In an invitation for bid (IFB) released Friday, the California Department of Water Resources is calling for responses from technology companies for “Online Database services” — work that could span much of this decade. Among the takeaways:
- DWR needs a contractor to deliver “online database services on a continuous basis,” and to “maintain the database and provide technical support from the contractor’s business location,” according to the IFB. Services must be offered through the Internet/web browser to let department staff access documents regardless of location. Specifically, the successful respondent will need to provide ongoing, continuous “online database access to vendor specifications and catalogs, industrial standards, and federal safety regulations.” This must include access to U.S. standards for 17 entities including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the National Fire Protection Association, and the American Society for Testing and Materials. Access to licenses for these and other entities is also needed, with concurrent licenses ranging from single to unlimited. The contractor must also provide technical support, including a website for users from DWR to get help regarding logins, accessing and procuring documents, and website use and navigation, and contact information for tech support representatives. Technical support training through Cisco Webex and/or video is also required.
- The contractor selected is required to very carefully handle and safeguard confidential and/or sensitive information, potentially taking “special precautions to protect it from unauthorized modification or deletion.” Examples of sensitive information include public records or confidential information such as “statistical reports, financial reports, and log-on procedures.” The contractor must, generally, protect this information from “unauthorized access (accidental or intentional), modification, destruction, or disclosure” by taking measures including “password protection of electronic data, encrypted transmission of electronic data, and secure mailing and locked storage of paper and taped copies.” Measures such as “establishment of secure workstations and maintenance of a secure workstation access log,” as well as “security patches and upgrades” and up-to-date virus software, may also be required. The contractor must notify the department “promptly if a security breach involving confidential or sensitive information occurs.”
- Among the requirements, applicants must provide three references for services done during the last five years that are similar to the scope of work in this IFB. The contract’s precise value is not stated. Its anticipated duration is three years, with the option of renewing for two more years. Technical questions are due by 4 p.m. Monday, and answers will come by 4 p.m. Wednesday. Bids are due by 4 p.m. Feb. 14 and will be opened at 10 a.m. Feb. 16. The anticipated contract start date is March 1.
