Request for Expressions of Interest
Corporate Software Suite
City of Morden, Manitoba

The City of Morden is a community nearing a population of 10,000 in one of the fastest growing regions in southern Manitoba. Our organization is spread over 7 sites, with service delivery ranging from financial services (procurement, account management), engineering and planning, public utility and works, police, fire, and community services. Our organizational aim is for greater integration of the services of each department, and greater accessibility to tools that will increase the productivity of the organization as a whole. As such, the City of Morden is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from interested suppliers for the provision of a fully integrated corporate wide software suite.

The City is seeking a software suite that will integrate across the organization. The software suite will provide, at a minimum, the following services:

  1. Financial and accounting including accounts receivable and payable, paperless purchase orders, debtor/creditor management, automatic budget tracking and reporting (accessible by individual users);
  2. Municipal tax roll, billing, roll information electronically based and accessible through the software module and integrated with mapping software;
  3. Human resources management including electronic time management (time sheets, leave requests, etc.), HR policy access, and payroll;
  4. Electronic permits, applications, and licensing;
  5. Utility record keeping, data tracking and reporting;
  6. Customer portal for submission of water meter readings, permit requests, applications, licensing, etc.;
  7. Optical (paperless) filing and document management;
  8. Electronically based council agenda, report, minutes, resolution tracking;
  9. Comprehensive Asset Management, integrating whole of life cost, maintenance and condition assessments, revaluation, disposal and addition, a works and work order management system, etc (this is more than the current PSAB reporting requirements, though it will inherently meet them);
  10. Integration with the City’s current GIS software suite, currently provided by ESRI.

It is imperative that each module and process is integrative. For instance, in the accounting module any transactions in the core financials is automatically represented in the financial statements without journals or other processes. That if we are looking at the map in the GIS we can launch the tax roll (with appropriate permissions) that every change produces has a non-editable audit trail.

Submission

The City will receive and process expressions of interest as follows:

  • Stage 1 to be open to any and every supplier with interest in engaging the City in the selection process:
  • Stage 2, the City will short list suppliers to a maximum of 5;
  • Stage 3, the City will short list up to 3 suppliers;
  • Stage 4, final selection of the preferred supplier and recommendation to City Council for implementation in the 2016 budget year.

Submit expressions of interest as follows:

Deadline is 7 August, 2015

Submit electronically or in hard copy:

Integrated Financial Management Suite EOI
City of Morden
100–195 Stephen Street
Morden, Manitoba R6M 1V3
Email:

For questions and clarifications contact:

Darlene Ehnes
204-822-4434

Stage 1

The first stage is expressions from a wide range of suppliers indicating their interest in supplying the software suite that will suit the needs of the City. Expressions must include:

  1. An irrevocable undertaking from the supplier has the financial and technical ability to meet the City of Morden’s requirements. Specifically referencing exactly which of the services identified above that the supplier’s software suite is able to provide, including any additional services not identified above, and a brief description of the software suite and its offerings will aid the evaluation of submissions;
  2. Confirmation that the supplier is able to provide a software suite that is compatible with Canadian tax and accounting standards. The expression should be specific about which reporting standards the software suite is, or could be made, compliant with;
  3. Financial and Corporate details of the supplier, which will demonstrate that the supplier has the financial means, track record, and organizational structure as per item 1, including a brief history of the company (include details of acquisitions, mergers, etc.);
  4. At least 20 names of current clients similar in size to the City that may contact directly as a reference. The City prefers references for municipal and government organizations that service populations between 8,000 and 20,000, they need not be limited to Canada;
  5. The contact details for at least one representative designated by the supplier to represent the supplier to the City.

Stage 2

The City will evaluate each expression of interest on the basis of the evaluation of the submissions and reference checks, and short list a maximum of 5 suppliers.

Stage 3

The shortlisted suppliers will submit a detailed proposal for the software suite they intend to provide. Such a proposal will include at least:

  1. A very detailed description of the delivery model for the software suite including (but not limited to): the mode of delivery, hardware and network requirements, the ownership of the software and modules (if not developed by the supplier, who the developer and owner is, where they are based), the security of the software, integration with other software packages, robustness of the package (ie. ability to adapt with changing technology, delivery modes, reporting standards, etc.);
  2. The payment structure (e.g. subscription service, licensing, maintenance and support, etc.) and budget level costs;
  3. Typical implementation procedure;
  4. The maintenance and support process;
  5. Risk assessment of system failure, data loss, etc. and measures built into the delivery model (ie. hardware, network, software, backup, monitoring, etc.) to mitigate risks;
  6. Any other information considered necessary for the City’s selection and evaluation process.

Part of this stage may include, at the City’s discretion, a visit by City representatives to the suppliers’ primary office for a one-day demonstration of the proposed software suite.

Stage 4

Based on the proposals submitted, the City will further short list a maximum of 3 suppliers. The City’s evaluation of the short listed suppliers will include:

  1. If not completed in Stage 4, City representatives will visit the primary office of the short listed suppliers for a one-day demonstration of the software suite;
  2. An on-site demonstration of the suppliers’ software package to a selection of the City’s end-users over a maximum of two days on-site. This demonstration will give the suppliers a better understanding of the City’s needs, the state of current infrastructure (hardware and networking, for instance), and also a good understanding of how to tailor the implementation process to ensure adoption and a smooth transition from the existing system. At this stage, suppliers may submit requests for all additional information considered necessary to ensure a detailed and complete final submission.
  3. The suppliers will submit a proposal for the provision and implementation of the required software suite. The proposal will include a fixed price for implementation and purchase of licenses and any ongoing licensing and software related costs,a detailed implementation process (including time frames, training, training and support required to full commissioning and hand-over of responsibility to the City), detailed lists of hardware, networking, and internet configurations required (quotes for provision if provided by the supplier; otherwise, the City will procure additional quotes and cost estimates as necessary to make a complete evaluation), ongoing maintenance and support costs and pricing structure, license structure and all other information necessary for the City to make a complete evaluation of each supplier’s proposal.

Key Dates

  1. Requests for expressions of interest due 7 August, 2015;
  2. Completed selection process as of 31 October 2015;
  3. Final award based on Council budget deliberations in November 2015;
  4. Implementation beginning 1 January, 2016.

Limitations

Upon submission of an expression of interest by a supplier, the supplier acknowledges, accepts, and agrees to the following:

  1. That submission of an expression of interest does not create a contract or agreement in any form between a supplier and the City of Morden, or any of the City’s representatives;
  2. Verbal discussions, clarifications, or interpretations are not binding on the City of Morden, relying on verbal communication is at the sole risk of a supplier. Only clarifications or interpretations issued in written form are to be relied upon in the preparation and submission of EOIs and proposals throughout this process;
  3. All pricing structures submitted at considered guaranteed and valid until 1 January, 2016, unless agreed or stated otherwise throughout the process;
  4. The City reserves the right to add, delete, and change any and all criteria at any time, including the evaluation criteria, and without notice to any supplier or proponent throughout the process. Where the City deems appropriate the City may provide notification of such changes, but is in no way liable towards any proponent on the basis of such changes.
  5. At Stage 4, submission of a proposal indicates the supplier’s willingness and intent to enter into a contract with the City of Morden on the basis of the submitted proposal; as such, submission of a proposal at this stage is binding on the supplier to enter into a contract with the City of Morden if the City chooses to accept a proposal. In addition, the City reserves the right to:
  6. Accept or reject any proposal;
  7. Cancel the proposal process entirely and without any compensation, liability, or obligation to any proponent, in any way;
  8. Further negotiate terms, conditions, pricing, and any other details that the City considers is within its interest in entering into an agreement with a supplier for the delivery of the proposed system.

John Scarce
City Manager