not use or disclose any non-public information. This includes confidential reports, information, discussions, procedures, and any other data collected or generated.

 

• Agree to provide all documents, photocopies, computer data and any other information of any kind collected or received by the firm in connection with the contract work upon request by the Village Manager and/or at the time of the termination of the contract.

 

• Agree to not discuss the contract work with any party, including responding to media and press inquiries, without the prior written consent of the village manager.

A.   The respondent must meet all the following minimum qualifications to be given further consideration.  Failure to satisfy each of the minimum qualifications will result in the immediate rejection of the proposal.
 

1. The primary technician assigned to the Village of Middleville account should have the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certification and a supervisor or senior member of the firm should have the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification. Please include with your proposal the certifications of the primary technician as well as the immediate supervisor who would be assigned to the VOM account.

 

2. The primary technician assigned to the VOM account must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience providing the requested services, the last three (3) years of which must have been with the present firm.

 

3. A technician should be available to the System during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST as needed by the VOM.

 

4. As of December 31, 2022, the firm and/or its principals must have been in the IT Administration business for at least five (5) years.

 

5. You must not have a record of substandard work. Please disclose the controls your firm has in place to ensure quality standards have been met.  Also, disclose whether your firm is subject to any external quality control review processes.

XI. Information to be provided by Respondent

Following is a list of the required information to be provided by the respondent. A respondent that does not provide the information requested below may, at the sole discretion of the village council, be rejected. Please provide the information in the same order in which it is requested.

A. Intent to Respond Notification (Appendix A)

The Intent to Respond Notice found in Appendix A must be returned by March 10, 2023. This notice may be faxed to (269) 795-8889 or emailed to stolsonburgc@villageofmiddleville.org, but the original should be mailed to Village of Middleville at PO Box 69, 100 E Main St, Middleville, MI 49333.

B. Cover letter

A cover letter, which will be considered an integral part of the proposal package, shall be signed by the individual(s) who is (are) authorized to bind the respondent contractually.  This cover letter must indicate the signer is so authorized and must indicate the title or position the signatory holds in the responding firm. An unsigned proposal shall be rejected. The letter shall also contain the following:
 

1. The respondent’s name, address, and telephone number.

 

2. A statement to the effect that the proposal is a firm and irrevocable offer good for one year.

 

3. A statement expressing the respondent’s willingness to perform the services as described in this RFP.

 

4. A statement as to the availability of staff and other required resources for performing all services as described in this RFP.

 

5. Name, title, and telephone number of the account administrator.

 

6. The name, title or position, and telephone number of the individual signing the cover letter, and a statement indicating that the signer is authorized to bind the company contractually.

 

7. The respondent’s Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).

C. Statement of Minimum Qualifications (Appendix B)

Respondents must complete the Statement of Minimum Qualifications contained in Appendix B substantiating how your firm satisfies each of the minimum qualifications. Failure to provide complete information may, in the sole discretion of the Village Manager, result in the rejection of the proposal.

D.  Firm Questionnaire (Appendix C)

Respondents must complete and return the Firm Questionnaire contained in Appendix C.  The information requested must be provided in the prescribed format. Responses that, in the opinion of the village manager, materially deviate from the prescribed format may be rejected. All responses to the questionnaire will be subject to verification for accuracy.  Proposals containing false or misleading information may, at the discretion of VOM, be rejected.

E.  Proposal

F.   Fee Schedule (Appendix D)

Respondents must submit their fee in the format prescribed in Appendix
D.  Any deviation from the prescribed format that, in the opinion of the village manager, is material may result in the rejection of the proposal.  The proposed fee shall include all costs and expenses for providing the services to the Village of Middleville as described in this RFP.  Once the Contractor is selected, the fee may be further refined depending on factors that may affect the proposed fee. In no case will the refined fees be higher than the fees contained in the proposal.

G. IT Administration Services Contract (full)

XII.  Submission of Written Questions

Questions respondents may have regarding the information presented in this RFP must be received via email to the Village Clerk at ayalag@villageofmiddleville.org no later than March 3, 2023. All questions received by this date will be answered by the Village Clerk in writing without divulging the source of the query.













 

Appendix A Intent to Respond

(Firm Name)                   has received the Village of Middleville's IT Administrator Request for Proposal, 2023, and does or does not intend to respond to the request.

Signed                            

Title                              

Date                              

Phone/Fax                         

Please fax to (269) 795-8889 on or before March 10, 2023. The original should be mailed to:

Village Clerk
Village of Middleville
PO Box 69
100 E Main St.
Middleville, MI 49333
Email: ayalag@villageofmiddleville.org
Fax:  (269) 795-8889






























Appendix B

Statement of Minimum Qualifications

(Firm Name)                   certifies that it meets the following minimum qualifications.

Please initial each as applicable.

1.

The primary technician assigned to the Village of Middleville account should have the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certification and a supervisor or senior member of the firm should have the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification.  Please include with your proposal the certifications of the primary technician as well as the immediate supervisor who would be assigned to the Village of Middleville account Certification.

2.

The primary technician assigned to the Village of Middleville account must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience providing the requested services, the last three (3) years of which must have been with the present firm

3.

A technician should be available to the System during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST as needed by the System.

4.

As of December 31, 2021, the firm and/or its principals must have been in the IT Administration business for at least five (5) years.

5.

You must not have a record of substandard work. Please disclose the controls your firm has in place to ensure quality standards have been met. Also, disclose whether your firm is subject to any external quality control review processes.

Signed:                         Date        

Title:                             









 

Appendix C

VILLAGE OF MIDDLEVILLE RFP FOR IT
ADMINISTRATOR FIRM QUESTIONNAIRE

Please provide the name, title, address, and telephone numbers of the person to be contacted regarding the responses to all of the following questions. Please address each item, and label your responses in accordance with the system used in our Request for Proposal. For Example, the response to the first request would be shown as I. A. Failure to follow this format will eliminate your responses from consideration.

I.   General Firm and Technician Information
 

1. Provide a brief history of your firm and its operation.  Include the year formed, ownership, structure, and biographies of the principals, affiliations, profit-sharing programs, and ownership changes in the last five (5) years. Describe your firm's growth objectives and your plans for managing that projected growth.

 

2. How long has your firm been providing IT Administration consulting services? Briefly describe the experience of your firm in providing IT Administration or consulting services to governmental plans and retirement plans of comparable size to Middleville, if any.

 

3. What is your firm's mission statement?  What do you see as your organization's strongest area of expertise?

 

4. Does your firm utilize a code of conduct and code of ethics or similar standards? If so, how are they monitored and enforced

 

5. Provide the names and lengths of engagements for the client base using your services for fully outsourced IT Administration.

 

6. Where is the location of the service office that will service the account? Where is the primary technician’s office located?

 

7. What are your firm's principal business entities?

 

8. Explain how the firm controls the quality of service provided to the clients, the number of technicians in the firm, and the average number of clients assigned per technician.

 

1. What is the maximum number of clients per technician you maintain? What is the largest number of accounts handled by one technician? For how many accounts is the primary technician who would service the Village of Middleville responsible?

 

10. Please provide the number of professionals and support staff in your firm who are involved in providing the IT Administration services described in this RFP.

 

11. Assuming your firm is selected, please provide biographical information on the individuals proposed to serve as the primary technician, his/her principal assistant, and other key members assigned to the account and the office where they are located. Specify the anticipated role and scope of involvement of each individual as well as their qualifications and experience with regard to the matters described in this RFP.  For the primary technician and principal assistant, provide the names of all clients and the nature of their relationships.

 

50. What level of personnel turnover among IT consulting professionals have you experienced during the past three years?

 

1000. Please provide a copy of your firm’s Equal Employment Opportunity or Affirmative Action Statement.

 

14. Have any senior IT technical personnel left your firm within the past three years? If so, please explain the circumstances.

 

• Please describe your three largest clients including number of personnel, firm revenue, and a description of services that you provide.

 

16. Provide a listing of clients lost or gained during the past five (5) years.

 

17. Describe your firm’s commitment to research and systems enhancements. What, if any, expansions do you anticipate in your technical and systems capabilities?

 

18. Please describe briefly, or provide a copy of, your firm's disaster recovery plan.

 

19. Has there been any litigation against your firm or its principal/owners/officers in the last five (5) years? If yes, please explain.

II. Reference Information
 

1. Please supply a list of your five largest clients.

 

2. Please provide three references for which you currently provide IT Administration and/or consulting services and your three (3) most recent lost and/or terminated clients. Include name, title, firm, address, and phone number.

III.  Other


16