MSC has been commissioned
by MiCTA and the ATAlliance to coordinate the RFP
process on behalf of the membership. The goal of these
national RFP's is to harness Member purchasing power,
which provides the strength to positively influence
both pricing and industry trends. Once a project is
approved by the respective boards, MSC begins the
RFP process by extending an invitation to Members
to participate.
The most important contributions members can make
to this process are 1) sharing knowledge / expertise,
2) time, and 3) support of the successful vendors
through contract usage. The benefits Members receive
through the RFP process and resulting agreements far
outweigh the cost to participate. Benefits include,
but are not limited to the following: |
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Cost savings based on aggregated
demand for specific products and services |
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Vendor choices through Endorsed
(Best Value) and Approved (Very Good Value) program
offerings |
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Strong associations with major
companies who are industry leaders |
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Procurement cost reductions based
on the expense of issuing, evaluating and awarding
an individual organization / institution RFP |
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Strength in numbers affords the
opportunity to positively influence industry and market
trends |
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Access to vast MiCTA / ATAlliance
Member knowledge and expertise |
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Opportunity to network with your
peers on projects important to your organization /
institution |
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The following information
will assist members in making an informed decision
on where their participation will result in the most
favorable outcomes for the entire organization.
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Typically, the Development
Committee meets 2-3 days off-site at a central location.
Often, the initial meeting will be “face-to-face”
as critical issues are discussed and decisions made
on the scope of the project, best approach, technical
issues, standards citing, etc. MSC will provide conference
call access to any member wishing to participate,
but unable to travel
After the initial meeting, document edits are updated
by MSC and distributed to committee members for the
on-going review process. Weekly conference calls,
lasting approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours, address current
edits, technology changes, RFP process, etc. This
review / edit process may continue for three - five
weeks after the initial meeting. Once the RFP has
been released, MSC asks that committee members remain
available on an “as needed basis” during
the posting period. Committee duties include, but
are not limited to, the following: |
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Work with the MiCTA Network and
Technology Committee to define the technical specifications,
and list of required technical submissions to be included
in the RFP |
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Identify industry standards to
be cited in the RFP |
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Determine any member participation
terms and conditions which may be required of the
successful vendors prior to members utilizing the
resulting agreements |
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Determine the evaluation criteria
and weight factors to be published in the RFP |
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Identify potential vendors to be
included on the distribution list |
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Review the final RFP document prior
to being released |
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Identify the most logical professional
publication for the release notice |
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Remain available to address any
technical inquiries during the posting period |
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Provide a brief personal testimonial
on the RFP development process, which may be used
in MiCTA / ATAlliance publications and web site |
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Due to the involved
evaluation process, Evaluation Committee members are
encouraged to participate in as many of the various
phases as their schedule permit. The time requirements
for evaluating vendor responses include, but is not
limited to 1) evaluation retreat, 1-2 weeks, held
off-site in a central location, 2) vendor presentation
/ demonstration, 1 week off-site, and 3) final RFP
award review and recommendations, 1-2 days either
off-site or via conference calls. Any processes required
between the scheduled full committee meetings, are
addressed via conference calls and e-mail. Due to
the confidentiality of the information being reviewed,
MSC prefers participants reading and scoring responses
be on-site, but will make allowance whenever possible
to accommodate those wishing to participate but unable
to travel.
Typically, reading assignments are divided into three
segments including 1) general business / boilerplate,
2) product specifications, and 3) technical requirements.
Members can also participate from their home locations
by processing either financial verifications or customer
reference verifications. |
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Read and score all vendor RFP responses |
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Issue, review and score Deficiency
Reports or Clarification Requests |
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Eliminate unresponsive vendors,
and send action notification |
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Process financial verification
– typically completed away from the evaluation
retreat |
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Process vendor reference verification
– typically completed away from the evaluation
retreat |
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Participate and score required
vendor presentations and product demonstrations, or
participate in customer site visits |
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Determine each vendor's cost value
ratio based on all facets of the evaluation process |
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Process benchmark cost analysis
and apply the cost value ratio |
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Consider Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
opportunity |
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Determine RFP award recommendations |
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Assist with developing whitepaper
reports for product testing completed as part of the
RFP process |
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Provide a brief personal testimonial
on the RFP evaluation and award process, which may
be used in MiCTA / ATAlliance publications and web
site |
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| MiCTA / ATAlliance
Members can assure the success of each RFP initiative
by assuming ownership through active participation
in the process, and showing support for the successful
vendors through usage of the resulting agreements.
Members interested in participating in current or
future RFP initiatives may contact Clancy DeLong at
cdelong@micta.org or 888-870-8677. |
