Cherokee Nation Businesses
Hyperion Financial Management and Close ManagementImplementation
RFP Document
March2013
CNBHyperion Design andImplementation RFP.doc
RFP Document
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Company
1.2 Project Objective
1.3 Project Assumptions
1.4 Dependencies
1.5 Project Team and Responsibilities
1.6 Project Resources Forecast
2.0 RFP GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 RFP Overview
2.2 RFP Format
2.3 RFP Timetable
2.4 Vendor Characteristics
2.5 Contractual Issues
2.6 Security and Control
2.7 Training
2.8 Documentation
2.9 Deliverables Timetable
2.10 Design Approach and Strategy
2.11 Roles and Responsibilities
2.12 Tribal Employment Rights Office
2.13 Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission
3.0 Current State
3.1 Overview
4.0 Current Technology Environment
4.1 Software Utilization
4.2 Applications
5.0 Vendor’s Response to RFP
5.1 Format of Vendor’s Response
5.2 Introduction and Vendor Background
5.3 Design Approach
5.4 Training Experience
5.5 Project Costs
5.6 RFP Certification
6.0 Definitions:
Page 110/4/2018
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Company
Cherokee Nation Businesses, L.L.C. (CNB), is wholly owned by the Cherokee Nation, the nation's second largest Indian tribe. CNB, the economic engine of the Cherokee Nation, owns companies in the gaming, hospitality, personnel services, distribution, aerospace, manufacturing, telecommunications, technology services, medical equipment, security and defense services, construction and environmental services industries. These businesses have annual revenues of over$700 million and over$100 million in profits. CNB continues to grow and expects to acquire new businesses in the future.
CNB currently employs more than 4,400 people in northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. The Cherokee Nation and its businesses employ more than 8,000 people in all, making it one of the area’s largest employers.
CNB’s vision is to be the model tribal enterprise delivering superior value and providing financial independence to the Cherokee Nation through sustained growth, job creation, and diversified business development.
1.2 Project Objective
1.21 Overview
Cherokee Nation Business (CNB) is currently in the process of selecting a partner for the business process evaluation, process design, and project implementationofboth Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management. CNB plans to select a partner that provides:
Experience in the technical and functional implementation of both the Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management products
In depth knowledge of implementing “Best Practice” business solutions
Analysis ability to asses CNB’s current business systems and provide recommendations to satisfy CNB’s design goals
Experience with Fit Gap Analysis
Financial knowledge and understanding of the integration and consolidation of multiple businesses
Proven project management experience
1.22 Process
Process objectives include:
Consolidation of multiple business systems including PeopleSoft Financials, Deltek, Accura, and Quickbooks
Chart of Account mapping for multiple business entities
An elimination structure created to consolidate financial reporting
Improved reporting processes
Efficiencies established across all business entities
Manual processes automated and elimination of workarounds across all entities
Development of a consolidation process with minimal or no customizations
Improved monthly and year end close processes
Ability to achieve consolidated financial statements in a more timely manner
1.23 Evaluation Approach
CNB understands each vendor will bring its own methodology to the project, however, the Hyperion implementation project must include:
Configuration Evaluation/Construction
Documentation of Business Processes, including Business Process Flows for both products as stand alones
Improvement recommendations
Planning
1.24 Key Deliverables
Documentation of process flows for both products, each as a standalone project
Documentation of configuration recommendations for each product
Overall Project plan,structured by business entityand by product
Documentation, by product, of any customizations required
Separate project schedules for both products to include identified times for design, development, testing, training and implementation
1.25 Business Entities
The following arethe consolidated CNBbusinesses currently anticipated to be included in the Project, subject to change prior to the Hyperion implementation:
Cherokee Nation Businesses, LLC
Cherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC
Cherokee Nation Industries, LLC
Cherokee Services Group, LLC
Cherokee Nation Technologies, LLC
Cherokee Nation Technology Solutions, LLC
Cherokee Nation Government Solutions, LLC
Cherokee Nation Assurance, LLC
Cherokee Nation Security & Defense, LLC
Cherokee Nation Red Wing, LLC
Cherokee Healthcare Services
Cherokee Medical Services, LLC
CNB New Market Tax Credit
CN Property Management, LLC
Cherokee Nation Construction Services, LLC
CN Construction Resources
Mobility Plus, LLC
1.26 Project Completion Criteria – Financial Management:
All businesses reviewed for accuracy, an implementation plan documented, and a fully configured system in operation
All business owners, BCG management , and IT management agree on a plan of action to accomplish system functionality and approve the completed consolidation process
All customizations are fully documented and transitioned to CNB IT support personnel
CNB Management and the Steering Committee sign off on documentation, the project plan, and a functioning system in place.
1.27 Project Completion Criteria – Close Management:
Design of process flow documented, an implementation plan documented, and theClose process configured and in operation
All business owners, BCG management , and IT management agree on a plan of action to accomplish system functionality and approve the completed consolidation process
All customizations are fully documented and transitioned to CNB IT support personnel
CNB Management and the Steering Committee sign off on documentation, the project plan, and a functioning system in place
1.3 Project Assumptions
1.31 Overall
The system will be configured in United States currency and English. No multicurrency capabilities will be used.
All vendor team members will communicate fluently in English.
All documentation created by the project team will be written in English.
The selected vendor will assist in coordinating meetings, observations and phone surveys with existing customers.
CNB will determine, based on consultant’s recommendations, on an implementation plan. The consultant team is responsible for recommending design specifications once that decision is made.
CNB will determine the schedule of implementation approach, based on consultant team’s recommendation, as to whether both products will be implemented concurrently or independently as Phase I and Phase II.
The selected vendor will provide training materials for CNB personnel to utilize for end user training
The selected vendor will transfer technical and functional knowledge of configuration and customizations
1.32 Manual Processes
Manual Processes to HyperionFinancial Management – The consultant team in conjunction with CNB IT Representatives will assist in evaluating anddesigning the specifications for identified processes including the file format needed to effectively feed information into Hyperion Financial Management.
Manual Processes to Hyperion Close Management – The consultant team in conjunction with CNB IT Representatives will assist in evaluating anddesigning the specifications for identified processes including the file format needed to effectively feed information into Hyperion Close Management.
1.33 Technical
Oracle’s responsibility for the accuracy and consistency of the software and documentation are described in the software license agreement and not addressed here.
There will be a centralized database instance of the Microsoft SQLServer database supporting all locations and business units.
Timely access to the network and hardware environment will be provided by CNB to the project team 24/7 to troubleshoot and resolve technology issues.
The testing environment will be installed before the project commences.
Backup/recovery procedures will be performed by CNB throughout the project to avoid loss of data. The capability for database restores to occur within 24 hours of calendar time of system failure will be in place.
1.34 Extended User Team
CNB will establish an extended user team for both products in addition to the core project team that will participate at various stages of each project, primarily during the requirements definition and process design stages.
1.4 Dependencies
Many CNB project team members and other department personnel involved have other responsibilities that can delay the project
1.41 Critical Success Factors
Commitment to change throughout CNB
Prompt resolution of issues and decisions
Consultants with process experience and knowledge of Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management
Availability of Hyperion environments
Project deadlines met
Costs contained within budget
Harmonious relationships maintained among the project teams
Top management support of the project team and implementation
Committed project team of subject matter experts, augmented by business owners and IT personnel where necessary
Clearly assigned accountability for project tasks
Sufficient resources with appropriate segregation of duties committed to the project
Timely Status updates by all team members
Structured Change Management Process
Timely escalation of issues and missed project due dates
Committed Sponsorship
1.42 Application Management
The implementation will require the creation and maintenance of a test environment.
1.43 Quality Assurance
To ensure that the project team is executing the proposed project plan as submitted, CNB retains the right to review and cancel the agreement after the project begins. In that event, CNB will pay all reasonable and documented vendor costs in accordance with CNB’s Travel and Expense Policy up through the termination date with no further liability to vendor.
CNB retains the right to request replacement team members from the vendor and have a team member changed in a timely manner.
The functional design and implementation plan requires design team members, a design team manager, and a user manager to sign-off prior to completion of the design project independently for both Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management.
Project status including work complete, estimated time to completion, and missed due dates must be delivered to the steering committee on a weekly basisindependently for both Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management.
A final design report must be delivered to the project steering committee prior to completion of the projectfor both Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management.
Success of the HyperionFinancial Management project will be measured in a design for an automated consolidated business process that includes elimination of manual processes, in the utilization of delivered Hyperion functionality that meets business requirements,in the creation of a strategic implementation plan, and in the successful implementation of Hyperion Financial Management for all businesses.
Success of the Hyperion Close Management project will be measured in a design for an automated close process that includes elimination of manual processes, in the utilization of delivered Hyperion functionality to meet business requirements, in the creation of a strategic implementation plan, and in the successful implementation of Hyperion Close Management across all business entities.
An issue log must be created and maintained for both products. Status must be reported weekly with number of issues resolved and new issues added for both Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management.
A Change Management process must be established with clear guidelines for requesting a change, approval necessary for change to be implemented, responsibility for change timeline, and determination of successful completion.
1.44 Risk Analysis Summary
Risks for the design and implementation of both the financial consolidation system project and the close management project include missing key deadlines and extending either or bothimplementation timelines.Risks and their potential impact should be identified in the design strategies of each business entity and for each product. Documentation should cover both the impact of selecting or rejecting the design, implementation impacts of each product and inter-dependencies (if any) of the two separate projects.Risk assessment must also recognize staff is not knowledgeable of Hyperion or the process design.
1.5 Project Team and Responsibilities
The Project Team will be vital to the overall project success as well as the success for each product. CNB will assign the appropriate resources to meet the agreed upon schedule and deliverables.
To ensure that either the combined product project or each product project is on schedule and work is completed, weekly status meetings will be required from the Project Team and weekly status reports submitted to the appropriate project manager. Project status includes project outlook, brief overview, completion of assigned issues/deliverables, items that were planned but not accomplished, miscellaneous items, issues and concerns, key activities planned for the next week, and key dates, including time off. All issues/deliverables that have been noted as completed must be approved by the Business Owner and submitted at weekly status meetings for review and project team approval.
The following matrix outlines the roles and their responsibilities; team members will be identified prior to start of work.
Roles / ResponsibilitiesProject Sponsor(s) / CNB Executive(s) affected by each project will provide project approval, project funding, direction, sponsorship, and timely problem resolution.
The project sponsor(s) will receive the monthly status report and may periodically attend the steering council meetings.
Steering Council / Appointed CNB personnel from Financial Accounting and Reporting, andIT Application Services affected by both projects. These individuals are responsible for approving significant changes to the system, resolving conflicts over policy or objectives, providing high-level direction, providing project resources as required by the project plan, reviewing the results of the project team deliverables, and approving change order requests.
CNB Business Project Manager / Responsible for the overall success of the projects by ensuring that the business requirements are fulfilled while facilitating organizational change during the implementation process.
In addition, responsible for coordinating the utilization and proactive participation of the business resources both within the project team and those involved outside the project team.
Work closely with IT Project Manager and Implementation Partner in updating the overall project plan.
Business Project Consultant / Responsible for the overall success of the projects by ensuring that the business requirements are fulfilled while facilitating documentedprocess design, process changes, policy and procedures, testing, and training.
CNB Business Owners / Each major department or business entity affected for each project will assign a business owner that is responsible for assigning the correct business process specialists, making sure policy and procedures are completed and reviewed, ensuring high and dedicated performance from their assigned team members, and providing direction and guidance to their team members in the design and implementation phase for both Hyperion Financial Management and Hyperion Close Management.
CNB Business Process Specialists / Each major department or business entity affected will assign the necessary team members to participate in the implementation effort. These individuals are specialized in one area or process and must have overall knowledge of the current processes, policy and procedures, etc to provide insight into current state processes for informational purposes during the implementationprocess.
CNB BCG Lead / Designated BCG individual who is responsible for the BCG Analysts. This individual will ensure correct BCG personnel are available, participating in all phases of business project plan, meeting deadlines, receiving knowledge transfer and performing to high and dedicated performance levels.
CNB BCG Analyst / Designated BCG personnel, who will participate in the design, perform all setup and configuration, conduct testing, and training including assisting increating training manuals and implementation strategy.
CNB Technical Owner / Responsible for assigning the correct technical team, ensuring technical infrastructure and system uptime meets operational requirements, ensuring dedicated performance from their assigned team members, and providing direction and guidance to their team members during the implementation process.
CNB Technical Lead / The technical lead is responsible for the technical team’s performance, and ensuring the environments are available and ready for the business team.
CNB Technical Team Members / Designated IT personnel who will perform hardware, architecture and network setup. Participate in the business process documentation and implementation strategy phases.
Database design
1.6 Project Resources Forecast
1.61 Hardware
CNB will provide computers and phone access for all project team members. CNB will provide access to printers for all project team members.
1.62 Software
It is assumed that CNB project managers will have access to Microsoft Project. All CNB project team members will have access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. All CNB and contractor project team members will have access to CNB email (mainly for scheduling).
1.63 Office Space
CNB will provide a dedicated work environment for the project team throughout all of the phases of the implementation project. This includes workspace, meeting rooms and training space.
1.64 Security
This work environment will include access to the appropriate CNB environments, applications, networks, printers and other peripheral devices needed during the project. Contractors will have 24/7 access to workspace and applicable environments for the duration of the design and implementation except during monthly maintenance windows.
1.65 Outside Access
CNB will provide access to Internet or dial-out capabilities to access Hyperion and contractor networks, websites, and databases.
2.0 RFP GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 RFP Overview
The goal of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to determine if your services meet the functional and technical needs of CNB. Please feel free to submit any additional information you deem appropriate for this project.
Any CD-ROM/disk, and/or user documentation submitted with your proposal will be returned upon written request. All other materials provided will become the property of CNB and will not be returned to the vendor. CNB reserves the right to make partial awards, award all work or not award any work in relation to this RFP.