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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (“RFP”) FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE ANDCALL CENTER SERVICES FOR WATER/SEWER BILLINGOPERATIONSSpecification No. 100153Required for use by:CITY OF CHICAGO(Department of Finance/Revenue)This RFP distributed by:CITY OF CHICAGO(Department of Procurement Services)All proposals and other communications must be addressed and returned to:Jamie L. Rhee, Chief Procurement OfficerAttention: Jacoby Radford, Assistant Procurement OfficerDepartment of Procurement ServicesBid and Bond Room - Room 301, City Hall121 North LaSalle StreetChicago, Illinois 60602A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on September 21, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CentralDaylight Time, at Department of Procurement Services, 121 N. LaSalle St, City Hall,Room 403 B, Chicago, Illinois 60602.Attendance is Non-Mandatory, but encouraged.PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 4:00 P.M., CENTRALDAYLIGHT TIME, ON OCTOBER 26, 2011RAHM EMANUELMAYORJAMIE L.RHEECHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (“RFP”) for CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CALL CENTERSERVICES FOR WATER/SEWER BILLING OPERATIONSSpecification No. 100153Table of ContentsIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIIIGENERAL INVITATION .11.1PURPOSE OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL .1SCOPE OF SERVICES .22.1Scope of Services.22.2Term of Services.2BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW .2GENERAL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES .24.1Communications between the City of Chicago and Respondents.24.2Deadline and Procedures for Submitting Proposals.34.3RFP Information Resources .54.4Procurement Timetable .54.5Confidentiality .5PREPARING PROPOSALS: REQUIRED INFORMATION .65.1Format of Proposals .65.2Volume I - Required Content of Proposals .65.3Volume II - Required Content - Representations and Certifications .14EVALUATING PROPOSALS.17SELECTION PROCESS.19ADDITIONAL DETAILS OF THE RFP PROCESS .208.1Addenda .208.2City's Rights to Reject Proposals.208.3No Liability for Costs.218.4Prohibition on Certain Contributions – Mayoral Executive Order No. 2011-4.218.5False Statements.22List of ExhibitsEXHIBIT 1.EXHIBIT 2.EXHIBIT 3.EXHIBIT 4.Scope of ServicesCompany Profile InformationCompany References/ Client Profile InformationCost Proposal - Excel Spreadsheet Exhibit 4 Cost Proposal Customer Service Water Sewer Billing RFP 09-07-2011.xlsEXHIBIT 5:EXHIBIT 6.EXHIBIT 7.EXHIBIT 8.EXHIBIT 9.Special Conditions Regarding Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE)Commitment, including:1. Attachment A:Assist Agencies2. Attachment B:Sample Letter to Assist Agencies3. Schedule B:Affidavit of Joint Venture (M/WBE)4. Schedule C-1:Letter of Intent from M/WBE to Perform as Subcontractor, Supplierand/or Consultant5. Schedule D-1:Affidavit of M/WBE Goal Implementation PlanOnline City of Chicago Economic Disclosure Statement and Affidavit and Appendix A(EDS) Instructions and Attachment A, Online EDS AcknowledgementKey PersonnelInsurance Requirements and Insurance CertificateCity of Chicago Sample Professional Services Agreementi
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (“RFP”)forCUSTOMER SERVICE AND CALL CENTER SERVICES FOR WATER/SEWER BILLINGOPERATIONSSpecification No. 100153IGENERAL INVITATION1.1PURPOSE OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALThe City of Chicago (“City”), acting through its Department of Finance/Revenue(“Department”) invites the submission of proposals from firms with expertise andexperience in providing the following services: The staffing and management ofCustomer Service to be utilized in the City’s water/sewer billing process, including thecall center, in-person and written/email correspondence.Companies with demonstrated experience in this area, and with an interest in makingtheir services available to the City of Chicago, are invited to respond to this RFP. Forpurposes of this RFP, Chief Procurement Officer (“CPO”) means the ChiefProcurement Officer for the City of Chicago. “Comptroller” means Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the City ‘Department of Finance/Revenue. “Respondents” means thecompanies or individuals that submit proposals to this RFP. The documents submittedwill be referred to as “Proposals.”The purpose is to find a qualified company to provide services identified in this RFP andto improve overall efficiency and effectiveness.The Services contemplated are professional in nature. The selected Respondent(“Contractor”) acting as an individual, partnership, corporation or other legal entity, mustbe of professional status, licensed to perform in the State of Illinois and licensed for allapplicable professional discipline(s) requiring licensing and is governed by theprofessional ethics in its relationship to the City. All reports, information, or dataprepared or assembled by the Contractor under a contract awarded pursuant to this RFPare confidential in nature and will not be made available to any individual or organization,except the City, without the prior written approval of the City. Any contract resulting fromthis RFP document will contain a provision requiring confidentiality on the part ofContractor.The Contractor must be financially solvent and each of its members if a joint venture, itsemployees, agents or subcontractors of any tier must be competent to perform theServices required under this RFP document.1
Request for Proposal for Customer Service andCall Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing OperationsSpecification No. 100153IISCOPE OF SERVICES2.1Scope of ServicesThe Services that the City seeks to acquire are described in detail in Exhibit 1 to thisRFP.2.2Term of ServicesThe initial contract term will be five (5) years from the date on which a contract isawarded by the City. In addition, the contract may provide that the City may elect toextend the contract up to 3 years to provide for ongoing Services. A copy of the City ofProfessional Services Agreement is attached as Exhibit 9. The City may from time totime revise its terms and conditions. Respondent must identify any objections that it hasto this Agreement in its response to this RFP.IIIBACKGROUND AND OVERVIEWThe Department of Finance/Revenue’s mission is to support vital City infrastructure andservices by maximizing revenue collections while providing superior customer service.The Department of Revenue (“DOR”) administers and enforces the Municipal Code ofChicago in an efficient and courteous manner. It is responsible for educating businessesand individuals in meeting their business obligations and informing them of the basis ofall enforcement actions. The DOR is also accountable for providing accurate informationand ensuring that citizens know their rights in dealings with the City.The Water Billing & Collections Division within the Department of Revenue isresponsible for collecting water/sewer service payments and providing billing relatedcustomer service through several channels, including call center, in-person and writtencorrespondence support.IVGENERAL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES4.1Communications between the City of Chicago and RespondentsA.Submission of Questions or Requests for ClarificationsRespondents must communicate only with the Department of ProcurementServices. All questions or requests for clarification must be submitted to thefollowing e-mail address: jacoby.radford@cityofchicago.org. All questions andrequests for clarification must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. CentralDaylight Time on September 28, 2011 or no response will be provided except atthe discretion of the City. A Respondent that deviates from any of theserequirements is subject to immediate disqualification from this RFP process.The subject line of the email must clearly indicate that the contents are“Questions and Request for Clarification” about the RFP, and are “Not aProposal” and must refer to “Request for Proposal (“RFP”) Customer Service andCall Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing Operations, Specification No.2
Request for Proposal for Customer Service andCall Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing OperationsSpecification No. 100153100153.” No telephone calls or e-mails will be accepted unless the questions aregeneral in nature.B.Pre-Proposal ConferenceThe City will hold a Pre-Proposal Conference at the Department of ProcurementServices, 121 N. LaSalle St, City Hall, Room 403-B, Chicago, Illinois 60602 at2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time on September 21, 2011, 2011. All partiesinterested in bidding on this RFP are urged to attend in person. The City willanswer questions and clarify the terms of the RFP at the Pre-ProposalConference. The City may respond both to questions raised on the day of theconference and to questions faxed or mailed prior to the deadline for receipt ofquestions per Section 4.1.A.C.Downloadable RFP DocumentsRespondents should obtain this RFP from the Bid and Bond Room located atCity Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 301, Chicago, Illinois 60602.Respondents may request the Bid and Bond Room personnel mail them a copyof the RFP by providing the Bid and Bond Room a Federal Express accountnumber or make arrangements with Bid and Bond Room personnel to have apackage ready for pickup by another courier service. The Bid and Bond Roomtelephone number is (312) 744-9773. The City accepts no responsibility for thetimely delivery of materials.In the alternative, Respondents may download the RFP from URL ec100153.pdf.If Respondent chooses to download the RFP document, the Respondent mustcontact the Bid and Bond Room by faxing a legible copy of Respondent’sbusiness card, referencing Specification No. 100153 to (312) 744-5611 or bycalling the Bid & Bond Room at (312)744-9773 to register Respondent’scompany as an RFP document holder, which will better enable Respondent toreceive any future clarifications and/or addenda related to this RFP.Respondents are responsible for obtaining all RFP materials.Under no circumstances shall failure to obtain clarifications and/or addendarelieve a Respondent from being bound by any additional terms and conditions inthe clarifications and/or addenda, or from considering additional informationcontained therein in preparing a Proposal. Furthermore, failure to obtain anyclarification and/or addendum shall not be valid grounds for a protest againstaward(s) made under this RFP.4.2Deadline and Procedures for Submitting ProposalsA.To be assured of consideration, Proposals must be received by the City ofChicago in the City’s Bid and Bond Room (Room 301, City Hall) no later than4:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 26, 2011. The Bid and Bond Roomcan be reached at telephone number 312-744-9773.3
Request for Proposal for Customer Service andCall Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing OperationsSpecification No. 100153B.The City may, but is not required to accept Proposals that are not received by thedate and time set forth in Section 4.2.A above. Only the Chief ProcurementOfficer (“CPO”) is empowered to determine whether to accept or return lateProposals. No additional or missing documents will be accepted after the duedate and time, except as may be requested by the Chief Procurement Officer.Failure by a messenger delivery service or printing service to meet the deadlinewill not excuse the Respondent from the deadline requirement. Hand-carriedProposals must be placed in the depository located in the Bid and Bond Roomlocated in Room 301, City Hall. The time of the receipt of all Proposals to thisRFP will be determined solely by the clock located in the Bid and Bond Room ofCity Hall. It is Respondent's sole responsibility to ensure that the Proposal isreceived as required.C.Proposals must be delivered to the following address:Jamie L. Rhee, Chief Procurement OfficerCity of ChicagoDepartment of Procurement ServicesBid and Bond RoomRoom 301, City Hall121 North LaSalle StreetChicago, Illinois 60602Attention: Jacoby Radford, Assistant Procurement OfficerD.Respondents must submit the following Proposal Items:1.2.3.Proposal ItemOriginal Copy - PaperDuplicate Copy - PaperElectronic Copy - CD-ROM (in PDF format)Quantity1210The original Proposal must be clearly marked as “ORIGINAL”. All documentsrequiring a signature must bear the original signature of Respondent's authorizedsignatory. Respondent must enclose all documents in clearly labeled sealedenvelopes or boxes.E.The outside of each sealed envelope or package must be labeled as follows:Proposal EnclosedRequest for Proposals (RFP) for Customer Service and Call CenterServices for Water/Sewer Billing OperationsSpecification No.: 100153Due: 4:00 p.m., October 26, 2011Submitted by: (Name of Respondent)Package ofThe City's opening of Respondent's sealed envelope(s) or package(s) containinga Proposal shall neither be deemed nor constitute acceptance by the City ofRespondent's Proposal. The City reserves the right to open and inspect all suchsealed envelope(s) or package(s), regardless if the same were submitted by the4
Request for Proposal for Customer Service andCall Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing OperationsSpecification No. 100153due date and time specified herein, for any purpose, including without limitation,determining the particular RFP to which Respondent has responded, determiningif a Proposal was submitted by the date and time specified in this RFP, and inorder to determine a Respondent's return address.F.FEES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS. Section 2-92-418 of theMunicipal Code of the City of Chicago requires for each competitively bidcontract and each request for proposal where the estimated dollar value of theContract, as determined by the Chief Procurement Officer, exceeds 10,000,000.00 that each bidder or proposer submit with its proposal a nonrefundable "submittal fee" in the amount of 900.00. The submittal fee must besubmitted no later than the date and time on which the bid or proposal is due.The submittal fee must be in the form of a certified check, cashier's check ormoney order payable to the City of Chicago. The CPO has determined the valueof the contract for the Services required under this Contract does not exceed 10,000,000.00. As a result, a submittal fee to the City with its Proposal to thisRFP is not required.4.3RFP Information ResourcesRespondents are solely responsible for acquiring the necessary information or materials.Information for preparing a response to this RFP can be located in the following areas ofthe City’s website: www.cityofchicago.org/Procurement: 4.4Search MBE/WBE Directory DatabasePre-Bid/Proposal Conference AttendeesAddendums and Exhibits, if any.Procurement TimetableThe timetable for the RFP solicitation process is summarized below. Note that these aretarget dates and are subject to change by the City.Key ActivityTarget DateCity Issues RFPSeptember 6, 2011Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal ConferenceSeptember 21, 2011Pre-Proposal Questions DueSeptember 28, 2011Proposals DueOctober 26, 20114.5ConfidentialityRespondent may designate those portions of the Proposal, which contain trade secretsor other proprietary data that must remain confidential. If a Respondent includes datathat is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the City except forevaluation purposes, the Respondent must:5
Request for Proposal for Customer Service andCall Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing OperationsSpecification No. 100153A.Mark the title page as follows: “This RFP proposal includes trade secrets or otherproprietary data (“data”) that may not be disclosed outside the City and may notbe duplicated, used or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than toevaluate this Proposal. The data subject to this restriction are contained insheets (insert page numbers or other identification).” The City, for purposes ofthis provision, will include any consultants assisting in the evaluation ofProposals. If, however, a contract is awarded to this Respondent as a result ofor in connection with the submission of this data, the City has the right toduplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resultingcontract. This restriction does not limit the City’s right to use informationcontained in the data if it is obtained from another source without restriction.B.Mark each sheet or data to be restricted with the following legend: “Use ordisclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the titlepage of this Proposal.”All submissions are subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).VPREPARING PROPOSALS: REQUIRED INFORMATIONEach Proposal must contain all of the following documents and must conform to thefollowing requirements.5.1Format of ProposalsProposals must be prepared on 8 ½" X 11" letter size paper (preferablyrecycled), printed double-sided, and bound on the long side. The Cityencourages using reusable, recycled, recyclable and chlorine free printedmaterials for bids, proposal, reports and other documents prepared in connectionwith this solicitation. Expensive papers and bindings are discouraged, as nomaterials will be returned.Proposals must be submitted in two separately-bound volumes. The first volumemust contain the Respondent’s Statement of Qualifications and must be labeled“Volume I, Statement of Qualifications”; the second volume must containrepresentations and certifications as described herein and must be labeled“Volume II, Representations and Certifications”.Each separate volume and individual sections should be clearly identified and/orseparated by labeled tabs and organized in accordance with subject mattersequence as set forth below.Sections should be separated by labeled tabs and organized in accordance withsubject matter sequence as set forth below. Each page of the Proposal must benumbered in a manner so as to be uniquely identified.5.2Volume I - Required Content of ProposalsRespondents are advised to adhere to the submittal requirements of the RFP.Failure to comply with the instructions of this RFP may be cause for rejection of6
Request for Proposal for
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (“RFP”) for CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CALL CENTER . (“RFP”) Customer Service and Call Center Services for Water/Sewer Billing Operations, Specification No. . If Respondent chooses to download the RFP document, the Respondent must contact the Bid and Bond Room by faxing a legible copy of Respondent’s
