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A Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Proposal
IT Contract Professional Services
RFP #269-2015-060
City of Charlotte, North Carolina
July 24, 2015
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
2
TAB CONTENT
TAB 1 Cover Letter
TAB 2 Executive Summary
TAB 3 Proposed Solution
TAB 4 Forms
TAB 5 CCPA Plan
TAB 6 Exceptions
TAB 7 Supplemental Information
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
3
July 24, 2015 Mr. Philip Keller City of Charlotte Procurement Management Division 600 East 4th Street, CMGC 9th Floor Charlotte, NC 28202 RFP # 269—2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services FAX: 704-632-8522 E-mail: [email protected] Dear Mr. Keller,
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. is pleased to submit our proposal to provide IT Contract Professional Services. With this Transmittal Letter, Milestone attests to the accuracy of our proposal. Milestone is specifically proposing IT Professional Services for the Hansen Banner CIS and Oracle technologies.
Understanding of Work
Milestone understands that the City is seeking a group of IT Services Vendors that can provide various types of IT resources to the City. These resources may fill a variety of positions in support of the City’s overall IT strategy and augment the City’s staff whenever necessary. The work will include both technical and functional roles related to the City’s different applications that they currently have installed. The City will request potential staff from the vendors and the vendors will propose resumes to the City for their review and approval.
How Milestone will meet the City’s needs
Milestone is a specialized consulting firm that provides services related to utility billing and customer and field services. Milestone has a strong back ground in the City’s utility CIS, Hansen Banner CIS. Milestone can provide any type of resource related to Banner CIS and the Oracle Technologies. Milestone has a strong Banner CIS practice and can provide both functional and technical resources for the City. Additionally, should the City elect to replace Banner CIS, Milestone also has consultants with significant experience in other major CIS vendors in the current market, such as Oracle CC&B, SAP, and various Harris products.
Summary of Pricing
Milestone offers the City a very specific services solution and we feel our pricing is competitive at a flat rate of $130 per hour.
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Milestone is pleased to provide a strong team of functional and technical resources who are uniquely chosen based on their experience consulting, implementing, supporting, and operating utility industry applications. Our projected resource team is one that, we feel, realizes the importance of the City’s business requirements, budget, timeline, and existing operations. Each member of our team has a decade or more experience on the Hansen Banner CIS applications and Oracle.
The information contained in this Proposal or any part thereof, including its Exhibits, Schedules, and other documents and instruments delivered or to be delivered to the City, is true, accurate, and complete. This Proposal includes all information necessary to ensure that the statements therein do not in whole or in part mislead the City as to any material facts.
In accordance with the guidance and information you have provided:
This offer is made on behalf of: Milestone Utility Services, Inc. 11830 NW 4th Street Plantation, Florida 33325 FAX: 1-866-461-7992 Phone: 843-323-5589
Primary Point of Contact for this bid is: Milestone’s Authorized Agent for this offer
is: Linda Lee Lukas Business Development Milestone Utility Services, Inc 405 East Cambridge Avenue Greenwood, SC 29646 FAX: 1-866-461-7992 Phone: 803-960-1487 [email protected]
Frank Anderson Chief Business Development Officer 7624 Colebrook Drive Orlando, FL. 32818 FAX: 1-866-461-7992 Phone: 843-323-5589
Milestone has worked with the City for more than 6 years and we value the relationship. With this proposal, we would like to be considered as your solution provider and trusted advisors for this RFP 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services. Milestone is committed to the success of your business. When your business succeeds, we succeed, and that guiding principle makes us the best at our business. Our team welcomes the opportunity to discuss our proposal with you and your team.
Regards,
Linda Lee Lukas, Business Development
July 24, 2015
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Contents Tab 2: Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 6 Tab 3: Proposed Solution ........................................................................................... 9
Proposed Solution. ...................................................................................................... 9 3.1 General Scope ..................................................................................................... 12 3.2 Charlotte Cooperative Purchasing Alliance ........................................................ 13 3.3 Job Categories ..................................................................................................... 14 3.4 Personnel Selection Process ................................................................................ 17 3.4.1 Request for Resume Notification ..................................................................... 17 3.4.2 Service Provider Resume Response................................................................. 17 3.4.3 City Resume Assessment ................................................................................. 17 3.4.4 Contractor Services Supplement Agreement ................................................... 17 3.4.5 Contractor Services Supplement Amendment ................................................. 17 3.5 City’s Current Applications ................................................................................ 17 3.6 Pricing ................................................................................................................. 18 3.7 Administrative Fees ............................................................................................ 19 3.8 Customer Service ................................................................................................ 19 3.9 Reporting Requirements ..................................................................................... 20 3.10 Appearance ....................................................................................................... 21 3.11 Employee Expenses .......................................................................................... 21 3.12 Time Records .................................................................................................... 21 3.13 Overtime ........................................................................................................... 21 3.14 Holidays ............................................................................................................ 22 3.15 Background Checks .......................................................................................... 22 3.16 Drug Testing ..................................................................................................... 23 3.17 Driving .............................................................................................................. 24 3.18 Temp to Perm Conditions ................................................................................. 24 3.19 Additional Services ........................................................................................... 24 3.20 Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Contract and Assignment of Property Rights ........................................................................................................................ 24 3.21 City Contract Requirements .............................................................................. 25
Tab 4: Forms ............................................................................................................ 26 Milestone Utility Services Organizational Chart ......................................................... 42 Tab 5: CCPA Plan ...................................................................................................... 55 Tab 6: EXCEPTIONS ................................................................................................... 57 Tab 7: Supplemental Information ............................................................................. 58
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Tab 2: Executive Summary
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. (MUSI) is pleased to submit our proposal for RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services. Our proposal includes consulting services to assist the City with Oracle Technologies and Hansen Banner CIS support, enhancement, and other service requirement requests.
Milestone can provide the City with experienced and qualified Utility CIS consultants that will meet the City’s need for either functional or technical expertise. Milestone has consultants across the United States and are willing to travel to meet the needs of the City or any of their partner companies in this RFP.
Milestone’s focus is only on Hansen Banner CIS and Oracle Technologies services and support. We are pleased to offer resources for the following areas:
Business Analyst Application Specialist Project Managers Testing Specialists Data Base Administration Training Specialist Technical Writer
Role Role Summary Responsible For Business Analyst
Milestone business analysts will assist the City with gathering and documenting requirements, and designing business process and system changes.
- Requirements Gathering and Documentation
- Design of Business Processes - Design System Changes - Triage and Analysis of System or
Process problems
Project Managers
Milestone Project managers will assist the City with developing project schedules, planning initiatives, and overseeing resources that are working on the City’s project.
- Develop Project Plan and Schedule - Project Communication - Stakeholder Communication - Staffing Plan - Managing Project Tasks and
Scheduling - Assessing and Managing Project Risk
Application Specialist
Application Specialists will develop new or make changes to existing application modules. Additionally, they will work with Testing Specialists to correct any
- Technical Design of system changes - Modification of source code - Triage issues with functional
resources
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Role Role Summary Responsible For issues found during the testing phase and assist with any production triage as necessary.
- Defect Corrections
Testing Specialists
Testing Analysts will execute test cases made for changes to systems or processes and document the results
- Develop Test Cases for Changes to System or Process
- Execute Tests - Document Test Results - Work with Application Specialists on
system changes (defects)
Training Specialist
Training specialists deliver system or process training to end users and manage the training process.
- Assess Training Needs and Scope - Identify trainees - Deliver Training to End Users - Schedule Training - Training evaluation
Technical Writer
Technical writers develop detailed documentation for use by end users and in training.
- Design and Develop Training Material
- Develop User Documentation, Guides, and other quick reference material
Milestone’s mission is to provide our clients end-to-end CIS solution services with an ultimate goal of ensuring they are 100% satisfied with the quality of our work and the value of our services. Our clients (as well as our consultants) are our most valuable assets, and we treat them as such. All of our business transactions are done with highest standards of integrity and honesty. Milestone has never had a project fail and all of our customers are referenceable.
Project Team
Milestone’s project team includes Functional Consultants with over 15 years of experience with the Banner/Customer Suite software and Technical Consultants with an average of almost 20 years of experience with Oracle Forms and Banner/Customer Suite. All of our technical consultants included on this project are experts in Oracle Forms, Pro C, Oracle Database, and PL/SQL. The Functional Consultants have over 15 years of Banner/Customer Suite CIS experience which includes functional design, documentation, training, testing, and an in depth knowledge of the water utility business.
Consultant Role Years of Experience Frank Anderson Business Analyst 17
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Consultant Role Years of Experience Mike Burnor Testing Specialist / Business
Analyst 15
Parker Burris Testing Specialist 16 Periasamy Chithan Application Specialist 19 Giridhar Madhavareddy, Application Specialist / DBA 16 Dwayne Bishop Project Manager 18
Milestone’s proposal sets itself apart because:
The resources being proposed for the specific skills required for this engagement have over 15 years of experience in Banner/Customer Suite, along with in depth experience in municipal water utilities, as well as an overall understanding of the utility industry.
The high degree of quality of its deliverables. Milestone’s 7 years of hands on experience and working knowledge of the City’s
Hansen Banner CIS and AMI Meter Reading system, which gives us a thorough understanding of the City’s requirements and business goals.
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Tab 3: Proposed Solution From Page 31 of RFP - 4.1.3
Proposed Solution. Given the purpose of this project and the City's goals as stated in this RFP, provide a creative solution to meet such goals. For each component of the Project described in Section 3, state whether your Proposed Solution complies and provide a description of how the Proposed Solution complies as well as any additional information requested. If you wish to add supplemental information, it shall be labeled “Supplemental Information.”
MILESTONE RESPONSE Milestone understands and acknowledges the requirements provided in the Proposed Solutions section of the RFP Document. Milestone consultants provided to the City will perform the requested tasks in a professional, workmanlike manor at all times. Milestone consultants can provide onsite support or perform their work offsite, depending on the requirements of the City. Milestone is a specialized consulting company providing professional services to energy and utility companies in the meter to cash, customer service, field services, and collections areas. The following is a brief description of how Milestone’s resources will perform the requested roles. Business Analyst Milestone Business Analysts work with our clients to gather requirements, understand the business needs & processes, and attempt to design solutions to meet these needs. The business analyst will work with the City business users and IT staff to understand the issues that need to be addressed, changed, or considered in the system or business process. Requirements will be documented and validated with the different groups affected by the potential changes. An approach document is created to define the potential changes in the system and also the changes required in the business processes. This approach document is estimated by the technical group (either the City’s or Milestone’s, depending on who is performing the technical work). The City may approve the changes or decide not to move forward. If the changes are approved, the Business Analyst will develop functional specifications, defining what changes will be made in the system to accommodate the change request. This document will be used to develop test cases as well as used by the Application Specialist to make the appropriate changes in the system. The Business Analyst will also develop or modify process the City’s documentation to show the new changes or processes that will be implemented. For non-system change activities, the Business Analyst will study the impact of making certain changes to business processes or potentially configuring the system in a different way, and the potential results of making these types of non-coding changes. Process changes and requirements will be documented and reviewed with the City to ensure they are accurate, and meet the City’s needs.
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Other tasks include working with the Training group to answer questions related to training or training documentation development, Issue triage in production or testing environments, and providing functional knowledge on capabilities and functionality of the systems with which they are working. Milestone Business Analysts also perform the roles identified in the Training and Technical Writing sections of the RFP. Project Manager Milestone project manager works with the stakeholders to develop plans for a project and then monitor and manage the initiative to completion. The project manager is responsible for working with different departments in the company to determine the steps and durations to complete the project being implemented. This information is compiled into a project schedule. Milestone consultants use Microsoft Project to develop project schedules to show the tasks, durations, and resources assigned to each task. The Project Manager then works with the assigned resources to coordinate tasks and the effects of tasks not being completed on time. Milestone Project Managers work with the stake holders to develop other project documentation, for instance:
- Project Charter – definition of the objective and purpose of the project, project budget, and defines the stakeholders and decision makers for the project.
- Communication Plan – defines how, when, and to whom project information is communicated.
- Staffing Plan – Determine which resources or resource types are needed and when - Risk Assessment and Plan – analysis of risks to the projects and the plan to mitigate
these risks. Additionally, Project Managers will conduct update / status meetings with stakeholders, City management, and other groups as needed during the project to communicate information and issues about the project. The Milestone Project Manager will work closely with their City counterpart (Project owner) to communicate issues (resource, schedule, budget, etc) and other project related information. Application Specialist Milestone employs experienced and skilled Application Specialists. Application specialists will work with the Business Analysts group to estimate changes made in the application. Once the functional specification is completed, the application specialists will modify the source code or create new source code objects in the application or database according to the functional design. The Application Specialist will perform some basic tests after completing development to ensure basic functionality of the code. Additional roles include
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- Triage issues in the application – read / review source code to understand how the code is working and provide information to the Business Analyst or Testing Analyst.
- Write complex queries for data mining or assist with data mining activities with Testing or Business Analyst
- Develop data clean up scripts as needed - Fix defects that are reported by the Testing or Business Analyst
Testing Analyst Milestone Testing Analysts will develop and execute test cases to validate changes made or issues reported in the Application. Changes may be related to business process, defects, issue resolution, or source code modifications. A test plan will be developed that will document the types of tests that are to be executed along with the types of accounts needed for the test, and any configuration changes (rules & validations) needed. The test case will be created documenting the steps to be executed to test the changes. Once the change is applied to the testing database, or the configuration change or business process information has been completed, the test will be executed. Milestone testers will document account numbers as well as actual results, in addition to screen shots, reports, and other proof that the test has been completed. Completed test cases are stored on the City’s share site so other resources may have access to the completed test case. As issues arise, the tester will document the failed test case step, along with any additional steps to recreate the problem and work with the appropriate personnel to get the issue corrected. This may mean working with a business analyst on a business process change or a system configuration change or working with an Application Specialist to make changes to the source code. Database Analyst The Milestone Database Analyst is responsible for the health and stability of the City’s application database. The Milestone DBA will be responsible for monitoring and taking preventative measures to ensure that the database is available. The DBA will maintain production, testing, and development environments on the City’s servers, and ensure these are usable and available. Additionally, the DBA will provide the following services
- Schedule production clones and on demand clones to various testing environments. - Defining, implementing, and maintaining the production back up - Defining and testing recovery plans from back up - Applying patches to development, testing and production databases - Implementing database security protocols to secure the City’s data - Monitor for long running queries or other performance issues on the production
database
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3.1 General Scope
From page 14 of RFP General Scope. The City of Charlotte is seeking Service Providers capable of supplying experienced, qualified, and professional IT Contractors to fulfill the City’s varied IT functions when supplementation of full time City staff is necessary.
Contractors provided by the Service Provider will support various IT initiatives across the City to different Departments and Divisions. Following Contract award and at the commencement of each assignment (“Supplement Agreement”), the Service Provider will be provided with a detailed scope of work that contains measurable goals and objectives for the Contractor.
While the City is flexible with respect to certain elements of its proposed relationship with the Service Provider, the City does have certain preferences and has developed the following model. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone understands the scope of this RFP.
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3.2 Charlotte Cooperative Purchasing Alliance
From page 14 of RFP Charlotte Cooperative Purchasing Alliance. Pursuant to N.C. G.S. 160A-461 and 143-129(e)(3), the City of Charlotte Procurement Management Division has established the Charlotte Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (CCPA). The purpose of the CCPA is to allow other public agencies regionally and nationwide to use contracts competitively solicited and awarded by the City. Combining the volumes of government agencies achieves cost effective pricing and reduces the administrative and overhead costs of suppliers and public agencies alike. By providing a comprehensive and competitively solicited Contract through a single RFP process, county, city, special district, local government, school district, private K-12 school, technical or vocational school, higher education institution (including community colleges, colleges and universities, both public and private), state, other government agency or nonprofit organization can utilize the subsequent contract(s) without the need for further solicitation. Service Providers should consider the potential volumes when responding to this RFP. Participation by other entities is strictly voluntary and no volumes are guaranteed. Participating Public Agencies (PPA’s) must register with the CCPA at: www.charlottealliance.org.
The objective of this RFP is to utilize participation among the City, as well as various other Public Agencies, to provide low cost reliable Services. The Service Provider must agree to receive orders from the City and all Participating Public Agencies and to provide all Services ordered to a specified City and Participating Public Agency address. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges the City’s use of the CCPA.
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3.3 Job Categories
From page 14 of RFP Job Categories. Listed below are the categories of technical proficiency and the levels of experience/expertise for each category. These positions and the requirements are not all inclusive, but are meant to be representative of typical IT Contract Professional Services.
Category. The categories provide a basic functional description for types of positions needed. Depending on the needs of the Department or Division, there may also be additional or less functional responsibilities. Functional responsibilities shall be determined in greater detail in the Department’s or Division’s Resume Request.
Level. The levels provide different options for each category, including the basic position, and also lower responsibility positions (Support), and higher responsibility positions (Senior). The appropriate levels of responsibility shall be determined at the sole discretion of the Department or Division in its Resume Request. MILESTONE RESPONSE:
CATEGORY LEVEL
MILESTONE CAN SUPPLY FOR BANNER
CIS AND ORACLE
TECHNOLOGY
Business Analyst
Business Analyst Support YES
Business Analyst YES
Senior Business Analyst YES
Project Manager Project Manager Support
YES
Project Manager YES
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CATEGORY LEVEL
MILESTONE CAN SUPPLY FOR BANNER
CIS AND ORACLE
TECHNOLOGY
Senior Project Manager YES
Application Specialist
Application Specialist Support
YES
Application Specialist YES
Senior Application Specialist
YES
Testing Specialist
Testing Specialist Support YES
Testing Specialist YES
Senior Testing Specialist YES
Technical Writer
Technical Writer Support YES
Technical Writer YES
Senior Technical Writer YES
Training Specialist
Training Specialist Support
YES
Training Specialist YES
Senior Training Specialist YES
Network Engineer
Network Engineer Support
NO
Network Engineer NO
Senior Network Engineer NO
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CATEGORY LEVEL
MILESTONE CAN SUPPLY FOR BANNER
CIS AND ORACLE
TECHNOLOGY
System Administrator
System Administrator Support
NO
System Administrator NO
Senior System Administrator
NO
Database Administrator
Database Administrator Support
YES
Database Administrator YES
Senior Database Administrator
YES
Security Engineer
Security Engineer Support
NO
Security Engineer NO
Senior Security Engineer NO
Technician
Technician Support NO
Technician NO
Senior Technician NO
Other
(Other) Support NO
(Other) NO
Senior (Other) NO
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3.4 Personnel Selection Process From page 21 of RFP The Personnel Selection Process includes several steps, which are explained below, with more process details and training to be provided after Contract execution.
3.4.1 Request for Resume Notification MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.4.2 Service Provider Resume Response MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.4.3 City Resume Assessment MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.4.4 Contractor Services Supplement Agreement MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.4.5 Contractor Services Supplement Amendment MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.5 City’s Current Applications From page 23 – 24 of RFP The City of Charlotte is currently utilizing some of the following applications. This partial list is subject to change without notice and at the City’s discretion.
Microsoft Products & others: Office 2010 and higher
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Project Server 2013, Microsoft Professional 2013 and 2010 Exchange 2010 and higher Visio 2010 and 2013 Visual Studio .NET SharePoint 2010 and 2013 MS Reporting Services
Business Intelligence Applications (Crystal Reports, COGNOS, WebFocus)
BizTalk 2010 and higher
PeopleSoft HRMS
Tyler MUNIS ERP
Hansen Banner Customer Information System
KRONOS Time Management
ESRI ArcGIS, including Server and SDE (both MS SQL and Oracle), Engine, Mobile and Image Server. ArcMap, including Spatial Analyst, Network and other extensions
Adobe Creative Suite
Cityworks (Azteca)
Expression Suite 4.0
SQL Server
Oracle
WebLogic
Apache
Other proprietary applications MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone provides functional and technical support for Hansen Banner CIS. Milestone also supports technical aspects of Oracle.
3.6 Pricing From page 24 of RFP
Pricing. The City expects to establish a long-term relationship with its IT Contract Professional Services Service Provider in order to permit costs and fees to be distributed properly over a sufficient time period. For purposes of this RFP and the Service Provider’s Proposal, assume an initial term of three (3) years, with the City having an option to renew for two
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(2) additional consecutive one (1) year terms thereafter.
Regardless of exceptions taken, Service Providers shall provide pricing based on the requirements and terms set forth in this RFP. Pricing must be all-inclusive and cover every aspect of the Project. A pricing worksheet is provided in Section 6, Form 4 to assist you. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.7 Administrative Fees From page 24 of RFP
Administrative Fees. The Service Provider(s) shall pay the City a minimum of one (1) percent quarterly administrative fee based on overall CCPA Program spend by the City and Participating Public Agencies during the term of the contract and will include a report as mutually agreed to by the parties outlining the CCPA spend. The Administrative Fee shall be paid no later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter during the term of the contract. It is the responsibility of the Service Provider to set the Administrative Fee on Section 6, Form 4. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.8 Customer Service From page 24 of RFP
Customer Service. The City is very focused on Customer Service and strives to provide all customers with quality services in a manner that is courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless. The Services shall be delivered with patience, understanding, good will, and without regard to the Service Provider’s convenience. The selected Service Provider will be expected to use these guidelines in providing Services:
Accessible, courteous, responsive and seamless customer service is of highest priority for the City.
Accessible service means that citizens have easy access to the organization. Seamless customer service means that a customer gets good service no matter who is
responsible. Responsible customer service means that our employees know what they are doing:
that information they give is accurate; that they have a good understanding of how to get problems and decisions made; that they are trained and evaluated for the jobs they
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are doing. Customer Service goals must be measurable and regularly evaluated. Continuous improvements in customer service must be made in order to make City
services accessible, responsive and as seamless as possible. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.9 Reporting Requirements From page 25 of RFP
1.1.1. Emergency Contacts. Throughout the term of the Contract, the Service Provider shall prepare,
submit and maintain an updated Emergency Contact List for the Service Provider as well as for each Contractor assigned to the City.
1.1.2. Quarterly Invoice Status Report. Throughout the term of the contract period and on a quarterly basis, the
Service Provider shall prepare, submit, and maintain for each Contractor, an Invoice Status Report. This report shall be submitted by the 15th of the month preceding the end of quarter to the City’s Principal Contact, listed in Section 32. of the Contract, and shall include the following information, preferably in an MS Excel or other table format:
A list of all invoices broken down by department with the following supplemental information for each Contractor assigned to the particular department: Contact Employee name; Invoice Date; Invoice Number; Cost Center; Period Worked; Amount Billed; Supervisor and/or Requestor; and Indication of payment or non-payment.
* For each indication of non-payment that is over forty-five (45) days past due, attach a copy of the applicable invoice.
1.9.3 CCPA Quarterly Usage Reports. Service Providers must have the ability to provide an itemized usage
report to include but not limited to agency name, contract employee name, job description, hours worked, hourly rate and total cost.
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MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.10 Appearance From page 26 of RFP Contractors shall be expected to dress appropriately according to the job assignment and environment. Appropriate dress shall be specified in the Supplement Agreement associated with the job assignment. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.11 Employee Expenses From page 26 of RFP The City shall not pay Contractor expenses such as travel, lodging, meals, relocation costs, etc., except in cases where prior written approval has been obtained from the City Point of Contact for the respective Supplement Agreement. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.12 Time Records From page 26 of RFP The Service Provider shall access to an online portal for reviewing and approving weekly time cards. Access shall be granted to the individual(s) requested by the respective Department for each Supplement Agreement. Each Contractor shall be responsible for completing a weekly time card that accurately states the time billable to the City. Time may not be included on an invoice to the City unless prior approval via the online portal has occurred. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.13 Overtime From page 26 of RFP Overtime is permitted for Contractors at the sole discretion of the City, and only upon prior written authorization from the City Point of Contact for each respective Supplement Agreement. The overtime rate of pay shall be equal to the Contractor’s regular hourly rate of pay.
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MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.14 Holidays From page 26 of RFP Contractors may be required to work on City holidays depending on specific job requirements. The Service Provider shall be provided the City holiday schedule(s) upon Contract award and shall be informed of special requirements regarding specific assignments via the Request For Resumes process. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.15 Background Checks From page 26 – 27 of RFP
Background Checks. Prior to starting work under the Agreement, the Service Provider is required to conduct a background check on each Contractor assigned to work under the Agreement, and shall require its subcontractors (if any) to perform a background check on each of their employees assigned to work under the Agreement (collectively, the “Background Checks”). The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check. Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Municipal Records Retention Schedule. The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.
If the Service Provider undertakes a new project under the Agreement, then prior to commencing performance of the project the Service Provider shall perform a Background Check for each Service Provider employee assigned to work on the project, and shall require its subcontractors (if any) to do the same for each of their employees.
The City may request, and the Company shall provide at an additional cost to the City, additional or more extensive checks from time to time dependent on the nature of the assignment. The Company shall submit a separate invoice to the City for the additional and or more extensive background checks as they are requested. The invoice shall detail the Services rendered. The following are examples of additional checks. The Service
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Provider must provide pricing for these checks on Section 6, Form 4.
If the job duties require driving: A motor vehicle records check.
If the job duties include responsibility for initiating or affecting financial transactions: A credit history check.
If the Supplement Agreement requests an assignment with the Department of Social Services: A sexual offender registry check.
The Service Provider must follow all State and Federal laws when conducting Background Checks, including but not limited to the Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements, and shall require its subcontractors to do the same.
The Service Provider shall notify the City of the results of each Background Check, to specifically identify whether or not any areas of concern were indicated.
The City and may conduct its own background checks on principals of the Service Provider as the City and deems appropriate. By operation of the public records law, background checks conducted by the City are subject to public review upon request.
Additionally, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) requires and conducts its own separate background check for any Contractor it selects. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.16 Drug Testing From page 27 – 28 of RFP
Drug Testing. Pre-Placement Drug Test. The Company shall ensure that each Contractor assigned to the City is administered a drug test, at no additional cost to the City, within thirty (30) days prior to the first day on assignment with the City. The drug test must be a 9-panel test unless otherwise indicated by the City. No Contractor with a positive test result shall be able to be assigned to the City.
Post Accident Drug and Alcohol Test. The Company shall be responsible for ensuring that each Contractor assigned to the City is administered a Post-Accident Drug and Alcohol Test, at the Cost of the Service Provider, immediately following any accident involving the Contractor while on assignment at the City. Contractors must have a negative test result in order to return to the assignment at the City. Testing must take place within thirty-two (32) hours of the incident. If the required testing is not performed or the Contractor has a positive test result, the Contractor’s Supplement Agreement shall be immediately terminated.
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MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.17 Driving From page 28 of RFP Contractors may be required to drive depending on specific job requirements. The Service Provider shall be informed of special requirements regarding specific assignments via the Request For Resumes process. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.18 Temp to Perm Conditions From page 28 of RFP The City may, from time to time, hire a Contractor after the Contractor has been on assignment with the City for any period of time (“Temp-to-Perm Conversion”). The City shall not be charged any type of fee for Temp-to-Perm Conversions by the Service Provider regardless of the length of assignment prior to the Temp-to-Perm Conversion. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone does not typically convert temporary works to full time workers with our clients. However, Milestone would be agreeable to providing this service to the City if required.
3.19 Additional Services From page 28 of RFP The City may, at its discretion, request “Pay Rolling” Services from the Service Provider. Pay Rolling refers to a request by the City for the Service Provider to enroll an individual, specified by the City, on the Service Provider’s payroll for assignment to the City. The specified individual would then be considered an employee of the Service Provider. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.20 Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Contract and Assignment of Property Rights From page 28 of RFP Any Contractor assigned to the City shall be required to sign the Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Contract and Assignment of Property Rights attached herein as Exhibit
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E. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
3.21 City Contract Requirements From page 28 – 29 of RFP The City will enter into a Contract written by the City with the successful Service Provider(s) that contains the terms and conditions set forth in Exhibit A. Each Service Provider must state specifically in its Proposal any exceptions to the terms and conditions included in Exhibit A, and any proposed additional terms or conditions deemed important by the Service Provider. The City will take any such exceptions and proposed additions into account during the evaluation process. Any terms and conditions that the Service Provider does not specifically object to will be incorporated into the resultant Contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City reserves the right to change the proposed contractual terms and conditions prior to or during contract negotiations if it is in the City’s best interest to do so. The terms and conditions set forth in Exhibit A are not all inclusive. The City may propose additional terms and conditions based on the responses to this RFP and the City’s analysis of the successful Service Provider’s Proposal. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone acknowledges and agrees to this requirement.
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Tab 4: Forms
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Form 1 Please see .JPEG document with signature.
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Form 2 Please see .JPEG document with signature.
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Form 3 Please see .JPEG document with signature.
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Form 4 REQUIRED FORM 4 - PRICING WORKSHEET
RFP # 269-2015-060
IT Contract Professional Services
Regardless of exceptions taken, Service Providers shall provide pricing based on the requirements and terms set forth in this RFP. Pricing must be all-inclusive and cover every aspect of the Project. Cost must be in United States dollars rounded to the nearest quarter of a dollar. If there are additional costs associated with the Services, please add to this chart. Your Price Proposal must reflect all costs that the City will be responsible for. Service Providers should only provide pricing for those Categories and Levels for which they are able to provide eligible professional IT Contractors.
Indicate the low/high Pay Rate range and Bill Rate range for each Category/Level/Type below, as well as the mark-up for each applicable category. Pay Rate and Bill Rate ranges, as well as Mark Up percentages indicated here shall be incorporated into the final Contract with the Service Provider.
CATEGORY LEVEL PAY
RATE LOW
PAY RATE HIGH
BILL RATE LOW
BILL RATE HIGH
MARK UP %
Business Analyst
Business Analyst Support
Business Analyst
Senior Business Analyst $80
$101 $130 $130 30-60%
Project Manager
Project Manager Support
Project Manager
Senior Project Manager $80
$101 $130 $130 30-60%
Application Specialist
Application Specialist Support
Application Specialist
Senior Application
Specialist $80 $105 $130 $130 24-60%
Testing Specialist
Testing Specialist Support
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CATEGORY LEVEL PAY
RATE LOW
PAY RATE HIGH
BILL RATE LOW
BILL RATE HIGH
MARK UP %
Testing Specialist
Senior Testing Specialist $70
$101 $130 $130 30-85%
Technical Writer
Technical Writer Support
Technical Writer
Senior Technical Writer
Training Specialist
Training Specialist Support
Training Specialist
Senior Training Specialist
Network Engineer
Network Engineer Support
Network Engineer
Senior Network Engineer
System Administrator
System Administrator
Support
System
Administrator
Senior System Administrator
Database Administrator
Database Administrator
Support
Database
Administrator
Senior Database Administrator $90
$110 $130 $130 20-45%
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CATEGORY LEVEL PAY
RATE LOW
PAY RATE HIGH
BILL RATE LOW
BILL RATE HIGH
MARK UP %
Security Engineer
Security Engineer Support
Security Engineer
Senior Security Engineer
Technician
Technician Support Technician
Senior Technician Administrative Fees: Per Section 3.7., the Service Provider shall pay the City of Charlotte an Administrative Fee of _1__% (minimum of 1%) based on all City and Participating Public Agency sales volumes within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter set forth in the subsequent Contract. It is the responsibility of the Service Provider to set the Administrative Fee.
Milestone Response:
Milestone will compute a 1% Administrative Fee once a month and remit the amount to the City.
Pricing Incentives and Rebates: Service Providers shall identify any incentives and rebates offered based on volume, dollar amounts, or other criteria:
REBATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT / PERCENTAGE
Reference the Charlotte Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (CCPA) website at http://www.charlottealliance.org
Milestone Response
Milestone does not offer volumetric incentives or rebates at this time.
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In the table below, indicate the cost associated for each type of background check that may be requested from time to time. The Rates indicated here shall be incorporated into the final Contract with the Service Provider.
Type Level Cost
Criminal
(Additional incidences – original and annual checks are at the expense of the Service Provider )
State $ 18.18 /ea
National $ 18.18 /ea
DMV State $ 11.20 /ea
National $ /11.20ea
Employment State $ 9.60 /ea
National $ 9.60 /ea
Credit Check State $ 8.08 /ea
National $ /8.08ea
Sexual Offender Registry State $ 10.60 /ea
National $ 10.60 /ea
Please indicate the cost associated with “Pay Rolling” Services as defined in RFP Section 3.16. Additional Services Cost “Pay Rolling” Milestone will provide this service at a
20% mark up from the resources cost to Milestone. (Cost is defined as salary plus benefits and payroll taxes.)
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Form 5 Please see .JPEG document with signature.
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Form 6
REQUIRED FORM 6 – MWSBE SUBCONTRACTOR UTILIZATION
RFP # 269-2015-060
IT Contract Professional Services
The City maintains a strong commitment to the inclusion of MWSBEs in the City’s contracting and procurement process when there are viable subcontracting opportunities.
Service Providers must submit this form with their proposal outlining any supplies and/or services to be provided by each City certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), and/or City registered Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) for the Contract. If the Service Provider is a City-registered MWSBE, note that on this form.
The City recommends you exhaust all efforts when identifying potential MWSBEs to participate on this RFP.
Company Name: MILESTONE UTILITY SERVICES, INC
Please indicate if your company is any of the following:
__X_ MBE ___WBE ___SBE ____ None of the above
If your company has been certified with any of the agencies affiliated with the designations above, indicate which agency, the effective and expiration date of that certification below:
Agency Certifying: National Minority Supplier Development Council
Effective Date: 7/24/2014 Expiration Date: 9/1/2015
Identify outreach efforts that were employed by the firm to maximize inclusion of MWSBEs to be submitted with the firm’s proposal (attach additional sheets if needed):
Milestone is a certified MBE. We are specialized in the Hansen Banner CIS and Oracle technologies. We have not identified outreach efforts to utilize any other WBE or SBE provider. If there is a local firm with talents that meet requirements and qualify as a WBE or SBE, we certainly would consider the opportunity to partner to provide services.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Identify outreach efforts that will be employed by the firm to maximize inclusion during the contract period of the Project (attach additional sheets if needed):
Milestone is a certified MBE. The services we provide for Hansen Banner CIS are highly specialized. We currently employ the best available talent in the industry but are always looking for additional consultants as needs require. We gladly work with any department that may know of SBE and WBE groups that can support the required services.
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List below all MWSBEs that you intend to use on this Contract.
Milestone is a certified MBE. We do not anticipate using any subcontractors at this time.
Subcontractor Name Description of work or materials
Indicate either “M”, “S”, and/or “W”
City Vendor #
Total MBE Utilization % Total WBE Utilization % Total SBE Utilization % Aggregate MWSBE Utilization %
7/7/2015 Milestone Utility Services, Inc Date Name of Company Unknown at this time. _____________________________ Estimated Total Contract Value Name, Title and Signature Please see .JPEG document with signature.
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Form 7
REQUIRED FORM 7 – Service PROVIDER’S BACKGROUND RESPONSE
RFP # 269-2015-060
IT Contract Professional Services
Service Providers should complete and submit the form below as part of their response to this RFP.
Question Response Service Provider Identification
Service Provider Name (Official Name) MILESTONE UTILTIY SERVICES, INC Service Provider Location (corporate headquarters) PLANTATION, FLORIDA
Service Provider Experience Years of Experience: # of years in business: 12 Customer Base: # of public sector clients 15 # of public sector clients using the services being proposed. 15
Identify by name some of the clients similar to City (e.g., similar in size, complexity, location, type of organization)
City of Chicago, IL, City of Richmond, VA, City of Kansas City, MO, City of Lubbock, TX, City of Roseville, CA, City of Riverside, CA
Market Focus:
Identify industries and public sector market segments served
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. is focused on the utility and energy industry only. We work with municipalities and IOUs. MUSI’s client base covers utilities and energy companies that that provides multiple services to more than 1.5 million customers where the database size is more the 3 Terra bytes in each data base; to smaller utilities that are billing only one service to their 30,000 customers.
User Groups: Identify national and regional user groups NONE Explain the purpose and function of user groups Not Applicable.
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Identify if there is an annual or biannual user conference NONE
Identify next planned national conference (location and date) CS Week. May 2016. Phoenix, AZ
Terminated Projects: List any terminated projects. Please disclose the jurisdiction and explain the reason for the termination.
NONE
Litigation: List any litigation that you have been involved with during the past two (2) years on IT Contract Professional Services implementations.
NONE
Organization Size If Service Provider is a subsidiary, identify # of employees in proposing company/division.
Not a Subsidiary
If Service Provider is a subsidiary, identify revenues of proposing company/division NA
Identify the percentage of revenue used for research & development by the proposing company/division
NA
Corporate Notes Privately held? Publicly traded? Parent Company? Privately held Corporation, owned by 3 partners
Identify any certifications held by your firm if you are implementing or reselling another firm's products. Include how long the partnership or certification has been effect.
Oracle Gold Partner
Additional Narrative Response Provide an overview and history of your company.
Please See the Supplemental Information - Background and Experience
Describe your total organization, including any parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates and other related entities.
Milestone was started in 2002 and is privately owned by 3 partners and employs over 60 professionals with an average of 20 years of experience in the utility and energy industry. Our focus is CIS (Banner at City of Charlotte).
Describe the ownership structure of your organization, including any significant or controlling equity holders.
The 3 partners own Milestone Utility Services, Inc. as a privately held corporation based in Florida.
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Provide a management organization chart of your overall organization, showing director and officer positions and names and the reporting structure. Please see the Chart that follows this form. Provide detailed information for the IT Contract Professional Services business segments of your organization, showing the reporting structures within these segments and among these segments and the overall organization. Same as Organization Chart attached. Describe any organizational changes such as divestitures, acquisitions, or spin-offs involving your IT Contract Professional Services business segments that have occurred in the latest two (2) years or are anticipated in the future. Include all appropriate organizational charts. None
Detail how long the company has been providing IT Contract Professional Services to local governments and include information regarding experience with similar IT Contract Professional Services projects.
Milestone has been providing Banner CIS consulting services for 13 years. During this time, Milestone has developed numerous enhancements and interfaces for the Banner CIS application. Milestone provides the City of Chicago with maintenance and support for the Banner application. This entails modifying the Banner application according to the City’s requirements, in addition to defect fixes and triage work.
Describe the key individuals, along with their qualifications, professional certifications and experience that would comprise your organization’s team for providing Services to the City.
Frank Anderson - Consultant. He has held leadership positions on Banner CIS projects for a variety of public and private utility companies. He has 17 years of project experience including planning, designing, testing, and documentation. Additionally, he has in depth experience with gathering requirements, documenting functional and technical design. Interface testing experience includes mobile workforce management, inventory management, general ledger, meter reading, and bill printing software. He has experience in e-business, client server, web technologies, and full life-cycle project development. Periasamy Chithan – Technical Lead. Led and
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served on many teams developing and implementing software based solutions, legacy system integration, and process improvement. Over 18 years of experience in software industry related to Utility Industry, Service Delivery management, CRM, team leadership, analysis, design, scheduling, development, delivery, testing and end-user training. Chithan has 18 years of Banner CIS project experience. Mike Burnor – Consultant - He has held leadership and support positions on Customer Information System (CIS), and Revenue Administration & Management projects for a variety of projects in the utility sector. He has over 13 years of utility experience. The majority of Mike’s experience has been working with CIS and Revenue Management projects including; Business Unit requirements gathering, conversion planning, CIS architectural design, business process configuring, software interface mapping, business integration, CIS unit testing, process documentation and post-implementation business support. Mike has extensive experience with CIS data extraction for utility-based CIS conversions and implementations, Utility CIS integrations with FIS software, data integrity and business requirements for Revenue Analysis.
If the Service Provider’s proposal submission will be from a team composed of more than one (1) company or if any subcontractor will provide more than fifteen percent (15%) of the Services, provide a description, which includes the teaming relationships, form of partnership, each team member’s contribution, and the experience of each team member, which qualifies them to fulfill their responsibility. Provide descriptions and references for the projects on which team members have previously collaborated. NA
Explain how your organization ensures that personnel performing technical support services are qualified and
The talent pool of resources with Banner CIS experience is relatively limited, and therefore Milestone can choose consultants with whom we
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proficient. are familiar and have worked with in the past at previous engagements, as opposed to hiring individuals that are unknown to our company.
Please provide information regarding the level of staffing at your organization’s facilities, as well as the level of staffing at subcontractors’ facilities, if known.
Milestone has 10 employees and contractors located in South Carolina and the rest of its employees and contractors are spread across the US. The majority of those are in the Southeast US – Georgia and Florida.
If your organization has been the subject of a dispute or strike by organized labor within the last five (5) years, please describe the circumstances and the resolution of the dispute. NA
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Milestone Utility Services Organizational Chart
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Form 8
Required form 8 – SERVICE PROVIDER QUESTIONS RFP # 269-2015-060
IT Contract Professional Services
Service Providers should complete and submit the form below as part of their response to this RFP.
Question Response Service Provider Name (Official Name) MILESTONE UTILITY SERVICES, INC. What steps will your organization take to ensure that any transition of Services runs smoothly?
Milestone has a proven methodology and PMO office that manages all projects and assignments.
Prepare and submit a Project Plan (preferably in MS Project format) to describe, to the best of your ability, all times, tasks and resources associated with the performance of Services. The Project Plan is subject to the terms set forth in Section 7 of this RFP.
The services Milestone is offering is not project specific. Milestone uses MS Project and a proven methodology to monitor all tasks in a project to insure on-time and on-budget delivery. A sample project plan follow this table.
Describe the communications scheme that your organization will use to keep City Departments and the City Project Manager informed about the Services.
Milestone suggests a weekly or bi-monthly meeting to discuss the progress of the development. We suggest having a weekly testing meeting during the testing phase to ensure all parties are informed of the current issues. Additionally, Milestone uses an internal defect tracking system that is used internally to track defects through the various phases and assignments in the life cycle of an issue. As the City reports issues, they will be logged into the defect tracking system and assigned out for work. The City may want to use either its existing defect tracking system or a spreadsheet that can be traded back and forth with Milestone of the issues that need to be worked.
Describe the risks associated with this Contract. What contingencies have been built in to mitigate those risks?
A risk in this Contract is that it may be possible that we rely on City resources for information and feedback on the tasks that Milestone will be
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performing. In the event the City is understaffed, then it would be a risk to Milestones ability to execute. Milestone would mitigate this risk by staying in communication with the City’s staff and management so that both parties understands any resource issues that the project may encounter.
Describe your contingency plan if key personnel are unable to complete their assignments.
Milestone has strong team of experienced consultants. Should a consultant not be able to complete their assignment, we will conduct a turnover process to transfer the knowledge to the resource taking over the assignment. Milestone has encountered this situation before and because of the experience of our consultants, we have experienced very little if any delays in the project schedule.
Describe relevant industry knowledge (i.e., financial, utilities, customer service, operations, etc.).
Please see Supplemental Information for detailed information on Banner CIS related experience.
Indicate the location of your offices, include methods of contact (i.e., e-mail address, phone numbers, mailing addresses, voice mail).
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. has three office locations: Corporate Office: 11830 NW 4th Street Plantation, Florida 33325-2416 Phone: (954) 478-9447 (O) & (954) 447-4127 (F) Website: www.musiusa.com Orlando, Florida Office: 7624 Colebrook Drive Orlando, Florida 32818 Phone: (954) 478-9447 (O) & 1-866-461-7992 (F) Columbia, SC Office: 101 Rice Bent Way Suite #10 Columbia, SC 29229 Phone: (954) 478-9447
Indicate briefly why you consider your firm Milestone Utility Services, Inc. has many of the
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to be the best to perform the required services.
functional and technical consultants that designed and developed the Banner CIS software and were involved and managed many of the original implementations of the software. Many of the original customers of the Hansen Banner CIS have moved to Milestone for ongoing support and maintenance of the software, as well as depend on Milestone to enhance the CIS to meet their business needs, integrate and interface to 3rd party software products, and continue to extend the life of the CIS through technology upgrades. – Please see the Supplemental Section for additional information.
Describe in detail your company’s approach and process to obtaining staff to meet client requirements, including, but not limited to the following:
Search process; Interview process; Employment screening; and Background checks
Milestone considers past work experience, exposure to the Utility industry (both public and private sector), education and training relevant to the desired skill set, and strong background references in selecting candidates for employment, or engagement with clients on our behalf. All candidates must go through a thorough interview process which validates claimed skills and experience. In assigning candidates to a client account, the Milestone project lead will gather the client requirements and determine skills required, appropriate level of experience, and estimated duration of effort. We will then attempt to fill open positions with our employees or current subcontractors by making nominations to the client. Milestone will perform background checks as required by the City.
Describe your company’s ability to provide Local Contractors, (i.e. Contractors located within a 100 mile radius of Charlotte, North Carolina).
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. has an office in Columbia, SC with a staff that meets this requirement.
Describe in detail your company’s benefits Milestone offers full time employees medical and
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(i.e. medical, dental, other insurance coverage, holiday pay, sick pay, etc.)
dental insurance and 401k. Milestone has paid holidays and time off.
Describe in detail any training provided by the Service Provider to the Contractor(s).
Milestone consultants will be fully trained and prepared to work for the City.
Describe in detail how your company will comply with the Affordable Healthcare Act.
To ensure that we are compliant with all rules and regulations, Milestone outsources our payroll and benefits administration to ADP. We meet with ADP annually to ensure compliance with current regulations.
The City requires that security measures be taken – both physical security and network security, in that the City’s information and other documents are made available only to the Service Provider and parties that the City approves. Define and demonstrate any/all security procedures that are in place in relation to the Service Provider’s proposed service(s).
All consultant computers will have anti virus and anti spy ware installed. Virus definitions are pushed out from the anti virus vendor on an as needed basis. Regarding physical security, Milestone offices are only accessed via key card. Regarding data, Milestone has a strict policy against sharing user credentials. Milestone will use VPN software provided by the City to connect to and securely transact with the databases behind the City’s firewall.
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Sample Project Plan:
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Form 10
Required Form 10 – references RFP # 269-2015-060
IT Contract Professional Services
REFERENCE 1: Name of Client: Martin County Utilities Phone: 772-221-1463
Address: Stuart, Florida
Primary Contact: Heidi McNabb______________ Title: Systems Analyst_____________
Phone: 772-221-1463________________________ E-mail address: [email protected]
Service Dates: Ongoing since 2012 ________________________________
Job Category(ies) (see Section 3.3.) placed by Service Provider: __Application Specialists, Database Analysts______________________
Assignment scope:
Focused on Hansen Banner CIS
Milestone provided upgrade services required to move Banner/Customer Suite from 4.2 to 4.3 and upgrade the Oracle technology to 11g. This includes all functional and technical upgrades, customizations, enhancements, and interfaces. Milestone continues to support the Banner CIS by providing services to support information technologies for the Banner/Customer Suite CIS. The additional professional services includes functional and technical support and assistance with technical support for such things as DBA and application server support, as well as triaging issues and troubleshooting problems.
REFERENCE 2: Name of Client: Aqua America, Inc. Phone: 610-645-1109
Address: 762 W. Lancaster Ave Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Primary Contact: William M. Piszker ____________ Title: Vice President of Information Services
Phone:_ (O) 610-645-4286 E-mail address: [email protected]
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Service Dates: Ongoing since 2011 ________________________________
Job Category(ies) (see Section 3.3.) placed by Service Provider: _Project Manager, Business Analyst, Application Specialists, Testing Specialist, Training Specialist, Database Analyst_
Assignment scope:
Focused on Hansen Banner CIS
Milestone’s Services include:
Developed GL Interface to Lawson. Upgraded Oracle Technology from Oracle 6i Forms to 10g (10.1.2.0.2) Forms & Database
Upgrade from Oracle 9i to 11g Installed and configured production Oracle application servers(10.1.2.0.2) Developed load balancing procedure for the production application servers Developed Disaster Recovery and Backup Architecture
Modified for Multi streaming of Major Process (Billprint , Charge Calc, Payment Application,Credit Balance Application, Delinquency)
REFERENCE 3: Name of Client: ONE Gas Phone: 918-588-7284
Address: 100 West Fifth Street, Tulsa, OK 74103
Primary Contact:_Ellis Chandlee_ Title: Director of Applications, IT______________ Phone:_918-588-7284__________________________ E-mail address:_ [email protected]
Service Dates: Ongoing since 2003 ________________________________
Job Category(ies) (see Section 3.3.) placed by Service Provider: _ Project Manager, Business Analyst, Application Specialists, Testing Specialist, Training Specialist, Database Analyst _
Assignment scope:
Focused on Hansen Banner CIS
Milestone has been providing onsite support for Hansen Banner/Customer Suite 3.1 to 4.0 since 2003. This includes all functional and technical upgrades, customizations, enhancements, and interfaces. ONE Gas (formerly ONEOK) relies on only Milestone Utility Services for all their Customer Suite 4.x needs.
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Milestone also:
Developed load balancing procedure for the production application servers. Developed GIS interface. Developed 2-way interface for Mobile Work (CGI's PragmaCAD) and completed data
masking of customer sensitive financial data elements. Performed an Oracle Technology Upgrade from Oracle 6i Forms to 9i (9.0.4) Forms
Oracle Technology Upgrade from Oracle 9i Forms to 10g(10.1.2.0.2) Forms Database Upgrade from Oracle 9i to 10g
Installed and configured production Oracle application servers. Developed load balancing procedure for the production application servers. Developed and Executed test cases for system testing of Technology Upgrade
REFERENCE 4: Name of Client: NVEnergy Phone: 702-334-5875
Address: 6226 West Sahara Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada 89146
Primary Contact:_Dan Gerome________________ Title:_ Manager, Business Systems_____
Phone:__ 702-334-5875________________________ E-mail address:_ [email protected]
Service Dates: Ongoing since 2005 ________________________________
Job Category(ies) (see Section 3.3.) placed by Service Provider: _ Business Analyst, Application Specialists, Testing Specialist, Database Analyst _______________________
Assignment scope: ______________________________________________________________
Focused on Hansen Banner CIS
Milestone is currently engaged with NVE in production support of the Banner CIS solution. This includes:
Providing enhancements, such as customer sensitive data and auto budget enrollment. Active involvement with AMI projects, complex billing analysis for solution that meets the
requirements of NVE. A key role in the implementation of NVE’s EWAM (Electronic Work Management) project. Advanced Service Delivery (ASD) project had MUSI provided technical support and in addition
has provided functional lead in the design of the modifications needed to interface the MDM to their CIS system.
MUSI has also provided testing support. Other Projects:
- COBOL Compiler Migration - Rate Migration (Best Practices)
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- Rate Case Automation - Zero Charge Suppression - UBAMBCA Modifications (Multi-Period Adjustments) - Smart Grid Project
Oracle Technology upgrade on version 2.2.1.5 of Banner. Defect fixes as they arise and are assigned to MUSI.
REFERENCE 5: Name of Client: City of Richmond Phone: (804) 646-7627 Address: Richmond, Virginia
Primary Contact:_Aretha Hargrove____________ Title:_ Manager, Business Analyst
Phone:_ (804) 646-7627______________E-mail address: [email protected]
Service Dates: 2012 - 2015 ________________________________
Job Category(ies) (see Section 3.3.) placed by Service Provider: _ Project Manager, Business Analyst, Application Specialists, Testing Specialist, Database Analyst _______________________
Assignment scope:
Focused on Hansen Banner CIS
Milestone’s services were contracted to aid the City in their Technical Upgrade of their
Oracle software from the 8i version to the current 11g version. The City is on the 2.0 version of Banner CIS.
Milestone also continues to support the City on an as needed basis for technical support of their billing system.
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Tab 5: CCPA Plan From Page 31 of RFP - Section 4.1.5 Proposals must include in detail how the Service Provider plans to service all Participating Public Agencies as it relates to the CCPA. Currently the CCPA has approximately 225 registered Participating Public Agencies in California, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Please address the following in your Proposal as CCPA Plan: Attachment #1:
A. Ability to provide the Services to any Participating Public Agencies in the contiguous forty-eight (48) states and the ability to deliver the Services in Alaska and Hawaii; and
B. Address if the Service Provider has a national sales force, dealer network or distributor with the ability to serve Participating Public Agencies in all fifty (50) states.
Proposals must include in detail how the Service Provider will monitor and report all spend by the City and Participating Public Agencies to the City for auditing purposes as CCPA Plan: Attachment #1.
The City will post all awarded contracts on the CCPA website, along with the respective vendor information. Please address the following in your Proposal in CCPA Plan: Attachment #1:
A. Whether your company will allow the City to utilize your organization’s logo on the CCPA website;
B. Whether your company is willing to advertise the CCPA logo and website on your organization’s website; and
C. Detail how you plan to market the resulting Contract
MILESTONE RESPONSE: Proposals must include in detail how the Service Provider plans to service all Participating Public Agencies as it relates to the CCPA. Currently the CCPA has approximately 225 registered Participating Public Agencies in California, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Please address the following in your Proposal as CCPA Plan: Attachment #1:
A. Ability to provide the Services to any Participating Public Agencies in the contiguous forty-eight (48) states and the ability to deliver the Services in Alaska and Hawaii; and
B. Address if the Service Provider has a national sales force, dealer network or distributor with the
ability to serve Participating Public Agencies in all fifty (50) states. Milestone currently services clients across the contiguous 48 states. Our current client bases ranges from California to North Carolina; Florida to Washington. Milestone consultants can perform the work required remotely, as many of our clients do not require onsite support. Alternatively, Milestone consultants will travel onsite to perform services at the client site. For project work, it may be more
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advantageous for consultants to be onsite during major, intensive phases of the projects – requirements, testing, go live, for instance. During other phases, it may be more logical for Milestone consultants to work remotely, as there may not be a need for the consultant to be onsite. This seems to work for our existing client base, however, Milestone is flexible to meet the clients need.
Proposals must include in detail how the Service Provider will monitor and report all spend by the City and Participating Public Agencies to the City for auditing purposes as CCPA Plan: Attachment #1. Milestone utilizes an online timekeeping system into which, all consultants must enter their time. Milestone uses this system to collect hours for invoicing as well as running utilization reports, and other monitoring. Milestone will report monthly to the City, the tasks that are part of the CCPA contract. Milestone would propose including the task performed, consultant, agency where the task was performed and the weekly hours for that consultant performing the task.
The City will post all awarded contracts on the CCPA website, along with the respective vendor information. Please address the following in your Proposal in CCPA Plan: Attachment #1:
A. Whether your company will allow the City to utilize your organization’s logo on the CCPA website; MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone will allow the City to utilize our logo on the CCPA website.
B. Whether your company is willing to advertise the CCPA logo and website on your organization’s website; and MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone gladly recognizes all our clients on the Company website, www.musiusa.com, and in our proposals and marketing brochures. Upon approval from CCPA Milestone will advertise the CCPA logo and website on the Milestone website, www.musiusa.com. C. Detail how you plan to market the resulting Contract MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone has no specific plans to market the resulting contract. Milestone has the needed resources to provide all services needed for Hansen Banner CIS and Oracle technologies.
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Tab 6: EXCEPTIONS
Section 6: Exceptions From page 31 – 32 of RFP Exceptions must be submitted in accordance with Section 1.6.13. of this RFP. If exceptions are not identified in your Proposal they may not be considered during Contract negotiation and could result in Proposal being rejected from further consideration. If legal counsel needs to review the Sample City Contract prior to signature, reviews must be completed before your Proposal is submitted. MILESTONE RESPONSE: Milestone has reviewed the following Exhibits:
Exhibit A – Sample City Contract Exhibit B – Sample Request for Resume Notification Exhibit C – Sample IT Contractor Services Supplement Exhibit D – Sample IT Contractor Services Supplement Amendment Exhibit E – Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Contract and Assignment of Property Rights
Milestone has no exceptions with these contracts.
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Tab 7: Supplemental Information MILESTONE ORGANIZATION Organization Minority Owned: Milestone Utility Services, Inc. is Florida based corporation, certified Minority Owned Business (MBE), and privately held by three partners. The company has no debt, a solid revenue base, and no litigation. Founded in 2002, by Ram Kasarla, Milestone has grown with partners, Edith Mercado and Frank Anderson, to a company with over 60 consultants averaging 20 years of utility and software industry experience. Milestone Utility Services, Inc. (MUSI) is a successful and specialized consulting firm providing strategy, solution delivery, conversions, and application maintenance services to organizations in the Utility and Energy industries, and more specifically serving the end-to-end solution needs around the utilities’ CIS – the vital revenue and customer service division. Milestone is very proud that all direct clients are 100% satisfied and have remained with Milestone. Milestone Utility Services, Inc. (MUSI) has become the most well-known and respected name in the Banner/Customer Suite consulting business. Milestone and their staff have been engaged with over 25 Utilities and performed over 60 CIS related projects and 15 Banner implementations in 16 states. As the Utility market grows and changes, Milestone has grown and expanded its services. Milestone has partnered with companies like Oracle and SAP, offering professional services and support for Oracle’s CIS, Customer Care & Billing; and SAP’s CIS solution, Customer Relationship Management and Billing (CRM&B). Milestone offers a full range of services from, Project Management Office, System Integration, Data Conversions to the designing and development of integrations and interfaces. From DBAs to Quality Assurance resources, and Rate Analyst, Milestone can provide the expertise needed by the Utility and Energy industry. Milestone’s quality of work and team of experts has resulted in long-term relationships with Banner/Customer Suite CIS users such as ONEOK Energy, Vectren Energy and other CIS users.
Market Share, Integrity, and Customer Satisfaction -- Milestone Utility Services, Inc. is proud to be celebrating twelve years in business and continuing to grow. We attribute our growth and success to our customers continued loyalty and the expertise of our employees in the utility CIS market. MUSI has successfully completed full scale utility CIS implementations along with numerous targeted project implementations and 4.x upgrades; and Oracle technology upgrades. All with 100% client satisfaction.
Partner Biographies Ram Kasarla, President and CEO, is a founder of Milestone. He has over 19 years of energy, utility, technology, business operations, and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to forming Milestone Utility
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Services, Ram worked as a Technical Architect at SCT (now Hansen) in their utility industry division. Additionally, Ram worked in IBM Global Solutions as a Technical Architect implementing Customer Information Systems. Edith Mercado, CFO, joined Milestone as a partner in 2005. Edith has 22 years of energy, utility, and business operations experience. Prior to joining MUSI, she worked as a Principal Consultant at SCT (nowHansen), in their utility industry division. While there she developed functional solutions incorporated into the baseline CIS software and developed requirements and functional design documents for customized software applications. In addition, she provided on-site support for software testing, general implementation, and post go-live production support. She also performed client assessments related to go live readiness, migrations and financial reassurance. She has worked with many utility clients on the business process re-engineering required to effectively utilize a new CIS system. Frank Anderson, CBDO, joined Milestone in February of 2006. He has over 17 years of energy and utility experience and has worked with over 18 different energy and utility companies on software implementation projects. Prior to joining MUSI, Frank worked for IBM as a business consultant. While working for IBM, he worked as a team lead for a work management / ERP integrated solution for a large electric and gas utility. Before working with IBM, Frank worked for SCT (nowHansen) in their utility industry division from July of 1997 to January of 2005 as a functional consultant. Frank worked in various capacities including functional lead, testing lead, functional consultant, and testing consultant on Electric, Gas, and Water/Sewer client sites implementing Customer Information Systems (CIS). Milestone’s Team Milestone Utility Services, Inc. (MUSI) is focused on the utility industry and has been servicing and developing solutions for the utility industry for over 12 years and many of the employees have more than 15 years of experience with Banner/Customer Suite CIS. MUSI team members have years of experience modifying, upgrading, and implementing mission critical systems. MUSI’s methodology is proven with successful projects and implementations. MUSI has implemented interface solutions, performed many interface projects, integrations, and Banner and Oracle technology upgrades at numerous energy and utility companies, such as ONEOK Energy and City of Longmont, Co. Milestone focuses on risk mitigation and has the experience necessary to deliver success. Milestone has never had a failed project.
Customer Suite Product and Industry Knowledge and Expertise -- Milestone Utility Services, Inc. prevails as the professional services provider to a majority of the original Banner customers. Many of these original CIS customers have turned to Milestone Utility Services, Inc. to provide not only technical and functional services, but also ongoing support; and assistance with transitioning to a new CIS. Milestone’s product knowledge and expertise remains current through the services supported and provided to these customers through upgrade services, resolving defects and providing corrections, developing modifications, and enhancements; and designing interface solutions. MUSI’s industry knowledge grows as our customers engage our expertise on projects such
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as meter projects, rate modifications, service order dispatch enhancements, multi streaming long running batch jobs, and technology upgrades.
Value and Flexibility – Milestone Utility Services, Inc. team provides a low risk, low cost option with the highest quality professional resources. Our consultants average 15 to 20 years of utility industry knowledge and our customers consider them integral to their success. We, at Milestone, understand that all customers are not alike, nor have the same needs. Therefore, MUSI works closely with all customers to provide creative options to get the best results to meet the needs. MUSI has developed a reputation that keeps customers loyal.
The Right Team – Milestone is pleased to provide a strong team of resources who are uniquely chosen based on their experience with consulting, implementing, and operating utility industry applications. Our projected resource team is one that, we feel, realizes the criticality of the success of all projects and daily operations, as well as the importance of the customer’s budget, timeline, and existing operations. Each member of our team has a decade or more experience on Customer Information System applications and is distinguished in the ability to remember that the customer has a daily business of bringing reliable utility services to their operating territory in addition to upgrading and integrating new functionality and technologies that supports that business. Milestone’s team has the proven technical and functional Ventyx CIS experience, in depth utility industry knowledge, and Oracle expertise to successfully lead your team in any project.
The Milestone Team members for the services proposed will include Technical and Functional consultants. Resumes can be provided upon request. The team includes:
Consultant Role Years of Experience Frank Anderson Principal Functional Lead 17 Mike Burnor Functional Consultant/Testing 15 Parker Burris Functional Consultant/Testing 16 Periasamy Chithan Technical Consultant / Developer 19 Giridhar Madhavareddy, Technical Consultant / Developer 16 Dwayne Bishop Project Manager 18
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Milestone Hansen Banner CIS and Oracle Services and Experience
Banner CIS and Oracle Technology Upgrades and Ongoing Support Banner CIS Services, both functional and technical Client Service Requests to design and develop enhancements, modifications, interfaces Annual Maintenance and Support Contracts Data Quality Cleanup and Data Conversions Project Management Office
Because Milestone Utility Services, Inc. (MUSI) was born out of providing professional services to the original Banner/Customer Suite CIS customers in 2002, Milestone has extensive experience in supporting multiple clients on the Banner/Customer Suite CIS system. For over 12 years, Milestone has been providing and supporting enhancements for many customers running various releases of the CIS software. Milestone has developed numerous interfaces between Banner/Customer Suite and third party software which are identified in the table below. MUSI has made many defect corrections and troubleshoots base system issues. We follow a repeatable and proven Methodology and processes to expedite the process in the most cost effective way. All work is fully documented for the customer.
MUSI’s technical team provides multiple services, for example, DBA services, conducts performance tuning, and designs portals. MUSI has performed the Oracle Technology upgrades for ONE Gas, NV Energy and Portland General Electric, City of Seattle, Martin County, and City of Roseville to name a few. MUSI performed key roles in the technology upgrade for Vectren and Atmos Energy. MUSI has successfully completed all the technology migration projects it has started.
MUSI has performed and participated in several Banner/Customer Suite Upgrade projects; for example Connexus Energy, City of Charlotte, City of Longmont, ONE Gas, and most recently Martin County. Upgrade projects follow a proven Project Methodology and are full scope projects that include training, analysis, testing, and go-live support. Milestone’s participation can vary from assisting with staff augmentation to managing a full scope project.
In addition, some on the Milestone team were key architects in the creation of the Hansen Banner CIS 4.0 version while at SCT and INDUS, which makes Milestone uniquely qualified to deliver the CIS support and solutions.
Milestone’s Banner CIS and Oracle Technology Upgrades and Ongoing Support The following table shows the customers that Milestone has upgraded and continues to maintain and support for a variety of Oracle upgrade and/or Banner upgrade combinations. These projects included full scope project management, including training, testing, go-live support, etc. In many cases there was a reduction in the number of customizations and changes to business practices
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to take advantage of the updated functionality that the latest version provided to make future upgrades less costly. Examples
Customer Name
Banner CIS
Version
Oracle Database Version
Forms/ App server Version OS Supported Since
City of Richmond, VA 65,000 customers
2.0 Oracle Database
from 8.0.5 to 11g
Oracle 9i to 10g forms
Database HP Unix Application Server HP Unix Itanium
Since 2012
Martin County Utilities, FLA 30,000 customers
4.2 to 4.3 10g to 11g Oracle Application server 10.1.2.02 to Fusion Middle ware 11.1.1.4g
Database Linux Application Server Linux
2011
Aqua America (PA) 990,000 customers
3.1 9i to 11g Forms 6i Client Server To Oracle Application server 10.1.2.3
Database AIX Application servers AIX (VM)
Since 2011 Support
ONE Gas (OK) 3 million customers
3.2 + 4.0 Mods 9i to 10g to 11g
Forms 6i Client Server To Oracle Application server 10.1.2.3
Database AIX Application server AIX (VM)
Support and Maintenance from 2003
NV Energy, (Nevada) 1.7 million customers
2.2.2.1 9i to 10g Forms 5 Client server to Oracle Application server 10.1.2.0.2
Database AIX Application server AIX (VM)
Support and Maintenance from 2005
Portland General Electric (Oregon) 815,000 customers
2.2.2.1 9i to 10g Forms 6i Client Server To Oracle Application server 10.1.2.0.2
Database AIX Application server AIX (VM)
Support and Maintenance from 2003
City of Seattle (Washington) 395,000 customers
3.2 9i to 10g to 11g
Application server 9.0.4.2 to Oracle Application server 10.1.2.0.2
Database AIX Application server AIX (VM)
Support and Maintenance from 2010
Vectren (Ohio) 1.2 million customers
3.1 9i to 11g
Forms 6i to Oracle Application server 10.1.2.3 (performed by client)
Database HP Unix - Moved to Oracle RAC Linux Application
Support and Maintenance from 2003
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Customer Name
Banner CIS
Version
Oracle Database Version
Forms/ App server Version OS Supported Since
server Windows
Atmos (Texas) 2 million customers
2.2.1 9i to 10g (testing only)
Forms 6i to Oracle Application server 10.1.2.3
Database AIX Application server Linux
Support and Maintenance from 2006
City of Longmont, Colorado 25,000 customers
3.1.2 to 4.2.1 9i to 10g to 11g 9i to 10g release 2 Linux Support since
2011
City of Roseville 35,000 customers
3.0 8 to 11g (11.2.0.2)
6i client server to Oracle Application server 10.1.2.3
UNIX Support since 2014
As Milestone’s customers’ needs grow, there are requirements to add new software features and functionality to the CIS. Milestone has developed interfaces for those requirements. Milestone has been engaged to design, develop specifications, implement, test, and provide go-live support for multiple interface solutions between various applications and the Banner/Customer Suite CIS products, such as, Maximo, PragmaCAD, Advantex, Cash Reconciliation, LexisNexis Identity Verification, MDM, Opower, etc. Milestone resources played the role of Functional Lead for the Service Suite implementation at City of Charlotte. In this capacity, we made all rule changes to make Customer Suite ready to communicate with SDMI/Service Suite. We also developed and modified Service Suite forms using the Compose Tool provided with the Service Suite product and led the client’s system testing.
Additionally, there are several of our Banner/Customer Suite clients that have moved from the Banner/Customer Suite CIS to Oracle CC&B, SAP’s Customer Relationship Management and Billing, and some of the Harris CIS systems. MUSI is now able to provide services for these CIS systems as well.
Milestone’s Client Service Requests Milestone Utility Services (MUSI) has extensive experience in supporting multiple clients on the Hansen Banner/Customer Suite CIS system. We are providing maintenance, support and enhancements for many customers running Hansen CIS for the past 11 years. MUSI has made many defect corrections and troubleshoots base system issues. We follow proven Methodology and processes to expedite the process in the most cost effective way.
MUSI’s technical team provides multiple services, for example, DBA services, conducts performance
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tuning, and designs portals. MUSI has performed the technology upgrade for ONE Gas, NV Energy and Portland General Electric, City of Seattle, and Martin County.
In addition to Banner and Oracle Technology upgrades, which are full scope projects that include training, analysis, testing, and go-live support; Milestone has been engaged to design, develop specifications, implement, test, and provide go-live support for multiple interface solutions between various applications and the Hansen products, such as, Maximo, PragmaCAD, Advantex, Cash Reconciliation, LexisNexis Identity Verification, MDM, etc. Milestone resources played the role of Functional Lead for the Service Suite implementation at City of Charlotte. In this capacity, we made all rule changes to make Customer Suite ready to communicate with SDMI/Service Suite. We also developed and modified Service Suite forms using the Compose Tool provided with the Service Suite product and led the client’s system testing.
Additionally, there are several of our non-Customer Suite clients using Oracle CC&B. MUSI is in the position of supporting and implementing other applications in addition to Banner/Customer Suite. Milestone consultants would be able to assist with non-Banner/Customer Suite CIS implementations if the customer decides to move away from Banner/Customer Suite in the future. MUSI has developed many enhancements and provided many solutions for customers over the past years. The projects have ranged from 40 hours to 4000 hours. The following lists an example of some of the major projects and enhancements that MUSI has delivered to our clients: Examples
Service Request MUSI Solution Description IVR Web Interface For several utility customers, MUSI has developed several complex
interfaces from the customer self-services web sites and telephony systems allowing customers to create turn off orders, payment arrangements, phone checks, check balances, program enrollments, previous payments, etc.
Customer Web Self Service Project
Account Center Upgrades – Customer Web Self Service upgrades Milestone has provided CIS consulting services since 2006 for a gas company that serves 3.1 million customers. Milestone has provided development staff to modify the CIS product, as well as, augmented the energy company’ staff with functional resources for team leads and testing resources. Milestone provided production support while they were converting off of Banner CIS to SAP and continues to provide resources to assist with various projects that affect the current CIS application (SAP).
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Service Request MUSI Solution Description One of the projects and functional areas that Milestone supported prior to conversion is the Account Center. The Company upgraded the self-service website prior to deciding to convert off of Banner CIS. Milestone provided testing of the new enhancements to the website – validation of the web page logic, verification that the correct CIS data is displayed to the user, as well as validating that the correct information is updated in CIS when the customer makes updates.
Advantex, Cash Reconciliation Implementation Project
4.0 Advantage Implementation of Advantex, Cash Reconciliation – Reconcile cash from multiple sources to ensure all payments have posted in Banner and the utility bank account. Milestone also participates in upgrades of the Advantex system.
AMI Projects Milestone plays a key role in AMI projects. Conducting complex billing analysis for solution that meets the requirements. MUSI was the Banner vendor for NVEnergy's Advanced Service Delivery project. This project was replacing the majority of NVEnergy's meters with AMR/AMI capable meters. NVEnergy chose the ITRON Enterprise Edition for the MDM vendor and SOA Enterprise Integration Framework (SEIF) as the middleware vendor. MUSI provided the project with the overall project functional architect. In addition to playing a critical role designing the overall solution; MUSI developed several complicated interfaces and enhancements in support of NVEnergy's requirements: - Upload register readings from the RNI - Two way interface with the MDM for Billing Determinant Information from the MDM - Modified all Banner meter readings forms & processes to allow entry of time and date - Developed exception processing - Modified UBAMBCA and UBAQUCK for billing requests on the MDM - Not Prorate readings from the MDM or RNI - Remotely Connect / Disconnect services for AMR Meters. Additionally, MUSI augmented NVEnergy's staff with tester and test leads during the different phases of the project. MUSI provided and continues to provide production support and enhancements to the
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Service Request MUSI Solution Description functionality delivered during the ASD project. In addition to the ASD project with NVEnergy, MUSI has worked on AMR projects with ONE Gas and City of Charlotte where remote reading / communication devices were installed and maintained on meters. These devices are captured in Banner and sent down to the Meter Reading software (ITRON MVRS in both cases). As the communication devices were removed or replaced, these updates are uploaded back to Banner and updated on the meter record.
Archive/ Purge Implementation
MUSI assisted the customer by retrofitting Ventyx’s Archive/Purge enhancement into the customer’s older 2.2.2.1 version of Banner. The customer has a highly customized version of Banner and MUSI assisted the customer. Milestone provided the customer with technical resources for programming the enhancement and defect corrections as well as augmented the clients testing team.
Additionally, MUSI personnel have previously worked with the Archive/Purge enhancement prior to their employment with MUSI.
Red Flag / Customer Sensitive Data Enhancement
Project that included data masking of customer’s personal and financial data elements in Banner prior to release 4.1
Auto Budget Bill Customization Customization that automated budget billing where a predefined amount is provided on monthly bill and when customer pays this amount the account is then automatically enrolled in Budget billing.
Rate Migration Enhancement Developed an enhancement that will check the type of customer and customer billing history and change the rate for the customer on a monthly basis. This ensured that the customer is always on the appropriate rate for their class of service. Additionally, stored history so cancel / rebills could capture the right rate to rebill.
4.1 Application Server Optimization
Performance analysis and tuning of application server to optimization of 4.1
Cash Balancing Enhancement Created a central database for a multi-state / multi company utility where all cash payment files are fed into prior to being uploaded into Banner. Allowed the utility to balance all files received from the individual utility companies versus the cash posted in Banner and ultimately fed to the GL System.
MicroFocus COBOL Replacement
Milestone has migrated several customers from the expensive MicroFocus COBOL to a more affordable IBM COBOL compiler.
Rate Case Automation Enhancement
Automated rate changes based on a rate case – changing all associated rate codes that are covered under one specific rate case.
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
67
Service Request MUSI Solution Description Delinquency Multi-Stream Enhancement
Developed a Multi Stream Solution for Delinquency to run multiple streams of Delinquency to shorten the batch run time. This has been done for multiple utility customers.
Financial Reporting Enhancement
Built custom data marts for financial reporting (allows quicker access to End of Month Reports). Created extracts of customer financial data in Banner to be loaded into the reporting database.
Service Orders / Meter Reading / Billing Enhancements
Developed enhancements in various areas of the system (service orders, billing, meter reading, etc.). On Cycle Transfer / Succession Service Orders / Auto Close Orders, Lexus/Nexus Interface for Identity Verification, Fixed Price Payment Arrangements, Extensive Dereg Modifications – OH, EndPoint Link Pro Interface for both Water and Gas utilities, Business Post Date Implementation,
PragmaCAD Implementation Designed, developed and implemented an interface between Banner and PragmaCAD and managed the implementation of PragmaCAD that brought 3 Gas companies together as one with 3 different go lives.
PragmaCAD Interface with Banner 4.1
Interfaced Banner/Customer Suite 4.1; designed, developed, and implemented an Appointment Window for service orders to interface PragmaCAD with Banner 4.1 at Water Utility.
Banner/Customer Suite Upgrade to 4.3 & Disaster Recovery
Milestone installed and configured a disaster/backup program for customer’s Utility Department’s Customer Information Software (CIS) and worked with the Client on the Ventyx Customer Suite migration to version 4.3 which included installing and configuring Oracle Fusion Middleware to run CS 4.3.
Defect Corrections of Base Banner
Provide defect corrections for the base product; and for customized areas of the system for several customers.
Disaster Recovery Project Developed Disaster Recovery and Backup Architecture for multiple customers.
Electronic Work Management Implementation Project
MUSI played a key role in the implementation of customer’s EWAM (Electronic Work Management) project.
Enhancement Zero Charge Suppression
FACTA Enhancement FACTA – Provided functional and technical resources to hide sensitive customer data (such as SSN, Bank Account, etc.)
Interface - GIS Developed GIS interface.
Interface - Maximo Work Order Management
Developed Interfaces between Banner & Maximo Work Order Management System.
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
68
Service Request MUSI Solution Description Load Balancing Developed load balancing procedure for the production application
server for several customers. MDM Project Consulting Key role assisting with the Advanced Service Delivery (ASD) project.
Provided technical support and functional lead role in the design of the modifications needed to interface the MDM to their CIS system. Also provided testing support.
Multi Streaming Enhancement Developed a Multi Stream Solution for Delinquency for several customers. Multi streaming of Major Process (Billprint , Charge Calc, Payment Application, Credit Balance Application, Delinquency).
HP Unix to Oracle RAC Migrated to Oracle RAC from Hp Unix (Developed Architecture, Migration Process and Migrated to Oracle RAC)
On-Site Production Support Provide onsite support for the Production CIS systems.
Budget Billing Enhancement Enhancements, such as customer sensitive data and auto budget enrollment.
Production Support Providing Banner Production Support Contracts with several customers.
Rates Enhancement Consulting Services for Rate Migration (Best Practices)
Rates Enhancement Rate Case Automation
Reporting Enhancements Built custom data marts for financial reporting
Smart Grid Project Consulting Key consulting role in Smart Grid Project
UBAMBCA Enhancement UBAMBCA Modifications (Multi-Period Adjustments)
Hp Unix to Oracle RAC migration
Migrated to Oracle RAC from Hp Unix (Developed Architecture, Migration Process and Migrated to Oracle RAC) Oracle Technology Upgrade Provided DBA Services. Developed and Executed test cases for system testing of Technology Upgrade.
CSR Portal Enhancements Modified the CSR Portal to Include links for Google Maps and Credit Card Link. Modified CSR Portal to use Auto Portal Login.
Upgrade to 4.0.2 and implementation of Service Suite
Business Process Analysis Migration and Batch Testing Design of Custom Modifications
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
69
Service Request MUSI Solution Description Itron EndPoint Link Implementation
New implementation, Design and Project Management for Itron EndPoint Link Implementation
Rate Refund Enhancement Created a module for Rate Refund outside Banner. Developed New Processes and Forms without touching the Base Processes and Forms
Disaster Recovery Solution Developed Disaster Recovery and Backup Architecture for multiple customers.
EWAM Implementation Project MUSI played a key role in the implementation of customer’s EWAM (Electronic Work Management) project.
Opower Interface Provided a historical file of consumption history for OPower to use for load analysis. Additionally, created an enhancement in CIS for a weekly update of consumption and service history.
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
70
SERV
ICE
PRO
VIDE
R’S
BACK
GRO
UN
D AN
D EX
PERI
ENCE
WIT
H HA
NSE
N B
ANN
ER C
IS
Tech
nica
l Ser
vice
s Te
chni
cal Q
ualif
icat
ion
Requ
ired
Year
s of
Expe
rienc
e Ve
rsio
n(s)
Sp
ecifi
c ex
perie
nce(
s)
Nam
ed R
esou
rce
Bann
er C
IS 2
.2 to
Ban
ner
4.3
deve
lopm
ent
expe
rienc
e 20
2.0
2.2.
1.5
3.1.
2 3.
1.4
3.2
4.0
4.0.
2 4.
1 4.
3
Mile
ston
e ha
s con
sulta
nts t
hat h
ave
been
wor
king
on
proj
ects
with
Ban
ner f
or m
ore
than
20
year
s affe
ctin
g al
mos
t eve
ry re
leas
e of
Ban
ner C
IS.
Mile
ston
e co
nsul
tant
s dev
elop
enh
ance
men
ts a
nd tr
iage
or
debu
g th
e ap
plic
atio
n w
hen
issue
s aris
e. M
ilest
one
is ex
perie
nced
in a
ll ty
pes o
f obj
ects
foun
d in
the
Bann
er a
pplic
atio
n –
Ora
cle
Form
s, CO
BOL,
Pro
C,
Ora
cle
Data
base
. Ad
ditio
nally
, Mile
ston
e ha
s ex
perie
nce
man
agin
g th
e Ba
nner
dat
abas
e, a
s wel
l as
inst
allin
g an
d co
nfig
urin
g th
e ap
plic
atio
n se
rver
w
here
the
form
s are
serv
ed to
the
user
s.
Peris
amy
Chith
an
Giri
Redd
y Ra
ma
Iyer
PLSQ
L 2
0
2.0
2.
2.1.
5 3.
1.2
3.1.
4 3.
2 4.
0 4.
0.2
4.1
4.3
All
of M
ilest
one’
s cur
rent
clie
nts a
re u
sing
som
e fo
rm
of O
RACL
E Da
taba
se, a
nd a
ll te
chni
cal a
nd fu
nctio
nal
reso
urce
s use
SQ
L Pl
us, T
oad,
or S
QL
Deve
lope
r on
a da
ily b
asis
to c
reat
e ad
hoc
que
ries f
or d
ata
min
ing,
iss
ue tr
iagi
ng, a
nd v
iew
ing
data
in th
e da
taba
se
tabl
es.
Deve
lope
rs m
ay u
se th
is to
ol fo
r dev
elop
ing
upda
te sc
ripts
and
runn
ing
scrip
ts in
the
back
gro
und.
Ty
pica
lly, S
QL
Deve
lope
r or T
OAD
are
use
d to
dev
elop
ex
tens
ive
scrip
ts a
nd d
atab
ase
obje
cts.
Per
isam
y Ch
ithan
Gi
ri Re
ddy
Ram
a Iy
er
Form
s Dev
elop
er
(Ora
cle)
20
SQ
L Fo
rms 3
- D
B6
Ora
cle
Form
s 4.0
-DB
6-7
Ful
l Sco
pe O
racl
e Te
chno
logy
Upg
rade
from
: O
racl
e 6i
For
ms t
o 9i
(9.0
.4) F
orm
s O
racl
e 9i
For
ms t
o 10
g(10
.1.2
.0.2
) For
ms
Per
isam
y Ch
ithan
Gi
ri Re
ddy
Ram
a Iy
er
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
71
Tech
nica
l Qua
lific
atio
n Re
quire
d Ye
ars o
f Ex
perie
nce
Vers
ion(
s)
Spec
ific
expe
rienc
e(s)
N
amed
Res
ourc
e
Ora
cle
Form
s 4.5
-DB
7 O
racl
e Fo
rms 5
-DB7
6i
9i
10
g 11
g
Ora
cle
10g
to 1
1g
Pro
C
20
IBM
C
RedH
at C
HP
C
Mile
ston
e ha
s dev
elop
ed b
atch
C p
roce
sses
and
in
terf
aces
for v
ario
us e
nhan
cem
ents
to B
anne
r, fo
r ex
ampl
e m
eter
read
ing
inte
rfac
es, B
ill P
rint
mod
ifica
tions
, as w
ell a
s exp
erie
nce
in m
akin
g ch
ange
s (de
fect
s or e
nhan
cem
ents
) to
mos
t job
s in
the
Bann
er sc
hedu
ler.
Per
isam
y Ch
ithan
Gi
ri Re
ddy
Ram
a Iy
er
Ora
cle
v11
and
high
er
expe
rienc
e 2
B
anne
r 4.3
11g
fu
sion
mid
dlew
are
Mile
ston
e ha
s pla
yed
key
role
s in
seve
ral
Bann
er/C
usto
mer
Sui
te U
pgra
de p
roje
cts f
or
Conn
exus
Ene
rgy,
City
of C
harlo
tte,
City
of L
ongm
ont
to v
ersio
n 4.
2.1,
and
mos
t rec
ently
Mar
tin C
ount
y to
ve
rsio
n 4.
3, w
hich
incl
udes
con
figur
ing
and
inst
allin
g th
e O
racl
e Te
chno
logy
upg
rade
to 1
1g F
usio
n M
iddl
ewar
e.
Mile
ston
e U
tility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. (M
USI
) has
per
form
ed
the
Ora
cle
tech
nolo
gy u
pgra
de fo
r Aqu
a, O
NEO
K, N
V En
ergy
, Mar
tin C
ount
y, P
ortla
nd G
ener
al E
lect
ric, a
nd
City
of S
eatt
le.
MU
SI p
erfo
rmed
key
role
s in
the
tech
nolo
gy u
pgra
de fo
r Vec
tren
and
Atm
os E
nerg
y.
MU
SI h
as c
ompl
eted
the
Inst
alla
tion
of F
usio
n
Per
isam
y Ch
ithan
Gi
ri Re
ddy
Ram
a Iy
er
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
72
Tech
nica
l Qua
lific
atio
n Re
quire
d Ye
ars o
f Ex
perie
nce
Vers
ion(
s)
Spec
ific
expe
rienc
e(s)
N
amed
Res
ourc
e
Mid
dlew
are
at M
artin
Cou
nty
and
upgr
aded
the
Bann
er A
pplic
atio
n to
4.3
. MU
SI h
as d
evel
oped
a
deta
iled
inst
alla
tion
docu
men
t for
eve
ry c
ompo
nent
of
Fus
ion
Mid
dlew
are;
and
dev
elop
ed a
utom
ated
st
artu
p an
d sh
utdo
wn
scrip
ts fo
r all
the
com
pone
nts
of F
usio
n M
iddl
ewar
e.
MU
SI h
as e
xten
sive
expe
rienc
e in
Fus
ion
Mid
dlew
are.
In
add
ition
to M
igra
ting
Bann
er to
4.3
on
Fusio
n M
iddl
ewar
e M
USI
has
por
ted
olde
r ver
sions
of
Bann
er to
Fus
ion
Mid
dlew
are.
M
USI
has
upg
rade
d Ba
nner
Dat
abas
e fr
om 9
i to
11g.
M
USI
has
upg
rade
d Ba
nner
from
Clie
nt se
rver
Ar
chite
ctur
e to
For
m A
pplic
atio
n se
rver
10g
. M
USI
has
ext
ensiv
e ex
perie
nce
in m
odify
ing
the
orac
le p
aram
eter
s to
impr
ove
the
perf
orm
ance
of
Bann
er A
pplic
atio
n on
11g
(Whi
ch is
a c
ost b
ased
sy
stem
). M
ilest
one
has d
evel
oped
and
exe
cute
d te
st c
ases
for
syst
em te
stin
g of
Tec
hnol
ogy
Upg
rade
for s
ever
al
cust
omer
s.
Mun
icip
al W
ater
In
dust
ry E
xper
ienc
e 2
0+
2.0
3.1.
2 3.
2 4.
0.2
See
TAB
LE 1
that
follo
ws.
Per
isam
y Ch
ithan
Gi
ri Re
ddy
Ram
a Iy
er
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
73
Tech
nica
l Qua
lific
atio
n Re
quire
d Ye
ars o
f Ex
perie
nce
Vers
ion(
s)
Spec
ific
expe
rienc
e(s)
N
amed
Res
ourc
e
4.1
4.2
4.3
Fu
nctio
nal S
ervi
ces
Fu
nctio
nal Q
ualif
icat
ion
Requ
ired
Year
s of
Expe
rienc
e Ve
rsio
n(s)
Sp
ecifi
c ex
perie
nce(
s)
Nam
ed R
esou
rce
Bann
er C
IS 2
.2 a
nd to
Ba
nner
4.3
exp
erie
nce
20
2.0
2.
2.1.
5 3.
1.2
3.1.
4 3.
2 4.
0 4.
0.2
4.1
4.3
Mile
ston
e ha
s con
sulta
nts t
hat h
ave
been
wor
king
on
proj
ects
with
Ban
ner f
or m
ore
than
20
year
s affe
ctin
g al
mos
t eve
ry re
leas
e of
Ban
ner C
IS.
Mile
ston
e pr
ovid
es
func
tiona
l des
igns
of m
odifi
catio
ns, d
evel
op a
nd e
xecu
te
test
cas
es, t
riage
issu
es in
the
prod
uctio
n en
viro
nmen
t as
wel
l as a
ugm
ent t
he c
lient
s sta
ff fo
r tes
ting
or b
usin
ess
anal
yst a
ctiv
ities
.
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
Busin
ess P
roce
ss
Deve
lopm
ent,
Cont
rol,
and
Docu
men
tatio
n 2
0
2.0
2.
2.1.
5 3.
1.2
3.1.
4 3.
2 4.
0 4.
0.2
4.1
4.3
Mile
ston
e m
etho
dolo
gy is
to p
rovi
de d
ocum
enta
tions
on
all
chan
ges m
ade
to th
e sy
stem
. Fu
nctio
nal a
ppro
ach
docu
men
ts
and
deta
il sp
ecifi
catio
ns a
re p
rodu
ced
for c
lient
app
rova
l and
to
doc
umen
t mod
ifica
tions
mad
e to
the
syst
em.
As th
e co
de is
be
ing
deve
lope
d, a
Mile
ston
e fu
nctio
nal a
naly
st w
ill d
evel
op a
te
st c
ase.
Dur
ing
test
ing,
resu
lts a
nd sc
reen
cap
ture
s are
re
cord
ed o
n th
e te
st c
ase.
The
test
cas
e do
cum
enta
tion
is pr
ovid
ed to
the
clie
nt d
urin
g de
liver
y of
the
code
. M
ilest
one
will
also
dev
elop
test
ing
resu
lts/p
roof
for d
efec
t fix
es in
ad
ditio
n to
new
syst
em c
hang
es.
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
74
Func
tiona
l Qua
lific
atio
n Re
quire
d Ye
ars o
f Ex
perie
nce
Vers
ion(
s)
Spec
ific
expe
rienc
e(s)
N
amed
Res
ourc
e
The
tech
nica
l tea
m w
ill p
lace
tags
in th
e so
urce
cod
e to
id
entif
y th
e ch
ange
s mad
e fo
r cer
tain
PCR
or D
efec
t fix
es.
The
tagg
ing
wou
ld n
orm
ally
be
the
Clie
nt d
efec
t num
ber.
Ve
rsio
n nu
mbe
rs a
re m
aint
aine
d w
ithin
the
sour
ce c
ode
itsel
f and
incr
emen
ted
as n
ew c
hang
es a
re m
ade.
As
sour
ce c
ode
is ch
ecke
d in
, a c
heck
in d
ocum
ent i
s pr
ovid
ed to
the
clie
nt sh
owin
g th
e ob
ject
s bei
ng c
heck
ed
for t
he c
hang
e, a
s wel
l as t
he v
ersio
n of
eac
h ob
ject
.
Mun
icip
al W
ater
Util
ities
O
pera
tions
Exp
erie
nce
(AM
R m
eter
read
ing,
rout
ing,
sc
hedu
ling,
exc
eptio
ns
proc
essin
g, a
nd fi
eld
wor
kloa
d ba
lanc
ing;
ap
proa
ches
/met
hods
for
char
ging
and
bill
ing,
in
clud
ing
issue
reso
lutio
n.
5 2.
2.1.
5 4.
0.2
Mile
ston
e w
as th
e Ba
nner
ven
dor f
or N
VEne
rgy'
s Ad
vanc
ed S
ervi
ce D
eliv
ery
proj
ect.
Thi
s pro
ject
was
re
plac
ing
the
maj
ority
of N
VEne
rgy'
s met
ers w
ith
AMR/
AMI c
apab
le m
eter
s. M
USI
pro
vide
d th
e pr
ojec
t w
ith th
e ov
eral
l pro
ject
func
tiona
l arc
hite
ct.
In a
dditi
on
to p
layi
ng a
crit
ical
role
des
igni
ng th
e ov
eral
l sol
utio
n;
MU
SI d
evel
oped
seve
ral c
ompl
icat
ed in
terf
aces
and
en
hanc
emen
ts in
supp
ort o
f NVE
nerg
y's r
equi
rem
ents
: - U
ploa
d re
gist
er re
adin
gs fr
om th
e RN
I - T
wo
way
inte
rfac
e w
ith th
e M
DM fo
r Bill
ing
Dete
rmin
ant I
nfor
mat
ion
from
the
MDM
- M
odifi
ed a
ll Ba
nner
met
er re
adin
gs fo
rms &
pro
cess
es
to a
llow
ent
ry o
f tim
e an
d da
te
- Dev
elop
ed e
xcep
tion
proc
essin
g - N
ot P
rora
te re
adin
gs fr
om th
e M
DM o
r RN
I - R
emot
ely
Conn
ect /
Disc
onne
ct se
rvic
es fo
r AM
R M
eter
s.
In a
dditi
on to
the
ASD
proj
ect w
ith N
VEne
rgy,
MU
SI h
as
wor
ked
on A
MR
proj
ects
with
ON
EOK
and
City
of
Char
lott
e w
here
rem
ote
read
ing
/ com
mun
icat
ion
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
75
Func
tiona
l Qua
lific
atio
n Re
quire
d Ye
ars o
f Ex
perie
nce
Vers
ion(
s)
Spec
ific
expe
rienc
e(s)
N
amed
Res
ourc
e
devi
ces w
ere
inst
alle
d an
d m
aint
aine
d on
met
ers.
The
se
devi
ces a
re c
aptu
red
in B
anne
r and
sent
dow
n to
the
Met
er R
eadi
ng so
ftwar
e (IT
RON
MVR
S in
bot
h ca
ses)
. As
th
e co
mm
unic
atio
n de
vice
s wer
e re
mov
ed o
r rep
lace
d,
thes
e up
date
s are
upl
oade
d ba
ck to
Ban
ner a
nd u
pdat
ed
on th
e m
eter
reco
rd.
Bann
er C
IS q
uery
, dat
a ex
trac
tion
and
anal
ytic
s 20
2.0
2.
2.1.
5 3.
1.2
3.1.
4 3.
2 4.
0 4.
0.2
4.1
4.3
Deve
lope
d da
ta e
xtra
cts f
or th
e Ci
ty o
f Cha
rlott
e du
ring
the
anal
ysis
& a
ppro
ach
desig
n ph
ases
of t
he B
ill C
ycle
Al
ignm
ent p
roje
ct.
Deve
lope
d to
ols t
o an
alyz
e do
llar
impa
cts t
o cu
stom
ers a
s a re
sult
of d
iffer
ent m
ovem
ent
met
hods
. Ad
ditio
nally
, cre
ated
ex t
ract
s for
the
City
of
Rose
ville
for t
he O
Pow
er in
terf
ace
impl
emen
tatio
n. T
his
extr
acte
d co
nsum
ptio
n da
ta fo
r a th
ird p
arty
to th
e Ci
ty.
All M
ilest
one
empl
oyee
s and
con
trac
tors
are
at a
m
inim
um c
apab
le w
ith d
evel
opin
g a
SQL
quer
y in
the
Bann
er d
atab
ase;
mos
t wou
ld b
e co
nsid
ered
exp
erts
at
this
task
and
it is
in u
se a
t all
of o
ur c
lient
s.
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
Mun
icip
al W
ater
Indu
stry
Ex
perie
nce
5
2.2.
1.5
4.0.
2 4.
1 4.
3
See
TAB
LE 1
that
follo
ws.
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
Mun
icip
al S
torm
Wat
er
Expe
rienc
e 5
2.2
.1.5
4.
0.2
4.1
4.3
Prov
ided
test
ing
supp
ort t
o th
e Ci
ty o
f Cha
rlott
e fo
r the
FY
201
4 st
orm
wat
er ra
te ch
ange
usin
g th
e Ci
ty’s
new
est
vers
ion
of th
e bi
lling
syst
em, B
anne
r 4.3
. Ad
ditio
nally
, pr
ovid
ed a
naly
sis o
n th
e do
llar i
mpa
ct o
f im
plem
entin
g al
igni
ng st
orm
wat
er d
ays o
f ser
vice
with
the
wat
er m
eter
da
ys o
f ser
vice
as o
ppos
ed to
usin
g th
e bi
ll to
bill
day
s of
serv
ice.
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
76
Func
tiona
l Qua
lific
atio
n Re
quire
d Ye
ars o
f Ex
perie
nce
Vers
ion(
s)
Spec
ific
expe
rienc
e(s)
N
amed
Res
ourc
e
Deve
lopm
ent o
f Bus
ines
s Re
quire
men
ts, F
unct
iona
l Sp
ecifi
catio
ns, a
nd re
late
d do
cum
enta
tion
17
2.
0
2.2.
1.5
3.1.
2 3.
1.4
3.2
4.0
4.0.
2 4.
1 4.
3
Mile
ston
e m
etho
dolo
gy is
to p
rovi
de d
ocum
enta
tions
on
all
chan
ges m
ade
to th
e sy
stem
. Fu
nctio
nal a
ppro
ach
docu
men
ts
and
deta
il sp
ecifi
catio
ns a
re p
rodu
ced
for c
lient
app
rova
l and
to
doc
umen
t mod
ifica
tions
mad
e to
the
syst
em.
As th
e co
de is
be
ing
deve
lope
d, a
Mile
ston
e fu
nctio
nal a
naly
st w
ill d
evel
op a
te
st c
ase.
Dur
ing
test
ing,
resu
lts a
nd sc
reen
cap
ture
s are
re
cord
ed o
n th
e te
st c
ase.
The
test
cas
e do
cum
enta
tion
is pr
ovid
ed to
the
clie
nt d
urin
g de
liver
y of
the
code
. M
ilest
one
will
also
dev
elop
test
ing
resu
lts/p
roof
for d
efec
t fix
es in
a d
ditio
n to
new
syst
em c
hang
es.
The
tech
nica
l tea
m w
ill p
lace
tags
in th
e so
urce
cod
e to
id
entif
y th
e ch
ange
s mad
e fo
r cer
tain
PCR
or D
efec
t fix
es.
The
tagg
ing
wou
ld n
orm
ally
be
the
Clie
nt d
efec
t num
ber.
Ve
rsio
n nu
mbe
rs a
re m
aint
aine
d w
ithin
the
sour
ce c
ode
itsel
f and
incr
emen
ted
as n
ew c
hang
es a
re m
ade.
As
sour
ce c
ode
is ch
ecke
d in
, a c
heck
in d
ocum
ent i
s pr
ovid
ed to
the
clie
nt sh
owin
g th
e ob
ject
s bei
ng c
heck
ed
for t
he c
hang
e, a
s wel
l as t
he v
ersio
n of
eac
h ob
ject
.
Fra
nk A
nder
son
Park
er B
urris
M
ike
Burn
or
Mile
ston
e ha
s wor
ked
with
oth
er c
lient
s whe
re th
e ru
les o
f eng
agem
ent s
tate
d th
at b
ase
Bann
er so
urce
cod
e w
as n
ot to
be
mod
ified
, yet
the
clie
nt st
ill n
eede
d th
e en
hanc
emen
t to
the
Bann
er sy
stem
. At
bot
h Co
lum
bus a
nd A
ncho
rage
, Mile
ston
e cr
eate
d en
hanc
emen
ts to
Ban
ner t
hat
did
not t
ouch
bas
e Ba
nner
obj
ects
, yet
the
new
form
s and
pro
cess
es w
ere
inte
grat
ed in
to th
e Ba
nner
app
licat
ion
and
coul
d be
exe
cute
d w
ithin
th
e m
ain
win
dow
in B
anne
r and
wer
e co
ntro
lled
by th
e st
anda
rd B
anne
r sec
urity
app
licat
ion.
Tab
les a
nd d
atab
ase
obje
cts w
ere
crea
ted
in a
di
ffere
nt sc
hem
a so
they
wou
ld n
ot c
o-ex
ist w
ith th
e Ba
se B
anne
r obj
ects
in th
e U
IMSM
GR sc
hem
a.
Mile
ston
e w
orke
d w
ith th
e Ci
ty o
f Cha
rlott
e to
des
ign
the
appr
oach
for t
he B
illin
g Cy
cle
alig
nmen
t pro
ject
. M
ilest
one
cons
ulta
nt w
orke
d w
ith
vario
us C
ity p
erso
nnel
to d
evel
op th
e m
odifi
catio
n ap
proa
ch b
ased
on
the
diffe
rent
mig
ratio
n m
etho
ds th
at th
e Ci
ty a
naly
zed.
Mile
ston
e
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
77
deve
lope
d th
e da
ta e
xtra
ct th
at w
as u
sed
to d
evel
op th
e pr
opos
ed c
ycle
bou
ndar
y m
ap. M
ilest
one
also
dev
elop
ed to
ols u
sed
to a
naly
ze th
e nu
mbe
r of s
ervi
ces i
mpa
cted
by
diffe
rent
type
s of m
ovem
ent m
etho
ds a
s wel
l as t
ools
used
to e
stim
ate
the
dolla
r im
pact
for c
usto
mer
s bas
ed
on th
e nu
mbe
r of d
ays t
hat a
serv
ice
lost
or g
aine
d by
mov
ing
to th
eir n
ew c
ycle
.
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
78
TABL
E 1:
WAT
ER S
PECI
FIC
CUST
OM
ERS
AND
EXPE
RIEN
CE
CO
MPA
NY
LOCA
TIO
N
CUST
OM
ERS
SERV
ICES
CI
S VE
RSIO
N
PRO
JECT
EXP
ERIE
NCE
Aqua
Wat
er
Penn
sylv
ania
99
0,00
0 W
4.
1 20
12 G
o-liv
e fo
r Ora
cle
Tech
nolo
gy U
plift
(9i
to 1
0g/1
1g).
Our
7th
Ban
ner c
lient
for O
racl
e te
chno
logy
upg
rade
.
Anch
orag
e W
ater
&
Was
tew
ater
Al
aska
60
,000
W
, WW
4.
2 4.
2 4.
3
Deve
lope
d co
mpl
ex e
nhan
cem
ent t
o cr
eate
a
cust
omer
reba
te/r
efun
d cr
edit.
En
hanc
emen
t was
dev
elop
ed w
ithou
t m
odify
ing
any
Bann
er so
urce
cod
e.
City
of S
eatt
le
Was
hing
ton
395,
000
W, E
3.
2 O
racl
e Te
chno
logy
Upl
ift; D
ata
Qua
lity
Anal
ysis.
City
of R
iver
side
Calif
orni
a 11
0,00
0 W
, E
3.2
Fina
ncia
l bal
anci
ng p
roje
ct in
pre
para
tion
to
mov
e to
Har
ris E
nque
sta
CIS.
Per
form
ed
Data
Cle
anup
for c
onve
rsio
n.
City
of L
ong
Beac
h Ca
lifor
nia
500,
000
W
CC&
B Co
nsul
ting
serv
ices
supp
ort
City
of R
osev
ille
Calif
orni
a 12
2,00
0 W
, S, S
olid
W
aste
, Re
cycl
ed
Wat
er, E
3.2
Ora
cle
11g
upgr
ade
and
cont
inue
d su
ppor
t U
pgra
de th
e de
-sup
port
ed O
racl
e Da
taba
se
Serv
er a
nd m
igra
te d
ata
from
8 to
11g
Rel
2 fo
r bot
h th
e te
st a
nd p
rodu
ctio
n en
viro
nmen
ts.
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
79
COM
PAN
Y LO
CATI
ON
CU
STO
MER
S SE
RVIC
ES
CIS
VERS
ION
PR
OJE
CT E
XPER
IEN
CE
City
of C
hica
go
Illin
ois
535,
000
W, S
ewer
3.
2 Ba
nner
Mai
nten
ance
and
Pro
duct
ion
Supp
ort
DBA
Supp
ort;
Ora
cle
Tech
nolo
gy A
sses
smen
t
Lubb
ock
Pow
er &
Li
ght
Texa
s 10
0,00
0 W
, Sew
er,
Stor
m W
ater
, So
lid W
, E
4.1
4.3
Impl
emen
ted
Cust
omer
Web
Sel
f-Ser
vice
Po
rtal
to re
plac
e Ba
nner
CW
A.
City
of L
ongm
ont
Colo
rado
45
,000
W
, Sew
er,
Stor
m W
ater
, So
lid W
aste
, E
3.2
4.2
Upg
rade
d Ba
nner
CIS
from
3.2
to 4
.2.
Cond
ucte
d an
d m
anag
ed th
e en
tire
proj
ect
from
kic
k-of
f, tr
aini
ng, c
odin
g, te
stin
g to
go-
live.
City
of C
harlo
tte
NC
250,
000
W, W
W,
Stor
m W
ater
4.
0.2
4.3
Prov
ided
func
tiona
l exp
ertis
e du
ring
the
mig
ratio
n to
4.0
.2. P
rovi
ding
tria
ge a
nd is
sue
reso
lutio
n fo
r pro
duct
ion
prob
lem
s.
Prov
ided
Fun
ctio
nal e
xper
tise
for
conf
igur
atio
n of
Ser
vice
Sui
te 8
, as w
ell a
s,
the
inte
grat
ion
with
Cus
tom
er S
uite
. De
velo
ped
Cogn
os re
port
s acc
ordi
ng to
the
City
requ
irem
ents
. As
siste
d th
e Ci
ty to
de
sign
the
appr
oach
for t
he B
ill C
ycle
Al
ignm
ent p
roje
ct.
City
of R
alei
gh
NC
165,
000
W, S
Deve
lope
d en
hanc
emen
t to
Bann
er C
IS fo
r AM
R im
plem
enta
tion.
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
80
COM
PAN
Y LO
CATI
ON
CU
STO
MER
S SE
RVIC
ES
CIS
VERS
ION
PR
OJE
CT E
XPER
IEN
CE
City
of R
ichm
ond
Virg
inia
14
0,00
0 W
, WW
, St
orm
W,
Recy
cle,
Sol
id
W, S
tree
t lig
hts
2.0
Ora
cle
Tech
nica
l upg
rade
to 1
1g fo
r new
ap
plic
atio
n an
d da
taba
se se
rver
s.
Mar
tin C
ount
y Fl
orid
a 26
,000
W
, WW
4.
2 4.
3 U
pgra
ded
Ora
cle
Tech
nolo
gy fr
om O
racl
e Ap
plic
atio
n se
rver
10.
1.2.
02 to
Fus
ion
Mid
dle
war
e 11
g.
Clev
elan
d W
ater
O
hio
450,
000
W, S
, Sto
rm
W
CC&
B M
ilest
one
& F
ive
Poin
ts ra
n Cl
evel
and’
s pr
ojec
t man
agem
ent o
ffice
for t
he
impl
emen
tatio
n of
the
Ora
cle
CC&
B DI
S.
Mile
ston
e pr
ovid
ed th
e fu
nctio
nal,
tech
nica
l, ch
ange
man
agem
ent,
and
conv
ersio
n le
ads
for t
he C
C&B
Impl
emen
tatio
n.
City
of C
olum
bus
Ohi
o 27
0,00
0 W
4.
1 Pr
agm
aCAD
inte
rfac
e to
Ban
ner 4
.1.
Desig
ned
and
crea
ted
an A
ppoi
ntm
ent
Win
dow
for s
ched
ulin
g se
rvic
e ca
lls b
etw
een
Prag
maC
AD a
nd B
anne
r CIS
. En
hanc
emen
t w
as d
evel
oped
with
out m
odify
ing
any
of th
e co
re B
anne
r CIS
obj
ects
.
City
of F
ort C
ollin
s CO
14
5,00
0 E,
W, W
W
3.1.
2 4.
1 In
stal
led
prod
uctio
n Ap
p Se
rver
for 4
.1.
Deve
lope
d en
hanc
emen
ts a
nd a
ddre
ssed
pe
rfor
man
ce is
sues
on
4.1
port
als a
nd a
pp.
July
24,
201
5
RFP
# 2
69-2
015-
060
IT C
ontra
ct P
rofe
ssio
nal S
ervi
ces
Mile
ston
e Ut
ility
Ser
vice
s, In
c. C
onfid
entia
l and
Pro
prie
tary
81
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
82
Milestone’s Other Hansen Banner CIS Services Annual Customer Maintenance and Support Milestone understands that one Maintenance and Support Plan does not fit all customers. We offer flexible plans designed to meet the specific needs of the customer. We fully support any release the customer is on; all the way back to Banner CIS release 2.2. If Milestone upgrades technology, designs an interface, enhancement or modification, Milestone supports and maintains that. Milestone provides both the standard maintenance and support model as well as complete IT Outsourcing. Level of Support for Defects, Error Corrections, and Production Issues Milestone assigns a point of contact to manage the account’s maintenance and support; and provides a dedicated point of contact on a 24 x 7 basis to log issues with. There is a dedicated team of resources to solve problems and support the Banner/Customer Suite system. The resources will include DBA’s, Functional Analysts, Technical Analysts, etc. MUSI then triages and fixes production problems. The following are a list of the types of support feature services provided by our consultants: • production system issue triage • logging and tracking reported defects and issues • prioritization, management and reporting the disposition of all defects and issues • perform defect and issue analysis and triage to resolution point • prepare defect correction documentation for technical staff • code correction of defects • unit testing of defects • versioning of all defect code corrections • package and deliver code corrections • maintain current version of source code utilizing 3rd party management tool • ensure database and system performance through Database Administration Services • provide ad hoc report services and interface support
Outsourcing IT Maintenance and Support Milestone offers utility customers the ability to outsource IT Maintenance and Support for their Banner CIS. Milestone offers a team that consists of a Functional Lead, DBA, Technical Resources, and Functional Resources. Functional Lead Responsibilities – Milestone will provide a functional resource that will be the initial point of contact for issues reported from the customer. The functional lead will liaise with representatives from the user groups – Customer Service, Billing, Collections, and Field Services. This resource will make the initial categorization to determine the nature of the issue: data, code, change
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request, training, etc. If the issue is training related, this resource will work with the customer’s training department to ensure the issue is addressed going forward. Data issues are assigned to the Milestone Support team. Defects with the Base Banner source code are assigned to the Milestone Maintenance team to be addressed. This resource will also be responsible for working with the Milestone technical team to develop an estimate for any change requests. Additional responsibilities include:
- Update issues in defect Tracking System - Work with technical resources on resolving issues in Banner - Develop and document approach for solving complex defects - Develop high level design for change requests that will be used by the technical team to develop
estimates - Work with the Milestone maintenance team as there are questions related to code issues
Database Administrator Support Responsibilities – Milestone will provide Database Support as needed. Some of the tasks Milestone DBAs provide are for performance issues, triage, backup and recovery, Oracle upgrades, server migrations and applying Oracle patches. Technical Resources Responsibilities – Milestone will provide technical staff to assist the customer with triage and support of technical issues and requests related to Banner such as:
- Data Correction scripts – developing and applying data correction scripts - Source Code Management – manage Banner source code - Applying update scripts and code to non-production data bases - Triage technical issues related to Banner - Develop ad-hoc queries as needed by the customer. - Provide technical input on requested changes to the Batch.
Functional Resource Responsibilities – Milestone will provide the customer with an additional functional resource to assist with testing and issue triage. This resource will develop test cases and be responsible for verifying data corrections and code deliveries. Additional responsibilities include:
- Review and Recreate issues reported by user groups - Update and Maintain issues in defect tracking system - Set up and maintain Banner user security - Work with Technical Resources to resolve defects and data clean up items.
The typical Resource allocations are:
Role Full Time Resource Functional Lead 1 DBA Support .5 Technical Resources 2 Functional Resource 1 Total Resources 4.5
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RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
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Data Quality Assessment & Cleanup Many Utilities services groups have been using the Banner/CIS system platform for more than 10 years. During that timeframe, the utility has had to absorb a number of changes in the support mechanisms of that environment including the application of a number of ‘patches’ and ‘code drops’ all of which can create situations where the underlying data content can become corrupted.
Since 2002 Milestone Utility Services has been in business working with over 25 Banner/Customer Suite customers. We have developed an archive of scripts that interrogates the Banner/Customer Suite database to find discrepancies and issues that can be costly to the Customer’s business. Milestone’s team of Data Specialists has years of experience and an impeccable success rate at cleansing data and maintaining data integrity. We use proven methodology which provides an audit trail for future reference. The Data Quality Assessment Review is a high level examination of existing data in the Banner/Customer Suite CIS billing system. This is a fixed price project that takes 6 - 8 weeks and requires minimal effort and resources from the Customer.
The objective of this project is to identify the presence, within the current production Banner/CIS environment, of situations whose existence indicates situations of potential data corruption or inconsistent data content. Milestone conducts a review, analyzes and documents the overall data quality content as currently contained in the production environment in order to ascertain the existence and description of the corrupted data. Milestone produces a Data Quality Assessment Review and Report detailing its findings and recommendations for further examination of the data with some form of data integrity concern. This could include simple corrections, but also require a more in depth analysis to determine and correct potentially more serious problems utilizing Milestone’s methodology solution and its core of Banner/Customer Suite platform expertise for addressing these issues with Milestone’s cleansing and scrubbing process which provides audit information. The goal is to not only discover and fix the problems; but determine why the problems occurred so they do not reoccur. Having good and reliable data is critical to the success of all future projects. Data Analyzed: Below is a description of the nine areas of the system reviewed in this Data Quality Assessment.
Accounts: Milestone analyzes Banner accounts for the client to confirm that each account has the correct attributes assigned. For example, there may be accounts that appear to be out of the ordinary such as
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RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
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the wrong cycle code attached, or accounts that contain a particular characteristic that may interrupt traditional billing practices like unapplied credits or no recent charges are key attributes that are reviewed. Bad Debt Data: During the data analysis, Milestone compiles a list of bad debt accounts that have failed one or more validation scripts, which range from bad debt accounts that have incomplete bad debt maintenance records to bad debt accounts that balancing variances. Bill History Data: Milestone reviews the bill history data to confirm that each row has the correct attributes such as bill history number and ending balance, and that it balances with all financial transactions recorded in other data tables. Inconsistent bill history data can create defective results with certain data queries or reports used in reconciling financial activity. Budget Billing Data: Budget billing data must be analyzed to make sure the open items table reflects the correct data. Milestone’s validation scripts are designed to locate errors that can prevent accounts from billing correctly and/or balancing properly. The validation scripts look for defects such as incorrect item types and invalid services numbers. Defects in Banner that are Budget Bill related can lead to a multitude of accounting and reconciling issues. Charges Data: Charges in Banner are traditionally one of most complex data types to analyze; for this reason, Milestone’s integrity scripts review Banner charges from multiple angles to ensure the data is accurate. Charges are examined for defects including charges with invalid accounts, charges that do not balance to other financial tables, and any charges rows that may cause defects for unbilled revenue. Deposit Data: Milestone recognizes that deposits play an integral role in securities for services. As such, Milestone reviews the Client’s deposit data within Banner to validate that data is consistent across all pertinent tables. General Ledger Data: Milestone analyzes the Client’s three main financial transaction tables in Banner to ensure that all transactions have the proper data elements. Milestone’s scripts review the payments, adjustments, and charges tables to determine if there are any transactions that are not being processed or updated correctly. Payment Data: Milestone’s integrity scripts review Banner payments from multiple angles to ensure the data is accurate and complete. Payment data is analyzed for errors and defects related to payments on invalid accounts,
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RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
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payment rows with conflicting data details, payments on accounts in a status other than active and payments that appear to be applied but still contain a payment balance. Service History Data: Service history data is analyzed for the Client to locate defects that create issues with cancel/rebills, move-in/move-outs, and meter exchanges. Milestone examines service history for variances such as mismatched meter numbers, mismatched customer numbers and service history issues such as uncharged read rows. Approach and Solution Methodology During the course of this analysis, Milestone will likely find numerous records that have some degree of corruption present. The source of these corrupt elements can be determined to be inclusive to a number of possible situations. After identifying the problems Milestone is then seeking to execute a series of qualitative approaches for data analysis that will address what the underlying issues are, and put in place corrective measures to ensure the highest possible level of data integrity and acuity. The early identification and resolution of data anomalies is a key element for a successful data cleansing effort. We believe it is what sets Milestone apart from others who compete in the data services arena.
Milestone recognizes that the traditional method of performing data quality improvement is time consuming, subject to errors caused by absent or inaccurate documentation, and dependent upon the data contained within the systems. It is impossible to know every variant in the data without analyzing the data itself.
Many try to improve or cleanse data without ever understanding the content and quality of the existing data. In order to achieve a successful data cleansing, it is necessary to first establish a Factual Data Baseline by performing an in-depth Data Analysis that identifies the issues in the data that allows us to recommend and execute a combination of Data Scrubbing and Data Cleansing activities to address the data problems.
Our methodology addresses both the present need to deliver timely solutions based on strong data quality as well as removing these issues from the critical path of a project by surfacing data quality and content issues early in the project timeline.
Our solution design does not eliminate the need for SME participation but will significantly limit the degree to which they are required. Moreover, our solution design will prompt interaction with SME personnel much earlier in the data cleanup process than what is traditional.
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RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
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A structured approach to data cleansing is imperative when faced with the prospect of maintaining and managing a system that has been in production for 10+ years. Considering the heavy modification and unavailability of software upgrades, as well as the integration and redundancy issues with peripheral systems, and based on our experience with such situations, Milestone recommends a complete data content analysis of the source system prior to any platform or technological changes or upgrades.
Data Conversions Milestone utilizes a proven methodology and approach where we bring data from the legacy Banner CIS systems into a single data repository as prior to any data transformation in a legacy data structure. The transformation will begin from that point. This makes the reconciliation to the source an easier task and provide a clear visibility of the data problems at the source. This approach also makes the analysis of data exceptions a manageable task. The data conversion process will consist of these below steps
Extract Legacy data from the current system applying the rules and filters regarding what data is to be extracted and number of years of history required.
Perform Data quality, content analysis and perform data scrubbing and cleansing of the legacy data.
ETL tool will be used to perform data translation of the Legacy data to target system application requirements (Taking the business and technical rules into consideration).
Load the data into staging tables Load data from staging tables to target system data model.
We use incremental data volume approach for the conversion. This means that the initial conversion load process will take only sample data and gradually increase the data volume as we stabilize the process. This ensures quick identification/resolution of issues and thus ensures proper validation of the mapping. Project Management Milestone’s centralized PMO’s charter is to ensure that all project managers have a core set of project management skills, common processes and templates. The PMO also acts as the owner of all projects and the project management methodology. It serves as a support organization that our project managers and our clients can utilize for project management assistance. In addition, Milestone’s PMO also serves as a place for providing an organization-wide view of the status of all projects and records
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Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
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the improvements being made from project to project. The below are other services that the Milestone PMO provides:
A common set of project management processes and templates, which saves each project manager or organization from having to create these on their own. These reusable project management components help projects start-up more quickly and with much less effort.
After the project management processes are deployed, the PMO stays with them over the entire project timeline. As new or revised processes, templates and lessons learned are made available; the PMO deploys them to the organization.
The PMO facilitates the project Communication Plan and Change Management Plan for client projects when needed.
Manages a common repository/share site where all the PMO templates and methodologies reside, also where prior project management deliverables can be stored and used as candidates for reuse by similar projects, further reducing project start-up time.
Delivers Project Management Oversight Services (PMOS) to help apply common project management standard practices on specific projects for clients. Project Oversight services can help new client project managers understand and apply the same methodology and apply the practices more quickly.
Tracks basic information on the current status of all projects in the organization and provides project visibility to corporate management in a common and consistent manner.
In Summary Milestone has the proven technical and functional Banner/Customer Suite CIS experience, in depth utility industry knowledge, and Oracle expertise to successfully lead your team in any Banner CIS and/or Oracle Upgrade project; and provide the support services required to keep Banner/Customer Suite CIS functioning for as long as you want. Milestone can then provide guidance and support with a full range of services from, Project Management Office, System Integration, Data Conversions to the designing and development of integrations and interfaces for a new CIS implementation. From DBAs to Quality Assurance resources, and Rate Analyst, Milestone can provide the expertise needed by the customer and the Utility and Energy industry. Milestone’s quality of work and team of experts has resulted in long-term relationships with Ventyx Banner/Customer Suite CIS users such as ONE Gas Energy, Vectren Energy and other CIS users.
MUSI’s client base covers utilities and energy companies that that provides multiple services to more than 1.5 million customers where the database size is more the 3 Terra bytes in each data base; to smaller utilities that are billing only one service to their 30,000 customers.
MUSI understands that many of the needs of each of these types of clients are different, however, at the end of the day, meters need to be read, bills need to go out, and trucks need to roll to customer premises locations on a timely basis. Milestone understands the commonalities that utilities share, in addition to the unique challenges those customers face.
July 24, 2015
RFP # 269-2015-060 IT Contract Professional Services
Milestone Utility Services, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
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If the goal is to extend the life of the legacy system or work toward a CIS replacement, Milestone has proven and is confident that we have the team of consultants, expertise and skillsets needed to successfully manage, maintain, support, and upgrade Banner/Customer Suite and the Oracle technology, as well as manage and support a CIS replacement projects.