1. Before Date and Time for Receipt of Proposals - Proposals that contain mistakes discovered by a proposer before the date and time for receipt of proposals may be modified or withdrawn by written notice to City's Purchasing Officer received prior to the deadline. Any modification shall be clearly identified as such and shall be made in writing, executed and submitted in the same form and manner as the original proposal.
2. After Date and Time for Receipt of Proposals - A proposer may not modify its proposal after the date and time set for receipt of proposals. A proposer alleging a mistake in a proposal may be permitted to withdraw its proposal if proposer alleges that a mistake was made in its proposal that made the proposed pricing structure materially different than intended, provided that proposer gives written notice of the mistake and the manner in which it occurred to City's Purchasing Officer within five (5) calendar days following the deadline for receipt of proposals and City's Purchasing Officer deems it to be in the best interest of the City.

7. Late Proposals - Proposer shall be responsible for the timely delivery of proposal. Proposals received after the deadline for receipt of proposals shall not be accepted and shall be returned to the proposer unopened unless necessary for identification purposes.
8. Public Opening of Proposals - Each proposal, irrespective of any defects or irregularities, that has been received prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals, except those that have been properly withdrawn, will be publicly opened by a representative of the Purchasing Division at the date and time announced for such opening. If one or more members of the public are present, the name and address of each proposer will be read aloud at or shortly following the deadline for receipt of proposals.
9. Proposal to Remain Open - The proposer shall guarantee its proposal for a period of sixty (60) calendar days from the date of public opening.
10. Non-Collusion Certification - By submitting a proposal, proposer is certifying that it has not directly or indirectly been collusive with any other proposer in the preparation and submission of the proposal. If at any time it shall be found that the proposer to whom a contract has been awarded has, in presenting the proposal, colluded with any other party or parties, said proposer shall be liable to the City for all loss or damage which the City has or may suffer as the result of the collusive activity, including, but not limited to, the cost of advertising and awarding a new contract.
11. Proposer Qualifications - To be considered, proposer must have demonstrated successful experience performing similar services of similar scope for a minimum of five years. References shall be provided in the appropriate space on the Proposer Response Pages.
12. Proposal Evaluation – All proposals will be evaluated by an evaluation team, consisting of staff from the Departments of Finance, Information Technology, and Community Development.

Each proposal will be awarded a maximum of 100 points, based upon the following evaluation criteria:

Proposal Responsiveness                                                             10

• Completeness of the proposal.
• Adherence to the specified format.

Qualifications and Experience of Proposer                                     30

• Familiarity with the needs of public agencies, preferably municipalities.
• Input from references.
• Financial status and stability.
• Experience performing similar services of similar scope for other organizations.

Methodology                                                                         25

Proposed Pricing Structure                                                     35

Total Possible Points                                                            100

13. Sunnyvale Business License – The successful proposer must either possess a current, valid Sunnyvale business license or must have submitted a Sunnyvale business license application and fee at the time of contract award.
14. Contract Award - The acceptance of a proposal will be evidenced by a written contract delivered to the successful proposer for execution.
15. Contract Documents - Contract documents will consist of this Request for Proposals; its attachment(s) and addenda, if any; the successful proposer’s completed and signed Proposer Response Pages; the successful proposer's proof of insurance coverage; and an executed Service Agreement (Attachment A).
16. Reservations - The City reserves the right to:

1. Postpone the date and time announced for receipt of proposals by issuance of an Addendum at any time prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals;
2. Reject any proposal that is conditional in any way or that contains erasures, items not called for, items not in conformity with applicable law, changes, additions, alternate proposals, or any other modifications of the Proposer Response Pages which are not in accordance with theproposal solicitation documents;
3. Make any investigations deemed necessary to determine proposer's qualifications and ability to provide the required services;
4. Enter into discussions with any proposer to achieve clarification and/or full understanding of the proposal;
5. Enter into negotiations with those proposers reasonably likely of being considered for selection for contract award; and
6. Reject any or all proposals.

1. Scope of Work - Contractor shall provide any and all necessary expertise, hardware, software and equipment necessary to perform document preparation, scanning, coding and indexing services for the Sunnyvale Department of Community Development Planning and Building Divisions. Services include the initial conversion of a large quantity of existing microfiche records to CD-ROM and the ongoing conversion of new paper records, as required, throughout the contract term. Contractor shall provide two (2) copies of each CD-ROM delivered to City.
2. Contract Term - The contract term shall be three years, effective the day following the date of contract award by the Sunnyvale City Council. The contract may be extended for two additional one-year periods at the option of the City.
3. Initial Conversion of Existing Records - Contractor shall convert approximately 407,700 microfiche images (181,500 35mm images and 226,200 16mm images) to indexed CD-ROMs.
4. Ongoing Services - Throughout the contract term and within two (2) working days of City request, Contractor shall pick up boxes of file folders and rolls of plans which contain City records from City's Building Division, 456 West Olive Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 and return same records and labeled CD-ROMs to the same location.
5. Software - Contractor shall provide image viewing software for up to 100 concurrent City users to search and view scanned documents and an open Microsoft Access database with read and write access. Each CD-ROM shall have an auto loading copy of the search and viewing software to allow use on remote PCs/laptops, independent of City's Windows NT 4.0 network. City users shall be able to search, view and print the electronic documents quickly and easily.
6. Document Preparation - Contractor shall remove staples and paperclips from hardcopy documents prior to scanning. After scanning, documents shall be stapled as found originally and replaced in file folders in the same order as when received. Likewise, file folders shall be placed back in boxes in the same order as when received.
7. Security - Contractor shall follow the following security procedures in addition to Contractor's standard security procedures:

1. When picking up boxed documents and rolls of plans, Contractor's representative shall sign a receipt showing how many boxes and rolls are being picked up as well as the number of file folders per box. A maximum of 20,000 documents may be removed from City premises at any given time.
2. Contractor shall not at any time sign for and receive additional documents while in possession of prior documents. Contractor's representative shall first sign a receipt showing the return of scanned documents and CD-ROMs before signing for new documents.
3. Records shall be transported from City's Building Division to and from Contractor's place of business in a closed vehicle.
4. Immediately upon delivery of documents to Contractor's place of business, records shall be stored in an enclosed and lockable room. Contractor shall always keep City's records in a locked environment.
5. Contractor shall at any time be available to have its security procedures audited by City.
6. Contractor shall not disclose, either verbally, electronically, by facsimile, in writing or otherwise, any information contained in City's documents in Contractor's possession.

8. Image Resolution/File Format - Scanning resolution shall be a minimum of 300 dpi. File format shall be TIFF and convertible to Adobe Acrobat format.
9. Indexing - Indexing structure shall be determined by City and Contractor following contract award but may vary, based upon record category. Each document may have up to four cross-reference indexes. Indexing will be done on the document level rather than on each page. Indexing may be accomplished by either manual data entry or automatic capture, as appropriate to each record category. Delivered CD-ROMs shall be in a format capable of easily loading the data onto City's network.
10. Quality Control - Contractor shall establish quality control measures to be certain that each CD-ROM meets the following criteria:

1. Images are of the same or better quality than the original document.
2. All documents presented for scanning are included in their entirety and in the order in which they were presented.
3. All images are accurately named and indexed.  

Prior to delivery to City, Contractor shall perform random testing of images to ensure appropriate image quality, proper directory structure and the accuracy and completeness of scanned documents.

All unacceptable images shall be corrected at no additional cost to City.

11. Time for Performance - Proposer shall indicate in its proposal its anticipated completion time for conversion of the initial backlog of records to CD-ROMs. Failure by the selected proposer to make reasonable progress in accordance with the approved performance schedule shall entitle City to seek services from alternate sources with the right to seek reimbursement from the proposer for amounts, if any, paid by the City over and above the proposer's contract price.

Turnaround time for the processing and return of documents created in the future on an ongoing basis shall not exceed two weeks.

Should the City have an urgent need for a particular document, box of documents or roll of plans in Contractor's possession, Contractor shall return such document or document(s) within 24 hours of request.

12. User Training - Contractor shall provide training at a City site for City staff who will use the scanned images, including how to search, view and print the electronic records. Training shall be provided at no additional cost to City.

13. Review of Microfiche and Sample Documents - Prior to the date and time for receipt of proposals, interested firms may set up an appointment to view samples of the microfiche and hardcopy documents to be converted to CD-ROM by calling Diana Perkins, Department of Community Development Building Division at (408) 730-7455.

1. As used throughout this RFP and its attachments, the following terms are synonymous:

a. "Successful proposer", "selected proposer" and "Contractor".

b. "Contract" and "Service Agreement".

c. "Services", "work", and "project".

2. Pricing Structure - Services performed under this contract shall be invoiced in accordance with the Pricing section of the Proposer Response Pages. Proposed pricing shall be firm throughout the contract term.
3. Terms of Payment - Full payment shall be made within thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of invoice. If City is entitled to a cash discount, the period of computation shall commence on the date of receipt of invoice. City shall endeavor to pay each invoice within thirty (30) days, but shall not be responsible to Contractor for additional charges, interest or penalties due to failure to pay within that period.
4. Use of Subcontractors - Contractor shall not subcontract any portion of the services described in this RFP unless approved by City in advance in writing.
5. Permits and Licenses - Contractor shall obtain and maintain throughout the life of the contract all permits and licenses required in connection with the work to be performed and shall provide copies of such permits and licenses to City, upon request.
6. Indemnification - Contractor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless City and its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from and against all claims, damages, losses and expenses, including attorney fees, arising out of the performance of the services described herein, caused in whole or in part by any negligent act or omission of Contractor, any subcontractor, anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable, except where caused by the active negligence, sole negligence, or willful misconduct of City.
7. Insurance

1. Contractor shall obtain and maintain throughout the life of the Service Agreement, at its own expense and from an admitted insurer authorized to operate in California, the insurance coverage detailed below and shall submit Certificate(s) of Insurance to the City of Sunnyvale, Purchasing Division, 650 West Olive Avenue, PO Box 3707, Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3707; fax (408) 730-7710.
2. Contractor shall obtain Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance for its employees. The amount of insurance shall not be less than $1,000,000 per accident for bodily injury or disease.
3. Contractor shall obtain such Commercial General Liability Insurance and Auto Liability Insurance as shall protect Contractor, City, its officials, officers, directors, employees, and agents from claims which may arise from services performed under the Agreement, whether such services are performed by Contractor, by City, its officials, officers, directors, employees, or agents or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by either. The amount of insurance per policy shall not be less than the following: Single limit coverage applying to bodily and personal injury liability and property damage - $2,000,000 aggregate, $1,000,000 per occurrence.
4. The liability insurance shall include, but shall not be limited to:

a. Protection against claims arising from bodily and personal injury and damage to property, resulting from Contractor's or City's operations, and a separate policy for use of owned or non-owned automobiles with separate limits.

1. Proposer Response Pages- Proposer shall complete all entries on the Proposer Response Pages included in this RFP and include the completed pages as Section I with its proposal. All entries shall be made using a typewriter or printer. The Proposer Response Pages shall be signed by an authorized representative of proposer.

2. Methodology - Proposer shall include in its proposal a narrative describing how it will convert the described records to scanned images on CD-ROMs, including its security and quality control procedures.
3. Software/Hardware Requirements - Proposer shall include in its proposal screen shots of its software application and a narrative that includes the following:

1. A brief description of how the software works.
2. An explanation of the current software upgrade schedule and costs.
3. A description of the software installation process. (i.e., Is the software loaded onto individual workstations, on the network, provided on each CD?)
4. Specifications for the hardware requirements to operate the software and store the images.
5. An explanation of the current software maintenance policy if, for any reason, the contract is terminated or not renewed.

4. Indexing - Proposer shall include in its proposal a narrative that explains how the indexing and searching capabilities work with the software and database and an explanation of how corrections are made to the database when documents are indexed improperly or spelling errors occur, (i.e., Can the City make these corrections?)
5. Timeline - Proposer shall include in its proposal its timeline for completion of the initial backlog of records.
6. Training - Proposer shall include in its proposal a description of the training it will provide to City staff, including length of training session, number of City staff to be trained, materials and manuals to be provided, etc

7. References - Proposer shall list three or more organizations for whom it currently provides ongoing document imaging services, including the following information for each organization: organization name and address, the name and telephone number of a contact person, and the number of years doing business with the organization.

Return to RTC# 02-304