Information Technology, Network Administration, and Technical Support Services
Request for Proposals (RFP), #RFP2023.2024-0003
- Organization Information
The Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region, Inc. (ELC) operates as a not-for-profit corporation and incorporated as the Leon School Readiness Coalition in 2001 as required by the School Readiness Act of 1999 (F.S. 411.01). In response to legislative requirements, ELC has gone through several transitions, mergers as well as name changes, and expanded its service area in 2005 to encompass the seven counties it serves today.
Headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, ELC currently has 48 employees and proudly serves Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla Counties. A contracted partner with the Florida Department of Education’s (DOE) Division of Early Learning (DEL), ELC is responsible for the administration of the School Readiness (SR) and Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) programs.
- Statement of Need
ELC is inviting qualified companies who have a demonstrated history of providing information technology, network administration, and technical support services to submit proposals for the services described in this solicitation, Information Technology, Network Administration, and Technical Support Services Request for Proposals (RFP), #RFP2023.2024-0003.
Responsive proposals should demonstrate Vendors have a minimum of five years’ experience providing information technology services; on-site, cloud, and remote network administration; on-site and remote technical support services; and the staffing capacity to provide these services in a high-quality manner with excellent customer service at a reasonable cost to the organization.
- Contract Term
The initial Term of the Contract resulting from this solicitation will be for a five-year period. The length of the renewal period will be determined during Contract negotiations following F.S. 287.057 which allows one renewal for a period equal to the original Contract term or subsequent renewals not to exceed a combined period of three years, whichever is greater.
Any renewal is subject to the same terms and conditions set forth in the initial Contract and any written Amendments signed by the parties. Any renewal is contingent upon the satisfactory performance of the Vendor and subject to the availability of funds.
ELC anticipates the first Term will begin on July 1, 2024, or on the date the Contract is signed by the last party required to sign (“execution date”), whichever is later, and end June 30, 2029, or five years from the date executed.
- Definitions
In this Request for Proposal (RFP), capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in Chapter 287, Florida Statutes, and Section 411.01, Florida Statutes, and, in addition,
the following terms shall have the meanings specified below, unless otherwise expressly
provided or unless the context otherwise requires:
Agreement: A legally binding Contract (“Agreement”) between ELC and a Contractor for the provision of commodities (goods and/or services) that includes Terms and Conditions, Scope of Work (SOW), Appendices, Exhibits, Attachment(s), and any Amendments.
Amendment: A document by which substantial changes are made to the terms of an executed Contract. Any Amendments will be incorporated as part of the original Contract.
Attachment: A document or material object added to the Contract or Proposal.
Board: ELC’s governing body.
Board Member: A member of ELC’s governing body.
Contract: See Agreement. Contract and Agreement have the same definition and may be used interchangeably throughout the RFP.
Contractor(s): The Vendor(s) selected to provide the goods and/or services outlined in the SOW under the Terms and Conditions of the awarded Contract.
Evaluation Team: The Evaluation Team (Eval Team) reviews and scores all Proposals and presentations
Executive Committee: Committee consisting of officers and committee chairs from ELC’s Board.
Invoice: A standardized form used by Contractor to request payment from ELC which itemizes the completed deliverables and billing rates outlined in the Contract for a specified billing period.
Proposal: A written Proposal prepared in response to this RFP using ELC’s Proposal template which includes all required document uploads.
Respondent: A Vendor who submits a Proposal in response to this RFP.
Scope of Work (SOW): The Scope of Work (SOW) outlines the specific deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities the Contractor must perform in accordance with the executed Agreement.
Term: The initial Term of the Contract resulting from this solicitation will begin on July 1, 2024, or the date the last required party signs ELC’s Professional Service Agreement (Agreement), whichever is later, and end five years from that date. Upon written Agreement, the Contract may be renewed, in whole or in part in accordance with subsection 287.057(13). F.S. Any renewal is subject to the same terms and conditions set forth in the initial Contract and any written Amendments signed by the parties. Any renewal is contingent upon the satisfactory performance of the Vendor and subject to the availability of funds.
RFP Schedule
| Procurement Schedule | Due Date | Time (EST) | |
| 1. | Release RFP | 05/01/2024 | 8:00 AM |
| 2. | Deadline to e-mail Notice of Intent (NOI) | ||
| 3. | Deadline to e-mail Technical Questions | ||
| 4. | Anticipated Date to Post FAQ’s on ELC’s website (click here to view) | 6:00 PM | |
| 5. | Proposal Due Date (E-mail PDFs to ELC) | 12:00 PM | |
| 6. | Public Opening of all Proposals (Zoom Meeting) | 12:01 PM | |
| 7. | Formal Evaluation Period | ||
| 8. | Proposal Presentations | TBD | |
| 9. | Anticipated Date to Post Notice of Intent to Award (NOIA) | 05/30/2024 | 9:00 AM |
| 10. | Anticipated End of 72 Hour (Three Business Days) Period to Protest NOIA. | 06/04/2024 | 9:00 AM |
| 11. | Anticipated End of 10 Calendar Day Period for Formal Written Protest* | 06/14/2024 | 9:00 AM |
| 12. | Anticipated Contract Start Date | 07/01/2024 | |
Letter of Intent (LOI) to apply forms must be received on or before Tuesday, May 07, 2024, by 6:00 p.m. Thursday, May 9, 2024, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) as indicated by the date stamp applied by the LOI template. The purpose of the LOI is to collect the company name, e-mail address, and contact person for each Respondent so ELC can e-mail an invitation to you for the Public Opening of all proposals and efficiently communicate any notices regarding this RFP to all interested parties.
For consideration, submit your proposal on or before Wednesday, May 15, 2024, Monday, May 17, 2024, by 12:00 p.m. EST as indicated by the date stamp applied by the proposal application template.
*The receipt of a formal written protest stops the solicitation process per 120.57(3)(c), F.S. ELC must receive any formal written protest post-marked or hand-delivered before the end of the ten (10) calendar day period (see above RFP Schedule).
Failure to file a formal written protest within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3)(c), F.S. shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under chapter 120, Florida Statutes.
Only proposals submitted electronically using the required template on or before Wednesday, May 15, 2024, Monday, May 17, 2024, by 12:00 p.m. EST, will be considered for review. The application template will not allow Respondents to submit late or incomplete proposals.
Prior to engaging in any agreement for services with the selected Respondent (“Contractor”), ELC will conduct reference checks and verify the Contractor is not on any state or federal discriminatory, excluded, convicted felon, or debarred lists that would deem its firm ineligible.
ELC reserves the right to select more than one firm from the RFP and engage with them for any part of the work outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW).
General Instructions to Respondents
Electronic Submission
- Letter of Intent and Technical Question Forms
Complete and submit each form no later than 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, 2024 (see links below in each numbered sub-section).
Letter of Intent (LOI) Form
Use the below link to the LOI Form to communicate your company’s intent to submit a Proposal in response to this RFP. ELC uses the company name, e-mail address, and contact person information from the LOI Form to efficiently communicate any notices/updates regarding this solicitation to all interested parties.
Technical Question Form
Use the following link to submit your technical questions:
Required Proposal Template
ELC must receive all electronic Proposals by 12:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Use the following link to complete/submit your Proposal:
Plan for possible heavy system traffic and submit your Proposals at least one hour prior to the noticed deadline time to avoid having the system reject any late or incomplete Proposals.
Notice of Intent to Award (NOIA)
The Contract shall be awarded to the Respondent whose Proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to ELC, based on the highest scores awarded by a three-person Eval Team who will use standardized scoring criteria (scoring rubrics) when they review/score Proposals and presentations. All Respondents who submit a timely LOI will receive an e-mail with a link to the NOIA when ELC posts it online.
Sole Point of Contact
- Limitations on Contacting Early Learning Coalition Personnel
Cone of Silence – Effective as of the issuance of this solicitation and ending at the end of the 72-hour period following the date ELC releases a Notice of Intent to Award (NOIA), no person, entity, or other organization shall contact and/or discuss any matter pertaining to this RFP with any of the following:
- ELC board members
- Any ELC employees (including officers)
- Any Eval Team member
All inquiries must be directed in writing via e-mail to the contact noted below in Section VIII. B. Any person, entity, or other organization that violates this provision may be disqualified from this RFP.
- Sole Point of Contact (“Contact”)
ELC will only respond to written communications regarding this RFP. All communications will be reviewed by the Sole Point of Contact (“Contact”):
Helen Giraitis, M.P. Aff., Procurement and Contract Manager
Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region, Inc.
2639 North Monroe St., Building C-300
Tallahassee, FL 32303
Email: procurement@elcbigbend.org
ELC will not accept any phone calls regarding this RFP. To submit a formal written protest to a posted NOIA, send all communications to the Contact at the address in Section VIII B.
ELC must receive any formal written protest, along with a bond equal to 1% of the award amount, post-marked or hand-delivered or on or before the end of the ten (10) calendar day period for (see RFP Schedule in Section V).
