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City of Mill Creek Request for Proposals Integrated Software Suite for City Financial Operations

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CITY OF MILL CREEK
1999 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - Integrated Software Suite for City Financial Operations

OVERVIEW

The City of Mill Creek is requesting proposals for an integrated software suite to manage the financial operations of the City. The integrated software suite desired would be a turn-key system to provide electronic solutions for accounting, budgeting, cash receipting, human resources, business licensing, building permits, plan checks, land development, recreation class administration, and other administrative services.

The City of Mill Creek is a planned community with a population of 11,000, providing municipal services to its citizens. The City provides police, planning, public works, and administrative services. The City contracts for fire and library services. City residents are provided water and sewer utilities from two special districts that provide their own utility billing services. The Snohomish COUNTY P.U.D. provides electrical services. The City is currently conducting a wastewater management study that may result in the creation of a stormwater utility program. If such a program is created the City anticipates utilizing Snohomish County to bill for the utility through their property tax assessment program. The City anticipates future growth which may double its current population by 2012.

Vendors will be required to submit the forms provided by the RFP and pricing amounts will be detailed by module. Pricing should include all costs related to software, required hardware, and conversion of existing data, installation, training, and final implementation. Vendors who choose to submit a joint RFP by combining various software packages must submit a single RFP detailing the responsible vendor for each module.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

The 1999 Request for Proposals – Integrated Software Suite for City Financial Operations defines 13 required modules and two "possible" modules. The City under general selection criteria of product, service, reputation, and pricing will review required modules. The City reserves the right to procure "possible" items as separate decisions. The needs of the City are broken down into the following system groups:

General Financial Modules

Integrated Modules

General Ledger

Budget Integration

Financial Reporting

Cash Receipting

Include Electronic Cash Drawer Features

Payroll

Accounts Payable/Purchase Orders

Project Accounting

Accounts Receivable

Fixed Assets

Report Generator

Parks & Recreation:

Activity Registration

Activity Scheduling

Facility Reservation

Business Licenses

Building Permits & Licenses:

Permit Issuance & Tracking

Developer Deposit & Bond Tracking

Plan Check Process Tracking

Field Inspections

Code Enforcement

Possible Modules

Human Resources

Budget Preparation

CITY’S CURRENT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The City’s current financial management system is not fully integrated. EDEN produces the City’s current general financial software. The City operates the Budgetary Accounting software of Eden including modules for general ledger, accounts payable, purchase orders, and cash receipting. The current cash-receipting module does not provide features to allow for electronic cash drawer operation. The current Budgetary Accounting software has been made year 2000 compliant. The City’s current payroll software is EDEN version 3.5. This version of the EDEN software will not be made year 2000 compliant.

The City’s software currently used for Permit & Licensing Issuance and Tracking, Recreation Class & Team Registration, and Electronic Cash Receipting is a database program called TeamUp. This is a DOS based database program implemented in the City in 1992. Custom Micro, Inc designed the program. These modules are not integrated with the EDEN modules.

The City’s Police Department, located at City Hall, utilizes a software product called Super Clem. The Police Department uses this program for all police records, ticketing, animal licenses, and other miscellaneous cash receipts received. SuperClem utilizes Microsoft Access and is written in Visual Basic. The City will need the police software to be integrated to the modules requested in this RFP.

CITY’S CURRENT ANNUAL ACTIVITY LEVEL

Item

Activity Level

Estimated Number of GL accounts:

2,500

Estimated Annual Transactions:

 

Purchase Orders

Currently Do Not Issue

Payables

2,100 Invoices Processed

Checks/Warrants Issues

1,400

Cash Receipts

6,000

Active Employees

42 Regular Employees

50 Temporary & Seasonal

Job Applicants

500

Future Capacity Upgrade Needs

200% Growth

CITY’S NETWORK AND HARDWARE ENVIRONMENT

Network Software:

    • The City currently operates on a Novell network, Version 4.11, with approximately 35 workstations. Dependent on the operating system requirements of the selected integrated financial management software suite, the City may consider an upgrade to the most recent version of Novell or conversion to a NT operating system network.
    • Current network applications include GroupWise version 3.0, TeamUp, and Eden.

File Server:

    • In 1999 the City will acquire a ProLiant 1600 server with Intel Pentium II 400 MHz CPU, 512k cache, 128MB of RAM, 1.44MB floppy drive, 24x CD-ROM, Integrated 10/100 TX NIC Card, 1 MB video card. This will replace the current administrative file server. If the proposed software suite requires a separate file server this should be included in vendor bid response form.

Workstations:

    • Intel Pentium II 233 MHz CPU.
    • 64MB RAM.
    • 3.2GB hard drives.
    • 1.44 MB floppy drive and 24X CD-ROM
    • Office ’97 is the standard workstation application software.
    • Windows 95 is the standard operating system.

PROCUREMENT CALENDAR

Publication Date – Request for Proposal January 24 & 31, 1999

Closing Date – Request for Proposals February 26, 1999

Closing Date – Staff Review March 19, 1999

Follow-up meeting and review for 1st cut vendors March 26, 1999

Final Selection April 2, 1999

City Council Contract Approval April 13, 1999

REQUIRED MODULES
  • 1. General Ledger
    •

    The General Ledger is considered to be the core or foundation upon which all other modules are built.

    Structure and Accounting Principles
      1. Account structures should be consistent with the Washington State Budgeting, Accounting, Reporting System (BARS). BARS is a hierarchical based coding structure allowing the uses of like accounts across multiple funds. In the BARS structure an eighteen (18) digit code accommodates the various transactions. The chart of accounts should allow the user complete control over structure and terminology. The City currently uses an eight (8) digit code for balance sheet and control accounts, a ten (10) digit code for revenue accounts and a fourteen (14) digit code for expenditure accounts.
      2. The system should be consistent with General Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements and pronouncements.
      3. Provide the user with the ability to afford various views of the General Ledger (organization, fund, cost center, project, etc.)
      4. Provide the user with the ability to move from a GL account to specific transactions affecting the account.
      5. Provide the user with the ability to conduct searches, post transactions, and generate reports at all levels of the account structure by fiscal year, month, calendar year, or any user defined date.
      6. Support multiple fiscal years with a minimum of 13 accounting periods. The City currently operates on a biennial budget with biennial appropriations. This necessitates that the City continue to produce annual financial statements, but carry-over expenditure and revenue amounts for the biennium for budget management and financial reporting resulting in a 24 month reporting of expenditure and revenue transactions. The proposed software should provide the capacity for this ability.
      7. Maintain active, inactive, and restricted accounts.
      8. Grant and project accounting periods defined separate from fiscal year.
      9. Supports cash basis, accrual basis, year-end accrual basis, or any combination thereof.
      10. Systematically maintains control account balances reflecting revenue, expenditure, and encumbrance activity totals from subsidiary ledgers.
      11. Supports unlimited number of funds.
      12. Allow multiple year history to be maintained on-line.
      13. Complete interface to financial system management modules.
      14. Provide user defined security and transaction authorization levels including the ability to define record additions, changes, inquiry (view) and deletion.

    Journal Entries and Automatic Functions
      1. All fund accounting entries made automatically.
      2. Approval process for batches.
      3. General Journal entry with standing and repetitive Journal Entry capability.
      4. Interactive or batch processing Journal Entries.
      5. Automatic Journal Entry reversals.
      6. Comprehensive audit trail from sub-ledgers in GL transaction detail including customer/vendor ID, check #, Invoice, P.O., and Cash Receipt #.
      7. Automatic year-end closing without loss of detail.
      8. Ability to close subsets independently.
  • 2. Project Accounting
    •

    The City has the need to track and separate revenues and expenditures for a variety of municipal projects. Projects may be construction, internal program grants, cost centers or other related tasks.
      1. Provide the user with the ability to maintain independent hierarchies to support reporting across funds, cost centers, object code, project, grant, or task.
      2. Provide integration with payroll supporting both direct and indirect cost allocation by employee.
      3. Provide integration with accounts payable module.
      4. Complete integration with the GL at the transaction level such that accounts in both systems remain in balance at all times.
      5. Support multiple fiscal year information so that user may designate in either the GL or JL System the number of years of transaction history and the number of years of account balance and budget history desired.
      6. Allow the user to define project numbers.
      7. Allow the integration of project numbers as part of the account number structure.
  • 3. Accounts Payable/Requisition/Purchase Orders
    •

    Primarily, the City uses a decentralized purchasing system. Requests for goods and services are generated in the various departments. The City does not currently use purchase orders because of the lack of software to provide efficient purchase order processing and integration. The City desires a system that will allow for the electronic generation of purchase orders which can be electronically forwarded to the appropriate personnel for review and approval. Recurring expenditures such as utility payments, lease payments, debt service, etc., and travel related expenditures will not require a purchase order. Although the majority of other purchases may require the use of a purchase order, the proposed system should provide the flexibility for the City to determine the use or non-use of purchase orders. If a purchase order is used, upon receipt of the order, the receiving department would approve a purchase order and invoice for payment. Checks are issued for payment semi-monthly.

      1. Institute an on-line paperless requisition and purchase order system with on-line approvals.
      2. Provide an automated matching of requisitions, invoices, and receiving reports.
      3. Provide full integration of encumbrance/purchase order, accounts payable, and fixed assets modules.
      4. Allow for full or partial payment of a purchase order.
      5. Provide an automatic generation of payables.
      6. Provide for ACH payments.
      7. Track aging items and other exceptions.
      8. Support one-time vendor override payments. Allow for simplified temporary vendors directly from transaction input process.
      9. Integration with cash receipts module and subsidiary ledgers for the ease of generating refund payments (i.e., Recreation class cancellations, deposit refunds).
      10. Provide for the management of vendor discounts.
      11. Support vendor retainage.
      12. Provide for purchasing authority restrictions and other security features.
      13. Provide the use of blanket purchase orders, with preference to users’ defined periods (monthly, quarterly, and annually).
      14. Automatically transfer issued checks to an outstanding check register and allow users to process cleared checks, including the ability to generate outstanding check register.
      15. Vendors should note their product’s ability to transfer payments to clearing fund.
      16. Provide a warning and supervisory override when inputting duplicate invoice numbers.
      17. Allow for multiple invoices per check. Account for alignment checks by automatic voiding. Suppress printing of zero and negative amount checks.
      18. Allow for the entry of expenditure, revenue or balance sheet account numbers.
      19. Allow for laser check printing.
      20. Support 1099 reporting requirements.
      21. Allow user interactive reporting and inquiry definition including selection of reporting formats and level of detail to be formatted.
  • 4. Cash Receipting
    •

    The City has two cash receipting sites: administration and police departments. These two sites are located within City Hall. In the future the City may have additional cash receipting sites located outside of City Hall. City revenues are received as currency, coins, checks or electronic payments. At this time, the City accepts credit cards but not debit cards. In the future the City would like to allow the use of debit cards. A majority of payments are generated from building permits and recreation classes. The proposed software should support:
      1. Ability to post transactions without predefined codes.
      2. Provide the ability to define payment mode and provide a daily deposit cash/checks/electronic composition.
      3. Support an electronic cash drawer.
      4. Support remote and multiple cash drawers.
      5. Provide security and reporting for each defined cashier.
      6. Generate a customer receipt for each transaction and a batch listing of transactions.
      7. Note - the product’s ability to process debit/credit cards.
      8. Full integration with Business License, Building Permit, Recreation, General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules.
      9. Allow user interactive reporting and inquiry definition including selection of reporting formats and level of detail to be formatted.
  • 5. General Accounts Receivable
    •

    The City currently operates a centralized accounts receivable system. General A/R billings are requested to the Finance Department. Manual ledgers are maintained. Upon receipt, City invoices are entered into the cash receipting and posted to the general ledger.
      1. Provide for decentralized input of accounts receivable data and either centralized or decentralized printing of invoices.
      2. Provide for an interface with the Cash Receipting to allow cashiers to query and/or post invoices.
      3. Provide a detailed transaction history and audit trail.
      4. Provide centralized collection and tracking functions.
      5. Full integration with Business License, Building Permit, Recreation, General Ledger, Cash Receipting and Accounts Payable modules.
      6. Note - the product’s ability to calculate and apply late fees; ability to create user defined payment plans.
  • 6. Payroll
    •

    The City currently pays wages through a centralized payroll office. Payroll time keeping is decentralized with varied methods of overtime calculations, pay types, leave types, and benefit options.
      1. Provide for decentralized timekeeping and hour’s entry on a user defined cycle.
      2. Provide the ability to split one employee’s ACH payment to more than one recipient bank.
      3. Generate an electronic ACH file for employees. Allow electronic submission of related payroll benefits and deductions.
      4. Allow multiple ACH options per employee.
      5. Allow for the tracking and definition of at least seven separate user defined leave accruals. Allow the automatic calculation of accruals based on length of service or other determinate factor. (i.e., annual leave accrual based on length of service schedule)
      6. Ability to process pay by hourly, salary, and up to ten user defined special pay types.
      7. Allow for unlimited user defined payroll deduction fields.
      8. Provide the ability to allocate costs through multiple expenditure accounts by either a fixed amount or percentage.
      9. Full integration with General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Project Accounting and Accounts Payable modules.
      10. Automatic labor distribution to General Ledger and Project Ledger.
      11. Support multiple payroll run dates.
      12. Support multiple versions of user defined salary and rate tables.
      13. Support mid-period hiring/termination payroll process. Automatic calculation of final pay out amounts related to accruals and benefits.
      14. Support and calculate employer benefits with integration to the Accounts Payable module.
      15. Support reporting requirements for federal tax, Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (PERS and LEOFF Plans), Deferred Compensation, and retirement plan in lieu of social security.
      16. Note - the product’s ability to track volunteer hours for Labor and Industry reports.
      17. Automatic generation of W-2s and linkage of required fields with required IRS coding.
      18. Support automatic calculation of retroactive pay related to delayed union contract settlements or delayed merit pay adjustments relative to employee anniversary dates. Ability to generate retroactive pay for up to a 36 month delay.
  • 7. General Reporting
    •

    The City desires a user friendly report writer that has the ability to access all application data in each module’s database.
      1. Allows selection criteria report generation via pull down menus/query menus and/or pick lists.
      2. Allows users to view reports via PC video screen.
      3. Allows the generation of reports to an ASCII file, spreadsheet application, or word processing application.
      4. Allows for wildcard or multiple field queries.
      5. Note – the product’s ability to directly fax or email a report.
    1. Fixed Asset Accounting
      2.

    The City desires a reporting function on fixed assets of a user defined value and estimated useful life.
      1. Integrate with the Accounts Payable system to facilitate the creation of a fixed asset inventory.
      2. Allows the user to assign fixed assets to specific funds, users, and/or locations.
      3. Allows the user to define classes of fixed assets such as property, plant, and equipment with user defined subcategories.
      4. Allows the user to track acquisition method such as procurement, donation, grant funds, and disposition methods such as sale, donation or auction.
      5. Note - the product’s ability for an automated inventory audit and reconciliation on a periodic basis via bar coding label or other tracking system.
      6. Note - the product’s ability to generate depreciation postings and depreciation posting automation in the general ledger system.
      7. Note - the product’s ability to view digitally generated pictures of assets.
  • 9. Parks & Recreation
    •

    The City offers a number of recreation classes, sports camps, and sport league activities to the community. In 1998 the City had 3,000 recreation class participants, 600 sport team participants, and offered 200 recreational classes. The City generates all of these registrations at City Hall. Activities occur at the City’s Community Center along with various school gymnasiums, classrooms and fields throughout the City and private studios for some contracted classes.

    Activity Registration

    Allow for easy registration and automation of activity setup. Tracking and management of information related to individuals, classes, trips, and other special programs. Enrollment process that efficiently collects participant and household information and validates availability and eligibility of desired activities.
      1. Activate and deactivate programs by category.
      2. Carry program information from session to session
      3. Allow the set-up of user-defined activities, discounts, fees, revenue tracking, status, and other activity information.
      4. Offer flexible, multi-level configuration of fees and discounts, including residency-related and multiple enrollment discount and pro-rated fees.
      5. Allow for the maintenance and prioritization of waiting lists.
      6. Allow for the creation of reports with user defined criteria for activity summary, enrollment summary, payment report, rosters, revenue and expenditure reports, etc.
      7. Full integration with General Ledger, Cash Receipting, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules.
      8. Ability to offer recreation registrations and related information via the internet.

    Facility Reservation

    Software to be used to automate the booking and rental of recreational centers, sports complexes, conference rooms, classrooms, and other types of facilities. Software should be flexible to be used for room rentals outside of the recreation programs, to include rental of meeting room space at City Hall for various community events. Software should facilitate the administration of fees, collection and application of payments, and issuance of deposits, refunds, and credits.
      1. Ability to view daily, weekly, and monthly facility schedules on-screen or printed.
      2. Ability to manage the administration of shared facilities (i.e., school gymnasiums).
      3. Ability to block time at facilities without generating a permit or receipt.
      4. Ability to search for facilities, applicants, and organizations.
      5. Ability to create user defined pricing structures based on customer type.
      6. Ability to enter, void, display, and print multiple payments toward a specific permit.
      7. Full integration with General Ledger, Cash Receipting, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules.

    Team Scheduling

    Software should allow a streamlined system for the creation, assignment, and maintenance of sports teams and leagues. The software should handle the complexity of tournament play by equitably scheduling games while accounting for specified exceptions, which may include dates, date ranges, days of the week, or time of day.

      1. Ability for user to set-up and maintain interactive teams, divisions, and leagues.
      2. Ability for user-defined divisions, leagues, sports, and teams.
      3. Ability to handle round robin, single, and double-elimination tournaments and manual scheduling.
      4. Ability to create customized game rotation patterns.
      5. Ability to track team and individual statistics. Create reports on standings and statistics based on a date range for players, teams, division, and leagues.
      6. Integration with Activity and Facility Reservations.
  • 10. Permit Tracking
    •

    The City provides planning, building permitting, inspection services, and code enforcement. The City desires a system that will provide electronic management of planning and building data. The following should apply to the basic components of the Permit Tracking System:

    Building Permits and Code Enforcement
      1. Expedites application and permit processing by utilizing user-defined application types, permit types, and maintenance paths.
      2. Assigns a unique permit tracking number to each unique permit.
      3. Automatically generates building department documents such as building permit.
      4. Ensure proper plan review by automatically creating and monitoring plan review steps.
      5. Allow for user defined inspection set-up and printing of daily inspections.
      6. Full integration with General Ledger, Cash Receipting, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules.
      7. Provides reporting by occupancy load, occupancy type, dates of last fire inspection, type of construction, and other data fields.
      8. Maintains a "tickler" file for permits that have not been closed or have had no activity.
      9. Is capable of issuing multiple permits to one address.
      10. Is capable of tracking multiple permits associated with one address.
      11. Allows the user to change and/or sub-plot property addresses.
      12. Ability to offer review of building permit and related information via the internet.
      13. Ability to create user defined reports reflecting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly building permit activity.

    Note - the product’s ability to interact with a GIS system and automatically update all information.

    Note - the product’s ability to cross-reference Assessor’s Parcel Numbers with addresses, including ability to download information from external data sources.
  • 11. Business Licenses
    •

    The City currently issues annual business licenses based on the number of employees of the business. In addition the City issues home-occupation permits. The City may choose to change the basis in which the business license fee is calculated in the future. The proposed Business License module should include the following:
      1. Allows for a user-defined fee schedule and related calculations.
      2. Monitors penalties, license fee, license renewals and related fees.
      3. Tracks required license approvals prior to license issuance.
      4. Allows for streamlined license renewal process.
      5. Provides for user-defined forms and related communication materials.
      6. Full integration with General Ledger, Cash Receipting, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules..
      7. Ability to integrate with the City’s sales tax tracking module.
      8. Ability to calculate partial-year fee calculations for businesses operating a partial year.
      9. Ability to retrieve information about business licenses or license records using a variety of search methods.
      10. Maintenance of history of business license activity, by business, for a minimum of 5 years.

    POSSIBLE SUPPLEMENTAL MODULES

  • 12. Human Resources
    •

    The City’s Human Resources module primary function is to provide information regarding benefit administration, applicant, tracking, regulatory compliance, training, labor relations, etc. The City wishes to explore a system that:
      1. Performs employee profiling and history.
      2. Maintains a "tickler" file for performance reviews, salary increase, and mandatory certification requirements.
      3. Maintains a bargaining unit contract terms and integrates them into the payroll module.
      4. Allows one employee to fill multiple positions and one position to be shared by more than one employee.
      5. Has the ability to process multiple pension/retirement plans. A sample would be PERS, LEOFF, 457, and Teamsters.
      6. Maintains EEO statistics regarding applicant hiring activity and employees.
      7. Generates user-defined notices for specific events.
    1. Budget Preparation
      2.

    The City currently prepares biennial budgets. As with most Washington municipalities, the budget preparation is the focal point of financial planning and authorization for the delivery of municipal services. The City prepares its budget at a detail (object) level, with presentation to its City Council and public at a different hierarchy. Vendors should specify if their product can directly link to spreadsheet and/or word processing document.
      1. Ability to generate a biennial budget.
      2. Ability to create global changes under a variety of methods such as percentages, fixed amounts, and by a user defined formula.
      3. Provide the user the ability to "carry over" selected, non-obligated appropriations.
      4. Allow for budget amendments and maintain the original budget and the amended budget.
      5. Note - the product’s ability to generate budget estimates from any Human Resource Module.

    Note - how many years’ budget history is maintained.

    Other product considerations:
    1. Avoid proprietary hardware, software, and networking protocols.
    2. Ability to set various security levels for each module giving users rights from read-only to full administrative rights.
    3. Ease of use for non-technical personnel.
    4. Ability to interface efficiently with the City’s existing server and workstation platforms including Windows NT, Windows 95, and EHERNET LAN; be capable of supporting standard protocols such as TCP/IP, IPX and NetBios.
    5. 100 percent Year 2000 tested and compliant.
    6. Ability to interface and upgrade with release of Windows NT 5.0 for workstations and servers.
    7. Ability to import and export data to Microsoft Access databaseS, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and Microsoft Word documents.
    8. Support the capabilities of 32-bit desktop operating systems.
    9. Ability to transfer and convert existing data.
    10. Ability to generate user defined reports.
    11. Ability to purchase new software, provide adequate training, and convert existing data within the City’s budget for this project.
    12. Experience with other governmental jurisdictions and the satisfaction level of those customers.
    13. The ability to provide support services to the City of Mill Creek personnel. This would include during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST.

    VENDOR BID RESPONSE FORM

    General Information and Overview

    Company Name:

    Product Name:

    Version:

    Address:

    City:

    State:

    Zip:

    Total Number of Users:

    Site Reference USA:

    Site Reference State of WA:

    <

    Largest Site Installed:

    Contact Name:

    Tel. Number:

    FAX Number:

    E-mail Address:

    Server/Host:

    Operating Sys:

    Client Operating Sys.:

    Network Mgmt. Software:

    Relational Database Mgmt. System -Name and Release Level:

    Web Site:

    Concurrent licensing level for Operating System:

    Annual Sales:

    Concurrent licensing level for database management system:

    Number of Years in Business:

    Dunn and Bradstreet Number:

    Year 2000 Compliant:

    Bank Reference:

    Washington BARS Compliant:

    Total Employees:

    Total Cost:

    Employees Assigned to Technical Support:

    General Warranty Information:

    VENDOR BID RESPONSE FORM

    Detailed Bid Response – Financial
     

    Software License

    Installation

    Conversion/Training

    Module:

    Bid Price

    Bid Price

    General Ledger:

    Project Accounting:

    Accounts Payable/

    		   

    Requisition/Purchase Orders:

    Cash Receipting:

    General Accounts Receivable:

    Payroll:

    General Reporting

    Fixed Assets:

    Parks & Recreation

    Permit Tracking

    Business Licenses

    Possible Supplemental Modules:

    		    

    Human Resources:

    Budget Preparation:

    Total Bid Price

    $

    $

         

    VENDOR BID RESPONSE FORM

    Detailed Bid Response – Narrative

    Please review the specific product requirements and provide a narrative on your product’s ability to provide service to the specific needs outlined. Vendors are free to provide this response in any format they choose; however, the City encourages the responses be organized and/or marked with the number assigned in this RFP. Also, vendors are requested to address the specific needs and notes outlined in the RFP. In addition vendors should detail any additional hardware requirements that may be necessary for the City to obtain to implement the integrated financial suite.

    VENDOR BID RESPONSE FORM

    Vendor Questionnaire
    1. Please provide your company’s Mission Statement.
    2. Please have your Technical Support Department provide a general outline of their process for handling customer service requests, staff availability, subcontracts, technical support agents, and average timelines of initial contact to the solution. Please list the name and title of the author.
    3. Please have your technical Support Department provide a recent example of a "bug" fix problem reported, reviewed, corrected, and upgraded by your organization.
    4. Please provide the hours of telephone availability, in Pacific Standard Time, of your Technical Support Department, the turnover ratio of technical support personnel, and a listing of the various technical support services and costs provided by your organization.
    5. Please have a Technical Support Representative provide a general outline of a successful customer services contact stating the nature of the problem, the representative’s steps to solve the problem, and the length of time from contact to solution. Please list the name and title of the author.
    6. Please have your conversion and software-training team provide a general outline of the steps your company uses to install, convert, and train new sites on your product.
    7. Please have a conversion and software training team member provide a general outline of the difficult site conversion and the steps they took to convert and train staff on the use of your product. Please list the name and title of the author.
    8. Please have your training and technical support departments provide a general outline of any additional training opportunities provided by your organization, i.e., user groups, conferences, area training meetings, and the costs for each function.
    9. Please provide your organization’s views on what steps the City can take to ensure the product is installed, staff is trained, and a long-term business relationship is formed.

    Responses should be mailed to:

    Debbie Tarry, Finance Director
    Attn: Integrated Financial Suite RFP
    City of Mill Creek
    15728 Mill Creek Boulevard
    Mill Creek, WA 98012
    425-745-1891
    425-745-9650 FAX