Information and Technology Planning Consultant (RFP) Frequently Asked Questions

Q. The "Board Memo" link on this site http://www.first5la.org/Information-Technology-Planning-Consultant-RFP goes to board meeting minutes, however they do not seem to reference this RFP - should this be a different document?

A. The Board Memo that is linked shows approval of the funding for the work of First 5 LA's Research and Evaluation Department, which is the source of funding for this contract.

Q. Is the strategic planning consultant, Morwin, Inc., allowed to participate in this procurement?

A. Morwin, Inc. was the consultant on our previous strategic plan, not our current one. This RFP is open to any organization or individual who might be qualified. That includes both for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations.

Q. We understand that not all attendees at the pre-bidders meeting wished to identify themselves. Can you please provide the total number of organizations that were represented at the meeting?

A. A total of five organizations were represented.

Q. Is there an organizational chart that can be made available?

A. Yes - click here to see it.

Q.  Has the audience for the deliverables (e.g., reports, presentations) been defined?

A.  The primary audience is internal, particularly First 5 LA managers and our Commissioners. 

Q.  Should we redact confidential information about our previous clients in the Statement of Qualifications or other materials we submit?

A.  Anything you submit as part of this process will become public documents.  You should provide us with adequate information and details to judge and score your application, while protecting any confidential client information.  

Q.  Are you looking for direction regarding the process for interviewing staff about the needs of the organization?

A.  We expect you will conduct one-on-one interviews with key managers, Commissioners and some key staff.  Information from other staff may be collected through focus group discussions, surveys or other data collection methods.  However, in your proposal we encourage you to make revisions to our suggestions or include further recommendations for how to best collect adequate information to assess our information and data needs, and write a technology plan. 

Q.  If the consultant recommends using a digital survey would they be expected to provide the necessary technology?

A.  Yes

Q.  Will there be an IT Director?

A.  We are currently in the process of hiring an IT Director.

Q.  What, specifically will that person's role be?

A.   Once the IT Director is hired and specific duties defined, we expect this contract will come under the supervision of that department. 

Q.  The highest scoring qualified applicants will be invited to submit proposals.  Is there a limit to the number of qualifying candidates that can move to the proposals phase?

A.  No

Q.  Will you be publishing the means of review?  What is the scoring criteria?

A.  The review tools for both the qualifications phase and the proposals phase are currently available on the RFP web page.

Q.  Is the new strategic plan in place?

A.  Yes

Q.  Will this contract augment the new strategic plan?

A.  The Strategic Plan relates to the organization as a whole, not specifically to IT or our technology needs.  You can read our Strategic Plan here.

Q.  Should all members of the team or organization complete the online application?

A.  No, only one person should complete the application as a representative of your organization.  We do recommend that you combine all staff resumes and/or C.V.'s into a single document before uploading.

Q.  Will there be a formal scoring process for the final presentation in the proposal phase?

A.  That will be posted to the RFP webpage in advance of the presentation.

Q. For the consultant selected in this process, the first deliverable is a finalized Scope of Work and Budget.  If revisions on the Scope of Work have an impact on the Budget, how will that be handled? 

A.  The absolute funding limit for this project is $300,000. 

Q.  Will changes to the RFP requirements or process be emailed to candidates or should we monitor the RFP webpage?

A.  First 5 LA will try to communicate any website updates to those individuals who have expressed interest in this RFP.  However, this is not a guarantee and you should check the RFP webpage periodically for updates.

Q.  Are there any planned updates to the web page?

A.  Yes, the web page will be updated twice.  First, after the deadline has passed for any questions to be submitted, with the finalized FAQs.  Second, after the qualifications phase of the selection process has been completed, we will provide the details on the proposal phase.

Q.  Is First 5 LA required to document a good faith effort for outreach to minority and women-owned firms?

A.  No

Q.  The timeline indicates that all questions are due by August 6th. Can you provide the date when we will receive the answers to all the questions by?

A.  We will make every effort to post answers as we receive the questions.  Our goal is that all answers to all questions will be posted by Monday, August 9. 

Q.  Do consultants that apply need to be on the First 5 LA's consultant's list or can they be outside of that consultant database?

A.  This RFP is open to any organization or individual who might be qualified. That includes both for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations.

Q.  Can you provide a list of everyone who attends the Information Session on July 28? 

A.  The list of attendees who did not opt out of providing their information can be found here.