In a request for offer (RFO) released Feb. 17, the IT branch of the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) indicates it needs “services of IT Data Modernization and Management project.” HCD is beginning a project to “develop data management strategy and processes, normalize, validate and clean system databases and design connection with a future Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) data warehouse,” per the RFO. It needs respondents to provide more efficient, timely and reliable data reporting services. Among the takeaways:
- HCD oversees administration of the state’s housing finance, rehabilitation and community development programs; housing policy, planning and code-setting processes; and regulates “manufactured housing and mobile home parks,” among its responsibilities. Its IT systems include the Codes and Standards Automated System that supports business functions for manufactured housing, employee housing and mobile home parks; the Consolidated Automated Program Enterprise System that supports processing of notices of funding availability available on the public-facing website; and the Grants Management and Owner Occupied Reconstruction systems, both of which are SaaS. HCD’s applications run on Linux and Microsoft Windows environments, the department said, and include “various versions of Oracle on-prems” and cloud technologies, Java code and “other support technologies including but not limited to Eclipse/Ant and Jenkins.”
- The department seeks a contractor to “provide a data management program or services/function that allows the long-term support, enterprise view and establishment of a structure” allowing IT to “manage, process and provide tools for the delivery of all data management services within that structure.” For the scope of this work, HCD defines data management as: “Data management is the planning, execution and oversight of policies, practices and projects that acquire, control, protect, deliver and enhance the value of data and information assets.” Tasks and responsibilities include creating the HCD IT Data Management Plan — a plan to modernize the IT data infrastructure to manage data as an asset and a service; developing and adopting an enterprise data management strategy; advising HCD on integrating its technology and approach with statewide data management practices; and identifying and making, with staff, changes to databases needed to align with “operational needs and adjustments made as part of the HCD Financial Consultant’s contract services.”
- Among the mandatory company qualifications, the entity selected must have “proven experience in the development, refinement” and completion of an IT Data Management project for a government, public-sector or private-sector entity; experience creating a data strategy at an organization of comparable size; and experience in data management or architecture for a similar organization. The contractor’s team experience must include work on one project focused on data management, architecture or implementation of data analytics for the technical lead; two team members must have five years’ experience in IT data management; and at least one team member must have at least three years of financial management experience and a financial degree in areas including finance or accounting.
- Bids received for the project must not exceed $1.5 million. Responses to the RFO are due by 2 p.m. March 8. The anticipated contract award date is March 15 — but may be changed if more evaluation is needed — and the service commencement date is April 12. The expected contract term is roughly two years, ending June 30, 2023.
