Amended August 8 2016

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Office of Information Technology
Massachusetts Office of Information Technology
MassIT RFR 17-09
COMMBUYS Bid #: BD-17-1060-ITD00-ITD00-00000009177
Request for Responses (RFR)
Managed Services for Service Desk and Desktop Support Pilot
Revised August 8, 2016
Released on July 22, 2016
THIS RFR AND ALL RESPONSES HERETO INCLUDING THE WINNING BID SHALL
BECOME PUBLIC RECORD, AND CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE MASSIT, LEGAL
UNIT BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO MICHELLE.BURWELL@STATE.MA.US. ANY PORTIONS OF
A RESPONSE THAT ARE LABELED AS CONFIDENTIAL WILL STILL BE CONSIDERED
PUBLIC RECORD
Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

Request for Responses (RFR) 17-09
1. Table of Contents
1.
Table of Contents.................................................................................................................... 1
2.
General Procurement Information .......................................................................................... 3

2.1.
2.2.
3.
General Information......................................................................................................... 3
Eligible Bidders ............................................................................................................... 3
Procurement Scope and Description ....................................................................................... 4

3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
Goals for Managed Services Pilot Project ....................................................................... 4

Managed Services Requested .......................................................................................... 6
Managed Services Deliverables ....................................................................................... 7
Mandatory Bidder Qualifications .................................................................................... 8
4.
EOPSS Background ................................................................................................................ 9
5.
Procurement Information ...................................................................................................... 13

5.1.
5.2.
5.3.
5.4.
5.5.
6.
Bidder Responses.................................................................................................................. 14
6.1.
6.2.
6.3.
6.4.
6.5.
7.
Cover Letter (must be on Bidder letterhead) ................................................................. 14

Compliance Statement ................................................................................................... 14
Business and Technical Response ................................................................................. 14
Cost Response................................................................................................................ 14
Instructions for Submission of Responses in CommBuys:............................................ 15
Procurement Process............................................................................................................. 16
7.1.
7.2.
7.3.
7.4.
7.5.
7.6.
7.7.
7.8.
8.
Applicable Procurement Law ........................................................................................ 13

Acquisition Method ....................................................................................................... 13
Number of Awards and Eligible Entities ....................................................................... 13
Expected Duration of Contract ...................................................................................... 13
Anticipated Expenditures, Funding or Compensation ................................................... 13
Evaluation Approach/Criteria ........................................................................................ 16

Procurement Calendar.................................................................................................... 17
Bidder Conference Call.................................................................................................. 18
Bid (RFR) Amendment.................................................................................................. 18
Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) ....................................... 18
Interviews....................................................................................................................... 18
Estimated Contract Start / Project Kick Off Date .......................................................... 18
Miscellaneous ................................................................................................................ 18
Other Terms .......................................................................................................................... 21

8.1.
8.2.
8.3.
8.4.
8.5.
SLA Agreement and True-Ups ...................................................................................... 21

Compliance with Enterprise IT Policies and Standards................................................. 21
Workplace Policies ........................................................................................................ 22
Accessibility................................................................................................................... 22
Warranties ...................................................................................................................... 22
Page: 1 of 31

Request for Responses (RFR)17-09
8.6.
8.7.
8.8.
8.9.
9.
Security and Confidentiality .......................................................................................... 22

Order of Precedence....................................................................................................... 23
Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Plan (formerly Affirmative Market Plan) .............. 23
Data Ownership, Classification, Retention and Database Preferences.......................... 23
Acronyms and Definitions .................................................................................................... 25
10. RFR Appendices ................................................................................................................... 26

10.1.
10.2.
10.3.
10.4.
10.5.
10.6.
Appendix A: RFR-Required Specifications For Commodities and Services ................ 27

Appendix B: Required Specifications for Information Technology.............................. 27
Appendix C: Commonwealth Accessibility Obligations for Vendors........................... 27
Appendix D: Workplace Policies................................................................................... 27
Appendix E: Commonwealth Required Forms.............................................................. 28
Appendix F: Instructions for Vendors Responding to Bids........................................... 30
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Managed Services Service Desk and Desktop Support Model ....................................... 4
TABLE OF TABLES
Table 1: Managed Service Deliverables ......................................................................................... 7
Table 2: EOPSS Locations............................................................................................................ 10
Table 3: 15 Month-Monthly Historical Call Volumes - Locations and Support Levels .............. 10
Table 4: 15 Month Duration - Calls by Ticket Classifications ..................................................... 11
Table 5: Hardware Currently in Place .......................................................................................... 12
Table 6: Expected Duration of Contract (Period of Performance) ............................................... 13
Table 7: Procurement Event Calendar .......................................................................................... 17
Table 8: Required Forms and Documents .................................................................................... 28
Table 9: Additional Bidder Documents to Submit ....................................................................... 29
Page: 2 of 31

2. General Procurement Information

2.1.
2.2.
General Information
Purchasing Department
Massachusetts Office of Information

Technology
Address
One Ashburton Place
City, State Zip Code
Boston, MA 02108
Procurement Contact Person
Ms. Tracy Williams, PMP
Telephone Number
617-626-4540
E-Mail Address
Tracy.Williams@MassMail.State.MA.US
Procurement Category
IT Services
RFR File Number and Title:
MassIT RFR 17-09 Managed Services

For Service Desk and Desktop Support
Pilot
COMMBUYS Bid Number
BD-17-1060-ITD00-ITD00-00000009177
Eligible Bidders
This RFR is open to all Bidders. Vendors on the General Services Administration (GSA) 70
Schedule, Category 132-51 will be given preference.
Interested Bidders must submit their bids through the Commonwealths online procurement
system, CommBUYS, per Sections 6.5 and 10.6 Appendix F herein.
Responses must be received no later than the response due date and time indicated in the
Event Calendar in Table 7 or they will not be evaluated.
Page: 3 of 31

3. Procurement Scope and Description

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT) is soliciting
providers for the performance of Managed Services for Service Desk and Desktop Support Services
(Services) for a one (1) year pilot to determine the feasibility of managed services. The pilot project
will be deployed within the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS). The winning
Bidder will act as the Commonwealths Managed Services Provider for this pilot engagement.
The pilot will be conducted within a subset of the Executive Office of the Public Safety and Security
(EOPSS) through a partnership with MassIT.
If the pilot within the subset of EOPSS agencies is successful, the Commonwealth reserves the right to
expand, the scope of the Contract entered under this RFR to more EOPSS agencies, and to additional
agencies in additional secretariats across the executive department, up to the limits set forth in Section
5.5 herein.
3.1.
Goals for Managed Services Pilot Project
The goals for this pilot are to:
Establish industry standard Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and support models;
Improve current Service Levels;
Have a support model that aligns with demand (Flexes up and down to match volume); and
Increase customer satisfaction.
The purpose of this RFR is to pilot Managed Services for Help Desk and Desktop Support to
augment current services of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).
Figure 1: Managed Services Service Desk and Desktop Support Model
Page: 4

For the purpose of this RFR, MassIT and EOPSS currently recognize three support levels of end user
support (See Figure 1.)
Support Level 1:
Receive customer issues via in-person, phone, web and email;
Resolve basic customer issues such as:

o Reset passwords;
o Telecommunications;
Provisioning / De-provisioning;
Basic MAC (Move, Add, Change);
Wireless LAN access configuration;
o Request for VPN Services
Updates to Active Directory / Global Address Book (GAL);
Network troubleshooting; and
Triages all other issues for Level 2 or Level 3 support.
Support Level 2:
Receive customer tickets via triage from Level 1;
Diagnose, troubleshoot and resolve issues associated with desktop hardware and software, LAN
devices, mobile devices, printers, and other peripherals;
Install patches, fixes and updates to desktop operating system as needed;
Install additional software packages to the operating system as needed;
Install patches, fixes and updates to additional software packages as needed;
Resolve issues that can be resolved by support team having remote access to user device;
Assist with infrastructure, network and telecommunication issues as directed by Level 3 and
other authorized personnel; and
Escalate issues that cannot be resolved by Level 2 to Level 3 (See Figure 1.)
Support Level 3:
Level 3 issues will be handed off via agreed upon procedure to EOPSS resources (See Figure
1.)
Page: 5

3.2.
Managed Services Requested
The preferred Bidder will have expertise and experience in Managed Services for Service Desk and
Desktop Support by supplying both remote and on-site support for desktop, mobile device, printers,
peripherals, and LAN-related issues. To meet the goals stated for this pilot in Section 3.1 Goals for
Managed Services Pilot Project, the winning Bidder will provide the following services:
3.2.1. Scope of Services
The winning Bidder will receive customer issues via phone or web self-service, or other
agreed upon methodology to resolve basic, Level 1, issues and triage with warm handoffs to
Level 2 or Level 3 as needed.
The winning Bidder will provide remote support and dispatch Level 2 resources as needed to
in-scope locations for onsite issue diagnosis, resolution and support tasks.
The winning Bidder will provide Service Desk ticket closure confirmation and survey
customer satisfaction post ticket closure;
The winning Bidder will perform break-fix hardware support for devices covered by a
warrantee and assist by ordering parts and performing repairs for out of warrantee hardware.
The winning Bidder will triage calls from Level 2 to Level 3 when break-fix hardware
support is required. Devices are covered by a warrantee and EOPSS Level 3 resources will
perform the onsite repair or replacement.
The winning Bidder will provision and de-provision users following mutually agreed to
procedures.
3.2.2. Provide Transition Services

The winning Bidder will provide the following services during the transition period:
Develop and manage the project for transition of services from the Commonwealth to
winning Bidder;
Develop Integrated Service Desk Process;
Implement Commonwealths ticket classification model;
Provide and configure Service Desk software to capture tickets and monitor responses that
includes a web portal for end user self-service ticket creation;
Establish Service Level Agreements; and
Provide easy to follow end user self-service documentation.
3.2.3. Provide Managed Service Desk and Desktop Support Services

For a term of one (1) year with two (2) possible extensions of two (2) years each the winning
Bidder will provide:
Page: 6

Remote Level 1 support at Service Levels to be agreed upon during contract negotiation;
Both remote and on-site Level 2 support for Commonwealth Agencys locations in
designated regions detailed in Table 2 at Service Levels to be agreed upon during contract
negotiation;
Active identification of opportunities to improve Commonwealths Agencies process and/or

system configuration/design in ways to lower costs and/or improve user satisfaction metrics
and improve SLA; and
Provide support 24x7x365.
3.3.
Managed Services Deliverables
The deliverables that are expected from this engagement are listed in Table 1.
Table 1: Managed Service Deliverables
Deliverables
Description
1.0
Transition plan and Schedule
Develop project schedule for transition of

services from the Commonwealth to Vendor
Service Desk Operations
2.0
Integrated Service Desk Process

Model
Develop Integrated Service Desk Process

Model showing interaction between vendor
and state
3.0
Integration of vendor and MassIT

ticket systems
Process integration of vendor and

Commonwealth ticketing systems;
integration may be accomplished either
through direct system-to-system integration
or via exchange of system-generated
properly formatted email messages.
4.0
Service Desk Software available
Access to the system with appropriate rights

to perform reporting and operational
activities.
5.0
Service Desk Ticket Classification

Model
Document that describes in detail the agreed

upon ticket classification model.
6.0
Service Level Agreement / Model
Service Level Agreement model for

understanding metrics
7.0
Training Plan, Materials and

Reports (Technical)
Training of technical resource on new tool

and process
Page: 7

#
Deliverables
Description
8.0
Training Plan, Materials and

Reports (End User)
Training of end users on Service Desk

software
9.0
Project Status Report Weekly
Project Management services including but

not limited to schedule, risk and issue
management.
10.0
SLA Reporting
Ongoing reporting of SLA performance
Service Desk Operations Report
Operations report that shows the 24x7x365

support provided for remote Level 1 support
at Service Levels to be agreed upon during
contract negotiation and both remote and
on-site Level 2 support.
Recommendations Reports
Expected to identify opportunities to

improve Commonwealths Agencies
process and/or system configuration/design
in ways to lower costs and/or improve
measurable metrics and improve SLA.
11.0
12.0
3.4.
Mandatory Bidder Qualifications
Bidders must:
Have continuously operated as a corporate entity for a minimum of five (5) years preceding
the date of submission;
Currently operate call center support services from existing facilities located within the
United States for other federal and/or state agencies;
Have at least two years of experience providing the specific types of services solicited to a
minimum of 3 federal and/or state agencies;
Have at least three client references for the specific types of services solicited;
Have resources available in Massachusetts to provide on-site services;
Be able to demonstrate the ability to provide services under mutually agreed to SLAs;
Have the capability to provide detailed accounting, billing, and performance reports to
MassIT and to EOPSS;
Be willing to sign Commonwealth of Massachusetts Terms & Conditions and all other
mandatory forms referenced in this RFR; and
Have provided service/desktop support services for a public safety agency.
Page: 8

4. EOPSS Background
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) facilitates policy development and
provides budgetary oversight of secretariat agencies, independent programs and several boards working
to prevent crime, increase homeland security preparedness, and ensure the safety of residents and
visitors in the Commonwealth.
EOPSS operates a consolidated information technology organization known as the Office of Technology
and Information Services (OTIS). OTIS is responsible for the support of approximately 10,000
employees and contractors housed at nearly 150 facilities across the Commonwealth. Additionally,
OTIS provides multiple tiers of support for its user community including but not limited to LAN and
desktop services, Wide Area Network (WAN) services, application and database management services,
portal services, e-mail administration, phone administration and support, information security, data
center operations, centralized help desk services and field technology support to agencies such as the
State Police, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Department of Public Safety, Department
of Fire Services, the Department of Correction and Parole Board.
EOPSS maintains and operates an independent 24 x 7 x 365 help desk located at the Public Safety Data
Center located at the Massachusetts Information Technology Information Center (MITC) in Chelsea,
MA, while also maintaining and operating an independent WAN that is not part of MAGNet. It also
supports the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) system and network that provides information
services to the Commonwealths local, county, state, federal and interstate law enforcement and justice
partners.
EOPSS agencies include the following, but not all are in scope for this procurement:
Department of Correction;
Department of Criminal Justice Information Services;
Department of Fire Services (DFS);
Department of Public Safety (DPS);
Department of State Police;
Mass Emergency Management Agency;
Municipal Police Training Committee;
National Guard;
Office of Grants and Research (OGR);
Officer of the Chief Medical Examiner;
Parole Board;
Sex Offender Registry Board; and
State 911 Department.
Page: 9

4.1.1. EOPSS Locations

For the purposes of this procurement the pilot scope is four (4) EOPSS agencies/divisions participating
at 8 specific locations (See Table 2). These locations are primarily office environments; however, there
a number of field personnel at DPS and DFS who will require service as part of this scope. MassIT and
EOPSS reserve the right to change the regions in scope for this procurement at any time prior to contract
execution. Should the pilot be successful, MassIT and EOPSS reserve the right to expand the contract to
more EOPSS agencies and to additional agencies in other secretariats in the executive department, up to
the limits set forth in Section 5.5 herein.
Table 2: EOPSS Locations
Agency
Name
Location
EPS
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
1 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA
DPS
Department of Public Safety
1 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA
DPS
Milford, MA
DPS
Springfield, MA
DPS
Tewksbury, MA
OGR
Office of Grants and Research
10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA
DFS
Department of Fire Services
Stow and Springfield, MA
4.1.2. Call Volumes by Call Type

The historical call volumes are shown in Table 3 and represent 15 months of activity. EOPSS has
also experienced a number of walk-up service requests so Bidders may assume that these numbers
may be understated.
Table 3: 15 Month-Monthly Historical Call Volumes - Locations and Support Levels
By EOPSS Agency
Agency
Department of Fire Services (DFS)
Executive Office of Public Safety (EPS)
Office of Grants and Research (OGR)
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Total
Call Volume (15 months)

Ave /
Level 1
Level 2
Month
2,075
138
599
49
3
522
66
4
40
1,534
102
504
3,724
248
1,665
Ave /
Month
40
35
3
34
111
The tickets shown by location and Support Level in Table 3 are broken down in Table 4 by ticket
classification.
Page: 10

Table 4: 15 Month Duration - Calls by Ticket Classifications
Ticket Classifications
Applications
Desktop
Email
Network/Network Security
Other
Telecom
User Administration
Grand Total
Total Ticket Counts % of Total

1,479
39.7%
1,510
40.5%
12
0.3%
126
3.4%
9
0.2%
51
1.4%
537
14.4%
3,724
100.0%
4.1.3. In Scope Hardware Inventory

The scope of the current Desktop Services environment is limited to the support of desktops,
laptops, tablets, printers, network LAN issues and mobile devices.
The supported Operating Systems within EOPSS are those that the following manufacturers
support:
Microsoft;
Apple; and
Android.
Page: 11

The current EOPSS hardware inventory is shown in Table 5.
Table 5: Hardware Currently in Place
EPS - Ashburton
DPS - Boston
OGR - Boston
DFS - Stow
DFS - Springfield
DFS - Mobile
DPS - Springfield
DPS - Tewksbury
DPS - Milford
Totals:
Total Workstations:
Total Printers:
Total Mobile:
Hardware (PC and printer)

PC
Laptop
Printer
38
14
26
51
35
41
52
3
4
132
98
25
8
4
2
68
26
N/A
3
N/A
1
5
N/A
3
7
N/A
2
364
180
104
PC
38
8
52
N/A
N/A
N/A
3
5
7
113
# Owned
Laptop Printer
14
26
35
41
3
4
N/A
25
N/A
2
N/A
N/A
N/A
1
N/A
3
N/A
2
52
104
PC
N/A
43
N/A
132
8
68
N/A
N/A
N/A
251
# Leased
Laptop
N/A
N/A
N/A
98
4
26
N/A
N/A
N/A
128
Leasing Company
Printer
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0
N/A
HP Financial Services
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
544
104
68
4.1.1. Current Desktop Support Staffing levels

EOPSS currently utilizes 15 desktop support and help-desk personnel spread over three (3) shifts
(to support all EOPSS agencies, including but not limited to those in scope for the pilot):
7am-3pm
3pm-11pm
11pm-7am
Desktop personnel are located at the agency locations while the help-desk personnel are located
at the Public Safety Data Center in Chelsea, MA. These Public Safety Help Desk agents will
require training (See Table 1 Deliverable 7.0) by the winning Bidder in the proposed Service
Desk process and tools.
4.1.1. In Scope Applications Inventory

The scope of the current end user environment at a minimum includes the following standard
applications for each desktop:
Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016;

Outlook 20xx with .PST files;
End point anti-virus;
Adobe Acrobat;
Java;
Various browsers and necessary plug-ins;
Microsoft Active Directory; and
Windows file shares.
Page: 12

5. Procurement Information
5.1.
Applicable Procurement Law
This Bid is issued under the following laws: MGL c. 7, 22; c. 30, 51, 52; and 801 CMR 21.00
(Goods and Services).
5.2.
Acquisition Method
Fee for Service.
5.3.
Number of Awards and Eligible Entities
MassIT will award one contract under this RFR.
5.4.
Expected Duration of Contract
(Initial Duration or Pilot Period and any Options to Renew)

The expected duration of the initial Contract is show in Table 6.
Table 6: Expected Duration of Contract (Period of Performance)
Contract Duration
Number of Options
Number of Years
1 year
Initial Duration (Pilot Period)

Renewal Options
Total Maximum Contract Duration
5.5.
Up to 2 years each
Up to 5 years
Anticipated Expenditures, Funding or Compensation
The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any services will be purchased from any Contract resulting
from this solicitation. Mass IT will not enter into a contract under this RFR the total cost of which will
exceed the threshold set forth in M.G.L. ch. 7 s. 53 as updated at
http://www.mass.gov/auditor/information-and-resources/for-public-agencies/the-commonwealthsprivatization-law-.html.
Page: 13

6.
Bidder Responses
Bidders responses must include, at a minimum, the following:
6.1.
Cover Letter (must be on Bidder letterhead)

a) The name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address of the Bidders
contact.
b) The Bidders legal name, Federal Tax Identification Numbers (FTINs), headquarters
office address, telephone number, fax number, and website address.
c) A description of the Bidders company, including when it was established, the number of
years it has been in the managed services industry, the number of employees, and its
annual revenue.
d) A statement that the Bidder agrees to the terms of this RFR.
e) A statement committing to the timeframe for delivery of the services once a purchase
order is issued.
6.2.
Compliance Statement
A statement on Bidder letter head, signed by an authorized signatory under the pains and penalties of
perjury, that Bidder has complied with all laws of the Commonwealth relating to taxes, wage reporting
and withholding and remitting child support.
6.3.
Business and Technical Response
Fully completed Appendix E Item 2 Business and Technical Response Template, posted on
CommBUYS with this RFR.
6.4.
Cost Response
a.
Fully completed Detailed Cost Tables set forth in Appendix E, Item 3, posted on
CommBUYS with this RFR.
b.
The cost proposal must be an all-inclusive bid, including all costs related to this
engagement, without limitation cost of the managed services, all travel and expenses.
The Commonwealth will not pay any costs and expenses not included in the cost
proposal.
Note that the Business and Technical Response (including the items requested in Section 6.3 Business
and Technical Response) must not include cost information. The cost information must be confined to
the Cost Response.
Page: 14

6.5.
Instructions for Submission of Responses in CommBuys:
Responses must be sent via the Create Quote functionality contained in CommBuys. For
instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Appendix F - Instructions for Vendors
Responding to Bids.
Any submission which fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found nonresponsive without further evaluation unless the Commonwealths Strategic Sourcing Team
(CSST) , at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be
corrected. In these cases, the CSST may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the
submission.
Interested Bidders must submit their response using CommBuys. Bidders must allow enough time
to upload their bid documents prior to the end date and time listed in the calendar. Only bids fully
loaded will be accepted.
Useful Links:
Job aid on how to submit a quote: http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/osd/commbuys/create-aquote.pdf
Webcast: How to Locate and Respond to a Bid in CommBuys, which will familiarize bidders
with CommBuys terminology, basic navigation, and provide guidance for locating bid
opportunities in CommBuys and submitting an online quote.
Bidder may contact the CommBuys Help Desk at CommBuys@state.ma.us or call during normal
business hours (8AM 5PM, Monday Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197 for assistance
with registration and access.
Page: 15

7. Procurement Process
7.1.
Evaluation Approach/Criteria
Bidders must submit responses that meet all the submission requirements of the RFR (See Section
6). Only responsive proposals that meet the submission requirements will be evaluated, scored, and
ranked by the CSST according to the evaluation criteria. Additional information may be requested
for evaluation purposes through requests for technical corrections, clarifications, and BAFOs (best
and final offers).
To be considered qualified for evaluation, RFR responses must include every document listed
and referenced in Appendix E.
Qualified responses shall be evaluated by the CSST and it shall select the Bidders whose
proposal, in the aggregate, provides the best business and financial value for the
Commonwealth. The criteria are listed below in descending order of importance with the most
important criterion listed first.
1. Likelihood that Bidders approach and project team will achieve the Commonwealths
goals set forth in section 3.1 and deliver the services sect forth in section 3.2 ;
2. Ability to complete all Deliverables in Section 3.3 Managed Services Deliverables;
3. Fit to Section 3.4 Mandatory Bidder Qualifications;
4. Cost Response;
5. Resource interviews;
6. References;
7. For vendors not on GSA Schedule 70 Category 132-51, SDP Commitment will be
weighted as 10% of the final score (See Section 8.8) (vendors on GSA Schedule 70
Category 132-51 will automatically receive the SDP points); and
8. Additional points will be awarded to vendors on GSA Schedule 7 Category 132-51.
Page: 16

7.2.
Procurement Calendar
Table 7 contains the procurement event calendar. Bidders are required to monitor CommBuys for
changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid. This schedule is estimated based on certain
assumptions and is subject to changed based on information emerging from the process.
Table 7: Procurement Event Calendar
Procurement Activity
Date
Announcement of Intent to Procure to GSA Schedule 70 Category

132-51 vendors
7/20/2016
Bid Release Date
7/22/2016
Bidders Conference Call, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
8/1/2016
Join the meeting: https://join.me/138-599-911

Join the audio conference: 1.781.666.2350 Access Code 138-599-911#
Other international numbers available
Official Answers to Bidders Conference Call Questions:
8/8/2016
Deadline for Quotes/Bid Responses (Bid Opening Date/Time in

CommBuys)
8/15/2016
Interviews for Selected Bidder(s)
8/29/2016
Notification of Apparent Successful Bidder(s)
9/1/2016
Estimated Negotiations and Contract Complete
TBD
Estimated Contract Start / Project Kick Off
TBD
It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active
registration in CommBuys and to keep current the email address of the Bidders contact person and
prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for
communications from the CSST, including requests for clarification. MassIT and the
Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidders/awarded Contractors designated
email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective
Bidders/awarded Contractors computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email
communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and MassIT to be lost or
rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.
Page: 17

7.3.
Bidder Conference Call
The Commonwealth will hold a Bidder Conference Call with prospective Bidders on the date
specified in the calendar above. MassIT will answer questions about the RFR requirements, the
mechanics of filing a Bid Response and the procurement process in general, to assist new Bidders in
navigating state procurement. Attendance is open to any interested party, and is optional. Written
minutes will be recorded and posted in CommBuys.
7.4.
Bid (RFR) Amendment
MassIT reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid (RFR) after initial publication. It is each
Bidders responsibility to check CommBuys for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this
Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. MassIT and the Commonwealth accept no
responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an outof-date Bid (RFR) or on information received from a source other than CommBuys.
7.5.
Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time)
See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Event
Calendar (above).
7.6.
Interviews
The CSST may require Bidder Resources to participate, following their submission of a timely
response, in an interview via telephone, video teleconferencing, or in-person interviews at
Commonwealth offices in Boston, Massachusetts. These sessions are not opportunities to submit
new information or modify a Response. All interviews shall follow a predetermined process and all
Bidders Proposed Resources shall be asked a standard set of questions, as well as questions specific
to the Bidders unique bid. In addition, the Commonwealth reserves the right to ask any follow-up
questions needed to clarify the Bidders initial response to all such questions. The Cost Response
must not be discussed during the interviews. Failure of a Resource to agree to an interview may
result in the disqualification of a Bidder.
7.7.
Estimated Contract Start / Project Kick Off Date
The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed
by the parties.
7.8.
Miscellaneous
7.8.1. General
By submitting a proposal in response to this RFR, Bidders agree to the following terms:
1.
All bids submitted in response to this RFR must be valid for a minimum of ninety (90)
calendar days.
Page: 18

2.
Extraneous marketing or promotional materials are discouraged and such information

will not be factored into the evaluation of Bidders
3.
The Agency will not pay any costs related to Bidders bid submission / demonstrations /
presentations.
4.
With respect to any online tools such as ticketing systems, Bidders may only propose
fully released product versions (e.g., not alpha or beta release) by the RFR response
deadline.
7.8.2. Bid/Response Rejection

The Agency reserves the right to reject any or all bids (responses), in whole or in part and for any
reason deemed non-compliant or non-response per this RFR, its attachments or any subsequent
changes. Bidders are advised to check prior to submitting a response to ensure that they have the
most recent RFR files. Bidders may not alter (manually or electronically) the RFR language or
any RFR component files. Modifications to the body of the RFR, specifications, terms and
conditions, or which change the intent of this RFR are prohibited and may disqualify a response.
The Agency reserves the right not to enter any agreement under this RFR.
7.8.3. Contract Amendments

The Agency reserves the right to amend this RFR or any contract resulting from this RFR. The
Agency may negotiate changes to the original performance measures, reporting requirements or
payment methodologies tied to performance at any time during the contract duration if they are
consistent with the specifications of this RFR. The Agency reserves the right to negotiate and
execute contract amendments with the contractor(s) which the Agency determines as necessary
to result in the intent of this RFR, to amend the specifications for necessary requirements, or to
result in a better valued contract. Negotiation would be with the successful contractor(s) of this
RFR. Amendments may include, but are not limited to, contract dollars, contract performance,
increased or decreased obligations, scope of work, quantity, etc. In particular, should the Pilot be
successful, the Commonwealth reserves the right to expand the Contract to additional EOPSS
agencies and agencies of other secretariats of the Executive department up to the limits
referenced in Section 5.5 herein .
7.8.4. Limitations.
This RFR does not commit the Commonwealth or MassIT to approve a Statement of Work.
MassIT reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals received as a result of this
RFR and to contract for some, all or none of the products and services as a result of this RFR.
MassIT further reserves the right to negotiate with any or all qualified bidders and to cancel in
part or in its entirety this RFR if it is in the best interest of MassIT or the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts to do so.
Page: 19

7.8.5. Review Rights

Responses to this RFR may be reviewed and evaluated by any person(s) at the discretion of the
Agency including non-allied and independent consultants retained by the Agency now or in the
future, for the sole purpose of obtaining an analysis of responses. Any and all respondents may
be asked to further explain or clarify in writing areas of their response during the review process.
The Agency retains the right to request further information from respondents.
7.8.6. Nonresponsive Bids

The Commonwealth reserves the right to exclude from further consideration nonresponsive bids
that fail to meet the submission requirements of this RFR.
7.8.7. Proprietary Notices.

All bids submitted in response to this RFR shall be public record. All notices included in such
bids to the effect that bid content is confidential or proprietary, that the distribution of such bids
is prohibited or that by opening or accepting the bid the Commonwealth is accepting such terms,
are null and void, and any portions of the response so marked shall still be considered public
record.
Version Control Do Not Remove or Modify: Based on ITD COTS RFR Template, May 2014
Page: 20

8. Other Terms
8.1.
SLA Agreement and True-Ups
The Commonwealth is interested in entering into a service level agreement (SLA) performance
based contract and requires that the winning Bidder provide transition and ongoing services that
baseline existing SLA metrics, and propose Managed Services Provider SLA benchmarks that can be
assessed and reported. MassIT requires that the proposed SLAs include the award of credits to the
Commonwealth in the case of the winning Bidder falling below the service levels, and incentive
payments to the winning Bidder, in response to the winning Bidder meeting and/or exceeding SLA
metrics on a monthly basis.
During the initial year of the Contract, although the winning Bidder must measure and report service
levels, SLAs will not be enforced by MassIT and will not result in traditional SLA credits for
MassIT. MassIT will conduct pilot checkpoints (true-ups) at the 3, 6, 9 and 12-month milestone
dates, and MassIT will at that time assess the appropriateness of the SLA metrics and the degree to
which the winning Bidder has met them. Thereafter the financial consequences of the agreed upon
SLAs will be enforced by the Commonwealth. However, based on the results of the true ups, MassIT
will consider amending the SLAs in connection with any extension terms. Thus contract renegotiation may result from these check points.
Should the Pilot be successful, the Commonwealth may also negotiate an expansion of the Contract
to additional EOPSS agencies and agencies of other secretariats of the Executive department.
8.2.
Compliance with Enterprise IT Policies and Standards
The selected Bidder must comply with all applicable Commonwealth of MA Enterprise IT Policies
and Standards, available at http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/policies-legal-and-technicalguidance/it-policies-standards-and-procedures/ent-pols-and-stnds/, including without limitation
Sections 5 and 6 of the Access Control Policy, the Access Control Standards, Communications and
Operations Policy, Information Security Policy, Enterprise Information Security Standards: Data
Classification, Enterprise IT Security Compliance, Enterprise IT Asset and Risk Management
Policy, Physical and Environmental Security Policy, Security Incident Response Policy, Staff IT
Security Policy, and Website Cookie Policy.
Web site or browser-based functionality provided by the system must comply with Website
requirements and policies located at: http://www.mass.gov/itd/webpolicies
The winning Bidder must also adhere to the EOPSS CJIS and FBI CJIS Security Policy, and agree to
execute the FBI Security Addendum and EOPSS CORI Vendor Agreement of Nondisclosure,
Appendix E, Items 17 and 18. Specifically, a state and national fingerprint and criminal history
check is required for the winning Bidders resources desktop support personnel, service desk agents,
and supervisors. EOPSS reserves the right to reject individuals who do not meet/pass the criminal
background check.
Page: 21

8.3.
Workplace Policies
All Contractors working on site must agree to the Workplace Policies set forth in Appendix D
hereto.
8.4.
Accessibility
All electronic interfaces available to end users or EOPSS technical and customer service personnel
(for example web pages and phone services) must comply with the Commonwealths established
standards and process requirements for accessibility as described in Appendix C - Commonwealth
Accessibility Obligations for Vendors.
8.5.
Warranties
At minimum, Contractor must warrant that:
a) Contractor has acquired any and all rights, grants, assignments, conveyances, licenses,
permissions and authorizations necessary for Contractor to provide the Services to
MassIT, and warrants that the Services and/or the deliverables provided under this
Agreement do not and shall not infringe or misappropriate any intellectual property,
contractual or other proprietary right of any third party.
b) Contractor will maintain adequate and qualified staff and subcontractors to perform its
obligations under this Agreement, and that the Services will be performed (i) by
appropriately qualified and trained Personnel; (ii) with due care and diligence, and to a
high standard of quality as is customary in the industry; and (iii) in accordance with all
applicable professional standards for the field of expertise.
c) Contractor and its employees, subcontractors, partners and third party providers have
taken all necessary and reasonable measures to ensure that all software provided under
this Agreement shall be free of Trojan horses, back doors, known security vulnerabilities,
malicious code, degradation, or breach of privacy or security.
d) During the Warranty Period (minimum of three months) the deliverables will conform to
Contract requirements and nonconformities will be remedied promptly during the
Warranty Period or immediately thereafter.
e) Contractor represents and warrants that documentation delivered by Contractor shall be
of sufficient detail so as to allow suitably skilled, trained and educated MassIT Personnel
to understand the deliverables. Contractor shall promptly, at no additional cost to MassIT,
make corrections to any documentation that does not conform to this warranty.
8.6.
Security and Confidentiality
Consistent with its obligations under section 6 of the Commonwealths Terms and Conditions, the
Bidder shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth
Page: 22

Agencies in performance of the Contract. The Bidder shall not divulge to third parties any
confidential information obtained by the Bidder or its agents, distributors, resellers, sub-Vendors,
officers or employees in the course of performing Contract work, including, but not limited to,
security procedures, business operations information, personally identifiable information, or
commercial proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency.
8.7.
Order of Precedence.
The order of precedence for any Contract entered into under this RFR shall be:
1. Commonwealth Terms and Conditions and Standard Contract Form;
2. This RFR including any attachments, as they may be amended in a formal written RFR
process, including without limitation, by MassIT (i) amendments to the RFR, (ii)
questions and answers posted by MassIT, and (iii) requests for technical corrections,
clarifications, and best and final offers issued by MassIT;
3. Any documents negotiated between the winning Bidder and the Commonwealth,
allowable pursuant to law or regulation, in connection with this RFR;
4. Vendors amendments, including all attachments, in a formal written RFR process,
including (i) an amended Response to the solicitation, and (ii) responses to MassITs
requests for technical corrections, clarifications, and best and final offers;
5. The winning Bidders response to this RFR, including any supplemental materials,
attachments, or appendices.
6. For Bidders on the GSA, Bidders GSA Schedule 70 Category 132-51 Blanket Purchase
Agreement.
Note: The order of precedence of the documents comprising the Contract set forth in the above
definition is non-negotiable. Bidders who do not agree to this order of precedence should not
respond to this RFR.
8.8.
Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Plan (formerly Affirmative Market

Plan)
In accordance with Commonwealth guidelines as described in Supplier Diversity Program Plan, SDP
participation will account for no less than 10 percent of the total available evaluation points for
Bidders not on GSA Schedule 70 Category 132-51. Such Bidders must submit SDP Plan Forms that
evidence significant and measurable commitments to SDP Plans. For further details, see Appendix
E Item 12.
8.9.
Data Ownership, Classification, Retention and Database Preferences
The Bidder is advised that all data generated by the Commonwealth is the property of the
Commonwealth and must be retained in accordance with both Enterprise IT standards and record
retention schedules under Massachusetts General Law c. 6, 10 Public Records. Therefore, the
successful Bidder must comply with these legal requirements when developing, installing, servicing,
and maintaining the managed services described herein.
Page: 23

When the Contract terminates or expires, the winning Bidder must immediately deliver to the
Commonwealth any copies of Commonwealth content, any products, materials, or documentation
developed pursuant to the engagement, and any Commonwealth confidential information in its
custody and control. Subject to the winning Bidders s record keeping obligations under paragraph 7
of the Commonwealths Terms and Conditions, the Cloud Terms (Appendix E, Item 15), and the
Commonwealths record keeping obligations under the Records Conservation Law, M.G.L.30, 42,
the winning Bidder shall erase and remove all copies of Commonwealth content, site, application
and confidential information from computer equipment and media in the winning Bidders
possession, custody and control, and return such content, site, application and confidential
information to the Commonwealth. The winning Bidder shall cooperate fully with the
Commonwealth in the transfer of the application and/or other engagement products to the
Commonwealth or to another vendor in accordance with the requirements of the Statement of Work.
Page: 24

9. Acronyms and Definitions

Break-Fix is simply that, when something breaks, an independent IT Support company would be
contracted to repair or replace it within an agreed time-frame. (The replacement part will likely not be
included in the price of the service.) This service does not monitor, manage or maintain your systems, so
when something breaks you will need to call your IT guy to get it fixed.
CSST Commonwealth Strategic Sourcing Team
CJIS Criminal Justice Information System
Desktop Support deals with end users and office equipment, this service would include break-fix and
limited technical guidance and support, usually offered remotely, to support and fix any software related
issues on a users computer and the companys networks, phones and printers.
DFS EOPSS Department of Fire Services
DPS EOPSS Department of Public Safety
EOPSS Commonwealth Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
IT Support is a broad term which refers to technical assistance in the planning, set-up and maintenance
of hardware and software computer systems and networks more in server rooms rather than desktops.
LAN Local Area Network
Managed Services provides specific IT operations by a service provider, known in tech parlance as a
Managed Services Provider. The managed service provider assumes ongoing responsibility for
monitoring, managing and/or problem resolution for selected IT systems and functions on your behalf.
MSP - Managed Services Providers
MITC Massachusetts Information Technology Center
OGR Office of Grants and Research
OLA Operating Level Agreement
OTIS Office of Technology and Information Services
PSDC Public Safety Data Center
Service Desk (Help Desk) is the central point of contact, (internal or external) to call when issues arise.
Technicians would determine the cause of the problem and pass it on to the appropriate team.
SLA Service Level Agreement
WAN Wide Area Network
Page: 25

10. RFR Appendices

The following Appendices are hereby incorporated as if fully set forth herein.
Appendix A: RFR-Required Specifications For Commodities and Services

Appendix B: Required Specifications for Information Technology
Appendix C: Commonwealth Accessibility Obligations for Vendors
Appendix D: Workplace Policies
Appendix E: Commonwealth Required Forms and Submission Requirements
Page: 26

10.1. Appendix A: RFR-Required Specifications For Commodities and Services
req-specs.docx
10.2. Appendix B: Required Specifications for Information Technology
req-it.doc
10.3. Appendix C: Commonwealth Accessibility Obligations for Vendors
CLEAN Draft RFQ

Accessibility Language 11-14-14.docx
10.4. Appendix D: Workplace Policies
pol-sexhar-pol.rtf
anf-acceptableuse.d
ocx
Page: 27

10.5. Appendix E: Commonwealth Required Forms

Responses to this RFR must contain the following Commonwealth Required Forms and Documents as
listed in Table 8. The Business and Technical Response template provides attachments of the individual
documents and additional instructions. These attachments are also available as attachments as part
of the Bid record on www.commbuys.com.
Please see the Business and Technical Response Template posted with this RFR for a copy of these
forms and instructions.
Table 8: Required Forms and Documents
Required Forms and Documents
Location / Reference
Cover Letter (including content set forth in Section

6.1)
RFR Section 6.1
Business and Technical Response
MS Word document template posted on

CommBuys
Cost Response
MS Excel worksheet posted on

CommBuys
Business Reference Form
Business and Technical Responses

Template Section 3.4
Consultant Contractor Mandatory Submission

Commonwealth Terms & Conditions

Standard Contract Form

From W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification

Number and Certification

Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

10 Conflict of Interest Statement

11 Certificate of Non-Collusion

Page: 28

#
Required Forms and Documents
Supplier Diversity Plan Form 1 (SDP Plan

12 Commitment) (only for Bidders not on GSA
Schedule 70 Category 132-51)
13 Prompt Payment Discount Form

14 Authorization for Electronic Funds Transfer

15 Cloud Terms

16 Draft Statement of Work - Template SOW

17 CORI Vendor Agreement of Nondisclosure

18 FBI CJIS Security Addendum

Additional documents that must be included with the Bidder submission are listed in Table 9.
Table 9: Additional Bidder Documents to Submit
Additional Bidder Documents To Submit
Bidder Agreements

Accessibility

GSA Schedule 70 Category 132-51- executed

Blanket Purchase Agreement

Page: 29

10.6. Appendix F: Instructions for Vendors Responding to Bids

instructions-for-vend
ors-responding-to-bids.docx
Page: 30

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Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

General Procurement Information .......................................................................................... 3

Procurement Scope and Description ....................................................................................... 4

Goals for Managed Services Pilot Project ....................................................................... 4

EOPSS Background ................................................................................................................ 9

Procurement Information ...................................................................................................... 13

Cover Letter (must be on Bidder letterhead) ................................................................. 14

Applicable Procurement Law ........................................................................................ 13

Evaluation Approach/Criteria ........................................................................................ 16

Other Terms .......................................................................................................................... 21

SLA Agreement and True-Ups ...................................................................................... 21

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

Security and Confidentiality .......................................................................................... 22

Acronyms and Definitions .................................................................................................... 25

10. RFR Appendices ................................................................................................................... 26

Appendix A: RFR-Required Specifications For Commodities and Services ................ 27

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

2. General Procurement Information

Massachusetts Office of Information

One Ashburton Place

City, State Zip Code

Procurement Contact Person

Ms. Tracy Williams, PMP

RFR File Number and Title:

MassIT RFR 17-09 Managed Services

COMMBUYS Bid Number

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

3. Procurement Scope and Description

Goals for Managed Services Pilot Project

The goals for this pilot are to:

Improve current Service Levels;

Increase customer satisfaction.

Figure 1: Managed Services Service Desk and Desktop Support Model

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

Receive customer issues via in-person, phone, web and email;

Resolve basic customer issues such as:

Basic MAC (Move, Add, Change);

Wireless LAN access configuration;

o Request for VPN Services

Updates to Active Directory / Global Address Book (GAL);

Network troubleshooting; and

Triages all other issues for Level 2 or Level 3 support.

Receive customer tickets via triage from Level 1;

Install patches, fixes and updates to desktop operating system as needed;

Install additional software packages to the operating system as needed;

Install patches, fixes and updates to additional software packages as needed;

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

Managed Services Requested

3.2.1. Scope of Services

3.2.2. Provide Transition Services

Develop Integrated Service Desk Process;

Implement Commonwealths ticket classification model;

Establish Service Level Agreements; and

Provide easy to follow end user self-service documentation.

3.2.3. Provide Managed Service Desk and Desktop Support Services

Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT)

Active identification of opportunities to improve Commonwealths Agencies process and/or

Provide support 24x7x365.

Managed Services Deliverables

Transition plan and Schedule

Develop project schedule for transition of

Integrated Service Desk Process