In a request for qualifications (RFQ) released July 19, the city-county of San Francisco is looking to stand up a pool of pre-qualified suppliers capable of supplying it with digital accessibility and inclusion services. Among the takeaways:
- San Francisco seeks services to help departments meet its Digital Accessibility and Inclusion Standard and it intends to evaluate proposals to create a supplier pool — though being prequalified is not a guarantee of a contract. The city will create two prequalified pools for each of two service areas. The first is for implementation and remediation companies, which may be used for “functional and technical implementation services for digital applications, modules and enhancements” to supplement or complement existing systems. The second area is for audit companies to help city departments do audits with “automatic and manual testing methodologies” to evaluate access to public-facing digital material. This includes department websites, Word or PDF documents, multimedia content, mobile apps and social media accounts. The RFQ cautions that this is not a complete listing of all services that may be needed.
- The five proposers that meet the minimum qualifications with the highest total points will be added to the pool of prequalified vendors and will be eligible for possible contract negotiations as needed. The pool list will be valid for two years, but this duration may be extended for up to two more years by the city. Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of people with expertise related to the services being procured, potentially with department staff. The city will negotiate the scope of services, budget, deliverables and timeline with firms that prequalify and are chosen for contract negotiations. For example, for contracts as a result of this RFQ, “the contractor(s) may work on a project basis, with an engagement agreement for each project/task specifying the maximum number of hours, due date and hourly rate to be charged.” There’s no guarantee of a minimum amount of work or compensation. A contract awarded to a company in the pool will be non-exclusive with its term to be determined but not to exceed 10 years.
- Requirements include five years’ experience in the public sector doing the work requested in this solicitation. Evidence of this can include past invoices, purchase orders, contracts and reference letters. Part of the city’s evaluation process may include a cybersecurity risk assessment for each entity “manufacturing the product, performing technical functions related to the product’s performance, and/or accessing [the] city’s networks and systems.” Firms that become part of the pool could need to complete a cybersecurity questionnaire. The same overall process may be required for a prime contractor or reseller if it plays an active role.
- A pre-proposal conference is set for 10 a.m. Aug. 1 on Microsoft Teams. Written questions are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 8, and responses to the RFQ are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 22. The notice of intent to establish the prequalified pool is tentatively set for Sept. 4 and the protest period will be within three days of that notice of intent.
