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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.07 BusinessLicRegSys ... -". . .-.. ,,:,)'''t--. CITY CLERK File # nl31f9lIQ]-~1aJ . AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: (September 16,1997) SUBJECT: Request for Authorization to Distribute a Request for Proposal for a Business License Registration System t#(Prepared by: Paul S. ~ Assistant City Manager) EXHIBITS ATTACHED: Request for Proposal for a Business License Registration System RECOMMENDATION: /11 N Authorize staff to diStribute the Request for Proposal for a Business . ' \!lV'''' License Registration System and authorize an exception to the required bid procedures. The 1997-98. Capital Improvement Program budgets $14,000 for a new Business License Registration System.. Staff will also be evaluating the potential to recover system costs under the State Program providing for reimbursement of State Mandated Costs. DESCRIPTION: This is a request to authorize staff to distribute a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a . new Business License Software System. Typically the City utilizes an RFP process for purchases of this type due to the technical nature of the product and the difficulty of having vendors bid on a specific set of specifications. FINANCIAL STATEMENT: The City Purchsmne ordinance allows for an exception to the standard sealed bid process provided th~ '_ City Council authorizes the action. The RFP process will allow the City to undertake a thorough review of known products and compare features which would most closely meet the City's needs. By authorizing the circulation of the RFP the City Council would be approving the procurement process. Staff will return to the City Council with a report outlining the findings of the RFP proce~s and recommending the purchase of a specific Business License Software. As discussed in the City's 1997-98 Capital Improvement Program, the City has begun the process to move applications off the aging IBM System 36 minicomputer (System 36). This process began in Fiscal Year 1996-97, with the purchaSe of a PC based Recreation Program Registration software program. It is proposed to continue in 1997/98 with the selection and installation of a new Business License Registration System and City Clerks Records System. The City has included $14,000 in the Fiscal Year 1997-98 Capital Improvement Budget for the replacement of the Business License Software. It is anticipated that the system selected will be PC based and that the program will reside on the backup NetWork Server. As a separate project the City is purchasing a new file server to serve as the primary server for office applications (i.e. Word Processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, etc.). . ------------------------C()l'iEST()~--------------~~~~ G/AgeadalblalendLdoe - . . ~ - - .. - -. . - . . i' ~ Some anticipated advantages with the purchase of a new business license system include: a) the ability to handle dates for the year 2000 and beyond (the current system does not support the year 2000); b.) the ability to save printing costs by being able to print the business license forms and data directly from the program, instead of having to purchase pre printed forms; and c.) the ability to use a report writer to . create special reports in PC format Generating these reports will allow the City to take advantage of new requirements of the U.S. Post Office to mail renewals and certificates at a reduced rate. The report writer will be set up to exclude confidential information from these special reports, in order to respond to requests from the public. As discussed in the RFP, staff is anticipating evaluating the proposals and holding in house product demonstrations in NovemberlDecember, following the processing of business license renewals, which are processed in October. Staffwill then present a proposed contract with the successful vendor for approval by City Council at a future meeting. Staff is projecting that all training and installation for the new system. will be complete by the end of April 1998. Recommendation Staff recommends that the City Council authorize staff to distribute the RFP in accordance with the purchasing exception allowed under Section 2.36.050 of the Dublin Municipal Code. . . -.;2.- ..& ~ .. - '. . ......' . .m. 1. . '. .. .. . REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BUSINESS LICENSE PROGRAM I. General Description The City of Dublin invites your company to submit a written proposal for providing a business license program designed for use by cities. Your proposal should clearly demonstrate how the related software that you are proposing can best satisfy the requirements of the City. A complete description of the scope of this project and the requirements for preparing your proposal is described later in this document. This written request for proposal (RFP) consists of the following: City Background Information - Attachment A Proposal Selection Criteria - Attachment B Proposal Forms - Attachment C Requested Product Feature List - Attachment D City's Standard Consultant Agreement - Attachment E ll. Contact Person Questions regarding this RFP may be directed to Fred Marsh, Finance Manager at (510) 833-6640 General Information For Responding to the RFP Five Copies of the Responses are to be received by, Monday, October 20, 1997 at 2:00 p:m. NO FAXED INFORMATION CAN BE CONSIDERED. PROPOSALS SHOULD CLEARLY MARKED "PROPOSAL FOR BUSINESS LICENSE " . PROGRAM" AND SHOULD BE DELIVERED TO: City of Dublin Attention: Fred Marsh, Finance Manager 100 Civic Plaza - Finance Department - Second Floor Dublin, California 94568 Proposals received after that date and time will be considered late and will not be accepted. Evaluation of the proposals will be done in accordance with selection criteria established in the "Proposal Selection Criteria" section. 2. The City of Dublin reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals. 3. Prices quoted in these proposals shall remain fixed and binding through at least April 30, 1998. The City will not pay costs incurred in the proposal preparation, printing, demonstration or negotiation process. All costs shall be bome by the vendor. 4. All responses to the RFP submitted by vendor shall be deemed public documents at the time they are opened by the City. The RFP is intended to be worded in such a manner so as to not elicit proprietary information as to computer software. If proprietary information is submitted as part of the proposal, such information is to be labeled as proprietary. Any proposal which is submitted with a blanket statement or limitation which would prohibit or limit such public inspection may be rejected. 5. It is anticipated that the successful vendor will be recommended for approval by City Council. A. consultant agreement will be developed between the vendor and the City after which acquisition and installation will occur. See attachment E for an example of the City's standard consultant agreement (which may be subject to additional modifications for specific issues related to an agreement for a business license program). IV. Minimum Content Of Responses All participating vendors are required to submit Attachment C - Proposal Forms and Attachment D - Requested Product Feature List as part of their proposal. All responses must be on this form or its copy, and additional pages may be attached as needed. Unnecessarily lengthy proposals are discouraged. Failure to complete any portion of these specific Attachments may result in rejection of a proposal v. Tentative Schedule For Selection Process Event Issuance of RFP Authorized By City Council Submittal Deadline Screening of Submittals Product Demonstrations Recommendation To City Council With Agreement Complete Installation and Training Deadline 9/16/97 10120/97 10/21/97-11/3/97 November / December To Be Determined Not Later Than 4/30/98 . VI. Product Demonstration Product Demonstrations will be held at City Hall. Each product demonstration will be scheduled to last no more than four hours. .The product demonstration will be used to accomplish the following a) to provide an in depth review of the various components of the proposal, including the vendor's response to Attachment D - Requested Product Feature List; b.) to allow the opportunity for each proposer to amplify the points made in their proposals and to clarify the City's and vendor's expectations; c.) to allow employees from other departments to see an overall picture of the features available in the vendor's business license program. It is anticipated that requests for on site product demonstrations will be limited to the top two to three vendors as determined by the evaluation process. Note that the schedule and its components may be subject to change. G:\ACCTRFP\RFPBLDOC . CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 2 . ...- ATTACHMENT A - CITY BACKGROUND INFORMATION . The City of Dublin is a General Law city, incorporated in 1982. The City operates under the Council - Manager form of government. A. Organization Structure The basic structure for City operations is commonly referred to as a "contract city." Many of the typical municipal services are provided through a contract with public or private entities. F or example, Police Services are provided by the Alameda County Sheriff. Street, Park and Building Maintenance Services are provided by private contractors. A separate governmental entity handles the billing for utilities. For Fiscal Year 1997-98 the City had a total of 40 Full Time positions which provide services as City employees. An additional 82 positions were employees of the City's Contractors and were assigned to work solely within the City of Dublin operations. B. Background on City's Computer Hardware and Software The primary financial software package used by the City, which includes a business license program, was purchased from Business Records Corporation (BRC). This software package runs on an ffiM System 36, which the City has used for approximately seven years. The City is currently using version 3.105 of the Business License Package. Annually, the City submits portions of its business license data to tape on 8" disk in ascii format. In addition, the business license data is backed up on a daily basis to a 5 1/2" by 4" tape cartridge. . Currently, the City's business license system has approximately 2,075 active businesses and approximately 4,400 total businesses in its database (including approximately 100 exempt from the business license tax). The City has been processing approximately 500 new business licenses each year,_ most of which are home occupation businesses which are often one time in nature. This rate is expected to increase during the next few years as the City expects significant commercial growth to occur in the eastern part of the City. The City charges a flat business license fee of $50 per year, which is pro rated the first year on a monthly basis based upon the number of months the business has been in operation. Delinquent business license fees are assessed a late fee of $4.16 a month, up to a maximum of $50. The City has approximately 50 ffiM compatible computers in use, which contain 486 or Pentium processors and all of which run under Microsoft Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. The computers are connected to a network server running under Windows NT 4.0. All City employees use Microsoft Office for Windows 3.11 for Workgroups for their word processing, spreadsheet and database needs. The City also has shared HP Laserjet IV SI printers connected to this network, in addition to a line printer connected to the System 36 for use in printing various reports from the City's financial and business license systems. . The proposed business license system must operate on the City's network under Windows NT 4.0. The vendor must supply a software only solution package for the individual workstations; in other words, access to the vendor's programs must be provided through the existing networks. CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 3 ATIACHMENT B - PROPOSAL SELECTION CRITERIA The following criteria will be used in evaluating the proposals received in response to this RFP: . 1. Ability to Meet Functional Requirements lbis includes the extent to which the proposed software solution meets the City's functional requirements for a business license program. 2. Quality of References and User Satisfaction with Product Features, Support and Training This includes the level of satisfaction of current program users with the product functionality and support. 3. Comparable Installations in California This includes a judgment of the level of similarity of the City to other vendor installations, both in overall size, complexity and intended use for the business license program. It also evaluates the number of cities in California and the San Francisco Bay Area who are currently using the vendor's business license program. 4. One time and Recurring Costs lbis includes initial license fees, training, other implementation costs, and annual maintena,nce fees, as compared to the other vendors, including any modifications or customizations that may be required to the hardware or software. . 5. Staying PowerlFinanciaI Stability/Software Updates This evaluates the vendor on the ability to provide quality product and customer maintenance and product upgrades on a regular basis and in a timely fashion now and in the future. 7. Report Generation This includes the canned reports, custom reports requested by the City and the ease of designing custom reports with the report writer. It is important that the reports produced are of high quality and that the report writer is easy to use. . CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 4 - .' -. . .," . --.. '._ _.w . . .."- ATIACHMENT C - PROPOSAL FORMS . To the City ofDuhlin: I, the 1Dldersigned vendor, having familiarized myself with the terms of the proposal and sample consultant contract, hereby propose and agree to provide a complete business license program to the City as specified in the attached proposal and within the specified delivery time, after receipt of the notice to proceed and the completed contract. I agree to provide and furnish any and all utility and transportation services necessary to perform the contract and install the business license program to the satisfaction of the Assistant City Manager/Administrative Services Director and Finance Manager in the City's Finance Department. RESPEClFULL Y SUBMITIED, SIGNATURE (Must have binding Authority to enter into Contracts) DAlE . NAME OF SIGNER (please Print) TIlLE ~ NAME OF CONTACT PERSON (If different) TIlLE PHONE NUMBER FAX NUMBER . CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGES Cl COST BREAKDOWNS FOR REQUIRED SOFTWARE/HARDWARE/RELATED SUPPORT COST FOR EACH FIRST YEAR SUBSEQUENT ITEM COST YEAR A. Business License Program (Including a Reportwriter) B. System and Database Engine Software C. Design/Customization (from Part C4) D. Installation and Database Conversion (Including related travel expenses - from Part C5) E. Training (Including related travel expenses - from Part C6) F. ManualsIDocumentation (from Part C7) G. First Year Maintenance and Support (from Part C15) H. Hardware Requirements (from Part C16) 1. Freight J. Sales Tax Total Cost for Business License System Please indicate whether or not the vendor will allow substitution by the City of specific parts purchased from another third party vendor which meet the standards established by the vendor in their bid. For costs proprosed in subsequent years, please include any estimates used for cost adjustments in future years. C2 DELIVERY TIME Provide a detailed installation, conversion, and training plan which outline the overall implementation of the new business license program. This plan should project time frames with goals for each. Provide information concerning requirements on City staff and facilities. Attach additional pages if necessary for explanation. CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 6 . . . .- . eC3 LICENSING COSTS FOR BASE SYSTEM AND ADDmONAL USERS The initial base system for the City assumes the following: a single file server running under Windows NT 4.0, at least 6 workstations and distinct users (determined by sign-on IDs) and at least 3 concurrent users. In addition, please specify the cost if expanded utilization of the system was to occur: Per additional workstation Per additional user Other additional licensing costs (explain) C4 DESIGN/CUSTOMIZATlON The Design/Customization cost applies to the services you provide to bring the data structures, user interfaces, and output formats for the business license program into conformance with our practices. Please specify the following: Cost per hour for custom programming e Minimum charge per customization: Total cost of recommended customizations from Attachment D (Requested Product Feature List) (transfer to part Cl) - - .- -.-- Cost of other required customizations (explain) - C5 INSTALLATION AND DATABASE CONVERSION The installation cost applies to services involved in setting up the hardware and softWare for the business I license program so that it is available for use by the installation deadline noted in the project schedule. I Please attach support detail showing the components of the total cost involved for installation. I I In addition, please indicate below the cost to convert the following from our BRC business license system to your business license system. Item Conversion Cost A. All Active Business Li~e Vendors used during the last year (approximately 2,000) e B. All Business License Vendors on record with license expiration dates after 9/30/94 (approximately 4,500) CIn' OF DUBLIN RF1' PAGE 7 :..- .. C6 TRAINING Explain the type of training provided by the vendor and where the training will be conducted. In addition, . please indicate the cost of training three employees for the business license program. In addition, please specify the cost elements related to additional on~site training if needed: Maximum users per training class Instructor time per hour Or, instructor time per day Other instructional costs (explain) C7 MANUALS/DOCUMENTATION The City requires two copies of system administrator level and user level documentation for the business license program. Please indicate how you will provide printed documentation (check all that apply): Prepared and three ring bound manuals Masters with right to copy Disk file with right to print . C8 PRODUCT FEATURES The tables in Attachment D indicate the features the City desires in a business license program. Features within each section are NOT sorted in any particular priority. Respond to all questions by checking the appropriate box for each question, ~rding to the following key: A Module has this function B. Module can be modified to perform function I Cost of modification C. Module cannot perform :function Included m existing program. Requested :function must be demonstrable and fully operational at one existing client site in the San Francisco Bay Area Optional :function. Indicate the cost to the City to purchase the :functioomprovi&c~o~ooofprooocttoobtainthe:functi~ If exact costs are unknown or are difficult to determine, a range of expected costs along with an indication of the informatioo needed to calculate an exact cost must be provided. Not available. The :function is not included in package, and is not offered as a customization or extra-cost :function. . Lists of functions, cost details for optional items, or any other explanatory text, should be attached as separate pages to the end of attachment D. Indicate on the attached sheets the :function number for each explanation or comment CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 8 +.. . ~. -...T, ..' . -.. .. . . .. . . . . . .,' ; ~. &. '." ..' . . .. . .' ~ ',' -. . . .' . Be SlUe to include as part of this explanatory text any advantages or functions, by module, that the software module offers that is not mentioned in this product feature list If the vendor's software exceeds the minimum requirements of a requested software feature (for example, the system can accept a 60 digit account number instead just a 20 digit account number) this should also be mentioned in the explanatory text to this section. C9 INTERFACING WITH OTHER PROGRAMS Indicate if the data in your business license program can download reports created by the user from the program's report writer into a data file with the following formats: Software Program Ascii Microsoft Word for Wmdows 6.0 Microsoft Access for Wmdows 95 Microsoft Access for Windows 2.0 Microsoft Excel for Wmdows 5.0 Link to Data (YeslNo) . In addition, please indicate what other programs that you offer (for example, a sales tax or property tax program) can interface with the data in the business license program. . - CIO REFERENCES - Please supply at least three California client references, including at least one from the San Francisco Bay --. - Area that can be used for an on .site visit during the period between October 20th and December 12th for a review of the vendor's software. When possible, references should be for cities of similar size to the City. For each reference, supply the name, title, and phone number of one or more contact persons. ell WARRANTIES Please describe in detail the warranty period for software and hardware and the provisions and limitations of the warranties. . CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 9 Cl2 NUMBER OF INSTALLATIONS What is the number of installations of the Business License product: a In cities of20,000 to 80,000 people b. In California c. In the San Francisco Bay Area Cl3 VENDOR HISTORY AND BACKGROUND 1. How long has the Company been in business? 2. How many people does the vendor employ? 3. What percentage and number of employees are in technical support? 4. What percentage and number of vendor employees are in product development? C14 UPGRADE mSTORY OF MODULES When was the business license program last modified and how often are updates released for the product? Cl5 CUSTOMER SUPPORT CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 10 . . . . .4. . 1. Can the vendor support staff connect interactively with the City's business license system through a modem? 2. Is toll~free phone support offered in the standard support contract? What hours (pacific Standard Time) are customer representatives available for assistance with the business license program? Is after hours phone support provided? Is this included at no charge as part of the support contract? 3. How often are user group meetings held? How often are newsletters issued regarding product updates and information? 5. How soon (in hours and/or days) is the vendor able to come out to the customer to resolve a problem? a On an emergency basis? b. On a non emergency basis? 6. Provide hourly billing rates for support not covered in the annual maintenance agreement CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 11 7. Provide the support costs for the first and each subsequent year (transfer to Cl). If the cost for first and subsequent years' support is not a flat rate but instead dependent on the configuration and/or . utilization of the system, please indicate the formula for detexmining both amounts. C16 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Describe one or more typical hardware and network configurations which will support your system. Please describe the minimum required and recommended configurations for the File Server, Printers and each Workstation. The recommended configuration of the workstation and printers, including specifications on processor speed., RAM and storage requirements, should be for a heavy user of the system. The City is planning on using its Pentium based server running on its Windows NT 4.0 Network to run the program. For each alternative, indicate if your program package will require any proprietary or special-use software or hardware (such as a network or site license for a fourth-generation language; database program, specific network software; or specific types ofPCs or peripheral equipment). The City reserves the right to purchase any or all required hardware from other sources, as best lpeets the needs of the City. Any substitutes will be in compliance with standards supplied by the bidder. . C17 CORPORATE OVERVIEW Please provide a corporate overview which includes a discussion on the vendor's current financial position and available financial resources. In addition, please provide the resumes for top management and key personnel who will be involved in this project if the contract is awarded to the vendor. CI8 VENDOR PURCHASE AND MAINTENANCE/SUPPORT AGREEMENTS The :final selection of a business license program will be made only after agreement on a mutually acceptable contract. Vendor must attach a sample Purchase and Maintenance / Support agreement for City review. CI9 SAMPLE REPORTS AND MANUALS FOR BUSINESS LICENSE SYSTEM Vendor must provide available for review complete manuals and samples of all of the reports produced by the business license program.. C20 PAYMENTMETHOD Please specify your payment terms for the requested software and services listed in section Cl of the . proposal forms. CITY OF DUBLIN RFP PAGE 12 ; . CITY OF DUBLIN ATTACHMENT D - REQUESTED PRODUCT FEATURE LIST . Module can be Module Module modified cannot Line has this to perform Cost of perform No. Desired Functions of Module function function Modification function PROGRAM OPERATION AND UTILITY FUNCTIONS PI Can businesses be located in database by: a Federal ill No. b. Sales Tax ill No. c. Business Name d. Street Address e. Owner f. License Number g. Business Type P2 Is on-line, context sensitive help provided for each field on the screen. Can items be selected from lookup tables during data entry. Can items be easily added to data tables. - P4 Does the program. include a log which ~ displays for each business a history of transactions over multiple years. P5 Does the program. allow the user to define what penalties will apply for delinquent business licenses. P6 Can the user specify the approvals necessary for different categories of businesses before licenses are issued. P7 Can you use the escape key throughout the program. to cancel or abort a process. P8 Does the program include separate fields for the following: . a "Attention" field for the mailing address. b. "Corporation" field for mailing address. G:\ACClRFP\QUESlBU.DOC Date Printed: ~jtember 10, 1997 CITY OF DUBLIN ATTACHMENT D - REQUESTED PRODUCT FEATURE LIST Module can be Module Module modified cannot Line has this to perform Cost of perform No. Desired Functions of Module function function Modification function c. Owner Information d State License Number e. At least two user defined fields P9 Can the license fee be prorated by month. PlO If a record is locked by a user or process, do other users who attempt to retrieve the locked record get an error message displaying the locking user and process PH Do security features limit access to individual functions, information and databases only to authorized users P12 On a severe error, will the program return to a user menu, rather than exit to the operating system P13 Do look up procedures allow for partial name and wildcard searches - - - P14 Does the program. support the use of a mouse to move around the screen and select menu items. PIS Can the users set defaults for commonly used fields P16 Is a free form text field available for each vendor record to allow the user to record miscellaneous information about the user. P17 Can "hot keys" be used as shortcuts to by pass the systems menus, for example, Ctrl - N to search by the name of a business. PI8 Can businesses be marked as active or inactive? Will the program allow printing of licenses for those businesses whose , status has changed from inactive to active during the current fiscal year. G:\ACCTRFP\QUESTBL2.DOC Date Printed: September 10, 1997 ,"I .". ..- CITY OF DUBLIN ATTACHMENT D - REQUESTED PRODUCT FEATURE LIST Module can be Module Module modified cannot Line has this to perform Cost of perform No. Desired Functions of Module function function Modification function P19 Can the program directly access the internet to obtain the current status of a contractor's license. P20 Will the business license program handle changing to the year 2000 P21 Do you make available to potential customers a fully functional demo of current version of the business license program. P22 Can a user have multiple sessions of the program open at one time. REPORT WRITING AND PRINTING CAPABILITIES Can renewal forms with business name and owner information be automatically printed when licenses become due ~ - - R2 Can reports be generated to disk that meet ~ the annual reporting requirements of the California Franchise Tax Board. R3 Does the program produce a report of businesses with delinquent business licenses. R4 Can duplicate licenses be printed R5 Can the program. automatically generate a second renewal notice when a business license is delinquent R6 Does the program include a form designer, where you can design the format, text and data contained in your business license forms and renewal letters. ~ Does the program have a print preview feature for all of its reports with a legible G:\ACCTRFP\QUESTBL2.DOC Date Printed: September 10, 1997 15 . . ^ CITY OF DUBLIN ATTACHMENT D - REQUESTED PRODUCT FEATURE LIST Module can be Module Module modified cannot Line has this to perform Cost of perform No. Desired Functions of Module function function Modification function on screen font. R8 Can the program generate mailing labels and form letters combining information from the program's databases R9 Can you sort on multiple fields when printing reports RIO Can you select a range of businesses for inclusion in a report based upon user selected criteria (for example, a range of business names or addresses) RIl Can you do a print screen of the current business displayed on screen. R12 Can the program save reports and data to . disk in the following formats: a Ascii , b. Excel for Wmdows version 5.0 - - - c. Word for Windows version 6.0 - d. Access for Wmdows version 2.0 R13 Is a user defined report writer included with the package, with the ability to select specific fields for reporting, criteria for selection (including date ranges) and sorting order R14 Does the program run under Windows 3.1 and take advantage of the printing functions in the Wmdows Print Manager. R15 Can custom reports be stored on a report menu for selection by the user. R16 Can new reports be "cloned" from existing reports and added to the report menu R17 Can :free form text fields be included on , standard reports 'G:\ACCTRFP\QUESTBL2.DOC Date Printed: September 10, 1997 It.