Request for Information for Web-Based Training REQUEST FOR INFORMATION WEB-BASED TRAINING RFI NO.: DMS 09/10-022 The Department of Management Services (hereinafter DMS ) of the State of Florida (hereinafter the State ) is issuing a Request for Information (hereinafter an RFI ) seeking responses from interested parties relating to web-based training. Page 1 of 7
CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION II. III. IV. BACKGROUND STATISTICS TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS V. TIMELINE VI. VII. AMENDMENT TO THE RFI RFI QUESTIONS AND CONTACT WITH THE STATE VIII. VENDOR RESPONSE SUBMISSION IX. CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY OR TRADE SECRET MATERIAL X. PROCUREMENT OFFICER Page 2 of 7
I. INTRODUCTION The State of Florida, Department of Management Services ( Department ), is issuing a Request for Information ( RFI ) seeking information from interested parties relating to radio and interoperability web-based training. The intent of this RFI is for the Department to gather information from companies who are qualified and experienced in providing such services utilizing new technology, while promoting innovative practices that improve efficiencies relating to developing such courses and capturing and managing data collected via related processes. The Vendor shall mean the individual submitting the response to this RFI, such person being the owner or controlling agent of the company described in the RFI response or an individual duly authorized to act on behalf of an entity responding to this RFI. Please note that this is a Request for Information. The State is seeking to accumulate information which may or may not be used to pursue a project or projects. Such determination being that which is in the State s sole discretion and in the best interest of the State. II. BACKGROUND The Department is seeking information from vendors regarding the design and development of public safety radio and interoperability web-based training for the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) users and interoperability partners. Several state agencies currently provide classroom-based courses. These face-to-face courses will segment into 15-20 courses that need to be designed and developed in a web-based format for a learning management system (LMS). III. STATISTICS SLERS currently has over 7000 users in 23 state agencies as well as local and federal government partner subscribers. By 2010, there will be estimated additional 1400-1500 users among the partner subscribers. SLERS users are in all 67 counties and are fire rescue, EMS, emergency management, law enforcement or other public service employees. IV. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The Department is interested in receiving information regarding the process of designing and developing radio and interoperability web-based training based on existing classroom-based presentations and materials. Page 3 of 7
The information should be broken down on a category-by-category basis and address whether or not a service is considered by the vendor to be a standard offering, a custom and/or third party offering, or if it is not available. Specifically, please provide information that addresses the following web-based training-related issues: A. Instructional Design Please describe your organization s capabilities to provide highly experienced instructional designers to collect, organize, and present content in such a way that is interactive and engaging. Please explain how your organization generates presenter scripts if it is not readily available in the given content materials. In addition, please include a description of the type of evaluation methods available. B. Interface Design and Template Please describe how your organization designs and develops the user interface and template for web-based courses. Explain the type of interface elements your organization provides and how your organization analyzes client needs to design the most appropriate and accommodating user interface. Please also include the process your organization uses for client acceptance of this design and/or template. C. Media Creation and Server-Side Scripting Please explain in detail your organization s capabilities in the area of media creation including text, still graphics, videos, animations, music, narrations, databases, and Flash-based content. In addition, please describe your organization s capabilities for server-side scripting. D. Implementation Please describe the ability of your organization to create output files of content developed using the native authoring feature that are conformant to standards (e.g., SCORM) and the ability of the courses to seamlessly integrate with other learning management systems. Also, please describe the ability of your organization to host the course and identify if your organization would allow the Department to host the courses on its own internal learning management system. E. Schedule Please describe the timeframe or schedule commonly used in your organization to design and develop web-based training. Please explain how your organization manages a grant timeline and/or user-imposed timeline. Page 4 of 7
F. Sample Please provide a sample or demonstration of your organization s services and/or web-based training courses on a CD-Rom. G. State Term Contract Please identify if your organization is on any of the State of Florida s state term contract list. Based upon the technical requirements above, please supply the following information in Tab 3 regarding: Best practices, recommendations, etc., related to the design and development of web-based training from existing classroom-based courses. Additional information the vendor would like to provide (e.g., options not yet considered, etc.). V. TIMELINE Listed below are important dates/times on which actions must be taken or completed. If the Department finds it necessary to update any of the dates/times noted, it will be accomplished by an Amendment to the RFI. All times listed below are local time in Tallahassee, Florida. DATE TIME October 20, 2009 RFI Release October 28, 2009 5:00 p.m. Questions are due to the Procurement Officer. November 6, 2009 Answers to questions received are posted on the Vendor Bid System (VBS). November 16, 2009 11:00 a.m. Vendor responses are due. VI. AMENDMENTS TO THE RFI The Department will post amendments to this RFI on the Florida Vendor Bid System (VBS) at: http://vbs.dms.state.fl.us/vbs/search.criteria_form by selecting Department of Management Services in the Agency drop down box. Each Page 5 of 7
Respondent is responsible for monitoring the VBS for new or changing information. VII. RFI QUESTIONS AND CONTACT WITH THE STATE Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing to the Procurement Officer identified in Section X by the date and time specified in the Timeline or as amended by the Department. Questions will not be answered via telephone. The Department will post answers to questions received on the Vendor Bid System (VBS) by the close of business on the date stated in the Timeline. Please direct any questions or issues regarding this RFI to the Procurement Officer identified herein. VIII. VENDOR RESPONSE SUBMISSION Responses must be in writing and submitted via mail, fax or e-mail (pdf format) to the Procurement Officer noted below no later than the time and date noted in the Section VI Timeline. Responses must reference the RFI No.: DMS-09/10-016, the company name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and contact person. The Respondent shall organize their response submittal contents as follows: Tab 1 Tab 2 Tab 3 Tab 4 A cover letter with the vendor s representative name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address. Information requested in Section IV. Technical Requirements, paragraphs A-G. Additional Information (Bullet points from section IV.) Sample cost Information for items A-D and any other non-recurring costs not identified in this RFI that may be necessary. IX. CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY OR TRADE SECRET MATERIAL The Department takes its public records responsibilities as provided under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes and Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution, very seriously. If Respondent considers any portion of the documents, data or records submitted in response to this solicitation to be confidential, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure pursuant to chapter 119, Florida Statutes, the Florida Constitution or other authority, Respondent must also simultaneously provide the Department with a separate redacted copy of its response and briefly describe in writing the grounds for claiming exemption from the public records law, including the specific statutory citation for such exemption. This redacted Page 6 of 7
copy shall contain the Department s solicitation name, number, and the name of the respondent on the cover, and shall be clearly titled Redacted Copy. The Redacted Copy shall be provided to the Department at the same time Respondent submits its response to the solicitation and must only exclude or obliterate those exact portions which are claimed confidential, proprietary, or trade secret. The Respondent shall be responsible for defending its determination that the redacted portions of its response are confidential, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure. Further, Respondent shall protect, defend, and indemnify the Department for any and all claims arising from or relating to Respondent s determination that the redacted portions of its response are confidential, proprietary, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure. If Respondent fails to submit a Redacted Copy with its response, the Department is authorized to produce the entire documents, data or records submitted by Respondent in answer to a public records request for these records. X. PROCUREMENT OFFICER Christina Espinosa, Procurement Officer Departmental Purchasing 4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 260.3Y Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950 Telephone No.: (850) 410-2404 Fax No.: (850) 922-6549 E-mail to: christina.espinosa@dms.myflorida.com This contact person is the only authorized individual to respond to RFI comments and questions. Page 7 of 7