Requests For Proposals

Request for Proposal:

IT Network Security Management

and Ongoing Service and Maintenance

For the Period Starting:

January 2024

INQUIRIES AND PROPOSALS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO:

Megan Bair

Chief Executive Officer

Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc.

2 East Arch St, Suite 313

Shamokin, PA 17872

mbair@censop.com

Proposal Guidelines

TABLE OF CONTENTS

purpose...................................................................................................................... 1

BACKGROUND............................................................................................................. 1

inquiries ……………………………………..……..…………...….………1

SCOPE OF WORK………………………………………………….…………….….….………1

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENT …………………………………………………………………2

INSTRUCTION FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION……...…………………………........……4

PROPOSAL EVALUATIONS…………………………………………………………………...4

submission of proposals................................................................................... 4

nonresponsive proposals................................................................................ 5

review process...................................................................................................... 5

Purpose

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is seeking proposals to procure for an IT Management Services Provider to manage the Information Technology network and security and to provide ongoing IT service and maintenance Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc Central Office. CSO seeks to have the IT contract begin on or around January 1, 2024 for a five year contact period with the possibility of additional contract extensions.

Background

Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. (known as CSO) is a regional, private non-profit, community-based, charitable organization that is dedicated to helping people make positive changes in their lives and assisting their communities to grow. As an organization, CSO empowers the communities and citizens of our region to develop and maintain self-sufficiency by providing employment-related and other supportive services, and by partnering with agencies with similar missions in order to fill the gaps in services that are needed to address poverty at the local level.

Mission: Central Susquehanna Opportunities serves as a catalyst for economic, educational, social, and workforce development in collaboration and cooperation with the entire community to provide diverse resources that promote self-sufficiency and community prosperity.

Vision: We will be the leader in advancing economic, educational, social, and workforce development opportunities.

Values: Central Susquehanna Opportunities believes:

That each individual is unique and should be treated with dignity and respect
In developing partnerships in order to re-invest in the communities in which we live
In creating a work environment that empowers employees to make a difference
In providing services to the public in the most effective and efficient manner

Inquiries

Inquiries and/or questions concerning this RFP should be directed to Megan Bair via phone or email by November 22, 2023 at 4:00pm. CSO reserves the right to decline a response to any question if, in CSO’s assessment, the information cannot be obtained and shared with all the potential bidders in a timely manner. Questions should be in regard to completion of proposals, time frames and/or procurement process. Answers to all vendor questions will be posted CSO’s website www.csocares.org.

Scope of Work

CSO is seeking providers for network security and ongoing monthly maintenance to support CSO’s 90 staff located at offices in Shamokin, Sunbury, Bloomsburg, Williamsport, Lock Haven, Bellefonte, Lewistown. CSO also has staff who telework and work offsite in the community on a daily basis. This project includes maintenance and monitoring of CSO servers, oversight and implementation of a comprehensive network security plan (HIPPA Compliant), maintenance and replacement of current machines, Microsoft MFA on computers and mobile devices, help center services for addressing IT issues and providing technical support and planning for all agency IT needs:

Anti-virus and anti-malware protection
Software updates as needed
Troubleshooting (error messages, system issues, etc.)
Installation of new software/hardware as necessary
Communication and protocols developed with CSO for any system changes that are made or need to be made.
Staff connection to networked printers.
Monitoring of the IT system to ensure that network security features are functioning properly.
Defined protocols for emergency responses to outages or failures, including a notification process.
Any trainings available to CSO staff on IT issues. Please note what training topics are available and the format in which they will be delivered.

Acceptance of the inclusion of a “Termination Clause for Loss of Funding” in maintenance agreement.

CSO. receives funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and Community Services Block Grant. Other funding consists of Federal, State and Local entities. CSO. shall have the right to terminate this maintenance agreement if CSO. incurs a loss of funding from the government in excess of ten percent of the total dollar amount of the funds provided by any of the above referenced sources,. If this type of termination becomes necessary, CSO. shall provide a minimum of 60-days’ notice to the Vendor. Such termination shall release CSO from any and all obligations under this agreement.

Priority will be given to Vendors who include a Funding Out clause in any agreement. A clause with this language, or a similar funding out clause, must be included in any maintenance agreement. Please include your acceptance of the above language, or proposed language, in your proposal. If unable to include a funding out clause, please explain why the clause cannot be included and provide year-to-year pricing based on the need for successive single year contracting.

Proposal Requirements

Provide responses to the following sections within your proposal.

Section A: General Information

A1. Contact Information/Agreements

Include organization name, address, contact information for person responsible for proposal, identification of any proposed sub-contracts, and signature, title and date indicating certification that to the best of its knowledge and belief, the data supplied in this application/proposal is true and accurate and that the organization agrees to comply with all local, state and federal regulations if a contract is awarded and maintain applicable insurances.

A2. Expertise

Include evidence of expertise relevant to the needs outlined in this RFP, including:

A professional resume that describes what your general capabilities are as a company, and what separates you from others in your industry. Proposal should include a list of the principal personnel that would lead your development team for the project, along with a short bio for each listing their qualifications and experience.
4 References

Section B: Security and Network Maintenance

Please include responses to this section outlining your proposed scope of service for Security and Network Maintenance.

B1. Approach

Include a maximum of 4-page narrative explaining your approach and methodology to meeting all of the project requirements outlined in the Scope of Work. Please ensure your response has specifically answered the following questions:

How CSO’s email system will be secured using FIPS 140-2 encryption and how emails with personally identifiable information will be able to be sent securely?
How paper documents can be securely scanned and uploaded to required websites without compromising security?
How files stored on the computers will be kept secured?
If/how current laptops and desktops will need to be updated to be compliant or if new; equipment will need to be purchased?
If/how servers will need to be updated to be compliant or if new equipment will need to be purchased?

B2. Other supporting material may be attached as appropriate. This is optional.

Section C: Maintenance and Service

Please include responses to this section outlining your proposed scope of service for ongoing Maintenance and Service.

C1. Approach

What types of anti-virus and anti-malware protection would be recommended for CSO computers?
Describe what is included in your monthly service plans and what costs are not included.
How will equipment inventory be monitored and what is your process to recommend replacements?
Describe the process of how your company handles new software/hardware installation.
Describe the process of how your company handles installation of software updates.
Describe the protocols for emergency responses to outages or failures.
What training would you provide to CSO. staff and what administrative rights would they retain (e.g. would a staff with administrative privileges be able to install new software on the computers?).
Describe the process for how a user would alert you to an issue with their computer and how it would be resolved.
What type of IT support and planning will provided to CSO to ensure that IT services remain up to date with changing needs, threats and confidentiality requirements?

Section D: Comprehensive Budget

D1. Submit a complete budget, for the full scope of work outlined in this RFP:

Please include a description of how travel costs for on-site visits are determined.

Please provide a schedule of fees for any costs not included in a monthly service plan.
Please provide a projected cost for replacement laptops.
Provide costs for month-to-month service agreements and annual contracts for up to 5 years.

CSO Furnished Materials

CSO will provide access to the network systems and staff if respondents would like to review prior to the submission of the RFP. This is highly recommended.

Prior arrangements will need to be made to access the facilities. Requests should be directed to Megan Bair @ mbair@censop.com. Person(s) conducting the assessment will need proper identification and must be an employee of the Vendor. The Vendor will assume all liability during the assessment.

Current System

CSO Central Office is located in Shamokin. CSO has staff at 6 PA CareerLink® offices located in Williamsport, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, Lewistown, Bellefonte and Sunbury. CSO also has staff located in partner agencies’ offices located in Bloomsburg and Sunbury. Additionally, CSO has staff who telework and work offsite in the community daily.

Sonic Wall system
Microsoft Office 365 90 users (currently used for email and sharing some documents via SharePoint)
Approximately 100 computers ( updated to 115 computers as of 11/28/23)
3 Servers, two in the cloud and one physical server located in Shamokin
56 Mobile Devices

Instructions on Proposal Submission

1. Closing Submission Date

Proposals must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. on December 1, 2023. Proposals and modifications received after the closing submission date and time will not be considered.

2. Conditions of Proposal

All costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal responding to this RFP will be the responsibility of the Offeror and will not be reimbursed by CSO.

3. Instructions to Prospective Contractors

Proposals should be submitted electronically only in PDF format including a letter of submission signed by an authorized representative of the firm to mbair@censop.com Subject: CSO IT Services.

Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your proposal. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that CSO receives the proposal by the date and time specified above. Late proposals will not be considered.

Right to Reject

CSO reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received in response to this RFP. A contract for the accepted proposal will be based upon the factors described in this RFP.

Small and/or Minority-Owned Businesses

Efforts will be made by CSO to utilize small business and minority-owned business.

An Offeror qualifies as a small business firm, if it meets the definition of “small business” as established by the Small Business Administration (13 CFR 121.201), by having average annual receipts for the last three fiscal years of less than twenty and a half million dollars.

Notification of Award

It is expected that a decision selecting the successful IT firm will be made on December 12, 2023 with the contract to begin on or around January 1st. Upon conclusion of final negotiations with the successful applicant, all Offerors submitting proposals in response to the Request for Proposal will be informed, in writing, of the name of the successful applicant.

Proposal Evaluation

A. Submission of Proposals

In order to receive uniform format of responses and information from all prospective IT companies, the following should be addressed and included in your submission:

Proposals should be submitted electronically only in PDF format including a letter of submission signed by an authorized representative of the firm to mbair@censop.com Subject: CSO IT Services.
The proposal shall include a work plan for the IT Services.
The proposal will include a summary of the company’s professional information and history and relevant experience shall be included.
The summary of past projects which demonstrates your experience.
Submission deadline: Friday December 1, 2023 (4:00 p.m.)
Selection of Provider: Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Non-Responsive Proposals

Proposals may be judged non-responsive and removed from further consideration if any of the following occur:

The proposal is not received timely in accordance with the terms of this RFP.

The proposal does not follow the specified format.

Review Process

CSO may, at its discretion, request presentations by or meetings with any or all Offerors, to clarify or negotiate modifications to the Offeror’s proposals.

However, CSO reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposals submitted. Therefore, proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms, from both technical and price standpoints, which the Offeror can propose.

CSO Management Team’s review will be based on the following evaluation criteria:

The degree to which the proposal responded to the RFP and Terms of Reference.
The demonstration of relevant experience and the professional reputation of the company.
The demonstrated ability of the company to provide the services defined in this RFP.
Company’s performance history and alleged ability to deliver proposed service on time.
The overall cost effectiveness of the proposal.
The overall project timing.

Assumptions and Contract

Responders are advised that the lowest cost proposal will not necessarily be awarded the contract, as the selection will be based on the above evaluation criteria and cost is only one of the criteria.