COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS #2075 For Student Refund and Financial Aid Disbursement Payments PROPOSALS DUE: By 5 p.m. on November 30, 2015 Coast Community College Attn: John Eriksen Purchasing Department 1370 Adams Ave Costa Mesa, CA 92626 www.cccd.edu 1
A. INVITATION The Coast Community College District ( District ) is requesting proposals from qualified persons, firms, partnerships, corporations, associations, or professional organizations ( firms ) to provide proposals for services related to the processing and distribution of student refunds and student financial aid payments. B. DESCRIPTION CCCD is comprised of three colleges Coastline Community College, Golden West College, Orange Coast College, and the District Office. Each college has its own branding and separate OPEID numbers. The District Office hosts a single instance of Ellucian s Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) - Banner - which includes its Student Information System (SIS), and student accounts. The disbursements of payments for students (refunds and financial aid) will be from this system. C. SCHEDULE Selection Advertisement November 4 & 11, 2015 RFP s Due By 5pm on November 30, 2015 Short listed Firms on-site product demonstration December 9 or December 10, 2015 Project Delivery Project timeline (if District elects to proceed) Kickoff February 2016 and go-live of July 1, 2016 D. OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Based on the information provided in the overview, each RFP shall include the recommended hardware and software required to support an on-site installation for the production, development, and test environments, if such an option exists. Please provide this information in Appendix 3. The District prefers an off-site hosted solution. E. TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (TCO) - REQUIRED Each RFP shall include a TCO to itemize initial and ongoing expenses for providing these services and professional services for installation and implementation based on the above timeline and ongoing support and annual cost. 2
Pricing Breakdown Student payment methods District fees checks, stop payment reissues for checks and EFT EFT fees Affinity Agreements Student and Staff Support Centers Online reporting capabilities Student ATM / merchant fees Implementation costs (one time professional services) Total Cost Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 F. EVALUATION PROCESS CCCD has formed an evaluation workgroup which developed a high level criterion matrix based on which each RFP will be rated - see Appendix 1. Vendor shall provide one (1) Original, (1) copy and (1) one electronic version in MS Word of its response, and each response shall be limited to 20 pages. Additional information may be provided detailing other features and functionality. After evaluating, scoring and ranking each RFP, the top vendors selected by the evaluation workgroup will receive an invitation to provide a mandatory on-site demonstration and presentation to demonstrate their system s functional and technical abilities to meet the District s requirements and answer questions to clarify the RFP s response. The final step is a reference check of those clients provided in Appendix 2. Each response shall include three references. At least two of those references must be a multi-college/university higher education district/system. Having a reference which uses Ellucian s Banner ERP is desirable. All items in Appendix 1 will be scored by members of the workgroup on a 0-5 rating scale. 0- I was unable to score (0 will not be included in averages) 1- Unsatisfactory (does not meet minimum requirements) 2- Below average (meets some minimum requirements but not all) 3- Average (meets minimum requirements) 4- Above average (exceeds some minimum requirements but not all) 5- Excellent (exceeds all minimum requirements) It is also highly desirable for the evaluation workgroup to have access to a test system both for students and staff to aid in its evaluation. Please include in the RFP if such a test system will be made available. 3
G. SELECTION PROCESS The evaluation workgroup will make its recommendation to the Chancellor of Coast Community College District. H. CONTRACT AWARD (IF DISTRICT DESIRES TO PROCEED) The District reserves the right to contract with any entity responding to this RFP. The awarding of a contract is at the sole discretion of the District. The District may select a firm or firms based on the highest rated proposal and an interview without further discussion or interviews with other firms. I. REJECTION AND WAIVERS This Request for Proposals does not commit the District to award a contract or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a document in response to this Request. The District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all documents received; to negotiate with qualified firm(s) or cancel the Request; and, to waive any minor irregularities and informalities in the proposal or proposal process. The District reserves the right to evaluate information for a period of sixty (60) days before deciding whether or not to proceed. J. NON-COLLUSION By submittal and signing the enclosed Non-Collusion Affidavit (Attachment A), the firm(s) is certifying that the proposal document is genuine and not a sham or collusive, and not made in the interest of any person not named and that the firm has not induced or solicited others to submit a sham offer, or to refrain from proposing. K. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS The firm(s) shall comply with federal, state and local laws, regulations, and industry standards. The proposer shall also comply with the Drug Free Workplace Act requirements of California Government Code Sec. 8350 et seq. (Attachment B) L. QUESTIONS / CONTACT PERSON The District will accept written questions via e-mail until 5 p.m. on November 23, 2015. Questions must be submitted to: John Eriksen, Director of Purchasing E-mail: purchasing@cccd.edu. 4
The District will respond to each question by e-mail directly to the firm submitting the question. If the question demonstrates that clarification or additional information is needed, an addendum will be issued to all proposers by e-mail. Firms should acknowledge any and all e-mails sent by the District regarding this RFP by replying to the e-mail sender that the e-mail was received. Proposers shall not contact any District employee or official regarding this proposal other than the individual listed above as the contact person. Contacting District staff or officials regarding this work may result in disqualification. No verbal comments made by District staff or officials are binding regarding this RFP except for that which is made in writing by the above mentioned contact person. This will assure that all firms receive the same information in a timely manner. M. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS To be considered, documents must be received at the address below no later than 5:00 P.M. on November 30, 2015. Late responses will not be considered. The District highly encourages early submittal of responses. Firm(s) shall submit one electronic version (MS WORD FORMAT ONLY) of the proposal on a flash drive; one (1) printed original and one (1) printed copy of the entire submission including any supporting documentation in a sealed box or package addressed as follows: Attention: John Eriksen Coast Community College District Purchasing Department 1370 Adams Ave Costa Mesa, CA 92626 The box or envelope must also be clearly marked on the outside with the words: RFP # 2075. 5
Appendix 1 Evaluation Criteria Please respond to each of the items listed below. Please be specific. Student Payment Options Paper check EFT/ACH to existing bank accounts Debit Card New Banking Account Pre-paid card One card Mobile technology for notification of funds Payment for those students who are noncitizens but eligible for funds Student Fees ATM fees Merchant fees Lost card fees Not sufficient fund fees Transfer of funds fees Reloading fees Stop payment/reissue fees Mobile technology for Please answer with Yes or No for each item listed below and then add any information under the Comment column that can help the evaluation workgroup in its assessment Please specify the amount charged per student per transaction for each of the following 6 Comment Comment
notification of fees charges Other fees please specify District Fees Per student fee Per payment fee Stop payment/reissue fees Check fees Onsite check stock fees EFT fees Online reporting capabilities Implementation (professional services) fees Ongoing annual fees ATM Do you require a vendor specific ATM? If yes, how many ATMs would you require to be installed at each college in the District? Do you require the ATM machine to be placed inside a building that is locked outside regular business hours? Do you have affinity agreement(s)? If yes with what company(ies)? Explain approach to maintaining sufficient funds at ATM accessible to students What is the maximum amount allowed to Please specify the amount charged for each of the following Please respond to each of the following Yes or No Yes or No Yes or No 7 Comment Comment
withdraw per day? What is the maximum amount allowed to charge on the vendor provided card per day? Do you limit the amount on outside deposits? What is the hold period for outside deposits? Reporting Please describe the reports that you make available to the District staff and what platform are you using for reports System Setup Please describe the capability to setup the system to differentiate type of financial aid and funds other than financial aid and college Capability for students to opt out from having their information shared with third party and/or partner vendors/entities? Capability for staff to affect the opt out for students? Capability for staff to completely remove a student record? If vendor provides individual student cards in order to initiate receipt of funds, please describe whether all students are sent a card or only students who receive funds. Patriot Act fulfillment for banking cards Online notification Yes or No and describe Yes or No and describe Yes or No and describe Yes or No and describe 8
Mobile notification Notification turnaround time Communications to students Please provide sample communications to students Please describe frequency and type of communications to students Can students opt out of email communication and marketing materials? Can the District edit the text of communications to students? Customer Services Days and hours of live, support over the phone Online support What administrative services can be performed by District staff (e.g., order new card, reset student pin) Please describe your process for handling unidentifiable funds (e.g, stale dated checks, returned EFTs) Technical Aspects Please describe requirements for integration with local Banner ERP system for transmitting student files Please provide the data structure of the file(s) Yes or No and describe Yes or No and describe Please describe the options available to 1) students and 2) staff to receive assistance 9
required Please provide a technical implementation guide Please describe your processing of PLUS loans Please describe your security protocols, including loss of information and security breaches (Graham, Leach, Biley Act) Fraud Alert Do you notify students of possible fraudulent activity on the student account? Yes or No and describe Regulatory Compliance Please provide copy of certification letter from US Department of Education Please describe internal process to ensure ongoing compliance with Federal Title IV laws and regulations, applicable California financial aid laws and regulations and Federal Trade Commission regulations Implementation Assistance Please describe marketing assistance to students during rollout Please describe vendorprovided training and materials for District staff and students, respectively Do you charge for on-site training for District staff Yes or No 10
and students, respectively? If yes, how much do your charge per on-site training session? How many individuals can be accommodated in one on-site training session? Appendix 2 Client Reference List College or University Name Address City State Zip Web Site URL Contact Name Contact Title Contact Phone Contact Email Date of Go-Live Duration of Implementation Total Number of Users (students ) ERP Utilized by Institution Reference One Reference Two Reference Three 11
Appendix 3 Hardware and Software Available Configurations 12
Attachment A NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT TO BE EXECUTED BY BIDDER AND SUBMITTED WITH BID FORM, being first duly sworn, deposes and says that he or she is of the party making the foregoing bid that the bid is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, any undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation; that the bid is genuine and not collusive or sham; that the bidder has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other bidder to put in a false or sham bid, and has not directly or indirectly colluded, conspired, connived, or agreed with any bidder or anyone else to put in a sham bid, or that anyone shall refrain from bidding; that the bidder has not in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement, communication, or conference with anyone to fix the bid price of the bidder or any other bidder, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the bid price, or of that of any other bidder, or to secure any advantage against the public body awarding the contract of anyone interested in the proposed contract; that all statements contained in the bid are true; and, further, that the bidder has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her bid price or any breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative thereto, or paid, and will not pay, any fee to any corporation, partnership, company association, organization, bid depository, or to any member or agent thereof to effectuate a collusive or sham bid. I certify (or declare) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. Signature & Date Printed Name & Title 13
Attachment B DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE CERTIFICATION This Drug-Free Workplace Certification is required pursuant to Government Code Sections 8350, et seq., the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1990. The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1990 requires that every person or organization awarded a contract for the procurement of any property or services from any State agency must certify that it will provide a drug-free workplace by doing certain specified acts. In addition, the Act provides that each contract awarded by a State agency may be subject to suspension of payments or termination of the contract and the contractor may be subject to debarment from future contracting, if the state agency determines that specified acts have occurred. Pursuant to Government Code Section 8355, every person or organization awarded a contract from a State agency shall certify that it will provide a drug-free workplace by doing all of the following: a) Publishing a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the person's or organization's workplace and specifying actions which will be taken against employees for violations of the prohibition; b) Establishing a drug free awareness program to inform employees about all of the following: 1) The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace; 2) The person's or organization's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace; 3) The availability of drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee-assistance programs; 4) The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations; c) Requiring that each employee engaged in the performance of the contract be given a copy of the statement required by subdivision (a) and that, as a condition of employment on the contract, the employee agrees to abide by the terms of the statement. I, the undersigned, agree to fulfill the terms and requirements of Government Code Section 8355 listed above and will publish a statement notifying employees concerning (a) the prohibition of controlled substance at the workplace, (b) establishing a drug-free awareness program, and (c) requiring that each employee engaged in the performance of the contract be given a copy of the statement required by Section 8355(a) and requiring that the employee agree to abide by the terms of that statement. I also understand that if the DISTRICT determines that I have either (a) made a false certification herein, or (b) violated this certification by failing to carry out the requirements of
Section 8355, that the contract awarded herein is subject to suspension of payments, termination, or both. I further understand that, should I violate the terms of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1990, I may be subject to debarment in accordance with the requirements of Section 8350, et seq. I acknowledge that I am aware of the provisions of Government Code Section 8350, et seq. and hereby certify that I will adhere to the requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1990. NAME OF CONTRACTOR Signature Print Name Title Date