IT Professional Technical Services
Master Contract Program
T#:902TS
Statement of Work (SOW)
For Technology Services
Issued By
[Link] Services@ Education
Project Title SLEDS Analytics LDS2
Service Category: Project Management
Business Need
MDE has the need to supplement its project management staff with one project manager in a project of
approximately six month’s duration to support analysis of Minnesota student data contained in a data
warehouse.
The warehouse is sometimes described as the P-20 warehouse or Student Longitudinal Education Data
System (SLEDS) warehouse. Such descriptions were chosen because the data will span the years of a
student’s life from pre-school through post-secondary school. (The warehouse will facilitate longitudinal
analysis.) The data is drawn from multiple sources – MN Department of Education (MDE), MN Department
of Economic Development (DEED), and the MN Office of Higher Educations (OHE).
Project Deliverables
The scope of the SLEDS Analytics effort is to devise, design and develop a suite of options for pre-defined
data analysis, secure processes for research dataset generation and transition to long term operation.
Develop and maintain project planning materials (e.g., a project schedule, risk analysis, etc.) to
be used in planning and tracking project progress.
Develop and maintain a statement of work document that describes at a high level the
expectations associated with the project. MDE will supply a template for this document.
Develop and maintain data sharing agreements among the various participants.
Create and maintain functional specifications that describe . . .
o Data sources
o Anonymization techniques
o ETL (extract translate and load) software and database schema for the
warehouse.
o The production hardware and software environment
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The following deliverables are in progress, and will be executed by the selected candidate:
Analysis of “pathways” questions (analysis of specific student groups sharing a particular state in
time, e.g., graduating from HS in a particular year)
A federally mandated “SFSF” report (showing HS graduation and Higher Ed enrollment rates by
year subgroup)
Soft launch of initial SLEDS Analytics based upon “pathways”
A release to a broader audience is planned for April 2013
Project Milestones and Schedule
The project is ongoing, and is scheduled to transition to a maintenance mode in the summer of 2013. The project
manager selected will be expected to be available on or about January 28, 2013 for an engagement of six months.
Project Environment (State Resources)
The successful responder will supply one project manager to work directly with existing IT management and [Link]
Services staff to implement the analytics as described above.
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Agency Project Requirements
The successful responder will:
Work on site at MDE IT at 1500 Highway 36 Roseville MN 55113
Have experience with WebFOCUS and other Business Intelligence tools
Have senior level skills in Project Management
Work in compliance with Statewide Project Management Methodology as directed and be required to
report or demonstrate such compliance as needed
Work in compliance with Statewide Enterprise Security Requirements as directed and be required to report
or demonstrate such compliance as needed.
All work and resulting products must comply with the Minnesota Accessibility Standards adopted
September 1, 2010.
Responsibilities Expected of the Selected Vendor
The selected vendor will be required to:
Provide frequent documentation and status updates through [Link] @ Education’s project
managers
May be given project management oversight responsibility by MDE if desired.
Provide training and knowledge transfer and product documentation where required by [Link] @
Education
Work with [Link] @ Education’s Quality Assurance to develop testing and acceptance procedures.
Provide input and track against the project work plan.
Required Skills
Resumes that fail to meet these minimum requirements will not be considered.
Required minimum qualifications for project manager:
Five plus years of experience with business intelligence project management
Five years of experience with WebFOCUS Analytics Suite or comparable Business Intelligence tool
Desired Skills
Experience with or business knowledge of selected data sets from institutions of higher education, labor
and industry
Experience with identifying and de-identifying students from a business and/or technical perspective
Subject matter expertise in education including K-12, higher education, workforce and or labor data and
research
Experience in coaching or team development situations
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Process Schedule
Deadline for Questions 01/22/2013 3:00 PM CST
Anticipated Posted Response to Questions 01/23/2013 3:00 PM CST
Proposals due 01/25/2013 3:00 PM CST
Anticipated proposal evaluation begins 01/28/2013 3:00 PM CST
Anticipated proposal evaluation & decision 01/30/2013 3:00 PM CST
Questions
Any questions regarding this Statement of Work should be submitted via e-mail by
1/22/2013 3:00 P.M. CST
Name: Matthew Porett
Department: [Link] @ Education
Telephone Number: 651-582-8804
Email Address: [Link]
Questions and answers will be posted on the Office of Enterprise Technology website by
1/23/ 2013 3:00 P.M. CST
([Link]
SOW Evaluation Process
The state reserves the right to interview candidates at its discretion. Scores may be adjusted based on
information delivered at that interview
Experience of candidates (35%)
Communication Skills (10%)
Three References (5%)
Desired skills (20%)
Cost (30%)
Statement of Work does not obligate the state to award a work order or complete the assignment,
and the state reserves the right to cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest.
The Agency reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
Response Requirements
Response packages are to include:
1) Resumes of no more than 3 candidates may be proposed. Additional resumes will NOT be
considered. Each selected candidate will be subject to an in person interview, but not all will.
2) Hourly rate of each candidate proposed
3) References: Provide three clients who have worked with the candidate previously
4) Provide a statement corresponding to the Conflicts of Interest Requirements on page 5.
5) Required forms to be returned or additional provisions that must be included in proposal
a) Affirmative Action Certificate of Compliance (if over $100,000)
[Link]
b) Affidavit of non-collusion
[Link]
c) Certification Regarding Lobbying
[Link]
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d) Veteran-Owned/Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Preference Form
[Link]
Proposal Submission Instructions
Vendors must submit response packages and candidate resumes directly to Matthew Porett by 1/25/2013, 3:00
P.M. CST. This may be done via e-mail attachment to [Link]@[Link]
General Requirements
Proposal Contents
By submission of a proposal, Responder warrants that the information provided is true, correct and
reliable for purposes of evaluation for potential award of a this work order. The submission of inaccurate
or misleading information may be grounds for disqualification from the award as well as subject the
responder to suspension or debarment proceedings as well as other remedies available by law.
Liability
Indemnification
In the performance of this contract by Contractor, or Contractor’s agents or employees, the contractor must
indemnify, save, and hold harmless the State, its agents, and employees, from any claims or causes of
action, including attorney’s fees incurred by the state, to the extent caused by Contractor’s:
1) Intentional, willful, or negligent acts or omissions; or
2) Actions that give rise to strict liability; or
3) Breach of contract or warranty.
The indemnification obligations of this section do not apply in the event the claim or cause of action is the
result of the State’s sole negligence. This clause will not be construed to bar any legal remedies the
Contractor may have for the State’s failure to fulfill its obligation under this contract.
Disposition of Responses
All materials submitted in response to this SOW will become property of the State and will become public
record in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 13.591, after the evaluation process is completed.
Pursuant to the statute, completion of the evaluation process occurs when the government entity has
completed negotiating the contract with the selected vendor. If the Responder submits information in
response to this SOW that it believes to be trade secret materials, as defined by the Minnesota
Government Data Practices Act, Minn. Stat. § 13.37, the Responder must: clearly mark all trade secret
materials in its response at the time the response is submitted,
include a statement with its response justifying the trade secret designation for each item, and
defend any action seeking release of the materials it believes to be trade secret, and indemnify and hold
harmless the State, its agents and employees, from any judgments or damages awarded against the
State in favor of the party requesting the materials, and any and all costs connected with that defense.
This indemnification survives the State’s award of a contract. In submitting a response to this RFP, the
Responder agrees that this indemnification survives as long as the trade secret materials are in
possession of the State.
The State will not consider the prices submitted by the Responder to be proprietary or trade secret
materials.
Conflicts of Interest
Responder must provide a list of all entities with which it has relationships that create, or appear to
create, a conflict of interest with the work that is contemplated in this request for proposals. The list
should indicate the name of the entity, the relationship, and a discussion of the conflict.
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The responder warrants that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, and except as otherwise disclosed,
there are no relevant facts or circumstances which could give rise to organizational conflicts of interest.
An organizational conflict of interest exists when, because of existing or planned activities or because of
relationships with other persons, a vendor is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance
or advice to the State, or the vendor’s objectivity in performing the contract work is or might be otherwise
impaired, or the vendor has an unfair competitive advantage. The responder agrees that, if after award,
an organizational conflict of interest is discovered, an immediate and full disclosure in writing must be
made to the Assistant Director of the Department of Administration’s Materials Management Division
(“MMD”) which must include a description of the action which the contractor has taken or proposes to
take to avoid or mitigate such conflicts. If an organization conflict of interest is determined to exist, the
State may, at its discretion, cancel the contract. In the event the responder was aware of an
organizational conflict of interest prior to the award of the contract and did not disclose the conflict to
MMD, the State may terminate the contract for default. The provisions of this clause must be included in
all subcontracts for work to be performed similar to the service provided by the prime contractor, and the
terms “contract,” “contractor,” and “contracting officer” modified appropriately to preserve the State’s
rights.
IT Accessibility Standards
Responses to this solicitation must comply with the Minnesota IT Accessibility Standards effective
September 1, 2010, which entails, in part, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (Level
AA) and Section 508 Subparts A-D which can be viewed at:
[Link]
Nonvisual Access Standards
Nonvisual access standards require:
1) The effective interactive control and use of the technology, including the operating system,
applications programs, prompts, and format of the data presented, are readily achievable by
nonvisual means;
2) That the nonvisual access technology must be compatible with information technology used by other
individuals with whom the blind or visually impaired individual must interact;
3) That nonvisual access technology must be integrated into networks used to share communications
among employees, program participants, and the public; and
4) That the nonvisual access technology must have the capability of providing equivalent access by
nonvisual means to telecommunications or other interconnected network services used by persons
who are not blind or visually impaired.
[Required clause for all contracts that will NOT be funded either in whole or in part by federal money
and that are subject to federal disadvantaged business enterprise regulations.]
Preference to Targeted Group and Economically Disadvantaged Business and Individuals
In accordance with Minnesota Rules, part 1230.1810, subpart B and Minnesota Rules, part 1230.1830,
certified Targeted Group Businesses and individuals submitting proposals as prime contractors shall
receive the equivalent of a six percent preference in the evaluation of their proposal, and certified
Economically Disadvantaged Businesses and individuals submitting proposals as prime contractors shall
receive the equivalent of a six percent preference in the evaluation of their proposal. Eligible TG
businesses must be currently certified by the Materials Management Division prior to the solicitation
opening date and time. For information regarding certification, contact the Materials Management
Helpline at 651.296.2600, or you may reach the Helpline by email at [Link]@[Link]. For
TTY/TDD communications, contact the Helpline through the Minnesota Relay Services at
1.800.627.3529.
Veteran-owned/Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Preference
In accordance with Minnesota Statute §16C.16, subd. 6a, veteran-owned businesses with their principal
place of business in Minnesota and verified as eligible by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs’
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Center for Veteran Enterprises (CVE Verified) will receive up to a 6 percent preference in the evaluation of
its proposal.
Eligible veteran-owned small businesses include CVE verified small businesses that are majority-owned and
operated by either recently separated veterans, veterans with service-connected disabilities, and any
other veteran-owned small businesses (pursuant to Minnesota Statute §16C.16, subd. 6a).
Information regarding CVE verification may be found at [Link]
Eligible veteran-owned small businesses should complete and sign the Veteran-Owned Preference Form
in this solicitation. Only eligible, CVE verified, veteran-owned small businesses that provide the required
documentation, per the form, will be given the preference.
[Optional language when agency determines to preclude foreign outsourcing. NOTE: Must not be
used when work order is expected to be in excess of the WTO threshold of $554,000 or when it is
being considered as part of the work order contract award evaluation criteria.]
Foreign Outsourcing of Work Prohibited
All services under this contract shall be performed within the borders of the United States. All storage and
processing of information shall be performed within the borders of the United States. This provision also
applies to work performed by subcontractors at all tiers.