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Project Based Information Technology Services (PBITS #20-003)

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is seeking proposals for the provision of Independent Verification and Validation services in connection with the Office of Professions modernization project. The procurement is being made pursuant to the terms of an Office of General Services centralized contract (Award #22772).

NYSED will award One (1) contract pursuant to this mini-bid. The contract(s) resulting from this RFP will be for a term anticipated to begin March 1, 2021 and to end August 31, 2025.
Questions regarding the request must be submitted by email to pbits@nysed.gov no later than the close of business November 12, 2020. Questions regarding this request should be identified as Program, Fiscal or M/WBE. A Questions and Answers Summary will be posted below on or about November 19, 2020, to http:/invitations-bids-ifb-requests-proposals-rfp.

Bidders are requested to submit their bids electronically to cau@nysed.gov. Please see the information in the documents below for instructions on submitting an electronic bid. All bids must be received by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on December 10, 2020 to be considered.
Mini-Bid Documents

  1. PBITS #20-003 MINI-BID 
  1. ATTACHMENTS (SEPARATE DOCUMENTS)
  1. APPENDICES (SEPARATE DOCUMENTS)

Questions & Answers

  1. Would an information technology firm which has for over a decade provided all the services required in this mini-bid, but not necessarily by the name of Independent Verification and Validation, be viewed as meeting the minimum qualification below? A minimum of five (5) years experience conducting IV&V engagements for technical software implementations

Answer: The bidder's response must support how any experience is relevant to the IV&V requirements in the Mini-Bid.

  1. The following are shown in Attachment 4 NYSED Checklist and Forms to be placed in more than one section of the proposal. Attachment 4 says to put Attachment 3 in A. Administrative Proposal. However, Attachment 3 contains all of the forms below that are also shown to individually go in various other parts of the proposal (for example the M/WBE Purchases Form is also shown to go into C. Financial Proposal). Will you please clarify whether they should appear in both places mentioned or which one? Subcontractor Form M/WBE Purchases Form M/WBE Utilization Plan

Answer: The bidder's response must support how any experience is relevant to the IV&V requirements in the Mini-Bid.

  1. Is the Minimum Qualifications Certification Form excluded from the 25-page limit?

Answer: Yes.

  1. Attachment 3 Administrative Response includes the Subcontracting Form and the MWBE Purchases form which appears to be duplicated in the Financial Proposal. It also includes the MWBE Utilization plan which appears to be duplicated in the MWBE Document Package as noted in the Checklist. Should these documents be included twice as noted?

Answer: This has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. Also, please confirm that the M/WBE Documents Package be included as a separate document.

Answer: Yes.

  1. Can the successful IV&V vendor submit a completed CPO2-Confidential Form (attachment #8) after contracting has been completed and NYSED and the IV&V vendor have signed the appropriate NDA’s? The document requires the vendor to disclose a considerable amount of confidential information which may be subject to State’s Freedom of Information Law. We would prefer to provide the documentation once we have a contract to allow for some non-disclosure protection.

Answer: A completed CPO2- Confidential Form must be submitted with the bid.

  1. Section 2.6, Authorized User Security Requirements, refers to a Non-Disclosure Agreement and “all NYSED security requirements”. Please provide such documents so that we can review to be sure we can comply.

Answer: Three new attachments are now included to address this. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. While it is understood that the IV&V project will begin on March 1, 2021 and it is expected to span 27 months, section 1.1 of the PBITS states that “The IV&V Contractor must be able to manage myriad tasks for this large project and to work alongside of the implementation teams in a collaborative effort to reach a successful deployment of the full NPS product in July 2023.” 27 months from March 2021 is May 2023 and not July 2023. Can NYSED please confirm when the IV&V project is scheduled to end.

Answer: It is a 27-month engagement. NYSED believes that the IV&V vendor, working in the collaborative fashion described in the mini-bid, will provide the assurance and verification of a viable product within that timeframe.

  1. The underlying PBITS Contract states (VIII. Monthly MWBE Contractor Compliance Report, A ): “Where OGS determines that the Contractor is not in compliance with the requirements of this Contract, and the Contractor refuses to comply with such requirements, or if it is found to have willfully and intentionally failed to comply with the MWBE participation goals set forth in the Contract, the Contractor shall be obligated to pay liquidated damages to OGS.” Is this term/condition in effect for the agreement resultant from MINI-BID # PBITS 20-003?

Answer: Yes.

  1. Appendix B of the underlying PBITS contract states (#61) “Contractor shall be fully liable for the actions of its agents, employees, partners or Subcontractors and shall fully defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Authorized Users from suits, actions, damages and costs of every name and description relating to personal injury and damage to real or personal tangible property caused by any intentional act or negligence of Contractor, its agents, employees, partners or Subcontractors, which shall arise or result from this Contract, without limitation:” Is this term/condition in effect for the agreement resultant from MINI-BID # PBITS 20-003?

Answer: Yes.

  1. Would Subcontractors need to possess the same level of insurance as PBITS Lot 2 Vendors from an insurance flow-down perspective?

Answer: The contract is with the vendor and not with the subcontractors. Vendors are responsible for their subcontractors.

  1. Page 3 of the bid states “For purposes of this procurement, NYS Education Department hereby establishes an overall goal of 30% of the total contract amount for M/WBE participation, in any percentage combination for Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (“MBE”) participation and for Women-Owned Business Enterprises (“WBE”) participation based on the current availability of qualified MBEs and WBEs.” Does this mean, for example, that a single NYS Certified MBE could fulfill the entirety of the 30% goal?

Answer: Yes.

  1. Reference: 5 NYCRR 142.4(d), relating to utilization plans, which provides that “Certified minority- or women-owned business enterprises may list themselves on utilization plans toward the achievement of prescribed certified minority- and women-owned business enterprise contract goals.” Question: If a prime bidder on this project is themselves an NYS Certified MBE or WBE, would that satisfy the overall goal of 30%?

Answer: Yes.

  1. If the Prime is an MWBE, do the "MWBE Cover Letter", "MWBE100", "MWBE 102", "EEO 100", "MWBE 105", and "MWBE 101" forms on the checklist in Attachment 4 (NYSED Checklist and Forms) need to be filled out?

Answer: The forms are still required but the Good Faith Efforts and Waiver would not be needed.

  1. Reference: Legislation enacted in 2015 modifying the definition of Best Value in NYSFL 163(1)(j) to allow for “quantitative factor for offerors” who are MWBEs. Question: Some recent PBITS bids have levered the application of quantitative technical evaluation factors to encourage MWBE, SBE and SDVOB prime participation. For example, one agency recently issued a PBITS Lot #2 bid implemented the following language: “Where the total evaluation criteria are worth 100 points, weighted 30% cost and 70% technical, a Bidder that is an MWBE, SBE or SDVOB will be awarded 3.5 out of 100 points, representing 5% of the 70% technical scale. If no responsive Bidder is an MWBE, SBE, or SDVOB, then no quantitative factor points will be awarded.” Would NYSED consider including similar language to encourage MWBE prime participation?

Answer: No.

  1. Has NYSED established an SDVOB goal for this project?

Answer: No.

  1. Section 2.1.4 of the bid states contractors are required to be on-site at NYSED’s Albany NY offices. Will technical preference be given to those proposals (which will subsequently be incorporated into the contract) which explicitly commit to on-site delivery of all service based on NYSED’s official return to work COVID policies (as opposed to their own internal policies or state guidance)?

Answer: During COVID and when work-at-home telecommuting policies are in place at NYSED, contractors are expected to work remotely but to be available during planned working hours via remote working software, such as WebEx and Microsoft Teams.
The current NYSED telecommuting policy is in place until January 2, 2021. During the remainder of the pandemic, when possible to have staff within the building, a schedule to enforce social distancing will be developed for all staff, including IV&V staff.
According to the details provided in the mini-bid, staff are expected to be on-site in NYS when NYS allows for that.

  1. Section 3.7 of the bid states that contractor travel expenses will not be separately reimbursed. Will travel not be reimbursable even during the COVID pandemic?

Answer: Correct. We do not reimburse for travel. See update in Mini-Bid on contract website.

  1. Section 2.1.4 of the bid states “The Contractor’s key personnel, including the three QA resources, shall be available to work on-site at the NYSED Offices in Albany, NY during normal business hours.” Does that mean NYSED’s expectation is that the three QA resources be dedicated full-time to the project?

Answer: Yes, that is the expectation.

  1. Can NYSED confirm that NYSTEC is precluded from bidding on this PBITS project?

Answer: Yes, we confirm. NYSTEC cannot bid on the IV&V Mini-Bid.

  1. Can NYSED confirm that NYSTEC will not be assisting NYSED in evaluating bids on this procurement?

Answer: Yes, we confirm. NYSTEC is not involved in evaluating bids for this IV&V Mini-Bid.

  1. NYSED’s project seems to utilize NYSTEC MWBE Subcontractors and HBITS resources. As a potential bidder on this project, we would like to confirm our independence from the implementation teams. Can NYSED provide a list of NYSTEC’s MWBE Subcontractors and HBITS Vendors currently or potentially engaged in implementation work?

Answer: No.

  1. Will NYSTEC’s MWBE Subcontractors be precluded from bidding on this project due to potential conflicts of interests?

Answer: The implementation project has not yet begun.

  1. Will HBITS vendors be precluded from bidding on this project due to potential conflicts of interests?

Answer: It depends on the circumstances.

  1. Will the selected vendor be precluded for bidding on any additional OP Modernization activities and/or downstream opportunities?

Answer: It depends on the circumstances.

  1. Section 3.3 of the PBITS “How to Use” outlines a mechanism for the tentatively awarded bidder to collaboratively provide NYSED a detailed Project Plan at no cost to NYSED. Would NYSED be open to leveraging this PBITS contract provision?

Answer: No. The mini-bid requires submission of a tentative project plan as part of the bid submission.

  1. Appendix B Section 28 of the PBITS contract allows NYSED to include an invitation to bidders to propose additional incentives such as better or advantageous pricing, payment terms, and delivery terms. Would NYSED be open to considering such additional incentives?

Answer: Bids will be evaluated according to the process set forth in the mini-bid.

  1. The PBITS contract has a mechanism for “No Cost Change Request” (see: www.ogs.state.ny.us/purchase/snt/awardnotes/7360022772TemplatePage.pdf). Does NYSED reserves the right to reasonably amend a Fixed-Price Deliverable, without a cost increase?

Answer: NYSED is aware of the "No Cost Change Request" provision and it may seek to utilize it during the project.

  1. Has the project team developed standardized software development and Q/A processes across the three implementation teams?

Answer: Not completely, the project-start for the implementation is delayed. The software development is led by NYSED enterprise architecture standardized practices, utilizing Agile methodologies. The QA processes should be defined with the IV&V vendor's involvement and leadership.

  1. The project team seems committed to the Agile software development. Is it envisioned that the team will also utilize DevOps principles?

Answer: Yes.

  1. Page 16 of the bid states: “The Contractor shall report to the NYSED Project Coordinator”. Is the NYSED Project Coordinator a member of NYSED’s staff or a member of NYSTEC’s staff?

Answer: NYSED Staff.

  1. What is the relationship between the IV&V contractor and the “NYSED Technical Lead” depicted in the chart on page 11 of the bid? Also, is the NYSED Technical Lead a member of NYSED’s staff or a member of NYSTEC’s staff?

Answer: NYSED Staff. The IV&V Contractor shall have a collaborative relationship with the NYSED Technical Lead.

  1. Relative to questions #23 and #24, and from a contractual perspective, to whom does the IV&V Contractor directly report to?

Answer: The Project Coordinator who reports to the Project Director.

  1. Page 18 of the bid states: “Payment for the on-going project reporting deliverables will be distributed equally, monthly, across the term of the contract.” Does that mean that the “TOTAL BILLABLE FIXED-PRICE DELIVERABLE COST” (from Attachment 1) across OPV001 - OPV006 will be summed up to a total amount and then divided by the term (27 months) to arrive at a single on-going reporting payment?

Answer: NYSED is changing the requirement of a direct cost to NYSED for periodic reports in Section 2.4.1. Bidders will still be required to deliver these reports, and they should factor in their costs for these reports in developing their cost proposal.

  1. The nature of the IV&V Ongoing Reporting deliverables suggests an intent of reporting the present status of the implementation team’s work. If so, the IV&V team’s on-time delivery of implementation status reports may represent complete delivery with little to no downstream “risk of incompletion” imposed on NYSED. As such, does the Retainage percentage apply to the “On-going Project Reporting” Deliverables listed in 2.4.1 (OPV001-OPV006)?

Answer: The retainage will be paid upon delivery of the Deliverables in Section 2.4.2

  1. Section 3.8 of the bid states that:
    “The retained amount shall be paid to Contractor upon the occurrence of the following:” and includes the following:
    • Final Acceptance by SED of all Deliverables for services under this agreement.
    • Final Review of the New Professions System and delivery of that system to align with all Deliverables within this contract.”
    1. Does that mean that the total retainage for the vendor selected under this bid will accumulate over the term of the contract (27 months) and be released at the end of the contract after all of the IV&V contractor’s Deliverables are accepted

    Answer: Yes. See update in Mini-Bid on contract website.

  1. Does that mean that the total retainage for the vendor selected under this bid will accumulate over the term of the contract (27 months) and be released only after NYSTEC’s implementation teams finally deliver the NPS software system? If so, is it possible that the IV&V contractor’s accumulated retainage amount may not be released to the IV&V contractor because of unforeseen delays in the NYSTEC-led implementation of the NPS?

Answer: No, the IV&V work will be considered as separate from the NYSTEC-lead implementation of NPS.

  1. In order for all of the IV&V contractor’s accumulated retainage amount to be released, do both (a) all of the IV&V contractor’s Deliverables need to be accepted, and (b) the NPS software system need to be delivered by NYSTEC?

Answer: No.

  1. Do the "Title" and "Description" fields in Attachment 1 (Financial Proposal - OP implement IV&V), when filled out, need to match the "Job Title" and "Job Description" fields in the contractor's PBITS Appendix D (Pricing Schedule on file with OGS)? Additionally, should the “SKU” identifiers in Appendix D be identified in NYSED’s Attachment 1?

Answer: Yes. The terms "Title" and "Description" in Attachment 1 match the terms "Job Title" and "Job Description" in a vendor's pricing schedule. SKU's are not necessary.

  1. Does NYSED reserve the right to amend the awardee’s pricing/deliverable fee schedule after project work begins?

Answer: No.

  1. The header in Attachment 2 (Contractor References) references a different PBITS contract ("#19-002"). Should this be updated to reflect the current PBITS contract ("#20-003")?

Answer: This has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. In Attachment 4 (NYSED Checklist and Forms), several documents have the header "PB #18-001". Should this read PB "#20-003?"

Answer: This has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. Attachment 4 (NYSED Checklist and Forms) includes the "MacBride Certification" form. This is not referenced anywhere in the Attachment 4 (NYSED Checklist and Forms) checklist. Is the "MacBride Certification" form to be submitted as part of the Administrative response?

Answer: This has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. Does Attachment 8 (CPO2-Confidential Form) need to be submitted with the bid, or can it be submitted after award but before work begins?

Answer: Submitted with the bid.

  1. Attachment 8 (CPO2-Confidential Form) is referenced in the Attachment 4 (NYSED Checklist and Forms) checklist as Attachment 11. Which is correct?

Answer: This has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update. It is Attachment 11.

  1. Should Attachment 7 (Information Protection Agreement) be submitted with the bid, or can it be submitted after award but before work begins?

Answer: After award but before work begins.

  1. The "Subcontracting" form and "M/WBE Purchases" form are included in both Attachment 1 (Financial Proposal - OP implement IV&V) and Attachment 3 (Administrative Response)? Should the set in Attachment 1 (Financial Proposal - OP implement IV&V) be filled out, the set in Attachment 3 (Administrative Response) be filled out, or should both sets be filled out?

Answer: The forms M/WBE Purchases Subcontracting have been removed from Attachment 3 Administrative Response.

  1. Page 12, Section 1.2 of the proposal states, “For this IV&V Implementation, there should be a minimum of six colleagues: three of which will be embedded with the development team.” Can you clarify what the roles are of the six expected colleagues?

Answer: The following statement will be corrected, "For this IV&V Implementation, there should be a minimum of six colleagues: three of which will be embedded with the development team." to read as follows: "For this IV&V Implementation, there should be a minimum of three and maximum of six colleagues: two-three of which will be embedded with the development team."

NYSED wants dedicated resources that are part of the implementation teams.

See update in Mini-Bid on contract website.

  1. Can the same QA Resource be embedded to work with multiple development teams, or should there be three different QA’s each assigned to one of the three development teams?

Answer: They can be shared.

  1. Can you confirm that the only Key personnel are considered the required one (1) Project Manager, and two (2) Quality Assurance resources? And that all other resources included with the proposed delivery team are not considered as key personnel?

Answer: Yes, we confirm.

  1. Did NYSED have assistance writing this RFP? If so, who was it and are they precluded from bidding on this RFP?

Answer: NYSED had no assistance writing this Mini-Bid.

  1. Who/What are the development teams?

Answer: Subcontractors managed through NYSTEC and HBITS. Refer to Appendix 01-Implementation Statement of Work.

  1. What are the subcontracted development services? Who are the subcontractors? What is the size of the team?

Answer: Refer to Appendix 01-Implementation Statement of Work.

  1. Is this new system based on Accela technology?

Answer: No.

  1. What is the technology? Is this a COTS solution or a custom build?

Answer: Custom Build. Refer to Appendix 02-OP Architecture Components.

  1. What is the COTS solution mentioned in Section 1.1?

Answer: It is not yet selected. It will be a case management system for professionals' disciplinary actions.

  1. Does the IVV team report to the NYSED technical lead or the NYSED Project Coordinator?

Answer: NYSED Project Coordinator. The IV&V Contractor shall have a collaborative relationship with the NYSED Technical Lead.

  1. Who is the Project Support Services Contractor and is this firm already in place?  If not, when will they start?

Answer: NYSTEC is the selected project support services contractor.

  1. Who is involved in the Executive Leadership group?

Answer: Section 1.2 Project Purpose/Objectives includes the description of the Executive Leadership Group, who include the following:

  • Senior Deputy Commissioner, Sharon Cates-Williams
  • Deputy Commissioner, Sarah Benson
  • Assistant Director, Michael St. John
  1. Will there be a steering committee for this project?

Answer: TBD as the project progresses.

  1. Who is the Project Director for this at NYSED?

Answer: Heather Klusendorf

  1. Can you confirm that the target start date is March 2021 as the dated noted on page 13 of the RFP indicated that the IV&V vendor would start Jan-Feb 2021.

Answer: March 2021 is the target start date. The date range on page 13 has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. Is there a team allocated for OCM or business process reengining activities or both? Are these NYSED resources or vendor resources?

Answer: The implementation is led by NYSED groups. Please refer to Section 12. Project Purposes/Objectives.

  1. Please provide specific tasks which will be expected of the QA Engineers and tools they may need to use to do their work.  Also, when would they be expected to start?

Answer: Please refer to the work to be verified/validated in Section 2.4.2 Document-Based Deliverables. They are expected to start during the sprint zero planning as the three development teams begin seeding and grooming their backlogs.

  1. Can individual staff qualifications on this proposed project team be used to meet the minimum quals? Because QA is part of the scope, we recommend IV&V and/or QA experience be considered as part of the minimum bidder qualifications.

Answer: Yes.

  1. Can experience be expanded to include a vendors overall experience without being limited to IV&V for each of these preferred qualifications?  (i.e. experience with mainframe migration implementation…)

Answer: Yes.

  1. What is NYSED’s expectation for this contract if the SI team is delayed and the post implementation/stabilization will exceed the PBITS not-to-exceed 3-year term?

Answer: The expectation is that NYSED will take over those activities.

  1. Based on the 2nd bullet on page 16 of the RFP noted as part of the IVV responsibilities, QA testing is part of the requirements – can the mandatory and preferred qualifications include QA as well as IVV experience?

    Answer: Yes.

  2. What is NYSED’s expectation as it relates to onsite vs remote work now and into the new Year for this IV&V team?

Answer: During COVID and when work-at-home telecommuting policies are in place at NYSED, contractors are expected to work remotely but to be available during planned working hours via remote working software, such as WebEx and Microsoft Teams.
The current NYSED telecommuting policy is in place until January 2, 2021. During the remainder of the pandemic, when possible to have staff within the building, a schedule to enforce social distancing will be developed for all staff, including IV&V staff.

  1. Will the staff proposed in the proposal by the vendor be scored?  If so, how will personnel be accepted or not accepted after contract award since that would change the scoring. 

Answer: The vendor should propose personnel who can begin work in March. Personnel experience is scored. NYSED reserves the right to reject personnel changes if experience does not match the proposed personnel.

  1. Who is the NYSED Project Coordinator? 

Answer: NYSED is currently seeking to fill this position.

  1. Who is the NYSED Director?

Answer: Heather Klusendorf

  1. Jira and Confluence are tools that are used on many development projects. However, it is unusual to see it required as part of an IV&V staff members qualifications.  Can this be changed to a preferred qualification vs. a mandatory or only be required of the QA staff vs. the IV&V staff?

Answer: We need consultants with experience using the same tools NYSED is using to manage the project. We have updated this to a "minimum of 3 years" in the mini-bid. See update in Mini-Bid on contract website.

  1. We recommend and IV&V PM and a QA PM as separate positions, would this be an acceptable approach to NYSED?

Answer: We recommend the IV&V and QA as separate positions as defined in Section 2.2. PROJECT CONSULTING KEY PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS.

  1. Are a combination of separate resources acceptable in meeting the Key Personnel Requirements?

Answer: The key personnel identified in Section 2.2 are expected to be full time and the positions filled by individual persons.

  1. Are the junior QA staff NYSED or the SI staff?  What are the overall expectations for the QA work involved under this contract?  Note, the QA work would be separate from the IV&V work.

Answer: The QA work is the work to verify completeness of deliverables. Refer to Section 2.4 Project Deliverables.

  1. Can the job titles of the six colleagues noted on page 12 be identified?

Answer: Please note we have corrected the statement on page 12 in questions #49 and #92 of this document. Please refer to section 2.2 PROJECT CONSULTING KEY PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS.

  1. Who is responsible (which party) for Regression Testing, UAT, System Testing, Unit Testing, and Performance Testing?

Answer: Each development team, which includes QA resources, is responsible for user story development testing coverage. The product owner and QA staff are responsible for ensuring that user stories are properly tested. Refer to 2.4 Project Deliverables.

  1. Is this an Agile based methodology or a hybrid? How many Sprints are planned?

Answer: Agile-based with two-week sprint iterations. Implementation has not yet begun. All sprint planning, including user story grooming and pointing, will be accomplished within the development teams.

  1. Will the state consider using Tableau for status or other reporting as needed on this project?

Answer: No.

  1. What are the tools that will be used by NYSED or the SI for QA testing?

Answer: TBD, but Selenium is being considered now as a possible product for automated testing.

  1. We have found that dividing the deliverables into multiple payments has been effective and beneficial for all parties in the past, is NYSED open to this approach?

Answer: No.

  1. Is this a Web based solution? Is it tied into the NY web Portal?

Answer: The New Professions System (NPS) is a Web-Based solution separate from the NY Web Portal.

  1. Is the legacy sunset beginning in month 27 the established date for the retirement of the mainframe? Are there any hard deadlines (end of life, contract expiry etc.)?

Answer: It is the date for the beginning of legacy sunsetting activities.

  1. In addition to the provided Appendix 1 Statement of Work for OP Modernization Program Implementation, can NYSED please provide the functional and technical requirements developed for the NPS and implementation vendors?

Answer: Please refer to the work to be verified/validated in Section 2.4.2 Document-Based Deliverables.

  1. Does NYSED expect the full completion of all 17 pages of the Attachment 08 – CPO2 Confidential Form for the bid submission or would this be completed on contract award? Would a certification of a willingness and ability to meet NYSED’s requirements if a contract were awarded suffice at this bid submission stage?

Answer: Yes, this is part of bid submission.

  1. Can NYSED provide information about the products and vendors (e.g., COTS products, specific vendors) for the OP Modernization Program?

Answer: Please refer to Appendix 02-OP Architecture Components.

  1. Can NYSED please confirm the anticipated start date? (On page 13 the description of the IV&V Contractor is January-February 2021 where pages 10 and 15 state March 1st, 2021).

Answer: March 2021 is the target start date. The date range on page 13 has been corrected. Please see Mini-Bid website for update.

  1. Can NYSED confirm that the IV&V Contractor will not be responsible for Testing? In Appendix 1 Statement of Work for OP Modernization Program Implementation testing is not identified (e.g., Unit Testing, Systems Integration Testing, UAT Testing). We would like to confirm that this is not an expected responsibility of the IV&V Contractor.

Answer: As IV&V, the vendor is responsible for verifying completed work by testing software implemented through the user stories in collaboration with the development teams.

  1. Could you please clarify how many consulting staff is NYSED expecting to bring in for the IV&V work? Page 12 of the RFP states that "For this IV&V Implementation, there should be a minimum of six colleagues: three of which will be embedded with the development team." On page 17 and 18, only 3 profiles are listed. What would be the roles/profiles of the other expected 3 team members?

Answer: The following statement will be corrected, "For this IV&V Implementation, there should be a minimum of six colleagues: three of which will be embedded with the development team." to read as follows: "For this IV&V Implementation, there should be a minimum of three and maximum of six colleagues: two-three of which will be embedded with the development team."

The roles expected are those in Section 2.2 PROJECT CONSULTING KEY PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS.

  1. Is the personnel requirement for JIRA/Confluence experience fixed? Will NYSED be open to other Agile tools?

Answer: We need consultants with experience using the same tools NYSED is using to manage the project. We have updated this to a "minimum of 3 years" in the mini-bid.

 

 

Last Updated: November 19, 2020