Hillsborough County Public Schools Business
Action Item

DATE: Tuesday, July 15, 2008
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent

SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Accept, Negotiate and Contract with the Lowest and Best Proposal Submitted by Parlant Technology, Inc. / ParentLink - Request For Proposal (RFP) #8053-DST Notification System for Parents and District Employees (Business Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On April 25, 2008, the Procurement Department, in conjunction with the Office of Communications, issued a Request for Proposal ("RFP") to obtain the services of a Notification System for Parents and District Employees. This service was originally provided by a contract created by the State Board of Education, on behalf of several school districts. This contract, 0007081-PGB, expired on June 15, 2008. The contract was created to enhance communication with parents and staff. Appropriate responses to situations depend on fast, accurate, widespread, and verifiable communication. In addition, due to the enhanced ability to communicate with parents, there is the added value to the "Choice School Program" and the Student Nutrition Services Department "Free and Reduced Lunch Program." To evaluate this RFP, firms were asked to provide their scope of services, qualifications, experience, fees, small business utilization, comprehensive implementation plan, and references. Proposals were accepted on May 29, 2008. The District utilizes two on-line vendor registration systems to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through these systems, twelve firms responded (Attachment A). The evaluation process included a committee of parents and district-level personnel (Attachment B). On June 6, 2008, the committee evaluated the proposals based on stated RFP criteria, Phases I and II (Attachment C). The evaluation committee selected a short list of six firms to move to future phases (Attachment D). The six vendor presentations were evaluated at the June 17, 2008, committee meeting. Three proposers were invited back for further detailed presentations on June 26, 2008, (Attachment E). Upon completion of all phases of the RFP, the committee reviewed key points as a group, individually rated each firm for final compilation and ranking (Attachment F), and recommended Parlant Technology, Inc. / ParentLink for the award.

ANNUAL DISTRICT GOAL(S) AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S)

As stated in OPPAGA report: “Efficient purchasing and warehousing require that management processes be in place to ensure that supplies, equipment, and services vital to the school’s education mission are purchased from a competitive source, in the right quantity, delivered timely to the correct location, and stored in a secure location."

FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted: Yes)

Funds of $240,000 for 2008/2009 are available in Project 5377 in the Office of Communications budget for the purchase of Notification System for Parents and District Employees.

EVALUATION

Contract administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager and Senior Procurement Officer, who function as a team. Reviews are conducted face to face, typically quarterly, or by utilizing an online vendor performance report. Prior to soliciting a new contract, the Contract Administration team must first give consideration to the specifications and supporting data of the expiring contract.

SUBMITTED BY: Jean R Bowman, General Manager, Procurement Department

Jack E. Davis
Chief Information and Technology Officer
813-272-4600
Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
813-272-4270
A 5.19
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20080715_295 * Section A Item# 5.19