Request for Information for Automated Park Entry RFI No.: 2017018C REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) AUTOMATED PARK ENTRY TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS DEP RFI Number: 2017018C Pursuant to s. 287.012 (22), Florida Statutes (F.S.), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is requesting information from qualified vendors concerning certain commodities and services. Please note that under Section 287.012, (22) F.S., responses to this request are not offers and may not be accepted by the Department to form a binding contract. DEP is issuing a Request for Information (hereinafter an RFI ) to seek responses from interested parties relating to acquiring automated park entry technology for Florida State Parks. Interested parties can view and download this Request for Information from the Vendor Bid System (VBS) website at http://www.myflorida.com/apps/vbs/vbs_www.main_menu. Once at this site, the steps listed below should be followed to access the VBS. Click on Search Advertisements Under the Agency search field, select the Department of Environmental Protection and scroll to the bottom of the page and click Advertisement Search A list of all advertisements posted for DEP will be displayed Click on the applicable RFI number DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 1 of 11
TABLE OF CONTENTS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS... 3 Section 1.00 INTRODUCTION... 4 1.01. Purpose and Scope.... 4 1.02. Procurement Officer.... 4 1.03. Questions.... 4 1.04. Addenda.... 4 1.05. Submittal of Response.... 4 1.06. Response Instructions.... 5 1.07. Public Records.... 5 SECTION 2.00 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS... 6 2.01. Background... 6 2.02. Overview.... 7 2.03. Identified Automated Entry Technology Solutions Functionality.... 7 2.04. Response.... 8 DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 2 of 11
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS DATES EVENTS METHOD Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Monday, October 10, 2016, by 5:00 PM ET RFI Advertised Questions must be submitted via Email Vendor Bid System http://www.myflorida.com/apps/vbs/vbs_www.main_ menu Procurement Contact: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Fran Spivey, Procurement Officer Procurement Section, Room 215L 3800 Commonwealth Blvd, MS93 Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000 Fax: (850) 245-2412 E-mail: Fran.Spivey@dep.state.fl.us On or about, Monday, October 17, 2016 Wednesday, November 2, 2016, by 5:00 PM ET Answers to Questions Posted Response Due Vendor Bid System http://www.myflorida.com/apps/vbs/vbs_www.main_ menu Response must be submitted via email: Email: Fran.Spivey@dep.state.fl.us Florida Department of Environmental Protection Fran Spivey, Procurement Officer RFI NUMBER MUST BE INSERTED IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 3 of 11
Section 1.00 INTRODUCTION 1.01. Purpose and Scope. The Florida Department of Environment Protection (DEP) is requesting information from qualified vendors with proven, verifiable and documented expertise in developing and implementing automated park entry technology. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is being issued strictly for the purpose of gaining knowledge of the products and services available on the market for the provision of this technology solution, related services, and options available. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE BIDS OR A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED IN RESPONSE TO SUBMISSIONS. If, as a result of the RFI, the DEP decides to pursue contract(s) to provide any of the services mentioned, and vendors capable of providing such services are identified, then a competitive procurement package will be developed and issued at a later date. 1.02. Procurement Officer. Fran Spivey, Procurement Officer Procurement Section, Carr Building, Room 215L Florida Department of Environmental Protection 3800 Commonwealth Boulevard, MS#93 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000 Telephone Number: (850) 245-2372 Email: Fran.Spivey@dep.state.fl.us 1.03. Questions. Information will not be provided by telephone. The Procurement Officer shall not be bound by any verbal information or by any written information that is not contained within the RFI documents or formally noticed and issued by the DEP Procurement Section. Any questions from vendors concerning this RFI shall be submitted in writing, identifying the submitter and RFI number, to the Procurement Officer no later than the time and date specified in the Schedule of Events. No interpretation shall be considered binding unless provided in writing by the DEP in response to a request in full compliance with this provision. E-mail inquiries are preferred. All questions and answers will be posted on the Vendor Bid System (VBS). It is the Vendor s responsibility to periodically check the VBS. The DEP bears no responsibility for any delays, or resulting impacts, associated with a Vendor s failure to obtain the information made available through the VBS. 1.04. Addenda. If DEP finds it necessary to supplement, modify, or interpret any portion of the RFI documents, a written Addendum will be posted on the VBS. It is the responsibility of the Vendor to be aware of any Addenda that might have a bearing on their response. 1.05. Submittal of Response. Responses are due in accordance with VBS and the Schedule of Events. Vendors responses must be in writing, and submitted electronically via email. Responses must be emailed to the Procurement Officer identified in Section 1.02. Once received, all RFI responses and attachments shall become the exclusive property of DEP and will not be returned. The DEP is not liable for any of the costs incurred by the Vendor in preparing and submitting a response. The response package must contain a title page including the below contact information: Vendor/Company Name; Contact Name and Title; Address; and Phone Number, Fax Number and email address DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 4 of 11
In an effort to ensure a clear understanding of the products and services in relation to DEP s requirements, DEP may use this RFI as the basis for requesting system demonstrations. Upon review of the responses, and at the discretion of DEP, vendors that meet the desired solution characteristics specified in Section 2.03 and Attachment A, Technology Solution Details, may be invited to demonstrations. Vendor participation in the system demonstrations is not mandatory nor will it reflect negatively if you are invited and choose not to participate. If demonstrations are needed, then they will be scheduled directly with only those vendors that meet the solution characteristics specified in the RFI document. These demonstrations are at DEP s discretion and at no cost to DEP. If DEP receives responses from multiple vendors on the same product, DEP will contact the manufacturer of the product and ask them to present the demonstration. All demonstrations will be noticed as a public meeting in the Florida Administrative Register. There will be no negotiations or discussions of any subsequent procurement during these meetings. 1.06. Response Instructions. Providers are asked to address the items listed in Section 2.00 Technical Requirements as completely and succinctly as possible. Email the completed Response to the Procurement Officer (Section 1.02) by the time and date specified in the Schedule of Events. The naming convention for the subject line within your email is: Subject Line: Your Company Name DEP RFI No. 2017018C 1.07. Public Records. Any material submitted in response to this RFI will become a public record pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, when the DEP opens the responses. Any claim of confidentiality is waived upon submission, unless addressed as set forth below. Disclosure and Ownership of Response Contents: A Vendor s response to this RFI shall be a public record and subject to production, disclosure, inspection and copying consistent with the requirements of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. All information in a Vendor s response (including, without limitation, technical and price information) will be a matter of public record, subject to the provisions of Florida s Public Records Act, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, regardless of copyright status. Submission of a response to this RFI shall constitute a waiver of any copyright protection which might otherwise apply to DEP s production, disclosure, inspection and copying of such response and contract, or any part thereof, except those parts asserted to be exempt under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. The response, upon submission shall be the property of DEP (except those parts asserted to be exempt in the manner set forth below), and DEP, in its sole discretion, shall have the right to use, reproduce, and disseminate the response. DEP reserves the right to use any and all information contained in a response received to this RFI. Any content submitted to DEP which is asserted to be exempt under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, shall be set forth on a page or pages separate from the rest of the response, and clearly marked exempt, confidential, or trade secret (as applicable), with the statutory basis for such claim of exemption, confidentiality, or trade secret specifically identified in writing on each and every such page. Failure to segregate and so identify any such content shall constitute a waiver of any claimed exemption, confidentiality, or trade secret as applied to the portion of the response or other document in which the content is set forth. DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 5 of 11
Per Section 287.012(22), Florida Statutes, Responses to these requests are not offers and may not be accepted by the agency to form a binding contract. Vendors submitting information to this RFI are not prohibited from responding to any related subsequent solicitation. DEP reserves the right to use or reject any information supplied in response to this RFI. SECTION 2.00 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS 2.01. Background. DEP, through the Division of Recreation and Parks, manages 174 State Parks and Trails and is the nation s only three-time winner of the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in the management of state park systems. This achievement makes Florida the only state park system in the nation to win more than one Gold Medal award. DEP is committed to excellence and sustaining this high level of service to Floridians and visitors. Florida s state parks offer residents and visitors nearly 800,000 acres, 100 miles of beaches and more than 1,500 miles of multi-use trails. During Fiscal Year 2015-2016, Florida State Parks had over 31 million visitors and generated over $68 million in revenue, which accounts for approximately 780,000 transactions per year. Revenue collected by the Division of Recreation and Parks is generated from a variety of sources including online reservations for overnight accommodations (camping and cabin rentals), admission fees collected at staffed entrances, sales of merchandise, annual passes, tours and self-service transactions from unattended Iron Ranger honor boxes. Parks with Day Use Admission Fees Parks may collect day use admission fees at staffed park entrances and/or honor-based fees via Iron Rangers. Network and internet connectivity may or may not currently be available at all locations. A statewide point of sale system is in the process of being implemented, but will not include automated park entry technology solutions upon implementation. Payment processing is currently performed through a combination of the following: An active internet system (on-line reservations and payment processing for overnight accommodations and limited POS transactions), Cash registers at physical locations in the state parks, A variety of personal computer based devices, A standard State contract for credit card terminals, On-site Park Ranger support for manual documentation of transactions, Self-service transactions in unattended Iron Ranger drop boxes. Ninety-five (95) parks collect day use admission from 131 staffed park entrance points. Fortyseven (47) parks collect admission by staff at the entrance and also have Iron Rangers at unattended entry points. Eighty-six (86) remote locations within parks use Iron Rangers to collect honor-based admission fees. Parks with Overnight Accommodations Fifty-six (56) parks offering overnight accommodations use a contracted ReserveAmerica web application (Field Manager) which facilitates the management of reservations and the processes related to revenue collection and refunds, as well as visitor data. These parks are staffed and each has internet connectivity, a standard credit card terminal and a dedicated phone line for credit card processing. DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 6 of 11
2.02. Overview. DEP is interested in obtaining technology solutions for automated park entry. These solutions should offer convenience to park visitors, function in Florida s outdoor environment, and should offer integration capabilities with DEP systems for mobile devices and personal computer dashboard reporting, and management. Offering increased access to our parks as well as gaining access to visitor information to support trend analysis, planning and marketing are important DEP priorities. Automated entry solutions are available at public and private facilities throughout the country and Florida State Park s goal is to be current with this technology. Florida State Park s various functions to be supported by the new automated entry technology include, but are not limited to, payment kiosks for visitor day use gate admission/parking meters, self-service camper check-in kiosks, self-service equipment rental kiosks and fast-pass entrance lanes. The automated entry solutions must be compatible with web-based technology and interfacing; able to operate in a variety of internet environments; able to operate in a variety of internet communication standards including cellular, dial-up and broadband connections; and provide technical and/or customer support for desktop as well as mobile devices. The automated entry solutions are preferred to allow connectivity/integration with other applicable DEP and State enterprise systems and databases. 2.03. Identified Automated Entry Technology Solutions Functionality. DEP is interested in automated entry technology solutions which can provide the following functions in an easy-to-use and highly accessible format. DEP is open to additional proposed functionality which will support its goals. DEP is also open to utilizing multiple integrated solutions to support Department goals. Function 1 Self-service payment opportunities for day-use visitors, including visitors entering in vehicles, on bicycles or as pedestrians. 2 Self-service check-in opportunities for campers. 3 Fast pass or quick access lane options for both day use admission as well as for registered campers. 4 Basic equipment rental capabilities. 5 Park capacity count capability and visual cues to visitors that a park is full and not accepting additional visitors at this time. 6 Capability to collect attendance counts of numbers of visitors entering a park. 7 Capability to collect basic visitor demographic information for location, activity and revenue. 8 Accepts and electronically processes debit and credit card payments. 9 Accepts annual entrance passes as a form of payment to allow entry. 10 Accepts gift cards as a form of payment to allow entry. 11 Applies/verifies discount or free entry codes. 12 Accepts donations. 13 Ability to set special pricing for events and after hours entry. 14 Allows access to park by emergency responders. 15 Set-up capability at approximately 100 locations (some locations may require multiple systems). Number of locations will be dependent upon technology solutions available. 16 Performs entry ticket sales in a high-sales volume environment. 17 Supports annual transaction volumes associated with over 31,000,000 park visitors and $68,000,000 in revenue. DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 7 of 11
18 Provides solutions in a variety of communications environments, including broadband, dial-up and cellular. 19 Options for powering technology, including electric, battery and solar power options. 20 Allows for connectivity/integration with other applicable DEP and State enterprise systems and databases. 21 Selectively produces paper or electronic receipts for purchases. 22 Integrates with current contract vendors. 23 Integrates with State of Florida Finance and Accounting systems. These system technologies include Oracle Forms, Java and Oracle database management systems. 24 Provides real time and regular batch reporting on activity, including but not limited to device, user, facility, District and State. 25 Provides real-time dashboard data by Park/District/State to review all metrics (revenue, attendance, annual pass use, etc.). 26 Complies with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI/DSS). 27 Supports data modeling for audit and abuse prevention services. 28 Provides sufficient capacity for growth of at least 10% annually. 29 Provides configurable reports, including option for read-only access. 30 Ability to be configured to meet DEP's current and projected needs. If the system has unneeded features, it should not significantly affect the cost or usability of the system. 31 Includes all system-related hardware. 32 Includes future software updates. 33 Technical support available. 34 Staff training available. 35 Maintenance plans available. 36 Equipment rental options available. 37 Equipment is designed to be durable and easy to maintain in Florida s outdoor environment. 38. Meets current ADA compliance requirements. 2.04. Response. DEP is interested in obtaining feedback related to automated entry technology solutions to support the business needs of Florida State Parks. We are interested in hearing only from vendors with proven, verifiable and documented expertise in implementing automated entry technology solutions. DEP is solely interested in hearing from vendors who have extensive expertise in this area, and we ask that all responses to this RFI contain the following information at a minimum: 1. A primary contact person regarding the RFI submission. Please include the following: Name, Email Address, Phone Number and Title or Role within the Company. 2. Include a completed copy of Attachment A, Technology Solution Details as it relates to functionality of solutions offered by your company. If you wish to obtain the word version of Attachment A, please send an email to the Procurement Officer identified in Section 1.02 requesting the document. 3. The vendor solution(s) approach(es) and recommendations on automated entry technology solutions as it relates to the above requirements. 4. Any risks or considerations associated with implementing and managing automated entry technology solutions, such as the one described. This includes, but is not limited to, security related issues. 5. Describe the technical requirements for the proposed solution(s). DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 8 of 11
6. Describe where/how Florida State Park s data will be hosted, accessed, managed and protected. 7. Any testing products the vendor wishes to present as part of a recommended solution(s). 8. Additional information a vendor may include in order to meet DEP s requirements, or pertinent information that DEP should consider, including relevant topics that were not specifically described in this RFI. 9. Estimated cost for the proposed approach/service/software. Please include in your estimated cost, as applicable; Support/Maintenance Rates, Licensing Cost, Upgrades per Year, Third-Party Licenses, Migration Service Fees, estimated hardware purchase costs, and hardware refresh cycles and costs. (Include purchase versus service pricing where applicable). The figures are estimates only and are not binding to the company. These costs will assist DEP in developing our initial strategy, planning and budget for purchase of this technology solution, related services and desirable options. 10. Describe the proposed solution s functionality to include processing and reporting for automated entry technology solutions. 11. Describe technical and customer support capabilities of proposed solution. 12. Provide detailed information about vendor s relevant areas of expertise. 13. Provide a brief vendor s history including length of time in business. 14. Provide specific descriptions of similar projects and experiences, customer examples and case studies. Please include other State, County or Municipal governmental entities for which you have performed similar services consistent with the content of this RFI, and provide a summary of the services provided and results achieved, including cost/benefit and timeframes. Experience with the federal government may also be included. 15. Relevant white papers. Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 9 of 11
ATTACHMENT A TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION DETAILS General Functionality Self-service payment opportunities for day-use visitors, including visitors entering in vehicles, on bicycles or as pedestrians. Self-service check-in opportunities for campers. Fast pass or quick access lane options for both day use admission as well as for registered campers. Basic equipment rental capabilities. Park capacity count capability and visual cues to visitors that a park is full and not accepting additional visitors at this time. Capability to collect attendance counts of numbers of visitors entering a park. Capability to collect basic visitor demographic information for location, activity and revenue. Accepts and electronically processes debit and credit card payments. Accepts annual entrance passes as a form of payment to allow entry. Accepts gift cards as a form of payment to allow entry. Applies/verifies discount or free entry codes. Accepts donations. Ability to set special pricing for events and after hours entry. Allows access to park by emergency responders. Set-up capability at approximately 100 locations (some locations may require multiple systems). Number of locations will be dependent upon technology solutions available. Performs entry ticket sales in a high-sales volume environment. Supports annual transaction volumes associated with over 31,000,000 park visitors and $68,000,000 in revenue. Provides solutions in a variety of communications environments, including broadband, dial up and cellular. Options for powering technology, including electric, battery and solar power options. Allows for connectivity/integration with other applicable DEP and State enterprise systems and databases. Selectively produces paper or electronic receipts for purchases. Integrates with current contract vendors. Integrates with State of Florida Finance and Accounting systems. These system technologies include Oracle Forms, Java and Oracle database management systems. Provides real time and regular batch reporting on activity, including but not limited to device, user, facility, District and State. Provides real-time dashboard data by Park/District/State to review all metrics (revenue, attendance, annual pass use, etc.). PCI compliant. Supports data modeling for audit and abuse prevention services. Provides sufficient capacity for growth of at least 10% annually. Solution Available from Vendor (Yes or No) DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 10 of 11
ATTACHMENT A TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION DETAILS General Functionality Ability to be configured to meet DEP's current and projected needs. If the system has unneeded features, it should not significantly affect the cost or usability of the system. Meets current ADA compliance requirements. Includes all system-related hardware. Includes future software updates. Tiered management available (includes various levels of system access). Remote/mobile access and monitoring. Vendor provided technical support available. Training provided. Customizable to DEP request. Scalable technology to expand to additional locations. Equipment rental options available. Equipment purchase options available. Equipment is designed to be durable and easy to maintain in Florida s outdoor environment. Solution Available from Vendor (Yes or No) IT Functionality Data connection type needed. Power connection needed (i.e. electric, battery, solar, etc.). Interfaces supported. Data hosting location. Software utilized. Equipment utilized. Type of system (web-based or stand-alone). Description Cost Type Software Expense (initial cost). Equipment Costs for purchased equipment (base costs.) Equipment Costs for rented equipment (base costs). Per Transaction Costs. First Year Costs per Location. Total Recurring Annual Costs (base costs). Annual Cost for Technical Support/Maintenance. Cost Estimate (include cost ranges if applicable) DEP RFI No. 2017018C Page 11 of 11