Questions and Answers Summary

IFB# 22-002a

Question 1: Is there any additional value in the ability to manage e-records within the same RMS?

Management of e-records is not a requirement of the system.

Question 2: What does the SRC perceive as the greatest risk to the success of this project?

Compatibility of the software solution with the business requirements of the SRC.

Question 3: Is there any additional value if the RMS software is DoD 5015.02 certified and/or already in use at NYS Dept of Ed?

DoD 5015.02 certification is not a requirement of this procurement.

Question 4: Is the objective for the RMS to manage only boxes, or various record types (e.g., folders, boxes of differing sizes, map drawers, etc.)?

The latter. The objective of the system is to manage the contents of the records center warehouse, regardless of physical format or container type.

Question 5: The IFB states “This remote data entry is accomplished through user credentials administered by the SRC.” Can SRC elaborate on whether this is provided via Active Directory or something similar? And are the external agencies all on the same domain as SRC?

As described in section 2.7, the system must provide a means of storing and managing user credentials. External agencies are not on the same domain as the SRC.

Question 6: In the requirement to facilitate tracking of items “for which the metadata identified in section 2.1.A has yet to be entered in the system”, what is SRC’s vision for how these items are to be tracked? Can you provide an example?

Agencies will place barcodes with no associated metadata on containers and subsequently add the metadata identified in section 2.1A to the system. The system will allow location tracking of these items by virtue of the barcodes.

Question 7: Would it be acceptable to provide a single generic disposition such as “Inactive” combined with a User Defined Field to capture the special circumstances versus an infinite number of user defined disposition types?

No.

Question 8: If the proposed system does not “…offer disposition verification that flags discrepancies between information in individual container records (RDA, creation date of records, disposition type) and destruction work orders”, is it acceptable if the new system can accommodate this requirement via a workflow combined with manual review of the destruction work order?

No.

Question 9: Is it acceptable to rely on SRC technical staff to generate exports from the legacy GAIN system for vendor transformation and import into the new system, or must the vendor be responsible for all migration activities?

The migration plan described in requirement 3.0.A must include any requirements of NYSED needed to successfully complete the migration. The data is currently maintained in an Oracle Database. The successful vendor will be provided with a copy of the database.

Question 10: Please confirm the desire to have initial training performed in person onsite at the SRC.

As stated in requirement 5.0.B, the initial set of training must be presented in person.

Question 11: Is the intent to include in the proposal written descriptions and plan for each level of training sessions? Or is this a deliverable during the eventual post-award project?

The training is included in the award, but the detailed plan would be provided to the SRC post-award.

Question 12: Does the statement “No fees shall be charged by the Contractor for training provided under this agreement.” mean that any costs or fees associated with training or GAIN migration services should be incorporated into the annual fee (versus breaking the training out under “Other” in the Cost Proposal)?

The vendor’s cost proposal must specify the annual license or payment for the use of the system and any one-time costs associated with the implementation plan. The cost proposal must also specify any escalation requirements for years beyond the first year of the contract. It is assumed that the training and migration costs will be reflected in the set up fee element of the cost proposal.

Question 13: Is it acceptable that the proposed Cloud hosting platform (Microsoft Azure Government Community Cloud) is FedRAMP accredited, however the combination of the RMS software within Microsoft Azure Gov Cloud has not yet received a FedRAMP ATO? (Note that the entire operation is covered by ISO 27001:2013).

FedRAMP accreditation is not a requirement of this procurement.

Question 14: What is the intended award timeframe?

We anticipate that the contract award will be completed by July 1, 2023.

Question 15: Is there an established budget range or ceiling?

Funds have been allocated to support this procurement.

Question 16: Is the Due Date for the final submission 01/04/2023 or 01/05/2023 as we have seen both dates in the documents?

There is a typographical error on the web page for this procurement which has been corrected. Proposals must be received at NYSED no later than January 4, 2023 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time.

Question 17: What is the complete budget for the project?

Funds have been allocated to support this procurement. The level of funding will be determined by vendor cost proposals.

Question 18: Are the contents of the 2 million containers also indexed and barcoded at a file level?

No, only at the container level.

Question 19: Will there be an opportunity for a site visit to tour the current operations?

A site visit can be arranged for Wednesday December 28, 2022 at 10:00 am eastern time. Vendors must confirm their participation by sending an email to SARARFP@NYSED.GOV by 5:00 PM Tuesday, December 27, 2022.

Question 20: What retention schedule does the NYSED follow?

NYSED issues retention and disposition schedules for agencies. There are both general schedules and agency-specific schedules.

Question 21: How long has the current system been in use?

The current system has been in use for twenty-two years.