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RFP: How to create lean, mean, and focused RFPs

Read this if you are an IT Leader, CFO, COO, or other C-suite leader responsible for selecting a new system.

Vendor demonstrations are an important milestone in the vendor selection process for organizations assessing new software systems. Demonstrations allow you to validate what a vendor’s software is capable of, evaluate the usability with your own eyes, and confirm the fit to your organization’s objectives.

Pre-COVID-19, such demonstrations would generally take place in person. During the middle of COVID-19, remote demos were the only option. Today, organizations have choices between in-person or remote demos. Given staffing challenges and vendor schedules, remote demos can be more efficient and flexible and are a choice worth considering.

Here are some of the key success factors and lessons learned we found conducting and completing remote demonstrations.

1. Prepare thoroughly for your remote software demo
   Establish a clear agenda, schedule, script, and plan prior to demonstrations. This helps keep everyone coordinated throughout the demos.
2. Test the software vendor’s videoconference system
   It’s important to test the vendor’s videoconference solution from all locations prior to the demonstrations. We test with vendors a week in advance.
3. Establish ground rules for the demo
   Establishing ground rules enhances meeting effectiveness, efficiency, and timeliness. For example, should questions be asked as they come up, or should participants wait until the speaker pauses? Should the chat function be utilized instead?
4. Have clear roles by location
   Clear roles help to facilitate the demonstration. Designated timekeepers, scribes, and local facilitators help the demonstration go smoothly, and decrease communication issues.
5. Be close to the microphone
   This is common sense, but when you’re in a virtual environment and you may not be on screen, be sure that you’re close to the microphone and are speaking clearly so everyone can hear you.
6. Ask vendors to build in pauses to allow for questions
   Since vendors may not be able to see a hand raised, asking vendors to build specific pauses into their demonstrations allows space for questions to be asked easily. Consider designating a team member to monitor for hands raised and to interject so that a question can be asked in a timely manner.
7. Do a virtual debrief
   At the end of each vendor demonstration, we have our own virtual meeting set up to facilitate a debrief. This allows us to capture the evaluation notes of the day prior to the next demo. Planning these in advance and having them on people’s calendars makes joining the meetings quick and seamless.

Observations and other lessons learned from remote vendor demos

After facilitating many remote software vendor demos, we’ve identified these lessons learned unique to virtual demos. 

Visibility is actually better with remote demos
Virtual demos allow everyone to see the demo on their own screen, which actually makes it easier to see than if you were doing the demo on-site. 

Different virtual platforms require orientation
We want vendors to use the tools they are accustomed to using, which means we need to use different products for different demonstrations. This is not insurmountable, but requires orientation to get used to their tools at the start of each demo.

Establishing the order in which team members provide feedback is useful
It’s helpful to establish an order in which participants speak and share their thoughts. This limits talking over each other and allows everyone to hear the thoughts of their peers clearly.

Staying engaged takes effort
Sitting all day on a remote demo and paying attention requires effort to stay engaged. Building in specific times for Q&A, calling on people by name, and designing the day with breaks can help people stay engaged all day.

Remote software demos can be highly successful, accomplish your goals, and help you meet critical timing milestones. We’ve found that post-COVID-19 when remote demos follow the guidelines above, they are often more efficient and engaging than if they had been conducted on-site. If you need assistance in implementing a healthcare IT solution, our team would be happy to help. Learn about our services. 

Read this if you use, manage, or procure public safety and corrections technology. 

In our previous post, we discussed the link between developing a technology RFP with meaning, structure, and clarity to enhance the competitive nature of the solicitation. In this article, we ask: How can your agency synthesize and unify existing business processes with industry standards to attract modern OMS providers? The answer? Your agency crosswalks. 

Industry standards, such as those set by the Corrections Technology Association (CTA) and American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), establish the benchmark for modern operations. However, legacy correction software limitations often blur the one-to-one relationship with industry standards. For that reason, crosswalk tools help agencies map current process into industry-wide standards.

CTA Functional Areas

Agencies crosswalk in preparation for a corrections technology procurement to help align system requirements with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) corrections management systems. In revisiting the topics of clarity, meaning, and structure, the crosswalk helps technology vendors understand your current operations, the tools your currently use to support the operations, and the way in which those operations relate to industry functional areas.

In an iterative fashion, the CTA crosswalk first helps you understand your agency’s technology and operational structure, and then communicates system requirements to correction technology providers in an industry-led framework. The approach helps you transition from your legacy processes to your new operational environment.

Although your agency can engage the market with a meaningful, structured, and clear RFP, prequalification and contract vehicles provide a viable alternative of enhancement to procuring a new offender management system. The following advantages and disadvantages can inform your agency’s decision to use a prequalification vehicle.

Advantages:

1. Non-competitive procurement can often be accomplished more quickly given the absence of the timeframe usually dedicated to the development of the RFP, posting to potential vendors, and evaluation of proposals.
2. Reduced uncertainties in terms of what a vendor is able to provide since an open dialog starts immediately.
3. Competitive procurement (secondary competition) under a contract vehicle is limited to the vendors who proposed and were awarded. Only higher performing vendors are likely to be able to respond, particularly if only certain vendors are selected from the list.
4. Potentially better pricing as a vendor can eliminate unknowns through open communication, so less risk is priced into the proposal.
5. A better environment around requested changes, as a vendor that has maintained a certain margin in their pricing may be more amenable to no-cost change orders.

Disadvantages:

1. The agency loses some negotiating advantage when a vendor knows they are the only ones in the procurement conversation. 
2. A vendor may have less incentive to “put their best foot forward” and offer higher levels of service and functionality.
3. Competitive cost may not be obtained because the vendor doesn’t have to worry about beating a competitor.
4. Secondary competition may take a somewhat similar timeframe because the solicitation, evaluation, and award processes take a similar amount of time to an RFP for larger projects.

The trajectory to develop an RFP for new corrections management software spans assessing existing operations and technology to including mapping current operations into industry standards clarity. At the same time your agency should consider the driving and constraining factors for using a prequalification or contract vehicle.

BerryDunn has experience with cross-walking agencies into industry-leading practices, and we also understand the need for non-standard RFPs that extend beyond CTA and APPA guidelines. Reach out to our public safety consultants if you have questions, or look out for our next blog providing insight on adapting to and overlapping challenges in non-standard corrections technology procurements.

Read this if you use, manage, or procure public safety and corrections technology. 

When initiating the selection of a new technology platform to replace legacy software, how does an agency ensure the new system addresses functional and technical requirements while also complying with procurement standards? Request for Proposals (RFP) serve as an effective purchasing vehicle, particularly when agencies seek to identify modern technology with professional services to implement the software. While correctional agencies may use an RFP to engage a new Offender Management System (OMS) provider, the complexities of the industry and vast range of best practices complicate the planning, scoping, issuance, and evaluation process. 

With the long-term vision set to complete projects on time, under budget, and within scope, independent third-parties write technology RFPs to enhance traceability and accountability during implementation.

An independent third-party can help your agency:

1. Define a meaningful project scope to scale the vendor market and guide quality proposals
2. Develop effective forms, worksheets, and attachments to supplement RFP requirements to support compliance and meet proposal standards
3. Build a balanced evaluation committee with impartial scoring criteria to represent agency-wide needs and fairly rank vendors
4. Craft a structured procurement package that attracts multiple vendors to find the solution that best fits your needs
5. Design a reasonable and achievable RFP schedule of events to finish the project in a timely manner
6. Reduce ambiguity and increase clarity of RFP terms to streamline the process

If your agency incorporates a sound strategy to craft a meaningful RFP, then a lengthy, meandering procurement journey will become a well-defined, objective, and seamless process to identify new software. Furthermore, you can enhance competitive responses with an RFP free from ambiguity―and full of clarity.

If your corrections agency does engage outside help to facilitate development of an RFP for new OMS software, you should ensure that the third party you engage has experience supporting a meaningful, balanced, and structured purchasing process. BerryDunn injects best practices from the Corrections Technology Association (CTA) and American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). Pairing CTA and APPA standards with an RFP tailored to the technology markets will help an agency boost vendor responses to ultimately improve critical operations.

Reach out to our public safety consultants directly for questions, or look out for our next blog providing insight on leveraging industry standards (e.g., CTA, APPA) when crafting an RFP for corrections technology.
 

The BerryDunn Recovery Advisory Team has compiled this guide to COVID-19 consulting resources for state and local government agencies and higher education institutions.

We have provided a list of our consulting services related to data analysis, CARES Act funding and procurement, and legislation and policy implementation. Many of these services can be procured via the NASPO ValuePoint Procurement Acquisition Support Services contract.

READ THE GUIDE NOW

We're here to help.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@berrydunn.com

Read this if you are a CIO, CFO, Provost, or President at a higher education institution.

In my conversations with CIO friends over the past weeks, it is obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a lot of change for institutions. Information technology is the underlying foundation for supporting much of this change, and as such, IT leaders face a variety of new demands now and into the future. Here are important considerations going forward.

Swift impact to IT and rapid response

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on higher education. At the onset of this pandemic, institutions found themselves quickly pivoting to work from home (WFH), moving to remote campus operations, remote instruction within a few weeks, and in some cases, a few days. Most CIOs I spoke with indicated that they were prepared, to some extent, thanks to Cloud services and online class offerings already in place—it was mostly a matter of scaling the services across the entire campus and being prepared for returning students and faculty on the heels of an extended spring break.

Services that were not in place required creative and rapid deployment to meet the new demand. For example, one CIO mentioned the capability to have staff accept calls from home. The need for softphones to accommodate student service and helpdesk calls at staff homes required rapid purchase, deployment, and training.

Most institutions have laptop loan programs in place but not scaled to the size needed during this pandemic. Students who choose to attend college on campus are now forced to attend school from home and may not have the technology they need. The need for laptop loans increased significantly. Some institutions purchased and shipped laptops directly to students’ homes. 

CIO insights about people

CIOs shared seeing positive outcomes with their staff. Almost all of the CIOs I spoke with mentioned how the pandemic has spawned creativity and problem solving across their organizations. In some cases, past staffing challenges were put on hold as managers and staff have stepped up and engaged constructively. Some other positive changes shared by CIOs:

• Communication has improved—a more intentional exchange, a greater sense of urgency, and problem solving have created opportunities for staff to get engaged during video calls.
• Teams focusing on high priority initiatives and fewer projects have yielded successful results. 
• People feel a stronger connection with each other because they are uniting behind a common purpose.

Perhaps this has reduced the noise that most staff seem to hear daily about competing priorities and incoming requests that seem to never end.

Key considerations and a framework for IT leaders 

It is too early to fully understand the impact on IT during this phase of the pandemic. However, we are beginning to see budgetary concerns that will impact all institutions in some way. As campuses work to get their budgets settled, cuts could affect most departments—IT included. In light of the increased demand for technology, cuts could be less than anticipated to help ensure critical services and support are uninterrupted. Other future impacts to IT will likely include:

• Support for a longer term WFH model and hybrid options
• Opportunities for greater efficiencies and possible collaborative agreements between institutions to reduce costs
• Increased budgets for online services, licenses, and technologies
• Need for remote helpdesk support, library services, and staffing
• Increased training needs for collaborative and instructional software
• Increased need for change management to help support and engage staff in the new ways of providing services and support
• Re-evaluation of organizational structure and roles to right-size and refocus positions in a more virtual environment
• Security and risk management implications with remote workers
  • Accessibility to systems and classes 

IT leaders should examine these potential changes over the next three to nine months using a phased approach. The diagram below describes two phases of impact and areas of focus for consideration. 

As IT leaders continue to support their institutions through these phases, focusing on meeting the needs of faculty, staff, and students will be key in the success of their institutions. Over time, as IT leaders move from surviving to thriving, they will have opportunities to be strategic and create new ways of supporting teaching and learning. While it remains to be seen what the future holds, change is here. 

How prepared are you to support your institution? 

If we can help you navigate through these phases, have perspective to share, or any questions, please contact us. We’re here to help.

Read this if you are a State Medicaid Director, State Medicaid Chief Information Officer, State Medicaid Project Manager, or State Procurement Officer—or if you work on a State Medicaid Enterprise System (MES) certification effort.

On October 24, 2019, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) published the Outcomes-Based Certification (OBC) guidance for the Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) module. Now, CMS is looking to bring the OBC process to the rest of the Medicaid Enterprise. 

The shift from a technical-focused certification to a business outcome-focused approach presents a unique opportunity for states as they begin re-procuring—and certifying—their Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES).

Once you have defined the scope of your MES project—and know you need to undertake CMS certification—you need to ask “what’s next?” OBC can be a more efficient certification process to secure Federal Financial Participation (FFP).

What does OBC certification entail?

Rethinking certification in terms of business outcomes will require agencies to engage business and operations units at the earliest possible point of the project development process to define the program goals and define what a successful implementation is. One way to achieve this is to consider MES projects in three steps. 

Three steps to OBC evaluation

Step 1: Define outcomes

The first step in OBC planning seems easy enough: define outcomes. But what is an outcome? To answer that, it’s important to understand what an outcome isn’t. An outcome isn’t an activity. Instead, an outcome is the result of the activity. For example, the activity could be procuring an EVV solution. In this instance, an outcome could be that the state has increased the ability to detect fraud, waste, and abuse through increased visibility into the EVV solution.

Step 2: Determine measurements

The second step in the OBC process is to determine what to measure and how exactly you will measure it. Deciding what metrics will accurately capture progress toward the new outcomes may be intuitive and therefore easy to define. For example, a measure might simply be that each visit is captured within the EVV solution.

Increasing the ability to detect fraud, waste, and abuse could simply be measured by the number of cases referred to a Medicaid fraud unit or dollars recovered. However, you may not be able to easily measure that in the short-term. Instead, you may need to determine its measurement in terms of an intermediate goal, like increasing the number of claims checked against new data as a result of the new EVV solution. By increasing the number of checked claims, states can ensure that claims are not being paid for unverified visits. 

Step 3: Frequency and reporting

Finally, the state will need to determine how often to report to measure success. States will need to consider the nuances of their own Medicaid programs and how those nuances fit into CMS’ expectations, including what data is available at what intervals.

OBC represents a fundamental change to the certification process, but it’s important to highlight that OBC isn’t completely unfamiliar territory. There is likely to be some carry-over from the certification process as described in the Medicaid Enterprise Certification Toolkit (MECT) version 2.3. The current Medicaid Enterprise Certification (MEC) checklists serve as the foundation for a more abbreviated set of criteria. New evaluation criteria will look and feel like the criteria of old but are likely to be a fraction of the 741 criteria present in the MECT version 2.3.

OBC offers several benefits to states as you navigate federal certification requirements:

1. You will experience a reduction in the amount of time, effort, and resources necessary to undertake the certification process. 
2. OBC refocuses procurement in terms of enhancements to the program, not in new functions. Consequently, states will also be able to demonstrate the benefits that each module brings to the program which can be integral to stakeholder support of each module. 
3. Early adoption of the OBC process can allow you to play a more proactive role in certification efforts.

Continue to check back for a series of our project case studies. Additionally, if you are considering an OBC effort and have questions, please contact our team. You can read the OBC guidance on the CMS website here. 
 

Editor's note: read this blog if you are a state liquor administrator or at the C-level in state government. 

Surprisingly, the keynote address to this year’s annual meeting of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) featured few comments on, well, alcohol. 

Why? Because cannabis is now the hot topic in state government, as consumers await its legalization. While the thought of selling cannabis may seem foreign to some state administrators, many liquor agencies are―and should be―watching. The fact is, state liquor agencies are already equipped with expertise and the technology infrastructure needed to lawfully sell a controlled substance. This puts them in a unique position to benefit from the industry’s continued growth. Common technology includes enterprise resource planning (ERP) and point-of-sale (POS) systems.

ERP

State liquor agencies typically use an ERP system to integrate core business functions, including finance, human resources, and supply chain management. Whether the system is handling bottles of wine, cases of spirits, or bags of cannabis, it is capable of achieving the same business goals. 

The existing checks and balances on controlled substances like alcohol in their current ERP system translate well to cannabis products. This leads to an important point: state governments do not need to procure a new IT system solely for regulating cannabis.

By leveraging existing ERP systems, state liquor agencies can sidestep much of the time, effort, and expense of selecting, procuring, and implementing a new system solely for cannabis sales and management. In control states, where the state has exclusively control of alcohol sales, liquor agencies are often involved in every stage of product lifecycle, from procurement to distribution to retailing.

With a few modifications, the spectrum of business functions that control states require for liquor—procuring new product, communicating with vendors and brokers, tracking inventory, and analyzing sales—can work just as well for cannabis.

POS

POS systems are necessary for most retail stores. If a state liquor agency decides to sell cannabis products in stores, they can use a POS system to integrate with the agency’s ERP system, though store personnel may require training to help ensure compliance with related regulations.

Cannabis is cash only (for now)

There is one major difference in conducting liquor versus cannabis sales at any level: currently states conduct all cannabis sales in cash. With cannabis illegal on the federal level, major banks have opted to decline any deposit of funds earned from cannabis-related sales. While some community banks are conducting cannabis-related banking, many retailers selling recreational cannabis in places like Colorado and California still deal in cash. While risky and not without challenges, these transactions are possible and less onerous to federal regulators. 

Taxes 

As markets develop, monthly tax revenue collections from cannabis continue to grow. Colorado and California have found cannabis-related tax revenue a powerful tool in hedging against uncertainty in year-over-year cash flows. Similar to beer sold wholesale, which liquor agencies tax even in control states, cannabis can be taxed at multiple levels depending on the state’s business model.

E-commerce

Even with liquor, few state agencies have adopted direct-to-consumer online sales. However, as other industries continue shifting toward e-commerce and away from brick and mortar retailing, private sector competition will likely feed increased consumer demand for online sales. Similar to ERP and POS systems, states can increase revenue by selling cannabis through e-commerce sales channels. In today’s online retail world, many prefer to buy products from their computer or smart phone instead of shopping in stores. State agencies should consider selling cannabis via the web to maximize this revenue opportunity. 

Applying expertise in the systems and processes of alcoholic beverage control can translate into the sale and regulation of cannabis, easing the transition states face to this burgeoning industry. If your agency is considering bringing in cannabis under management, you should consider strategic planning sessions and even begin a change management approach to ensure your agency adapts successfully. 

Law enforcement, courts, prosecutors, and corrections personnel provide many complex, seemingly limitless services. Seemingly is the key word here, for in reality these personnel provide a set number of incredibly important services.

Therefore, it should surprise no one that justice and public safety (J&PS) IT departments should also provide a well-defined set of services. However, these departments are often viewed as parking lots for all technical problems. The disconnect between IT and other J&PS business units often stems from differences in organizational culture and structure, and differing department objectives and goals. As a result, J&PS organizations often experience misperception between business units and IT. The solution to this disconnect and misperception? Defining IT department services.

The benefits of defined IT services

1. Increased business customer satisfaction. Once IT services align with customer needs, and expectations are established (e.g., service costs and service level agreements), customers can expect to receive the services they agreed to, and the IT department can align staff and skill levels to successfully meet those needs.
2. Improved IT personnel morale. With clear definition of the services they provide to their customers, including clearly defined processes for customers to request those services, IT personnel will no longer be subject to “rogue” questions or requests, and customers won’t be inclined to circumvent the process. This decreases IT staff stress and enables them to focus on their roles in providing the defined services. 
3. Better alignment of IT services to organizational needs. Through collaboration between the business and IT organizations, the business is able to clearly articulate the IT services that are, and aren’t, required. IT can help define realistic service levels and associated services costs, and can align IT staff and skills to the agreed-upon services. This results in increased IT effectiveness and reduced confusion regarding what services the business can expect from IT.
4. More collaboration between IT and the organization. The collaboration between the IT and business units in defining services results in an enhanced relationship between these organizations, increasing trust and clarifying expectations. This collaborative model continues as the services required by the business evolve, and IT evolves to support them.
5. Reduced costs. J&PS organizations that fail to strategically align IT and business strategy face increasing financial costs, as the organization is unable to invest IT dollars wisely. When a business doesn’t see IT as an enabler of business strategy, IT is no longer the provider of choice—and ultimately risks IT services being outsourced to a third-party vendor.

Next steps
Once a J&PS IT department defines its services to support business needs, it then can align the IT staffing model (i.e., numbers of staff, skill sets, roles and responsibilities), and continue to collaborate with the business to identify evolving services, as well as remove services that are no longer relevant. Contact us for help with this next step and other IT strategies and tactics for justice and public safety organizations.

When an organization wants to select and implement a new software solution, the following process typically occurs:

1. The organization compiles a list of requirements for essential and non-essential (but helpful) functions.
2. The organization incorporates the requirements into an RFP to solicit solutions from vendors.
3. The organization selects finalist vendors to provide presentations and demonstrations.
4. The organization selects one preferred vendor based on various qualifications, including how well the vendor’s solution meets the requirements listed in the RFP. A contract between the organization and vendor is executed for delivery of the solution.
5. The preferred vendor conducts a gap analysis to see if there are gaps between the requirements and its solution—and discloses those gaps.
6. The preferred vendor resolves the gaps, which often results in change orders, cost adjustments, and delays.

Sound painful? It can be. Step #5—the gap analysis, and its post-contract timing—is the main culprit. However, without it, an organization will be unaware of solution shortcomings, which can lead to countless problems down the road. So what’s an organization to do?

A Possible Solution
One suggestion: Don’t wait until you choose the preferred vendor for a gap analysis. Have finalist vendors conduct pre-contract gap analyses for you.

You read that right. Pay each finalist vendor to visit your organization for a week to learn about your current and desired software needs. Then pay them to develop and present a report, based on both the RFP and on-site discussions, which outlines how their solution will meet your current and desired software needs—as well as how they will meet any gaps. Among other things, a pre-contract gap analysis will help finalist vendors determine:

• Whether programming changes are necessary to meet requirements
• Whether functions can be provided through configuration setup, changes in database tables, or some other non-customized solution
• What workarounds will be necessary
• What functionalities they can't, or won't, provide

Select a preferred vendor based on both their initial proposal and solution report.
Of course, to save time and money, you could select only one finalist vendor for the pre-contract gap analysis. But having multiple finalist vendors creates a competitive environment that can benefit your organization, and can prevent your organization from having to go back to other vendors if you’re dissatisfied with the single finalist vendor’s proposal and solution report, or if contract negotiations prove unsuccessful.

Pros
You can set realistic expectations. By having finalist vendors conduct gap analyses during the selection process, they will gain a better understanding of your organization, and both your essential and nonessential software needs. In turn, your organization gets a better understanding of the functionality and limitations of the proposed solutions. This allows your organization to pinpoint costs for system essentials, including costs to address identified gaps. Your organization can also explore the benefits and costs of optional functions. Knowing the price breakdowns ahead of time will allow your organization to adjust its system requirements list.

You can reduce the need for, or pressure to accept, scope changes and change orders. Adding to, or deleting from, the scope of work after solution implementation is underway can create project delays and frustration. Nailing down gaps—and the preferred vendor’s solutions to meet those gaps—on the front end increases efficiency, helps to ensure best use of project resources, and minimizes unnecessary work or rework. It may also save you expense later on in the process.

Cons
You will incur additional up-front costs. Obviously, your organization will have to pay to bring finalist vendors on-site so they can learn the intricacies of your business and technical environment, and demonstrate their proposed solutions. Expenses will include vendors’ time, costs for transportation, lodging, and meals. These costs will need to be less than those typically incurred in the usual approach, or else any advantage to the modified gap analysis is minimized.

You might encounter resistance. Some finalist vendors might not be willing to invest the time and effort required to travel and conduct gap analyses for a system they may not be selected to implement. They will be more interested in the larger paycheck. Likewise, stakeholders in your own organization might feel that the required costs and time investments are impractical or unrealistic. Remind staff of the upfront investment and take note of which vendors are willing to do the same.