Request for Proposals

Request for Proposals for Managed Information Technology Services - RFP-2024-02

Date of Issuance - 4/16/24

Deadline to Respond - 5/31/24

Responses to Requests for Information:

1. Who is the current vendor and what is the contract pricing? - IntermixIT is the current vendor supporting Susquehanna Township and its operations. The contract pricing is $12,543.50 per month.
2. What is the current budget for this project? - There is no firm budget for this project. Our total budget for all hardware and software across our vendors for 2024 is $292,625.00
3. Can "off-shore" support be provided to leverage lower project costs? - While the decision would depend on the totality of the response provided by the vendor, it is unlikely that support can be provided "off-shore". Susquehanna Township is a mid-sized municipality but a small organization overall. Therefore, onsite support is critical, and it will be difficult to provide the level of service we expect without the ability to be physically present as needed.
4. Could you clarify what is meant by "Discuss your firm's presence in and commitment to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" as part of the RFP? - This is to determine what, if any, other Pennsylvania clients your firm represents or conducts business with.
5. Is there a specific pricing range you prefer for this project? Understanding this will help us provide tailored recommendations for various aspects of the project. - No, there is no specific range preference for the project.
6. Is the pricing model for this project expected to be time-and-materials or fixed-price? - The pricing model expected is provided in the RFP.
7. Do you have a preference for contractor location (onshore, offshore), and if offshore contractors are allowed, are there any specific conditions? We can accommodate both but would like to confirm your requirements. - While there are no restrictions, it will be difficult for support to be provided entirely "off-shore". Priority will be given to respondents who are able to have a physical presence as needed.
8. Could you provide the total population size of the county? - Susquehanna Township is not a county. Our population is 26,736 as of the 2020 Census.
9. Could you specify the exact software services you require and their expected duration? - Respondents should refer to the contents of the RFP for all specifics.
10. What is the project's execution timeline, or are you seeking an ongoing engagement? - This is anticipated to be an ongoing engagement.
11. How many A140Getac tablets are in the total environment? Were these included in your 70 workstation estimate? - There are fifteen Getac workstations and they were not included in the estimate of 70 in the RFP.
12. On the bottom of page 10, it says, "Proposer agrees to reimburse the Township for any and all reasonable costs associated with the Township's response to Proposer's Breach, including any fees associated with the Township's investigation of Proposer's Breach, notification costs, and any reasonable offer of credit or identity monitoring product. This is quite wide open and breaches happen all the time now. Will there be a cap on the investigation costs? - There is no specified cap on investigation costs for security breaches of the responding firm.
13. What software are employees running? - There is a variety of software used including, but not limited to Microsoft Office products, accounting software (Presently, Quickbooks but transition to Edmunds GovTech), ArcGIS, CSDatum Permit Manager, and Police software.
    1. Microsoft 365, any spam filters, etc. - Yes, the Township uses
    2. Is there any specialized software for the state that we would have to support? - Yes, specialized software for the state would include any software used by the Police Department. Support would be limited to the Township-owned devices and associated requirements to ensure stable connection.
14. Have employees had any cyber, MFA, etc. training yet? - Yes
15. Do employees currently use any MFA tools? - Yes
16. Is there a current security or IT policy? - There are various policies that apply including a PA Act 151 Compliance, Bring Your Own Device, Social Media, and Use of Township Equipment and Computer Systems.
17. Where is their email being hosted? - Microsoft Exchange 365
18. Are they currently using VPN? - Yes. FortiClient VPN
19. Is there a network architecture diagram? - The system is mapped and can be provided to the successful vendor upon execution of a contract.
20. What are the brands, models, and age of current network equipment? - The ages of the network equipment vary but are all generally new. The firewall is Fortinet at the Administrative Office and a Sonicwall in the location at 1955 Elmerton Avenue. The switches and wireless access points are all Meraki.
21. Are the five (5) servers that are mentioned physical, virtual, or in the cloud? How many of each? - The five servers mentioned are all virtual machines.
22. What business critical applications does the Township rely on? - Anything related to the Police Department should be considered business critical. These include applications supporting the database links to Dauphin County and the Commonwealth, as well as Police Records Management, and more. Other applications by other departments are cloud-based including ArcGIS, CS Datum Permit Manager, and Laserfiche. These are business critical but are predominantly not housed onsite. Microsoft Windows and Office Suite are also to be considered critical. The Kisi system used for accessing Township office space is also critical.
23. What, if any, expectations are had as it comes to on-site staff augmentation? - That should be developed by respondents; however, the Township has historically had one day per week of on-site support, as well as additional support as needed.
24. Why is the Township exploring options aside from the incumbent? - This is not relevant to the RFP; however, the Township believes it is generally a good practice to evaluate available options for all services paid for by the taxpayers. No inference should be made by respondents about the Township's relationship with its current provider.
25. Does the Township purchase Microsoft licensing directly or should licensing be included in the Proposal as well? If included, please provide current licensing needs. - Respondents should include pricing for licensing Microsoft products, as that is handled by the third-party support administrator. The Township has 105 active Office 365 G3 GCC licenses. There are 144 Active Director users.
26. It appears that sub-bullet "i" of item a, "Information Technology Infrastructure Assessment" is identical to the description for sub-bullet "i" of item c. "Security Awareness Training". Can the Township provide a revised sub-bullet description for a. "Information Technology Infrastructure Assessment"? - Yes, The Information Technology Infrastructure Assessment would include an evaluation of our current network and the identification of any vulnerabilities it may present as part of the strategic planning for the Township's IT capital and operational needs. It is both an assessment of resilience against cyber threats, and an evaluation of preparedness of capital infrastructure to service growing needs across all departments.