011-010 Procurement Instruments: Requests for Proposals (RFPs)

011-010 Procurement Instruments: Requests for Proposals (RFPs) ITS law generally requires that all acquisitions of computer equipment and services involving a lifecycle cost in excess of the dollar amount established in Section 31-7-13(c)be awarded based on competitive and open specifications. Statute also requires that the procurement be advertised in a newspaper having a general circulation in the state (i.e. The Clarion Ledger) at least fourteen calendar days prior to receiving vendor bids and proposals. ITS uses the Request for Proposals (RFP) as the instrument of choice for obtaining competitive pricing and offerings in compliance with this state statute. The RFP outlines the functional requirements for the equipment, software, and services needed, and vendors respond by proposing solutions and pricing that satisfy these requirements. Proposals and vendors are evaluated in terms of the ability of the solution to satisfy the stated requirements and best meet the needs of the purchasing agency over the expected life of the equipment or system. The evaluation is based on predefined evaluation criteria in which price is not the only factor. Some of the criteria for assessing the proposals received are necessarily subjective. It is the responsibility of ITS and the purchasing entity to ensure the evaluation process is fair and defensible. Custom RFPs may be developed for the procurement of high-dollar, complex, unique acquisitions by a single agency. The ITS staff and the requesting agency or institution develop an RFP detailing the specific equipment, system, software, and/or service requirements. General RFPs, Special RFPs, and RFPs issued for Express Products Lists (EPLs) are prepared by ITS to meet the needs of multiple customers. See the Multi-Use RFP Index (MURI) for a list of current general, special, and EPL RFPs. While some smaller project may require custom RFPs, ITS makes every effort to use the instruments on the MURI for purchases of products and services within the scope of these instruments, to lower the procurement costs for both customer and vendor. Solicitations of proposals are published in The Clarion Ledger and on the ITS website. Any vendor may request a printed copy of the RFP (usually with an associated fee) or download the contents from the Internet at no cost in either MS Word or Adobe format. The link is RFPs and Sole Sources Advertised. (Note: This is also a Quick Link on the right hand side of the homepage.) Some RFPs include a mandatory or optional pre-proposal vendor's conference. The date and location of the conference will be published in the newspaper and Internet ads and will also be printed on the front page of the RFP. For mandatory conferences, only companies who had representatives sign in at the vendor's conference will be allowed to submit proposals as the primary contractor. Proposals are due at 3:00 p.m. on the specified date and are submitted to the ITS administrative office at 3771 Eastwood Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 39211, per instructions on the cover sheet of the RFP. ITS opens, logs in, and performs a preliminary validation of proposals received. A Register of Proposals is posted on the Internet following the proposal due date. ITS and the procuring agency jointly evaluate the proposals received, obtain ITS Board approval if required, and negotiate a contract with the awarded vendor. Although most RFPs developed for specific customer agency projects are used for a single purchase, the ITS RFP template contains language allowing the reuse of any award at the discretion of the State and with the concurrence of the vendor. Refer to 009-001 ITS Procurement Process Flows for additional information, specifically the flow labeled Competitive Procurements: RFPs.