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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP - R0001REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CITY OF FORT COLLINS ENTERPRISE E-COMMERCE SOLUTION REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NUMBER R-0001 PROPOSAL DATE: 5:00 p.m. (our clock) February 11, 2003 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CITY OF FORT COLLINS Request for Information: R-0001 The City of Fort Collins is seeking proposals on e-commerce solutions that will integrate with its current revenue collection services and offer online payment for services as an option to customers . The City of Fort Collins will utilize the RFI responses to evaluate solution partner product options, including but not limited to, product functionality, services, compatibility, cost, and availability. Please review the attached Request for Information and submit your e-commerce solution to the City of Fort Collins. If you have any questions, please contact Curtis Miller, (970) 221-6673 or Opal Dick, CPPO, Senior Buyer, (970) 221-6778. Written proposals, a minimum of five (5) will be received at the City of Fort Collins' Purchasing Division, 215 North Mason St., 2nd floor, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. Proposals will be received before5:00p.m. (our clock), February 11, 2003. Information Proposal No. R-0001. If delivered, they are to be sent to 215 North Mason Street, 2 nd Floor, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. If mailed, the address is P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, 80522-0580. A copy of the Request for Information may be obtained as follows: 1. Download the Request from the Purchasing Webpage, www.fcgov.com/purchasing. 2. Come by Purchasing at 215 North Mason St., 2 nd floor, Fort Collins, and request a copy of the Request package. Sales Prohibited/Conflict of Interest: No officer, employee, or member of City Council, shall have a financial interest in the sale to the City of any real or personal property, equipment, material, supplies or services where such officer or employee exercises directly or indirectly any decision- making authority concerning such sale or any supervi sory authority over the services to be rendered. This rule also applies to subcontracts with the City. Soliciting or accepting any gift, gratuity favor, entertainment, kickback or any items of monetary value from any person who has or is seeking to do business with the City of Fort Collins is prohibited. Collusive or sham proposals: Any proposal deemed to be collusive or a sham proposal will be rejected and reported to authorities as such. Your authorized signature of this proposal assures that such proposal is genuine and is not a collusive or sham proposal. The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any irregularities or informalities. Sincerely, James B. O'Neill II, CPPO, FNIGP Director of Purchasing & Risk Management Request for Information No. R-0001 Enterprise E-Commerce Solution Background Information City Organization The City of Fort Collins is a municipal organization of approximately 1550 employees and a total City budget of over $430M in 2002. It is a “full service”, Council-Manager form of government, organized into the following major service areas: • Administrative Services • Communication & Technology Services • Community Planning & Environmental Services • Cultural, Library and Recreational Services • Executive, Legal & Judicial Services • Police Services • Transportation Services • Utility Services (includes electric, storm water, water and water reclamation) Community and Customer Profile Fort Collins, known as the “Choice City, is home to over 128,000 residents. It is situated at the eastern base of the “Front Range” of the Rocky Mountains, approximately 65 miles north of Denver and 45 miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The community has benefited from its association with Colorado State University, which remains the largest employer in the city and an enrollment of more than 22,000 full-time students. Fort Collins has also become home to a number of high technology firms including Agilent, Celestica, Hewlett-Packard, LSI Logic and Woodward Governor. As can be seen in the above list of major service areas, the City provides a wide variety of services to its primary customers, the citizens and businesses of Fort Collins. In a survey conducted by the City in 2001, most residents gave fairly high ratings to the City organization in providing services. Problems mentioned most often by citizens related to Fort Collins’ tremendous population growth in recent years. Fort Collins is a progressive, well-educated community. A key finding from the 2001 survey is that more than 80 percent of residents have Internet access at home, at work or at both locations. The City of Fort Collins desires an e-commerce solution that integrates with its current revenue collection services. As an element of the City's overall financial and revenue collection process, it is governed by sections of the City's Charter. Under Section 22, the City's Financial Officer "shall have charge of the financial records and general and special funds . . . and shall collect, receive, and disburse all money belonging to the city and shall have all other duties required to administer properly the financial affairs of the city." Under Section 24, "All money belonging to the city and the custody of city employees shall be paid daily to the Financial Officer." The successful e-commerce solution will support and enhance these concepts of internal control and prudent financial management. Organizational Interest in E-Commerce As part of an overall E-Government strategy, the City is pursuing several projects that will enable our citizens and customers to conduct more of their business with us online. As part of this strategy, it is the City’s desire to offer our customers the option to pay for City services online by deploying web applications that can accept online payments. At a minimum the City plans to accept payments using major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover/Novus) in all e-commerce applications, as well as bank account transfers using the ACH (Automated Clearing House) network. In the future the City would like to have the option to accept other non-cash forms of payment such as debit cards or checks online. Any online services needs to strategically dovetail with the City’s call center credit card processing. Initially the City plans to enable its customers to make online payments for utility bills. Over time, multiple e-commerce applications could be developed and/or deployed by the Solutions Partner, the City or other application software providers of the City. The City anticipates deploying both external (Internet) and internal (Intranet) web-based e- commerce applications. Each City department involved in e-commerce has at least one credit card vendor number and at least one revenue account. Departments may have many vendor numbers and revenue accounts. These departments reconcile daily transactions internally, and the FC Finance Department reconciles accounts in aggregate and audits departmental accounting. Services and applications that are candidates for online payment capabilities are identified below (the list below is based on current knowledge and could expand as new ideas for online services are brought forward): Services/Applications Description Online payment of utility bills • Four utility services provided: electric, water, wastewater, and storm water • Approx. 60,000 customers • Plan to offer online payments using credit cards or electronic bank account transfers • Back-end application is SCT Banner Customer Information System Recreation program registration and payment • Citizens have requested ability to register and pay for City recreation programs online • An online registration and payment capability is currently provided on City web site, but is not integrated with the back-end application/database nor with any payment processing network • Anticipate this will be one of highest volume e- commerce applications, as citizens register for programs during short open enrollment periods • Back-end application is currently Vermont System’s RecTrac system Permit applications and payments • City will be allowing customers to apply and pay for building permits online; this same capability may be implemented for other types of City permits later • Anticipate that credit cards will be accepted for minor permits, with trust accounts being used for larger permits • Back-end application is Accela permitting system Services/Applications Description Performing arts ticketing • Allow customers to reserve and pay for tickets with credit card to events at City performing arts center • Back-end application is currently ArtSoft, which was acquired by tickets.com Parking tickets • Allow citizens to make online payments for parking tickets issued by the City City online stores for museum, health/wellness items, etc. • City staff would like to sell products to customers and other internal staff Payments for traffic citations • Allow citizens to make online payments for traffic citations that are handled by Municipal Court • An online payment capability is currently provided on City web site, but is not integrated with any back-end application/database nor with any payment processing network Reservation and payment for use of City facilities • The City has a variety of facilities that are available for public use, and could be reserved and paid for online: meeting and banquet rooms, picnic shelters, recreation facilities, etc. • There currently is no central back-end application in place for this purpose Parking permits • City would like to sell permits online for it’s parking structures (includes both the public and City employees), as well as permits for surface lots and for a possible future residential/neighborhood permits program. • Another option the City is looking at is selling smart cards online that would be used for on- street pay parking. Accident reports • Police Services plans to offer online payment for accident reports requested by outside entities (insurance companies, etc.) Bus passes/Dial-A-Ride • Offer capability to sell passes for City-owned transportation systems, including TransFort busses and Dial-A-Ride Golf tee times and tournament reservations • City owns and operates several golf courses in the community, and plans to offer online reservation and payment for tournaments and tee times • Preference is to provide this capability in-house rather than outsourcing Library fines and lost books • Offer library patrons the capability to pay online for library overdue fines and lost books • Automated library system utilized is from Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III) Registration and payment for employee training programs • Registration for training programs offered by the City HR Department could be handled online, with payments being automatically charged to appropriate City account numbers. Insurance premium payments for COBRA and City retirees • Enable City retirees and those eligible for temporary insurance coverage through COBRA to make insurance premium payments online. Project Purpose and Scope As previously stated, the City desires to offer online payment for services as an option to its customers. In anticipation of several departments/service areas offering online payment for services, the City’s objective is to provide a flexible, robust tool to build front-end e-commerce applications; and to consolidate online payment processing onto a common hardware/software/services solution that will meet all of our business needs. The City believes that such a comprehensive enterprise-wide approach to enabling e-commerce will be more cost-effective and maintainable than pursuing a piecemeal, departmental or application-specific approach. Thus, the City is seeking an e-commerce solution (application development tool and middleware) that will address the following general requirements: • Integrate with third party commercial application packages, and enable custom e- commerce applications to be rapidly and easily created. • Provide flexible, single source interface with backend Internet payment gateway service(s) to enable real-time processing and authorization of online credit card and bank account transfer/ACH payment requests. • Interface with City’s Internet Merchant Bank for purposes of sending e-commerce transaction data and receiving verified transaction/settlement data. • Provide interface for Accounts Receivable (A/R)/settlement file into City’s JD Edwards ERP system. • In addition to integration of Financials, the product(s) anticipated with this RFI will be integrated with several existing and future City applications. The preferred connection mechanism is through established application programming interfaces (APIs) with user selectable options. • Capability to support multiple online payment methods, and to easily establish user- defined business rules or parameters for different e-commerce applications. • Provide a complete audit trail and reporting capabilities for all online transactions across the entire City enterprise. The City is also seeking a solutions partner that can provide consultation, programming and implementation assistance for their proposed solution. City’s Technology Environment and Standards The City of Fort Collins currently hosts and supports a public web site (www.fcgov.com), as well as a private Intranet site. The City’s network infrastructure represents the foundation for the delivery of e-Government services and applications. The fiber optic network is the backbone of this infrastructure, interconnecting city departments in multiple locations to access enterprise applications, enable data transfer, and access to the Internet. The City has a high speed connection to the Internet through a community network partnership, and currently purchases 3 Mbps capacity. We are planning for expansion to speeds to 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps and beyond in the future. The internal City network can currently handle servers at 100 Mbps with higher speeds planned in the future. Any Internet-accessible applications (e.g., e-commerce) are protected by a firewall that currently can also handle 100 Mbps speeds at the network level. The City has adopted, and reviews and updates annually, a set of IT standards that govern the planning and implementation of technology in the organization. The following standards represent the strategic direction for application/system deployments, and will be given high priority when evaluating solutions: • Operating system: HP/UX 11.0 or greater, Red Hat Linux or Windows 2000 in NT domain • Database: Oracle 8i or above • Web server software: Apache • Web-based application development: PHP4, Server-side JavaScript Request for Information Rules and Process Requirements Information and Preparation It is the intent of the City to utilize the RFI responses to evaluate solution partner product options, including but not limited to, product functionality, services, compatibility, cost, and availability. After analysis of RFI responses, the City will determine the feasibility of acquiring an e- commence product. After analysis of RFI responses, the City will determine its next action, including but not limited to, release of an official Request for Proposal (RFP), purchase from existing contracts available to the City, or determine to take no further action. If the City determines to purchase any tangible goods as a result of the analysis of RFI responses, they will be acquired through the City of Fort Collins Purchasing Department. For the RFI, vendors are encouraged to submit information in partnership with other vendors or to submit individual product information. Each RFI response should indicate which other companies the vendor might be partnering with. If multiple products are proposed, separate responses should be submitted for each proposed solution. The product or solution name should be clearly indicated at the top of each response. On-site or online demonstrations may be requested by the City to confirm vendor responses, and to clarify product or service capabilities. The City expects that all responses to this RFI have been reviewed by the vendor for technical accuracy. Products or solutions proposed should be in current production status (generally available for purchase, not in beta or pre- release status). A minimum of five (5) information packages will be received at the City of Fort Collins’ Purchasing Division, 215 North Mason Street, 2nd Floor, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 if delivered. If mailed, the address is P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, 80522-0580. Information packages shall be received by the Purchasing Office on or before ___________. Submittals should be presented in an organized and concise manner. It is desirable that submittals be received electronically if convenient for solution provider. Electronic Responses can be delivered using either of the following options: a. Mail (enclose five CD’s or diskettes): City of Fort Collins Purchasing Division OR b. Email (Attach Documents): odick@fcgov.com All information packages will be public record and solution providers shall include no proprietary information. Questions concerning the scope of the planned project should be directed to the Project Manager: Curtis Miller cmiller@fcgov.com 970-221-6673 Questions regarding information submittal or process should be directed to Opal Dick, CPPO, Sr. Buyer, 970-221-6778. Submittal A minimum of the following information should be provided: a. A brief company history and experience in developing and deploying e-commerce solutions. b. Describe professional staffing capability to provide consultation, programming, and implementation services. c. The name of the company representative responsible for providing further information. d. A written description of the proposed products and services as described. Include product brochures, flyers, electronic links, specifications, sample RFP’s and any other information which might be helpful. DO NOT include proprietary information. e. Pricing or price ranges. Costs shall be providing for full functionality. Include software, hardware, services costs, and any other costs required. f. A reference list of current governmental installs (see Section 5.0). Functional Specifications and Requirements Front-End E-Commerce Applications a. Describe the front-end application development tool and user modes of customization. b. Describe user selection and programming methods/options. c. Describe capabilities to globally change look and feel of the customer experience. d. Describe the standard interfaces to the e-commerce front-end package for JD Edwards Financials and for SCT Banner. e. Describe how the front-end application development tool can manage inventory (sale items or class slots available). f. Describe the front-end development tool capability to provide work-flow routing of approvals (other than financial clearing). g. Describe the front-end development tool capability to send automated advisories, notifications and confirmations. h. Describe how the front-end development tool can send automatic email notices or confirmation as stages of flow routing approval are completed. i. Application Programming Interfaces (API’s) should be defined in Section 4.1 of this document. Integration with Back-end Systems a. Describe how the proposed software will track credit card and bank account electronic fund transfers (ACH) and note how it will incorporate methods that enable tracking from origin through accounting, reporting and auditing. The process must coordinate and track transactions for multiple institutions and vendor numbers. It should either incorporate user customizable reports or enable reporting by other standard tools. b. Describe how the proposed software can insert daily totals of these departmental/vendor transactions into the JD Edwards OneWorld database. c. Describe how the financial records work with currently installed City applications. Software must be capable of a real-time connection and work seamlessly with JD Edwards OneWorld and SCT Banner Oracle databases. d. Describe any further enhancements such as standard queries and reports provided to summarize credit card and ACH transactions. e. Describe the back-end package capability to provide flow routing of approvals (other than financial clearing). f. Describe how the back-end package can send automatic email notices or confirmation as stages of flow routing approval are completed. g. Describe the proposed software capability for handling a single e-commerce transaction (i.e., a customer purchases multiple items in one transaction) distributed across multiple vendor numbers or financial institutions. Payment Processing/Interface with Financial Networks (Curt) a. Describe all payment types supported and certified, such as credit card types, debit cards (online/offline), electronic bank account transfers (ACH), trust accounts, electronic checks, etc. b. Describe all credit card processing strategies supported and certified in the back-end package. Audit Trail and Financial Reporting a. Describe all financial reporting included with the back-end package. b. Describe methods for user created reporting from the back-end package. c. Describe standard audit trails/methods for this system. Technology and Solution Support Technology Specifications a. List all of the operating systems, databases and web server platforms supported by the product. b. Refer to Section 2.0 of this document, and describe where your solution is consistent with the City’s IT standards, and where it is inconsistent. c. Describe how your proposed solution supports open technology standards. d. Describe how you would recommend configuring your solution in the context of a firewall network structure in order to optimize security and performance. e. Describe how you would recommend configuring your solution to support both Internet and Intranet simultaneously. f. Describe how security is addressed in your solution, and what steps are taken to protect credit card and other sensitive information within the system. Please include in your response details on: Authentication methods employed; data encryption supported; password usage and storage; auditing capabilities; and access restrictions to sensitive data. g. What is the peak transaction processing throughput that the proposed solution is capable of handling for authorizations? h. Are there any limits to monthly or other periodic transaction thresholds? i. Describe hardware required for optimal implementation of proposed solution. j. List any other software or hardware components or licenses that are required but not included in your proposed solution. k. Describe Fort Collins access to tables and indexes. Proposed software must allow reporting via standard tools, including PL/SQL, iSQL, Discoverer and MS Access 2000 and be done through standard database drivers (e.g., ODBC). Administration Description a. Describe how the proposed solution can be administered to incorporate the City’s desired business rules for risk management, scheduling of payment processing, security, and interface to multiple front-end e-commerce applications and multiple back- end payment processors. Can the solution be configured differently on an application by application basis? b. Describe the different functions or roles required for administering and maintaining the proposed solution, and annual estimated support effort (in hours) for City staff to carry out these functions. c. Describe and application programming interfaces (API’s) or other interfaces your solution provides that allow integration with other applications. d. Describe any additional training required for City staff to perform routine system administration. Application System Modifications a. Describe whether the source code for the proposed solution will be made available to the City. b. Will the solution require that the vendor (or business partners) access City systems for any reason? If yes, describe how remote access is accomplished. c. What types of maintenance and modifications must be made exclusively by the solutions provider(s). d. Describe how the proposed solution can be customized by City staff. Solution Support a. Describe how the solution is supported, and what options or levels of vendor support are available. b. Describe who provides what support for the solution, including: seller of solution, business partners of seller, and the client (City). c. Do you offer system integration consulting as part of your services? d. How often are new releases or upgrades done, and how are these applied to the City? e. Describe any formal training offered on the product/solution. f. Describe any documentation that you provide for the proposed solution. Installations and References a. How many customers do you have using the proposed solution (total installations)? b. Please supply a list of at least three (3) customer references where the solution is currently being used in production. The City prefers installation references that are of a comparable nature in terms of similar size/volumes, integration with same/similar applications (JDE OneWorld ERP, SCT Banner, Accela permitting system, etc.) governmental entities, and in the Rocky Mountain or high plains region. c. Please provide a summary of your firm’s qualifications for this project. Cost Summary Please provide a cost summary, including both one-time and ongoing costs, for your proposed solution for each of the following categories: a. Hardware products & maintenance agreements b. Software products & maintenance agreements c. Licenses & maintenance agreements d. Consulting services e. Implementation services f. Training services g. Other required products or services