request for proposal for student information...

Request for Proposal No. 08-192 STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM __________________ VENDOR NAME

Request For Proposal For

Student Information System

RFP NO. 08-192

May 16, 2008 (RFP Issue Date)

San Juan Unified School District

3738 Walnut Avenue Carmichael, Ca 95608

This document is available online at http://www.sanjuan.edu/documents.cfm?id=121


TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Overview II. General Instructions and Conditions III. Scope of Work ..............................................................................12

A. Schedule B. Mandatory Proposal Conference C. Submittal Requirements D. Selection Process

IV. Project Information ......................................................................17

A. SJUSD School / Student Breakdown B. Project Team C. Additional Modules

Attachments:

1. Vendor Qualifications Questionnaire 2. Services Questionnaire 3. Technical Requirements Questionnaire 4. Requirement Checklist 5. Software and Services Costs (Cost Sheets: Table 1 – 6)


A. OVERVIEW Introduction The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified software firms to provide San Juan Unified School District (referenced in this document as the “SJUSD” or “the District”) with a comprehensive, fully integrated, operational Student Information System (SIS) that will meet the information needs over the next ten years. SJUSD is seeking an interested company that can provide solutions to address current and future Student Information System needs. Project Background/Description San Juan Unified School District is the 9th largest school district in California, covering approximately 75 square miles in northeast Sacramento County. Established in 1960, the District service area includes portions of Sacramento, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Gold River, and Orangevale. Total student population is approximately 50,000, including preschools & adult education. K-12 student enrollment is approximately 43,000. In addition, the District serves over 5,000 students in summer school. The District employs over 2,600 teachers, 230 administrators, and 2,400 classified employees. The current Student Information System (Pertaine) has been modified extensively throughout the years to address local and state requirements. SJUSD expects to consider only providers that demonstrate forward-thinking solutions that will sustain the District well into the future The SIS must have proven operational history in California districts the same size or larger than SJUSD (minimum 30k K-12 student district). Product must be included in the list of CSIS-capable SISs found at: http://www.csis.k12.ca.us/vendor-matrix.asp. It must provide functionality to support classroom, school, community, administration and district student records administrative functions appropriate for a mid to large size California school district. The application system is required to be an existing, integrated software system that incorporates the operational functions described in this RFP. Vendors are asked to submit a recommended implementation plan and specify the areas where services will be provided, as well as clearly specifying the responsibility areas of the SJUSD project team. Implementation plans may include, but are not limited to: software installation and configuration, data conversions, interface development, training and implementation support and management. SJUSD is interested in vendor recommendations on how best to ensure project success, knowledge transfer and positive system acceptance, while keeping project costs at


reasonable levels. Keeping implementation costs to reasonable levels is of considerable importance to the SJUSD. SJUSD is considering only “off the shelf” products to reduce the risk of being isolated from mainstream product updates or incurring higher maintenance costs to restore overwritten components after a standard product update. The District is not considering customized software. Vendors are required to respond to the proposal based upon the current production certified product within standard configurable parameters. No customized software components or yet to be released versions of software will be allowed as part of the response. SJUSD will conduct a fit-gap analysis of the software as part of the evaluation. Proposals should clearly delineate how the software system can best satisfy the stated requirements of SJUSD and how the implementation approach will minimize the risk of delayed implementation. The District expects the proposals to include recommendations for hardware to satisfy stated performance requirements. However, the District may choose to acquire hardware through a separate process. SJUSD has compiled a very aggressive schedule for this Request for Proposal. II. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS AND CONDITIONS

A. GENERAL INSTUCTIONS A-1. DUE DATE: All information requested must be completed and submitted by:

June 18, 2008 at 2:00pm (PST). If the required information is not submitted in a timely manner, the proposal will be deemed non-responsive and returned to the proposer unopened. One (1) original and five (5) copies of the RFP and five (5) electronic copies on standard electronic media (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD) in write protected PDF format shall be submitted.

A-2. COMPLETE RESPONSE: Vendors must respond in each and every area as

specified in the RFP documents. If the proposal is not complete, it may be deemed non-responsive. Accuracy of the proposal is the responsibility of the vendor. All proposals shall be reviewed to verify that the responder has met the minimum requirements of the RFP. Responders shall follow the format of the RFP in order to facilitate the review process for SJUSD.

A-3. PROCESS: This process is a Request for Proposal/Competitive Negotiation

process. SJUSD reserves the right to negotiate on any or all components of each proposal submitted. From the time the proposals are submitted until the formal award of a contract, each proposal is considered a working document and as such will be kept confidential. The negotiation discussions will also be held as confidential until such time as the award is completed.


B. PROPOSAL GENERAL CONDITIONS

B-1. SECURING DOCUMENTS: Specifications and proposal documents will be

available and may be secured at the location listed below.

All information shall be submitted at the dates and times indicated herein to:

Lynne O’Brien San Juan Unified School District Purchasing Department 5133 Engle Road Carmichael, CA 95608

RFP documents can also be downloaded from http://www.sanjuan.edu/documents.cfm?id=121

All contacts regarding this Request for Proposal during the submittal preparation and evaluation period must be done in writing through the San Juan Unified School District Purchasing Department.

This restriction does not apply to: • SJUSD reserved the right to submit requests for clarifications to

proposals in the interest of completing the stage one evaluations. • Scheduled product demonstrations and vendor interviews during the

second stage evaluation. • Questions regarding application or technical requirements.

Questions can be directed to [email protected] via e-mail. Responses to these questions will be communicated in the Bidders Conference and through the http://www.sanjuan.edu/documents.cfm?id=121 website. No questions will be accepted after June 9, 2008.

In the event that a firm has contact with any official, employee or representative of the SJUSD in any manner contrary to the above requirements, said firm can be disqualified from further consideration. B-2. Proposal INSTRUCTIONS: To receive consideration, proposals shall be

made in accordance with the following instructions:

(a) Proposals shall be made upon the form obtained at the above address, and properly executed.

(b) Proposals shall be without interlineations, alterations, and erasures unless

each such correction is suitably authenticated by affixing in the margin, immediately opposite the correction, the initial(s) of the person(s) signing the proposal.


(c) Before submitting a proposal, the responder shall carefully examine the specifications and the forms of all proposal documents. Responders shall fully inform themselves as to all existing conditions and limitations.

(d) Each Proposal Form must be signed by the name of the responder and must bear the signature in longhand of the person(s) duly Authorized To Sign The Proposal And To Bind The Company Contractually.

(e) Proposals shall include all sales or use tax.

(f) Delivery Terms Are F.O.B. Destination. Pricing shall include all freight charges/costs.

(g) No charge for packing, drayage, postage, express, or for any other purposes will be allowed over and above the prices quoted on the Proposal Form.

(h) Proposals shall be delivered to the District on or before the day and hour set for the opening of bids in the Notice To Bidders.

(i) Proposals shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope bearing the description of the RFP name, RFP number, the name of the bidder, and the date and hour.

(j) It is the sole responsibility of the responder to see that their proposal is received in proper time. Any proposals received after the scheduled closing time for receipt of proposals shall be returned to the responder.

(k) BIDS SUBMITTED BY FAX OR EMAIL ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.

B-3 INTERPRETATION OF DOCUMENTS: If any person contemplating

submitting a proposal is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the specifications, or finds discrepancies in, or omissions from, the specifications, that person may submit a written request for an interpretation or correction thereof no later than June 9, 2008. Any interpretation or correction of the proposed documents will be made by Addendum duly issued by the District. Addenda will be posted to the district website http://www.sanjuan.edu/documents.cfm?id=121 It is the Vendors responsibility to check the District website for published addenda. The District will not be responsible for any other explanation or verbal interpretation of the proposed documents.


B-4 ADDENDA OR BULLETINS: Any addenda issued by the District during the

RFP time, or forming a part of the documents provided to the potential responder for the preparation of their proposal, and shall be made a part of the proposal. SJUSD may modify this RFP or any of its deadlines prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals by issuance of an addendum.

B-5 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS: Any responder may withdraw their

proposal, either personally or by a written request, at any time prior to the scheduled time for opening of proposals.

B-6 AWARD OR REJECTION OF PROPOSALS: The District reserves the right

to reject any or all proposals, or any or all items of any bid, or to waive any informality or irregularity in the proposals or in the proposal process. Proposals will be awarded based on the evaluation criteria established in the documentation. Utilizing the Request for Proposal process, the District reserves the right to select the individual/firm that best meets the needs of the District, taking into consideration supplier qualification, price, and overall capability.

B-7 RESERVATIONS: SJUSD reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time

prior to contract award without obligation in any manner for proposal preparation, interview, fee negotiation or other marketing costs associated with this RFP.

B-8 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS AFTER OPENING: No responder may

withdraw their proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the date set for the opening thereof.

B-9 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS: No person, firm, or corporation shall be allowed

to make, file, or be interested in more than one proposal for the same work, unless so called for. The submittal of alternate proposals or optional proposals, unless called for, will render your proposal non-responsive.

B-10 HOLD HARMLESS CLAUSE: Responder agrees to and shall hold harmless

and indemnify the District, its officers, agents, and employees from every claim or demand and every liability or loss, damage, or expense of any nature whatsoever, which may be incurred by reason of liability for damages, for death, or bodily injury to person, injury to property, or any other loss, damage, or expense sustained by the responder or any person, firm, or corporation employed by the responder upon or in connection with the services called for in this proposal.

B-11 WARRANTY: Vendor agrees that the supplies, equipment, or services to be

furnished shall be covered by the most favorable commercial warranties the vendor gives to any customer for the same or substantially similar supplies, equipment, or services and that the rights and remedies so provided are in addition to, and do not limit, any rights afforded to the District.


Warranty period for hardware and software does not begin until it has been installed and configured to the satisfaction of SJUSD.

B-12 ATTORNEYS’ FEES: If suit is brought by either party to this RFP to enforce

any of its terms (including all component parts of the proposal documents), and the District prevails in such suit, the Responder shall pay all litigation expenses incurred by the District, including attorneys’ fees, court costs, expert witness fees, and investigation expenses.

B-13 TERMS: Billing terms will be net 30 days unless the vendor wishes to offer a

cash discount for prompt payment. However, no advance, progress, or partial payments will be made for supplies, equipment, or services until said supplies, equipment, or services are received and accepted.

B-14 EQUIPMENT: The equipment and/or supplies, if so called for, shall be new

and unused, of current production, first quality, with the latest design features. It/they shall be delivered fully operational and ready for District usage with all necessary equipment and accessories.

B-15 ASSIGNMENT/SUBCONTRACTING: No contract awarded under this

proposal shall be assigned without the approval of the Governing Board. The contractor shall not assign, transfer, or subcontract by operation of law or otherwise any or all of their rights, burdens, duties or obligations without the prior written consent of the Governing Board.

B-16 COMPLIANCE WITH LAW: The contractor shall be subject to and shall

comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations applicable with respect to its performance under this contract including, but not limited to: licensing, employment and purchasing practices and wages, hours and conditions of employment, including nondiscrimination.

B-17 GOVERNING LAW/VENUE SACRAMENTO: In the event of litigation, the

contract and related matters shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California. Venue shall be with the appropriate state or federal court located in Sacramento County.

B-18 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE: The contractor shall provide

workers’ compensation insurance or shall self-insure their services in compliance with provisions of Section 3700 of the Labor Code of the State of California. A Certificate of Insurance may be provided, providing for such, or Contractor shall sign and file with the District the following certificate:

I am aware of the provisions of Section 3700 of the Labor Code, which

requires every employer to be insured against liability for workers’ compensation or to undertake self-insurance in accordance with the provision of that code, and I will comply with such provisions before commencing the performance of the work of this contract.


B-19 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: The contractor shall maintain and shall cause each subcontractor to maintain Public Liability and Property Damage insurance to protect him and the Superintendent of Schools from all claims for personal injury, including accidental death, as well as from all claims for property damage arising from the operations under this contract.

The following insurance limits are required for the Agreement:

Combined Single Limit

Commercial General Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000

aggregate for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage

Automobile Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence for bodily

injury and property damage

Employer’s Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence

Professional Liability $1,000,000 per claim and aggregate (errors and omissions)

The contractor shall file with the District certificates of insurance indicating a

thirty (30) day cancellation notice and naming San Juan Unified School District as an additional insured.

Note: B-18 and B-19 are required from the selected vendor within five (5) working days of notice. Certificates must be in the name identical to responder’s name.

B-20 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES: Quantities listed are to be construed as annual

estimated needs. The District reserves the right to increase or decrease these quantities.

B-21 TOBACCO-FREE FACILITIES CLAUSE: San Juan Unified School District is

a tobacco-free facility. Tobacco use (smoked or smokeless) is prohibited at all times in all areas on district property.

B-22 TERMINATION/CONTRACT NEGOTIATION: SJUSD reserves the right to terminate any agreement resulting from an

award pursuant to this RFP at any time with or without cause with 30 days written notice to the other party. Termination will not result in any financial penalties to SJUSD.

The award to the successful bidder by SJUSD is contingent upon the

successful negotiation of a final agreement of all terms between the parties. If contract negotiation cannot be completed successfully, the District may negotiate an Agreement with the next highest scoring proposer or have the option to withdraw the RFP.


B-23 TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE: It is to be understood that time is of the essence in this contract and that the vendor(s) will be required to perform their work within the allowable time set forth as mutually agreed upon. SJUSD and the Vendor shall agree mutually on any changes in either the schedule or the rate of performance of the work, which might either favorably or adversely affect such schedule.

B-24 Proposals become the property of the SJUSD and may be returned only at

SJUSD’s option and at the Proposer’s expense. Information, excluding Proposer’s financial information or information which the Proposer has clearly indicated as PROPRIETARY, contained therein shall become public documents subject to the Public Records Act.

B-25 SJUSD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin,

religion, age, ancestry, actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, sexual preference, ethnic group identification, medical condition, physical or mental disability, gender or an association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in consideration for an award of contract.

B-26 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT: Bidder, in submitting his proposal

certifies that he is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and certifies that he is in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the State Fair Employment Practice Act, and all other applicable Federal and State laws and regulations relating to equal opportunity employment, including Executive Order No. 11246 of September 24, 1965.

B-27 In the event that your company elects not to bid this requirement, we request that you respond accordingly stating the reason for not bidding. This will assist the District in maintaining an up-to-date listing of viable sources for our projects.

B-28 No business entity, including any agent of such entity, shall directly or

indirectly contact any board member immediately before or during the bidding process of any project on which the business entity intends to or has submitted a bid. Any vendor violating this policy shall be deemed disqualified from bidding. Should such contact come to light after the bid is awarded and the entity was deemed the successful bidder, the Board reserves the right to cancel any contract awarded, in which case, the vendor shall exercise its best judgment for the benefit of the District in making a decision whether to proceed or not, depending on all the facts and circumstances.

B-29 PATENT RIGHTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND TRADEMARKS: The Bidder shall

save, keep, bear harmless, and fully indemnify the District and any of its officers or agents from all damages, or claims for damages, costs, or expenses in law or equity that may at any time arise or be set up for any infringement of the patent rights, copyrights, or trademarks of any person in


consequence of the use by the District, or by any of its officers or agents of items to be supplied by the Bidder.

B-30 PERFORMANCE BOND: The selected Vendor shall be required to provide a

faithful performance bond executed as surety by a reputable company authorized to issue such bonds in California in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the full amount of the awarded contract and shall be in effect until the District's final acceptance of the product. The selected vendor shall provide such performance bond upon full execution of the Agreement (paragraph B-22), on the form supplied by the District. The performance bond shall include a provision binding the surety to any changes to that Agreement. The actual cost of such bond will be paid by the selected vendor separately.


III. SCOPE OF WORK

A. SCHEDULE

The following is the schedule of events for the RFP submittal and selection process. SJUSD reserves the right to change the schedule. Event Date Release of RFP May 16, 2008 Mandatory Bidders conference June 2, 2008

Last day to submit questions June 9, 2008 Issue Addendum June 11, 2008

Proposals Submission Deadline June 18, 2008 2:00 pm (PST) Stage One evaluation complete July 18, 2008

Vendor Demonstrations July 21, 2008 through July 31, 2008 Stage Two evaluation complete August 19, 2008

Stage Three evaluation complete September 9, 2008

Contract negotiations & Award October 21, 2008 Implementation October 2008 through Fall 2009

B. MANDATORY BIDDERS CONFERENCE

To participate, all vendors are required to attend the bidders’ conference. Proposals from vendors not in attendance at the bidders’ conference will not be accepted and shall be returned unopened. Details for the bidders’ conference: June 2, 2008

10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (PST) San Juan Unified School District Technology Services Conference Room 3738 Walnut Avenue Carmichael, CA 95608

The purpose of this conference is to address vendor questions related to the RFP. Relevant questions will be addressed, in writing, and posted on http://www.sanjuan.edu/documents.cfm?id=121. This website will be the official and only place to find answers or clarification to application and technical requirement questions.


C. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Requirements for contents of submittals are: 1. The proposing firm shall submit one (1) original and five (5) copies

of the RFP and five (5) electronic copies on standard electronic media (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD) in write protected PDF format. (SJUSD may reproduce additional copies of CD’s and documents as required.) Each copy shall be provided in a white 3-ring, loose-leaf binder with the firm name and proposed projects on both cover and spine. Although an electronic version of the attachments is available to assist vendors in preparing proposals, the proposal must be submitted in hard copy.

2. Proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposals shall

become the property of SJUSD and be considered public documents under applicable California state law. Documents marked as “Confidential”, such as financial records, shall be returned per B-24.

3. Any firm failing to submit information in accordance with the

procedures set forth herein will be considered non-responsive and disqualified.


The following table describes the required format and content for the vendor proposal. Proposals must contain all sections described below (except section #9 for optional supplemental material), in the order shown. Failure to adhere to this outline and properly complete all required proposal sections may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive which will eliminate the proposal from further consideration.

Proposal Section Each section to be marked by a tabbed divider

Section Contents Each section to be marked by a tabbed divider

1. Transmittal Letter This letter is limited to 1 page.

2. Vendor Qualifications Questionnaire

Completed Vendor Qualifications Questionnaire. See Attachment #1.

3. Services Questionnaire Completed Services Questionnaire. See Attachment #2.

4. Technical Requirements Questionnaire

Completed Technical Requirement Questionnaire. See Attachment #3.

5. Requirements Checklist Completed Requirement Checklist. See Attachment #4.

6. Software and Services Costs Completed Software and Services Cost Worksheets. Tables 1-5. See Attachment #5.

7. Supplemental Material

Up to 20 pages of supplemental material may optionally be provided in this section.

8. Sample Documents Provide any forms, documents, or reports used or produced by SIS.


D. SELECTION PROCESS

STAGE ONE Vendor proposals will be subjected to a two-stage evaluation and selection process. The first stage will begin with a review of the response to the proposal. A proposal must address all modules/functions to be considered. 1. The proposal will include SIS software and implementation services 2. Proposals found to be incomplete may be rejected as non-responsive.

Proposals not deemed to be competitive will be rejected. 3. SJUSD may choose to ask clarification questions in writing and include the

additional information gathered in this process. Evaluation and rating of the responses will be based on:

• Information provided by the vendor in their response • Information provided by the vendor in response to SJUSD clarification

questions Proposals that pass the initial screening will be evaluated and scored based on the vendors' response to the required attachments. An evaluation committee comprised of individuals from SJUSD will score each submittal. A short list of proposals will move into the second stage of the evaluation.

Requirements: The system must provide capabilities in the following modules, functions or services. Requirements are specified in the Requirements Checklist attachment.

General Application Teacher Information Enrollment Parent Portal Demographics Student Portal Attendance Counseling / Guidance Health / Medical Reporting Discipline Special Education Grade Reporting Special Programs Transcripts Special Interfaces Assessment Technical Scheduling Security


STAGE TWO The finalist proposals will be subjected to a more detailed second stage evaluation that will include vendor provided demonstrations at SJUSD involving use of actual data on live systems using specific scripts provided by SJUSD. SJUSD may elect to provide the demonstration data or may elect to have the vendor provide data that closely matches a K-12 district similar to the typical size of a SJUSD customer. At the option of SJUSD, a “hands on” session with the product may also be requested. In addition to demonstrating application functionality and business processes performed using the system, the vendor will be required to describe and demonstrate the proposal’s technology and proposed hardware/software deployment strategy. Vendors will be scheduled for demonstrations for 2 to 3 days during the period of July 21, 2008 through July 31, 2008. Demonstrations may be video taped, recorded, or webcast for use by SJUSD. Note: The schedule for software demonstrations is very tight, and vendors must be ready to conduct a demonstration within two (2) weeks after notice of selection for Stage Two evaluation. The required demo scripts and schedule will be provided to the vendor at notification. During the Stage Two evaluation period, interviews will be conducted with the finalist vendors to explore in detail the proposed implementation strategy and project plan and to discuss vendor qualifications and experience. SJUSD may choose to interview the vendor’s training team and ask them to demonstrate portions of sample training sessions. References will be checked to address issues raised by the demonstrations and interviews or to answer detail questions not yet resolved. Visits to sites using the proposed software may be conducted during the Stage Two evaluation. Vendors may be asked to help arrange these site visits, but not to attend the visits.

Evaluation and scoring during the stage-two evaluations will be based on:

• All information provided and scored in the Stage One evaluation • Information from any site visits conducted in Stage Two • Software demonstrations • Vendor interviews • Reference response • Hands-on evaluation

STAGE THREE

The final proposal candidate will be subjected to a third stage evaluation that will be a fit / gap analysis against the SJUSD detailed requirements.


IV. PROJECT INFORMATION A. SJUSD SCHOOL / STUDENT BREAKDOWN The enrollment breakdown is as of CBEDS reporting date October 2007.

School Type Number of Sites Students

Elementary Schools 43 21,096 Middle Schools 10 6,835 High Schools & Continuations 14 13,706 Special Education Centers 3 300 Charter Schools 2 3,272 Program Type Home & Hospital N/A 72 SAS Program N/A 11 Central Review N/A 20 Non Public Schools N/A 312

Total: 72 45,624

B. PROJECT TEAM

SJUSD will have its own project team. Include in the proposal the staff commitment to implement the system and the recommended staff to provide ongoing support for the system following implementation. For example, the following might be included in these requirements: Project Manager Technical Manager Subject matter experts from schools SIS business analysts – familiar with school operations and use of current SIS Technical staff - programmer/analysts, database administrators, operations, etc. Training & support persons Responses should include the resource commitment required of the personnel for each individual project team member, the steps or timeline when they are involved as well as the percentage of their time required during these steps/phases.

C. ADDITIONAL MODULES

Proposals should indicate optional modules available and the cost associated with those additional modules.