Bidders Conference Agenda
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SUMMARY
PRE-PROPOSAL VENDOR CONFERENCE
FOR
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF COUNTY'S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM (RFP #003-C006480-AZ) October 13, 2016
I. OPENING REMARKS A. Purpose of this Vendor Conference: This Vendor Conference is being held to provide further information regarding the Request for Proposals for The Modernization of the County's Legacy Property Tax System RFP #003-C006480-AZ, and to answer Vendor questions regarding the requested services or the preparation of a proposal.
B. Pre-Proposal Conference Summary Package: A Summary Package of today’s Pre-Proposal Vendor Conference will be posted to the BidSync web site. The Summary Package will include all the information we go over today, as well as all additional questions received and the County’s responses to those questions.
C. Introduction of County of Orange Staff:
Alice Sinclair – Auditor-Controller Administration and Business Operations Manager
Phillip Daigneau – Auditor-Controller Director of Information Technology
Athicom Parinayakosol – Auditor-Controller Project Manager
Frank Davies – Auditor-Controller Property Tax Manager
Rogelia Martinez – Treasurer-Tax Collector Management Support Manager
Van Au – Clerk of the Board Application Developer II
Mark Servino – County Counsel
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 1 of 16 . Please note that any further inquiries regarding this RFP should be sent to my attention. Please do not contact any other County staff member outside of this conference regarding this RFP.
II. ADDENDUM 1 RELEASED 10/12/2016 An addendum to this RFP was uploaded to BidSync on 10/12/2016 to provide additional information and to correct minor errors. 1. Two additional text documents were added: Appendix C-ATS Sample JCL.txt and Appendix C-ATS Sample Programs.txt, which is a subset of the PDF that was previously released. 2. Page 4, RFP Table of Contents: Updated to add reference to the additional appendix that was added: Appendix D: ATS Sample Screens. 3. Page 32, Model Contract Table of Contents: Updated to correct references to attachments D and E. 4. Page 60, Attachment A: Scope of work: Updated the number of modules for IDEAL-Clerk of the Board System (COB). The correct count for Online CICS is 70, and the Batch count is 160. 5. Page 91, Appendix C: Added a reference to the Appendix C-ATS Sample JCL.txt and Appendix C-ATS Sample Programs.txt that are added with this addendum. 6. Page 92: Added Appendix D: ATS Sample Screens
III. PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS A. Sections of the RFP: 7. Section I of the RFP (Introduction and Instructions to Vendors) - This section begins on page 5 of the RFP, and addresses the introduction and the instructions on how to respond to the solicitation. All of the important dates and addresses and any pertinent information about the solicitation can be found in this section. This section also outlines how to submit your Proposal. 8. Section II of the RFP (Proposal Response Requirements/Minimum Qualifications) – This section begins on page 17 of the RFP, and outlines what to submit and in what order to submit it. Proposals should be submitted in the format outlined in this section. 9. Section III of the RFP (Model Contract) – This section begins on page 30 of the RFP, and is an example of what will be received if you are awarded the contract. The contract will be amended to reflect the awarded proposal and will constitute the contract between the awarded party and the County of Orange. 10. Appendix to the RFP – This contains the Confidentiality Agreement that we will ask prospective vendors to sign should they make it to the Finalist Phase. It also includes a sample Critical Job Cycle, as well as the ATS Sample Programs.
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 2 of 16 B. Attachments: (For detailed response requirements, refer to page 26, Part 3 of the Vendor Response Requirements – Vendor’s Proposal.) . Attachment A: Scope of Work . Please note that your response to Attachment A should include a narrative overview as well as a response to the Vendor Response Questions on pages 68 and 69. . Attachment B: Cost/Compensation . In the response to this section, we expect to see a detailed proposed deliverable schedule, including acceptance criteria and pricing. . The County is looking for a deliverable-based fixed price contract with a 10% retention. . Attachment C: Staffing Plan . In response to this section, please include information on the proposed project staff, and org chart, and expected time involvement for County staff. . Attachment D: Implementation Plan and Acceptance and Testing Procedures . In response to this section, please include your implementation plan and your Acceptance and Testing Procedures, as well as answers to the Vendor Response Questions. . Attachment E: County of Orange Child Support Enforcement Certification . This is included for your information, and will be required of the selected vendor.
C. Proposal Submission: 11. Please be sure you carefully read and understand the RFP requirements prior to preparing your proposal. 12. Follow the instructions in the RFP. Be clear and concise. Verify that your proposal meets the requirements in the RFP and follow the submission instructions listed in Section II. 13. Vendors are to submit 1 original, 7 copies, and 1 CD-ROM (in Microsoft Word file format) of their proposal. 14. PLEASE NOTE: The original proposal and all copies must be bound and tabulated to facilitate review by the evaluation panel. 15. Proposal must be received by 4:00 PM Pacific Time on November 14, 2016. Proposals received after the Due Date will not be accepted. . Please make sure a person authorized on behalf of your organization signs the proposal.
IV. QUESTIONS RECEIVED & COUNTY RESPONSES
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 3 of 16 A. Handout of initial questions submitted prior to this Pre-Proposal Conference -(Please see handout titled “Questions Received & County Responses”) B. Additional Questions (opportunity for Vendors to ask additional questions at this time) 16. Vendor Question 1: Vendor asked for clarification on Question 15, which was “Please provide an approximate function point count of the current ATS application.” The County had responded with 164, and vendor said based on the number of lines of code, they would expect the number to be closer to 16,000. HR asked how the County came up with 164. 17. County Response to Question 1: The County counted the number of high-level functionalities. For example, the County counted the printing a secured bill as one functionality, and not the detailed level of printing a secured bill with a correction, etc.
IV. CLOSING COMMENTS . Proposals will be evaluated by a committee and will be ranked in accordance with the Evaluation Process & Criteria found in Section I, subsection E (Pages 13-14) of the RFP. . Proposals should be addressed to Alice Sinclair, and delivered to: County of Orange, Auditor-Controller, at: 12 Civic Center Plaza, Room 200, Santa Ana, CA 92701. . Results of the bidding process become public information upon award of the contract. Should you wish to review any of the proposals or ratings you may contact me, Alice Sinclair, after contract award. Please reference the Title of the RFP and the RFP Number. . Thank you for attending.
Contact Information for Alice Sinclair Phone: 714-796-8069 Email: [email protected]
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 4 of 16 PRE-PROPOSAL VENDOR CONFERENCE
QUESTIONS RECEIVED AND COUNTY RESPONSES
FOR
RFP #003-C006480-AZ - THE MODERNIZATION OF COUNTY'S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM
Question 1 Would it be possible to receive the sample code provided in a format different than PDF? Our preference would be to receive the code in EBCDIC format either in XMIT format or as raw EBCDIC files. Also, it looks like some files were sent as listings. We would prefer to receive the files as raw unprocessed source files. (Submitted: Sep 26, 2016 12:21:10 PM PDT)
Answer At this time, for RFP purposes, we can only provide source code listings of the sample programs in Appendix C in ASCII text format. (Answered: Sep 30, 2016 4:10:22 PM PDT)
The program code provided in "Appendix C-ATS Sample Programs.pdf" has also been provided in text format under "Appendix C-ATS Sample Programs.txt" with Addendum 1 to this RFP. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 2 What version of Control-M does Orange County plan to run in the target environment? (Submitted: Sep 26, 2016 12:21:37 PM PDT)
Answer The County is currently running version 6, with plans to upgrade to version 8 by the 1st quarter of next calendar year (2017), and to version 9 possibly in 2018 (considering other dependencies). Although the CTRL-M scheduling software is used by the County, the County is open to other products as long as the product performs and integrates with the application in the same way or better, without loss of functionality. (Answered: Sep 28, 2016 8:25:49 AM PDT)
Question 3 A few questions regarding the SOW portion of the RFP. The Project Objectives section, item #1 and Scope of the Project section, item #4, titled, Architect the New Platform, indicate a requirement to migrate ATS from the legacy mainframe to an open system.
1. Does the new "open system" include the infrastructure, both development/test and production, to run the re-platformed ATS? For example, virtualized servers, storage/virtualized storage, network/virtualized network, and management thereof?
2. If not in the scope of the RFP, how does OC plan to address this need?
3. In addition, where will the new system be hosted? Will it be in the existing OC data center? If not, what options will be considered?
Thank you. (Submitted: Sep 27, 2016 3:52:18 PM PDT)
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 5 of 16 Answer 1. The County will acquire and provide the infrastructure based on the proposed solution being recommended. The solution should determine the hardware requirement. 2. See response above. 3. The system will be hosted on premise at the County of Orange. (Answered: Sep 30, 2016 4:10:22 PM PDT)
Question 4 Is there a mobility use case for users of the re-platformed system? Will OC employees and users of the system require access while in the field and using devices such as laptops, tablets or smartphones? Does OC consider this to be part of the RFP requirements? (Submitted: Sep 27, 2016 3:54:26 PM PDT)
Answer The requirements are to convert current processes not to enhance or change functionality. Currently there is no mobility functionality being leveraged with the existing mainframe system. (Answered: Sep 30, 2016 4:10:22 PM PDT)
Question 5 Attachment D, Implementation Plan and Testing Procedures 2.a.: This section references the "business timeline as indicated in the Scope of Work", We are unable to locate the business timeline - please provide. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:35:50 PM PDT)
Answer The Revenue & Taxation Code dictates the statutory dates that drive the business timeline. The following lists the most critical property tax business processing periods: August and September: Allocation, District Valuation, and TRA Rate Calculation September: Extension of Secured Roll and Tax Bill Printing November 30th: Deadline for filing Assessment Appeals December 10th: First Installment of Secured Taxes Due Without Penalty April 10th: Second Installment of Secured Property Taxes Due Without Penalty 1st week of July: Secured Year-End Processing (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 6 Does the County have a preferred or desired Period of Performance for this program? (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:47:52 PM PDT)
Answer Based on similar experience from other Counties, we estimate the project should be completed in three years or less. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 7 Is there a requirement for post production system support by the Vendor (Maintenance & Operations)? If yes, please indicate the duration, any specific support requirements and pricing instructions for the support. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:48:26 PM PDT)
Answer At this time, there is no long-term requirement for production support beyond the warranty (after proper knowledge transfer and training has been completed). There is normally a post-production support on projects of at least 3 months. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 8
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 6 of 16 Will the solution be hosted in a County or Vendor data center? If hosted in a County data center, should the Vendor provide infrastructure requirements (servers, storage, network, etc.) to host the solution? Will the County provide the hardware and software? If hosted in a vendor data center, should hosting costs, including hardware and software, be provided? (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:50:00 PM PDT)
Answer The County will acquire and provide the infrastructure based on the proposed solution being recommended. The solution should determine the hardware requirement. The system will be hosted on premise at the County of Orange. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 9 Will the County provide a dev/test environment including the hardware and software? (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:50:40 PM PDT)
Answer The County will acquire and provide the infrastructure based on the proposed solution being recommended. The solution should determine the hardware requirement. The system will be hosted on premise at the County of Orange. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 10 Will the County provide the business rules for the current application or will the Vendor be required to mine the business rules from the code? (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:51:16 PM PDT)
Answer The business rules are embedded in the code and should be converted as is. The County also has high-level documentation of the business rules. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 11 Scope of Work, pg 64: The RFP indicates that the format, frequency, and delivery of interface files will NOT change. Please identify all the types of file delivery communication protocols the Vendor will be required to provide/test/validate. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:53:28 PM PDT)
Answer Inbound and outbound interface files are either delimited or fixed-length text files, and are exchanged through sFTP. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 12 Scope of Work, pg 64: To facilitate development of the project plan, will the County please provide and detail as to the time availability of County personnel to be involved with this project? (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:54:26 PM PDT)
Answer County will be committing resources according to the final project plan. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 13 Scope of Work, pg 65: The RFP indicates the vendor should document a recommended data conversion and cleansing approach and manage data, however, it is not clear who is expected to perform the data cleansing and migration, the County or the Vendor? Please clarify. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:56:14 PM PDT)
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 7 of 16 Answer The determination of the data to migrate, and what and how data will be cleansed -- manual or programmatic – is the responsibility of the County. The actual data migration – from drafting the migration plan, developing the migration programs/scripts, running the conversion programs to loading the new database, and initial validation and testing – is the responsibility of the Vendor. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 14 In examining the code provided with the RFP, there appears to be some embedded values in the logic. Please provide the meanings for these values. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:56:45 PM PDT)
Answer County staff require additional information regarding this question. Please email the DPA at [email protected] to provide additional information regarding the embedded values you are referring to, including the page number. We will then post your clarification along with the additional information required to BidSync. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 15 Please provide an approximate function point count of the current ATS application. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 1:57:09 PM PDT)
Answer 164 (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 16 Scope of Work: Does the County have all the source code of the current production system? If not, please provide specific information regarding any code that is not available. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 2:02:49 PM PDT)
Answer Yes, the County has all the source code to run the production system. (Answered: Oct 5, 2016 2:24:11 PM PDT)
Question 17 Pages 70 and 71 provide Vendor RFP Response Questions (1-24) that only cover 7 of the 12 task groupings that are listed in the Scope of the Project (pages 64-69). Please provide Response Questions to task areas 8-12, or confirm that there are no Response Questions associated for these tasks. (Submitted: Sep 30, 2016 2:10:08 PM PDT)
Answer There are no Response Questions associated with task #8-#12. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 18 How many mainframe developers support the legacy applications? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:02:39 AM PDT)
Answer A team of eight including five mainframe developers support the legacy application. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 19
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 8 of 16 Are there languages other than CA Ideal used in the ATS system? If so, what languages are used and is source available? (This excludes the COBOL noted in the documentation for DB2 application utilities.) (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:03:05 AM PDT)
Answer COBOL was used at some point but these COBOL programs are not being used anymore. They are not part of the scope of the project. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 20 Regarding the DB2 application utilities noted above, are the utilities not needed on the target system, or do they require appropriate replacement? What are the purpose of these utilities? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:03:30 AM PDT)
Answer The DB2 application utilities require appropriate replacement. The utilities are mainly to copy, update, and inquire on DB2 table(s). (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 21 Assuming one or more utilities are not provided in the replacement RDBMS, and those utilities are required, what is the preferred language for their replacement (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:03:54 AM PDT)
Answer The County would prefer the replacement RDBMS to have utilities that perform the same function. If an additional program is required to do the function, we would prefer for it to be written in the same language used for development. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 22 How many DB2 stored procedures, if any, are used? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:04:54 AM PDT)
Answer We do not use DB2 Store Procedure. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 23 What target platform does County of Orange prefer and Has County of Orange investigated this type of effort previously? ( as you have mentioned you dont like proprietor language ) (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:06:48 AM PDT)
Answer The County would like to re-platform its legacy system to an open system platform. The County runs applications in AIX and Windows servers. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 24 Is there a preferred RDBMS for the target platform? What non-mainframe RDBMS servers are currently in use at County of Orange? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:07:17 AM PDT)
Answer The County is currently running its applications using Oracle & SQL Server. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 25 Are CICS Web Services used, kindly suggest where and how many? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:08:12 AM PDT)
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 9 of 16 Answer No, we don’t use any CICS web services. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 26 Do you currently have distributed source management tools implemented? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:08:39 AM PDT)
Answer Currently, the County is not using any Distributed Source Management Tools. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 27 Do you shut down CICS to run batch jobs? if yes , what is the batch window? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:09:15 AM PDT)
Answer Yes, the County shuts down CICS for approximately 12 hours on weekdays to manage the resources and the time to run the batch jobs. It is typically longer and more involved on weekends to allow for maintenance and sys-programming schedules. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 28 What types of data repositories (and their numbers) are in use other than DB2? a. Sequential files? b. VSAM files (KSDS, RRDS, ESDS)? c. GDG? d. Other? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:09:43 AM PDT)
Answer There are no other data repositories outside of DB2. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:07:23 PM PDT)
Question 29 Is your tape physical or virtual? How much data, and what type, is stored on tape?Of the tape data, what is the estimate of data that would require migration to the target platform? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:10:26 AM PDT)
Answer Current storage is on Mainframe DASD, with backup to VTL. The current size is estimated at 150GB. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 30 Infosys’s discovery requires client subject matter experts (SMEs) for interview sessions. a. Will County of Orange resources be available for focused sessions? b. Will support resources be available for technical, functional, and architectural questions throughout the assessment? c. Would County of Orange be open to provide all source, uploaded to our secure FTP site , if required? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:12:21 AM PDT)
Answer a. Yes
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 10 of 16 b. Yes c. Yes, as long as it stays within the boundaries of the United States. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 31 Infosys prefers to have client Steering Committee oversight for projects. Will County of Orange provide executive management, project management, and technical management representation during the assessment, and continuing throughout the modernization project? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:13:25 AM PDT)
Answer Yes. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 32 Does County of Orange have security requirements for application inventory management during the assessment and continuing throughout the modernization project? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:13:45 AM PDT)
Answer Yes, finalist vendors must conform to the County’s security requirements during the Proof of Concept phase. In addition, vendors shall be required to sign and return the County of Orange Confidentiality Agreement as listed in Appendix A of the RFP, and must certify that no County Data is transmitted outside the boundaries of the United States. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 33 Are any batch jobs initiated from CICS transactions? Does County of Orange have any intersystem communications to/from the mainframe, either internally or with outside vendors (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:15:06 AM PDT)
Answer Yes. Interfaces with other internal or external systems are done through FTP. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 34 Do you print in CICS? Please describe your online print requirements (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:15:41 AM PDT)
Answer Yes. The current system allows users to print copies of bills, stubs, displays, reports on demand or as scheduled. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 35 29. Does County of Orange use any testing tools for test management, defect management, test automation, or performance testing? If yes, which tools/version? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 7:15:59 AM PDT)
Answer No. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 36
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 11 of 16 What are your requirements on the pilot’s scope, approach, timing, desired outcome and what the County will provide in terms of artifacts to ensure the pilot's success? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 10:44:48 AM PDT)
Answer The Vendors will be given approximately two weeks to convert a subset of the County code using their proposed strategy. The County will provide: 1. The program identification and description 2. Program resources such as dataviews, panels, reports, and any subprograms called. 3. The working data definition. 4. The parameter definition, if any. 5. An environment definition to access a converted SQL database. 6. The IDEAL code for the logic, computations, report production, panel processing, and database retrieval. (Answered: Oct 11, 2016 1:46:54 PM PDT)
Question 37 1. Date and Time fields appear to be defined as alphanumeric in the database. Will they need to be stored using a Date and Time data types in the target DBMS? 2. Will Date and Time fields require validation/data cleansing prior to migration? If so, can the invalid data be discarded and the Date and Time data set to null? 3. What z/OS external utilities are used in the JCL? 4. What types of interfaces to external systems exist? Will those external systems also need to be converted or will we need to develop the interface to these external systems to maintain the existing functionality/data transfer? 5. The RFP states that the total no. of IDEAL programs is 2760. However if you look at the breakdown provided for the sub-modules, the no. of programs do not total 2760. If you add the IDEAL reports to the number of programs in the breakdown, the count exceeds 2760. Can we get an actual count of programs? 6. The stored procedures for DB2 in z/OS can be written in COBOL, JAVA or internal SQL procedure language. What language was used to develop the DB2 z/OS Stored Procedures? 7. Can we get examples of the source code for JCLs, Programs, Panels, Stored Procedures and Data Views? 8. In addition to the data provided in the RFP, it would help to know the following: • Table row counts. • Is historical data stored with transaction data? • Is there a requirement to migrate historical data? (Submitted: Oct 5, 2016 5:17:05 PM PDT)
Answer 1. Date and Time fields appear to be defined as alphanumeric in the database. Will they need to be stored using a Date and Time data types in the target DBMS?
Yes.
2. Will Date and Time fields require validation/data cleansing prior to migration? If so, can the invalid data be discarded and the Date and Time data set to null?
During data conversion, data cleansing will required before migration. Date and time fields will be cleansed and validated during the migration process. Vendor suggestions on the timing and sequence of activities will be considered and discussed with the vendor.
Invalid data will be reviewed and appropriate action will be taken.
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 12 of 16 3. What z/OS external utilities are used in the JCL?
The County uses only the standard z/OS utilities in its JCL.
4. What types of interfaces to external systems exist? Will those external systems also need to be converted or will we need to develop the interface to these external systems to maintain the existing functionality/data transfer?
The inbound/outbound interfaces are sequential files/flat file. The County does not expect any changes to its interfaces.
5. The RFP states that the total no. of IDEAL programs is 2760. However if you look at the breakdown provided for the sub-modules, the no. of programs do not total 2760. If you add the IDEAL reports to the number of programs in the breakdown, the count exceeds 2760. Can we get an actual count of programs?
The breakdown of the programs provided in the RFP is the count of the programs currently used in production. The total no. of programs – approximately 2,760 -- includes old programs that have not been actively used.
6. The stored procedures for DB2 in z/OS can be written in COBOL, JAVA or internal SQL procedure language. What language was used to develop the DB2 z/OS Stored Procedures?
We do not currently use DB2 Stored Procedures.
7. Can we get examples of the source code for JCLs, Programs, Panels, Stored Procedures and Data Views?
Samples have been provided with the RFP and with Addendum 1.
8. In addition to the data provided in the RFP, it would help to know the following: a. Table row counts. We cannot provide the number of row counts at this time.
b. Is historical data stored with transaction data? Yes.
c. Is there a requirement to migrate historical data? Yes, all data in the system will be converted. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 38 Page 9 – 3 The County will host a Pre-Proposal Vendor Conference: We understand that the pre-bid conference is optional. Will there be a web conference or voice conference option available for those interested vendors who cannot attend in person? If not, how will vendors who cannot attend be given the information provided during the conference, will a transcript and attendees list be published? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 12:57:10 AM PDT)
Answer There will not be a web or voice conference option for the Pre-Proposal Vendor Conference, but we will post a summary of all information provided during the conference to BidSync, as well as a list of attendees. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 10:36:07 AM PDT)
Question 39
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 13 of 16 1. Location of Performance (question 42C page 53): Except where the Vendor obtains the County’s prior written approval, the Vendor shall perform all of the Services only from or at any location at which the County operates a data center or performs any IT-related services or functions during the term of this Contract within the geographic boundaries of the County. Any County approval for the performance of Services outside of the geographic boundaries of the County shall be limited to the specific instance and scope of such written approval.
Note that our delivery operating model is one where the automated conversion component of our methodology takes place in our software conversion factory in the continental United States. Is this acceptable? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 6:04:11 AM PDT)
Answer Yes, this is acceptable, provided that the work is not done outside the continental U.S. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 40 2. Ensure that the re-platformed system complies with the County’s security policies and standards (question 8, page 59).
System shall pass an application security assessment test which includes: i. Testing modes of authentication using fake userIDs, elevating normal user ID to manage rights, cookies and URL rewriting (if applicable), among others ii. Assessment of the underlying servers and operating systems, server-side executables and 3rd party products used for malicious opportunities to exploit weaknesses hidden within the associated code iii. Examination of the infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities, single points of failure and other threats to stability of business operations iv. In-depth application penetration test v. Testing all types of database injection, exploits and flaws
Who performs these tests? Current as-is County of Orange security policies and standards will be duplicated into the to-be infrastructure and systems as per our conversion approach. It is assumed that any pre-existing flaws being tested through this assessment test will be remediated by the County. Please confirm. (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 6:04:41 AM PDT)
Answer The pre-existing flaws will be remediated by the County. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 41 Performance must be assessed, and the re-platformed solution must provide the same (no more than 5% deviation) or better response time (question 11 page 61).
It is assumed that the County or County’s vendor(s) will perform performance testing on the as-is computing infrastructure providing results for comparison on the to-be platform. Please confirm. (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 6:05:07 AM PDT)
Answer County will provide performance information of the current system to be used for comparison with the “to-be” platform. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 42 Provide a disaster recovery plan to recover and resume operations after a disaster or unplanned outage (question 8 page 64).
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 14 of 16 Is there a current as-is infrastructure disaster recovery plan? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 6:05:51 AM PDT)
Answer Yes. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 43 1. Who is the current IT Vendor supporting the system?
2. Is the current vendor precluded from bidding on modernization?
3. Does the county want to retain other interfacing systems? a. OnBase Document Imaging Systems b. Interactive Voice Response System (IVR)/Automated Call Distributor-Customer Interaction Center (Call Center) c. Web Applications such as the Online Tax Inquiry and Payment System, Assessment Appeals Online Data Entry System (ODESY), Tax Ledger, Property Tax Management System (PTMS) d. Remittance and Cashiering Systems 4. Is County open to offsite and offshore development to control the cost of modernization? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 8:35:50 AM PDT)
Answer 1. A team of eight County, SAIC and ARK consultants support the application. The County’s Information Technology Office and SAIC support the infrastructure. 2. No. 3. The County will continue to support its interfaces to other systems including the systems mentioned above. 4. The County will consider some project activities to be done offsite where security, communication, and quality are not compromised. It is not open to offshore development. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 44 BidSync Q&A 7 In the response to Question 7 above, the County indicated that there is "typically" a post-production support period. Is the County asking for a 3 month post-production support period? Can this 3 month post-production period extend beyond the 3 year preferred project duration? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 12:55:12 PM PDT)
Answer The three months is after the actual production deployment is completed and we are running nightly production cycles. Yes, the 3 month post-production period may extend past the 3 year preferred project duration. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
Question 45 Page 52 - 34. Information Access Will the County provide the referenced security policies and procedures referenced in this section for vendor review? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 12:56:04 PM PDT)
Answer Yes, all currently established County security policies will be provided. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 6:25:36 PM PDT)
AGENDA – VENDOR CONFERENCE 10/13/2016 MODERNIZATION OF THE COUNTY’S LEGACY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM RFP #003-C006480-AZ Page 15 of 16 Question 46 Page 27 Part 3 4.Implementation Plan and Acceptance and Testing Procedures Paragraph B
Confused on the Section III, Attachment D reference. Unable to locate this Section. Can the County provide additional clarity on this reference? (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 12:56:51 PM PDT)
Answer Attachment D, "Implementation Plan and Acceptance and Testing Procedures," is on page 73 of the RFP. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 10:36:07 AM PDT)
Question 47 Page 26 - Part 3 b. Response to Vendor Response Questions Vendor shall provide answers to the Vendor Response Questions as outlined in Section III, Attachment A, Scope of Work
Please confirm reference is pointing to Section II (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 12:57:23 PM PDT)
Answer The section referred to, “Vendor RFP Response Questions,” is on page 68 in Section II of Attachment A--Scope of Work, which is in RFP Section III--Model Contract. (Answered: Oct 12, 2016 10:36:07 AM PDT)
Question 48 Page 14 - E. Evaluation Process and Criteria Item 5 Finalist Phase.
The RFP indicates that finalist presentations to the County will include results of a Proof of Concept (POC) using sample source code to be provided five (5) days after notification.
First, we commend the County for using a Proof of Concept (POC) to help in its evaluation process of finalists. However, in our experience in supporting POCs in the past that they generally require about 15 days end-to-end for receipt of code, set-up, test and presentation in order for the Evaluation Team to receive an effective assessment and fair comparison of POC results. We find this timeline to be consistent regardless of the number of programs or lines of code provided as part of POC. Therefore, we have the following questions:
1. We request that finalist bidders receive a total 15 day period to conduct the POC and present back to the County.
2. During the POC period, will there be a method for direct contact to County resources to answer questions and address potential issues with the delivered POC code quickly to not delay the POC execution?
3. Will the POC code package include the DB2 DDL? The DDL supporting the POC code will be required to process the POC. (Submitted: Oct 6, 2016 1:05:02 PM PDT)
Answer (Pending)
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