Please submit any additional questions via email to the email address in the RFP Packet.
Please click one of the categories below to go to that section of questions:
Financial and Accounting Services
Technological Assistance and Network Support
How does the bill-paying function work within the CCOC office?
Since July 1, CCOC no longer has a bank account. We have an internal process for items to be approved and then they are submitted via a process established with the Justice Administrative Commission to be entered into the State system for checks to be cut and sent back to CCOC to be processed and sent out to pay bills.
Is this RFP a compliance audit or a financial audit?
Part of the services related to this RFP would be helping us to determine that and what exactly needs to be a part of this audit as we are a new entity that is still being fully defined.
Are there any fixed assets?
Yes, there are fixed assets like computers, desks, and other office furniture.
When did CCOC change processes?
The processes changed July 1, 2009 based on the 2009 Legislative Session changes and SB2108.
Is there an IRS 990 form involved?
No. As we are a blended entity with the State of Florida; an IRS Form 990 is not required.
How is CCOC funded?
CCOC is funded via Legislative appropriation from a trust fund that is sourced from some of the fines and fees that are collected by the Clerks.
What is the relationship of CCOC to JAC?
JAC is the administrative pass-thru to State systems like PeopleFirst and FLAIR for the CCOC.
How much has been appropriated for audit contract?
No specific amount has been appropriated specifically for the audit contract. We have a general category appropriated to us that the audit contract as well as many other contracts would be paid under.
What software systems does CCOC use?
While CCOC previously used Quickbooks, it currently uses Excel spreadsheets as it creates systems and procedures to fit into JAC's procedures for processing of payments.
What evaluation criteria will be used to award contract? i.e. Which will be weighted more - quality of service provided or cost?
We are not able to specifically answer that as decisions and rankings will generally be decided by our Personnel Committee which will then make a recommendation to the Executive Council. Our suggestion at this time would be to temper your proposals based on each of those being weighed equally with the other.
Who has been the CCOC auditor?
Lanigan and Associates has been the CCOC auditor in the past. Their contract term is now up. The nature of the CCOC has also changed since the last audit by Lanigan so what they have done for us previously would no longer apply going forward.
Can a firm bid on more than one RFP?
Yes, a firm can bid on more than one RFP but any firm that is awarded the audit RFP will then no longer be eligible to be awarded any other RFP area.
Should there be separate proposal for each RFP?
Yes, there should be a separate proposal for each RFP as they will be decided individually.
Does the CCOC have a EIN?
The CCOC does have an EIN number but it was pre-existing to the Legislative session changes that took place July 1. Though it is still valid it may no longer be applicable for the purpose upon which it was originally intended.
Is the contract a calendar year?
The contract for all of the RFPs but the audit would be for the twelve months from the point the contract has been signed after the decision has been made (currently anticipated to be near the end of January 2010). It then has the option to renew for the two years following it.
Will the budget services contract include budget preparation, education, and training?
Yes, it is anticipated that the budget services contract would have some elements of preparation, education and training related specifically to the budgets and the budget process.
Is there a specific start date for the contract?
It would be some time shortly after the decision has been made which is currently anticipated to be near the end of January.
Will multiple vendors be awarded a contract or is it CCOC’s intent to award one contract per vendor?
Multiple vendors may very well be awarded a contract as that has been done in the past. Many of those decisions will be made by the Personnel Committee and/or the Executive Director.
Is the contract similar to a master services agreement (like Florida DMS’s state term contract) where you are looking for a qualified pool of vendors to provide these services?
The contract could be used like a master services agreement but that will have to be decided by the Personnel Committee and/or the Executive Director.
Who is the current vendor?
Currently, Glenn Robertson and Associates would be considered the current vendor for this contract.
What is CCOC looking for in the fee schedule? Are hourly rates by classification sufficient?
For this type of contract, since it is services related rather than project related, hourly rates would be expected though the classifications could be based on personnel, type/scope of work, education level or other classifications as determined by your firm.
What is included or excluded as a “subcontractor”? For example, is a speaker at a conference considered a subcontractor?
Per our legal counsel, a subcontractor would be anyone that is not a direct employee of the company that has been awarded the contract being used to do the work that is specifically requested or required as the contract task. For example in the education contract part of the scope of services is " Plan and develop all logistical and training program components for the Clerks of Court Annual Conference " Having someone outside the direct employ of the contractor to do the planning of the conference or the curriculum would be considered subcontracting but using a speaker to present the curriculum item that had been created by the contractor would not be a subcontractor.
What will be considered costs to the bidder, for example, hotel accommodations?
Per Section 2.2, "Facility locations, requirements, and related cost rates are the responsibility of the Contractor."
What is the typical number of persons trained?
We do not have an exact number available for any one session but we will be happy to provide information from past Conferences to allow prospective bidders to gauge their response. You may download that informaton Here. We do suggest, however, that proposals break up possible costs in education group sizes even with previous history, these numbers could be very flexible considering the current economic situation.
What is the typical number of persons attending an annual conference?
Please see the answer above.
Is there specialty training involved, for example, leadership training or is it specific content training on how to do a specific task?
There are many different types of training provided. We have gathered previous agendas to give an idea of what has been presented in the past. You may access those agendas by clicking Here. This does not mean that the same items would be presented in the future as the curriculum needs to be flexible and meet the needs of the Clerks and Staff at that time.
What are the numbers of conferences?
Currently there are four quarterly conferences and an annual conference but travel has been severely restricted and as such there has been a shift to have fewer conferences and possibly have other means of training like webinars or training cds.
Is there a curriculum already established?
There is no specific curriculum already established though there are guidelines for certification that have been approved by the FECE which will strive to attain for those interested. When it is available, it will be placed on this page.
Are there conference fees?
Currently FACC charges a separate conference fee that is not part of the "Education" component that is related to this specific RFP contract.
Are there typical job descriptions for clerk employees?
Every clerk's office is different in not only who they use for employees but in how they use them and what they call them. Our best suggestion to get an idea of the types of employees you may deal with is to take a look at our website to view a copy of the "Betty Book" or " Clerks of Court Programs, Services, Activities, and Tasks Framework" that lists the types of tasks that a Clerks office must perform so that you have an idea of what the people you may be training do on a daily basis.
Can a bidder bid on some parts of the RFP or total?
A bidder is more than welcome bid only on parts of the RFP though CCOC must, through its selection process, have every item covered in the RFP even if it is through multiple vendors.
Who is the current vendor?
The current vendor is the Florida Association of Court Clerks and Comptrollers (FACC).
How will a vendor be paid e.g. statement of work?
It will most likely be on a "Statement of Work" with a specific deliverable.
Can a bidder bid on some parts of the RFP or total?
A bidder is more than welcome bid only on parts of the RFP though CCOC must, through its selection process, have every item covered in the RFP even if it is through multiple vendors.
What does “minority business enterprise inquire” mean?
"Minority Business Enterprise Inquiry" was listed in the letter accompanying the RFP but not in the RFP itself. We will take into consideration any Minority Business status that has already been granted and verified by the State of Florida, Department of Management Services, Vendors section.
What does the timeframe mean?
The timeframe in the letter related to the timeframe involved with inquiring about and sending in the proposal.
What “IT” systems are in place?
Currently, the CCOC has Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 which manages their active directory file structure, DHCP, Email and other services. They rely heavily on Microsoft Office products with most in the CCOC currently using Office 2007. There is no portal currently setup for data to be received as it is requested on Excel spreadsheets that are then sent back to a central repository for processing.
What types of reports are generated?
We receive many types of reports from budget forms, performance measure reports, surveys, Department of Revenue batch reports, etc. We also disseminate various information to other entities as requested but most are received or generated in Excel.
Will the work be done only in Tallahassee?
While the work will primarily be done at the CCOC office as that is where the knowledge base resides for the tasks that need to be done, it is possible for work to be done offsite either by receiving a copy of the data or by use of a VPN connection into our office.
Is this an hourly-rate contract?
All but the Audit RFP and possibly portions of the Education RFP are considered hourly rate contracts.
What is considered a subcontractor?
Per our legal counsel, a subcontractor would be anyone that is not a direct employee of the company that has been awarded the contract being used to do the work that is specifically requested or required as the contract task. For example in the education contract part of the scope of services is " Plan and develop all logistical and training program components for the Clerks of Court Annual Conference " Having someone outside the direct employ of the contractor to do the planning of the conference or the curriculum would be considered subcontracting but using a speaker to present the curriculum item that had been created by the contractor would not be a subcontractor.
How is the data organize?
Currently, the data comes into one central email address in Excel spreadsheet forms. It is then extracted from the forms using macros so it can be organized and used as necessary.
How much travel is involved?
There generally is very little to no travel involved though it may be possible. If it is used, rates no more than standard State per diem must be used.
How were the performance measures developed?
The Performance Measures were developed by the Performance Measure Workgroup with assistance from CCOC staff and prior contract staff to be passed on to the Performance Measure Committee for review and to be passed on to the Executive Council for a final vote. The Performance Measure Workgroup was made up mainly of Clerk staff from around the State while the Committee was made up of Clerks. We looked to the statutes for guidance on areas to be measured as well as generally accepted practices for creating performance standards.
Could there be other performance measures in the future?
It would be expected that there would be more performance measures in the future and that even the current ones may change.
How do clerks report to the CCOC?
Currently, Excel forms are created and disseminated to the Clerks which are then completed based on a schedule and then submitted to the CCOC via a central reports email address.
How often are performance measures reported?
Collections are measured quarterly, Timeliness/Cases is currently measured every six months but a motion has been made to move it to monthly. We also have various other reports like the Jury Management, Financial Receipts, Fiscal Management and surveys which are due at other times of the year.
Could this contract work with other contracts (for example, education)?
Yes, this contract might work in conjunction with another contract person while working on this contract.
Will statistical and content analysis be done?
We would love to have more statistical and content analysis done but we are unsure at this moment how much we will have done.
Who is the current vendor?
The closes person to a current vendor for this RFP service that we have would be Proctor Solutions.
Is there a project plan?
There is not currently a project plan in place for this RFP.
Can work be done offsite?
While the work will primarily be done at the CCOC office as that is where the knowledge base resides for the tasks that need to be done, it is possible for work to be done offsite either by receiving a copy of the data or by use of a VPN connection into our office.
What hardware does CCOC use?
CCOC currently has a mixed set of hardware that is all Windows based. We have a small server running SBS 2003 and most users in the office have laptops though there are a few desktop machines located in the office.
Who is the current vendor?
We currently have several vendors under this item but we primarily use the services of 3Techz.
Is this contract “on-call” as need basis?
Generally, this would be on an as needed basis.
Can costs be established by skill set or a blended rate?
Yes, they may.
An addendum with costs tables would help (comment)
Unfortunately we are unable to give an addendum of a cost or task table to help vendors bid apples to apples as tasks have not been pre-determined at this time and CCOC management prefers to not narrow the scope so much as to prevent use for other technology uses, if the need arises.
What is the budgeted amount?
There is no specific budgeted amount for Technology Services as all contractual services are under the same budget area. In past years we have budgeted up to $340,000 for all services to cover any and all of our needs, however the amount we actually spend typically does not meet that amount. For example, over the last four fiscal years our amount spent was $675.00 (06-07), $2868.75 (07-08), $93.75 (08-09) and $4662.49 (09-10 to date). We have used these services on an "as needed" basis. We do have several IT intensive projects planned for the upcoming year that we have not had in the past but they will all be dependent on approval and Legislative funding.
Can computer training of CCOC employees be included in the bid?
Yes, it would be appreciated if that was one of the rates included in the bid.
What are "programming needs"?
Programming needs have not been pre-determined at this time but we do currently have a Legislative Budget Request pending that requests a SQL server and help to move forward with implementing a system to handle our data needs. This may require outside programming needs including some web-based programming.
Is there training of clerk staff?
Generally, there will not be a need to train clerk staff on technical products unless a new system is created and implemented by CCOC at which time we might ask for assistance to disseminate the training.
Is there travel?
Generally there is no travel required for the Technical RFP.
What equipment is the bidder expected to provide?
The bidder is expected to provide their own laptop for programming or troubleshooting needs but the environment would be provided by CCOC where generally needed -- ie connectivity to the server as needed. Any other needs would be on a case by case basis.
What are database needs?
Currently, we have a request in for a SQL server but we have not received funding for that request as of this time. We have a significant amount of data that needs to be collected, tracked, and maintained but we are doing it via Access and Excel at the moment.
Can we submit one RFP for both Research and Data Analysis and Tech Assistance and Network support or should submit one for each?
Yes, a firm can bid on more than one RFP but any firm that is awarded the audit RFP will then no longer be eligible to be awarded any other RFP area.
Is there a Standard format that you would like RFP to be submitted or do you have template that we should use to submit the RFP?
There is no standard format or template that we prefer just that at a minimum all elements requested in the RFP packet be included in the proposal.
Do you know when the performance measures and corrective action form might be available on the site?
Yes. We have two different Performance Measures forms, Collections and Timeliness, and one form that covers Corrective Action Plans. These reports are populated on a county by county basis. We have provided a blank copy of these to let you get an idea of the data they would collect. Please click on their respective names for a link to these documents.
When costing out the proposal, I have realized that there may be a difference depending on the tasks that will be completed by the consultants and any that might be undertaken by existing staff. Specifically, will the data reports be generated by existing staff for analysis by the consulting team, or will the database reporting be turned entirely over to the consultant? I want to be sure to include the needed capacity in our response, but don't want to bid services that may already exist with your current staff.
The reports are populated beforehand by either staff or the counties themselves. These reports are then collected for analysis.