In a request for proposals (RFP) released Wednesday, the state Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District located in Sacramento calls for responses from technology vendors capable of assisting it in a Microsoft “SharePoint Server Modernization Build — a “services agreement with a suitable vendor who can assist with the move and upgrade of the court’s internal SharePoint 2013 website.” Among the takeaways:
- The court stood up its existing SharePoint Foundation 2013 server in June 2014 to “host its organizational intranet.” This meets basic needs for its assorted departments — but the existing system “cannot fully integrate into the Office 365 portal,” meaning “some forms and functionality reside separately on orphaned SharePoint pages in the Office 365 cloud.” The current environment includes “multiple departments, document libraries, and links to other products and services,” and some pages have “role-dependent content or access.” The server has one main site and 10 “sub-sites,” including “Admin/HR, COVID, Community, Education, Technology, Library, E-Filing, Justices, Judicial Assistants, and Attorneys.” Court users across various locations access the Office 365 cloud via PCs and mobile devices, and “chromium-based” browsers are standard.
- As a result of this RFP, the website will shift from “an on-premise server to the court’s Office 365 online portal.” Software will update to the latest version of SharePoint and the “end-product will not be a public-facing site,” according to the RFP. The new site must “integrate or move” existing data files off on-prem and organize them into “appropriate and logical subsites” linked via the main hub, “utilizing appropriate web parts and apps.” The final product “must utilize the court’s licensed version of SharePoint through the Office 365 portal” and recommendations on “any additional licenses needed to complete this project, such as third-party migration tools,” must be contained in responses to the RFP.
- The successful respondent’s work will include discussing the court’s intranet and developing a migration strategy; facilitating data migration or determining if it’s outside of the contract scope; aligning the SharePoint site to information management best practices; modernizing the SharePoint site; and “configuring user-friendly design and logical organization of content” to improve content findability. Deliverables include a “proposed project plan” encompassing work structure, project schedule, change and transition management and site administrator training; translation of requirements into a “design specification” that includes user interface/wire frames, technical architecture, functional specifications and data interface specifications. Respondent selected must also provide a “validated ‘pre-production site’ on the court’s Office 365 cloud,” equal to the go-live site, with “limited permissions.”
- Requirements include information on at least three “clients” for whom the respondent has done similar services; and resumes, abilities and experience for each key staffer on the project. In the cost area of the proposal, respondents must provide a “detailed line item budget” that shows total cost including costs associated with licensing, hosting, maintenance and support and professional services, as well as a full explanation of all line items in a “narrative entitled ‘Budget Justification’” and a “not to exceed” total for all work and expenses that would be payable in the contract if it’s awarded.
- The contract’s precise value and term are not stated. However, the RFP indicates the respondent must offer a plan for “two years of post-implementation support, including a warranty period.” Questions/requests for clarification are due by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday with responses posted online May 4. Responses to the RFP are due May 24. Technical proposal will be reviewed and scored May 31 and results posed June 3. Cost proposals will be opened June 8 and a notice of intent to award is expected June 10. The agreement is anticipated to be executed June 20.
