The City of Brownsville Texas , Housing AuthorityRequest for Proposal for Housing Authority Software

Date Issued: May 15th 2007

Date Due: June 22nd 2007

Table of Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………3

Selection Process …………………………………………………………………4

Process for Inquiries …………………………………………………………………6

Description of Current Environment …………………………………………………7

Proposed Software Functional Requirements…………………………………………9

Proposal Guidelines …………………………………………………………………15

2

I. Introduction

The Brownsville Housing Authority (BHA), in (Brownsville ,Texas), is interested in purchasing business software to increase efficiency and enable greater functionality. The BHA has created this Request for Proposal (RFP) to be completed by all interested vendors, and will review both technical and cost considerations for each proposal.

Copies of this Request for Proposal may be obtained at the Main Office , 2606 Boca Chica Blvd. Brownsville, Texas, or may be obtained by or e-mailing minnie@txbha.com, or by download at www.txbha.com .

All questions regarding this RFP should be directed to Mr. Zeke Luna or via e-mail to zluna@txbha.com.

NOTE: Parties intending to respond to this RFP are requested to confirm receipt of the RFP via e-mail at minnie@txbha.com to ensure proper distribution of any addenda or answers to vendor questions. Failure to confirm receipt of this document will not disqualify any vendor from the bidding process. However, The Brownsville Housing Authority will not be responsible for sending updated information to those who do not confirm receipt of the RFP.

The Brownsville Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any informalities.

3

II. Selection Process

A. Evaluation Process

The contract will be awarded to the Vendor whose proposal will be the most advantageous to The Brownsville Housing Authority and whose price and other factors considered are the most closely conforming to this RFP. Due to the evaluation procedure for the Request for Proposal, lowest dollar price MAY or MAY NOT indicate the successful Vendor. Price constitutes only one of the several evaluation criteria. The Evaluation Committee will judge the merit of the proposals/interviews received that shall include, but are not necessarily limited to those listed in the section below.

B. Evaluation Criteria ( technical factors)

1. Brief, non-technical overview of vendor’s business, including range of products and services offered, including any unique product features which the vendor would like to describe. (Vendor should provide information reflecting how and why vendor’s products and services meet the Brownsville Housing Authority’s needs.) 13 Points

2. Profile of company, including evidence of expertise, experience and qualifications for providing the required labor and resources for completing work. 10 Points

3. Evidence of expertise and past experience of the Vendor’s manager to be assigned to this project. 5 Points

4. Current projected work load and the ability to complete the work in a timely manner. 5 Points

5. Installation and conversion process proposal, including enumerated plans for a) the installation process, b) installation verification, c) data conversion process, and d) data conversion verification. 15 Points

6. Training proposal, including a description of a) any and all initial training to be included as part of the proposed installation package, and b) any and all ongoing training the Vendor offers that are not included in the initial training. 20 Points

7. Maintenance proposal, including detailed descriptions of all maintenance plans offered by the Vendor, including a) support hours, b) types of support, c) guaranteed response, d) list of issues supported, e) list of issues specifically excluded from support, and f) maintenance services included. 20 Points

8. Cost proposal, for a) itemized installation costs, to include costs for i) each software component, ii) each hardware component (if applicable), iii) each user/administrator training component, iv) labor for installation, v) labor for conversion, vi) travel expenses, vii) first year maintenance cost, and viii) other costs, and b) summary installation costs,

4

or “proposed bottom-line price” the Housing Authority will pay for all product costs for the first year. (All costs listed in proposal must be valid for a minimum of ninety (90 days from the RFP due date.) 10 Points

9. Assurance that the firm will provide, to the greatest extent feasible, opportunities for training/employment to low-income residents of the Brownsville Housing Authority. 2 Points

C. Interview

A committee determined by The Brownsville Housing Authority staff will interview Vendors whose proposals are the highest rated. The interview process may include a verbal interview, an on-line demonstration of the product, or an on-site demonstration of the product. THE BROWNSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY reserves the right to short list the RFP respondents and to interview only those THE BROWNSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY feels are best qualified.

D. Negotiation

In the event the parties are unable to enter into a contract, The Brownsville Housing Authority may elect to negotiate with the next highest rated bidder.

5

E. Schedule of Activities

This timeline reflects an optimal conversion plan for The Brownsville Housing Authority. It is anticipated that an actual timetable will be based upon both Vendor and The Brownsville Housing Authority conversion constraints. If these dates must be revised, everyone will be apprised. If possible, tasks beyond the RFP submission deadline may be accomplished sooner than indicated in the timetable.

Official release of RFP May 15th 2007RFP Submission Deadline June 22nd 2007Review of submitted RFPs June 23rd through July 13th 2007Selection of Top Candidate July 13th

Board Approval of Vendor TBA

III. Process for Inquiries

All inquiries regarding clarification of items in the RFP must be made in writing (e-mail or fax) and must be forwarded to:

Name, Title Mr. Zeke Luna Deputy Executive Director E-mail : zluna@txbha.comPhone : 956-541-8315 ext:225 Fax 956-541-7860

The deadline for making such inquiries is June 22nd 2007. If, in The Brownsville Housing Authority’s opinion, additional information or interpretation of the RFP is necessary, such information will be supplied in the form of an Addendum that will be mailed and/or e-mailed to all Vendors who have acknowledged receipt of this RFP and such Addendum shall have the same binding effect as though contained in the main body of the RFP. Only information distributed in this manner shall be considered binding with regards to the RFP. Any verbal instructions or information concerning the specifications provided by HA managers, employees, or agents shall not bind The Brownsville Housing Authority. No Addenda shall be issued by The Brownsville Housing Authority within seven (7) calendar days of the proposal deadline. The Brownsville Housing Authority responses to Vendor Inquiries will be distributed to all responding Vendors. However, it shall be the responsibility of the Vendor to determine prior to the Proposal Due Date whether any amendments, additions, deletions, or changes of any type have been made to the RFP.

6

IV. Description of Current Environment

A. The Authority’s Housing Programs

The Brownsville Housing Authority operates 10 public housing sites with a total of 628 public housing units, a Housing Choice Voucher Program with 2015 vouchers and 45 Mod Rehab Vouchers.B. Current Software

The Brownsville Housing Authority currently uses software from C & S software for all its major housing authority and accounting functions. This product is a DOS -based program. written in RM COBOL version 2.5 This software performs all of The Brownsville Housing Authority’s primary functions such as client tracking, billing and accounting , certifications and reports.

The Brownsville Housing Authority operates approximately 45 workstations and also uses Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Access) to perform some analytical and reporting functions, and for general word processing.

C. Servers

Main Server: 1. IBM 236 X series. Dual Zeon 3.2 Ghz Processors, 4 gigs of ram, 3 300 gig HD with Raid 7. 2. White Box Server , Dual Intel Pentium 450megahertz , 1 gig or ram , 40 meg HD. Running , SCO UNIX version 5.5 3. HP Proliant DL320 Blade Server Single Zeon 3.6 Ghz processor, 4 gig or ram , 300 Gig HD .

Operating System: Windows Server 2003 R2 Service Pack 1,SCO 5.5, and Windows Server 2003 standard edition.

The Brownsville Housing Authority will upgrade servers ( within Reason) as needed to accommodate the selected software.

D. Workstations Workstations are currently a mix of various age and manufacture. Operating systems include Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, Windows server 2000 . The newest workstations are Dell precision or AMD Athlon PC’s running Windows XP Professional . The Housing Authority plans to replace outdated workstations and upgrade all units to Windows XP Professional. E. Users

The Brownsville Housing Authority currently has 45 concurrent users-approximately 34 at the Administration building and 11 at remote sites.

7

F. Printers

The Brownsville Housing Authority currently has a variety of printer types. Most printers are direct-connect PC printers of various manufacturers, including Canon, Lexmark, Brother, Okidata, and Epson. In addition, The Brownsville Housing Authority uses two Toshiba 450 series multi function machines and one Dell 3100n series printer.

An important aspect of The Brownsville Housing Authority’s current printing methods is the use of the HP 8500n Laser Printer for printing all landlord, and tenant checks in the form of 3-part mailers. The HP8500n, HP5s1 and the Toshiba 450 Series machines are the only Large scale Network Printers on the Network.

The Section 8 office currently uses Lantronix LPS1 Print servers connected to HP 1200 PCL Printers to print rent statements and reports. The Housing Director uses a Canon MP 830 ink jet printer. Other offices generally use HP or Lexmark inkjet printers. The Remote sites all have Okidata ML 320 Dot Matrix Printers for repot printing.

G. Network Computers: The workstations are PC’s running Windows XP. They are connected to the server via a hard-wired network installed in 2000. In addition, a serial Network was installed in 1986, although it is no longer in use. DHCP is issued by a Netopia 3000 series router. LAN equipment: The Brownsville Housing Authority currently uses one HP Pro curve 4104 gl Switch with 64 -100 Mb ports and 8 gigabit ports for the bulk of the LAN needs. A Siemens 4800 series router is used to extend the original network to additional remote offices. The Brownsville Housing Authority central office is wired with CAT5 cabling, which connects all members of the LAN.Internet/WAN connectivity: The Siemens 4800 series router is connected to ATM over DSL to provide access for the remote offices. Workstations currently connect to the internet over the network via a Netopia 3000 series router.

8

V. Proposed Software Functional Requirements

This section lists the minimum functional necessities which should be reflected in any software proposal. In the list below, the listed functions are those that are intrinsic in our everyday work. If the proposed software does not meet any of these requirements, then any proposal should include a detailed description of how this functional need would be met otherwise. The lack of a required functionality in any software proposal would be sufficient to disqualify that proposal.

Proposed Software MUST meet the following requirements:Software MUST operate in server 2003 Windows Environment.

1. Tenant Processinga. Waiting List Transactions

i. Add/drop/editii. Offer a unit/remove an offer

b. Move-Insc. Re-exams

i. Annualii. Interim

iii. Historical adjustmentiv. Void 50058sv. Re-exam searching

d. Issue voucher with 50058e. Section 8 Portability

i. Port-inii. Port-out

f. Generate detailed Demographic Data reportg. HAP Register Report

i. Track owners, payments, usage, etc.h. Low-Rent PHAS Indicators/Reportsi. Low-Rent/Section 8 New Construction Unit Reportsj. Create Voucher Status reportk. PIC reporting/error checkingl. Must generate:

i. 50058ii. 50059

iii. 52670 voucheriv. 1944-8v. 1944-29 voucher

2. Accounts Payablea. Create Invoices

i. Past, present and future invoices for paymentb. Create negative invoicesc. Generate Section 8 Invoices

9

d. Print checks, both Section 8 and regular payablese. Reconcile checksf. Generate and Print 1099s

i. Create 1099 magnetic mediag. HAP paymentsh. ACH transactions and direct depositsi. Reports to include:

i. Check registerii. Invoice listing/current and past invoices

iii. Vendor transaction listing

3. Accounts Receivablea. For public housing and Section 8b. Cash receiptsc. Audit trail reportd. Collection loss querye. Delinquency reportf. Reprint reports, regardless of closing statusg. Must include transactions such as:

i. Rent chargesii. Security deposits

iii. Apply open creditsiv. Collection loss creationv. Collection loss credits

vi. Credit unearned rentvii. Payments

viii. Reversals and voidsix. Recurring chargesx. Recurring credits

xi. Apply late chargesxii. Checks to tenants with credit balances

xiii. Void check to tenantxiv. Generate statementsxv. Prepare HUD 52295

4. Work Ordersa. Meet HUD required listings for PHAS reportingb. Include “notes” sections for tracking purposes

i. Ability to document requested repairs, completed repairs, pertinent tenant information and other general requirements

c. Tie-in to Accounts Receivable for posting purposesd. Tie-in to Inventory and Purchase Orderse. Generate preventative maintenancef. Track individual workloads/schedulesg. Set-up work codes for processingh. Track pets in units for maintenance crew

10

i. Document smoke detector maintenancej. Reports to include:

i. Worker listing/pay scaleii. Summary of employee workload/work completed

iii. Monthly analysis of completed/remaining work orders

5. Inspectionsa. System must handle low-rent and HQS inspectionsb. Upload to main system

i. Completed inspectionsii. Inspection scheduling

c. Generate reports automaticallyd. Handheld inspection system is requirede. Instantly schedule re-inspectionsf. Generate inspection (52580) reportsg. Allow inspector to setup predefined repairsh. Provides complete inspection history

6. Securitya. Establish security by individual user or groupsb. Read, create, edit and delete optionsc. Add/remove individual usersd. Change clearance levelse. Restrict access to certain files/systemsf. Feature group and individual levels

7. Accounting/Financiala. General Ledger

i. Use standard HUD chart of accountsii. Track HOPE IV grants

iii. Recurring Journal Entries iv. Allocation Tablesv. Interactive with Other Programs

vi. General Ledger vii. Analysis of Working Capital

viii. Balance Sheetix. Chart of Account Listing x. General Ledger

xi. Generic Code xii. HUD 52267 / PILOT

xiii. HUD 52681 / Voucher for Payment ACxiv. Development Cost Statement with Budget comparisonxv. Statement of Initial Operating Period

xvi. Statement of Land, Structures & Equipmentxvii. Statement of Operating Receipts and Expenditures, with PUM and

Budget comparison

11

xviii. Statement of CFP Cost with Budget comparisonxix. Automatic closing of operating accounts to Unreserved Surplusxx. HUD-2599 Statement of Operating Receipts and Expenditures

xxi. HUD-2595 Balance Sheetxxii. REAC Spreadsheets

xxiii. Encumbrance – PO system ties into invoice module. Automatically tracks budgeted purchases.

b. Payrolli. W-2s

ii. Direct depositiii. Prepare 941 reportiv. Deductions and benefitsv. Update federal tax tables

vi. Time entryvii. Payroll register

viii. Payroll checksix. Track vacation and sick hours

8. Other Areasa. Fixed Assets

i. Track materials by:1. Asset description2. Manufacturers3. Serial numbers4. Asset type5. Physical location

ii. Transactions such as:1. purchase date2. vendors3. check number4. costs

b. Bar code readersc. Allocation tablesd. Month-end and Fiscal year-end closinge. Real-time postingf. Balance sheetsg. Tax tablesh. Time sheetsi. Rent Reasonablej. Inventory

i. Create itemsii. Create warehouses

iii. Indicate/edit quantity on handiv. Indicate/edit locationv. Edit reorder quantity

vi. Edit reorder point

12

vii. Edit reorder lead timeviii. Edit average unit cost

ix. Setup vendorsx. Edit location/aisle in warehouses

xi. Inventory transferxii. Purchase orders

xiii. Provide inventory adjustment for General Ledger

9. Printing/Reportsa. Ability to print documents, letters and reports to variety of printers in Windows

environment with out the need for third party hardware or software. b. Print checksc. Create custom reportsd. Export data to external reporting/data collection tools such as:

i. Excelii. PDF

iii. JPEGiv. HTMLv. Lotus

vi. Quattroe. Create new lettersf. Edit existing lettersg. Sort/filter by location, dates, family, labels & financialsh. Letter templatesi. Generate merge lettersj. Create standard HUD forms such as:

i. 50058ii. 50059

iii. 52670 voucheriv. 1944-8v. 1944-29 voucher

vi. 1951-29vii. 52295

viii. 51234ix. 52683x. 51228

xi. 52295xii. 52267

xiii. 52681xiv. 52595xv. 52599

xvi. 1099k. Link to HUD systems

i. PICii. TRACS

iii. REAC

13

iv. USDAv. MINC

vi. FMR tablesvii. Income limit tables

14

VI. Proposal Guidelines

The proposal submitted by any entity should conform to the following format:

A. Submission Guidelines

Vendors must submit 3 copies to:

THE BROWNSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITYAttn: Minnie Hernandez Procurement DirectorP.O. Box 4420Brownsville Texas, 78523

Proposals must be received by June 23rd at 4:00 p.m. CST. All proposals not received by this time will be considered late, and will be returned. Submissions by fax or email will not be accepted.

B. Submission Format

** The Submission format should closely adhere to the technical factors (pp. 4), since proposals will be evaluated on the technical factors.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary should include:

A brief non-technical overview of the Vendor’s business including the range of products and services offered. Vendors should provide information reflecting how and why vendor’s products and services meet The Brownsville Housing Authority’s needs.

Company Profile

The Company Profile should include the following:

History of the company: both in general and specifically related to housing softwareNumber of employees: in sales, development, support, training, and managementLocation: indicate any and all cities in which your support offices are locatedRelationship to HUD: include information about the company’s knowledge of HUD regulations and method for keeping software current

Customer References ( Required)

15

Customer References should include a listing of at least five (5) current Housing Authority customers. Any Housing Authority listed may be contacted by THE BROWNSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY, but special attention will be paid to those which are comparable in size, function, and location. For each reference, include the following information:

Name of technical person responsible for software maintenance and operationPosition at the housing authorityTelephone numberFax NumberAddress

Core Product Description

Software Description: Provide a list of all software components, and any plan for expansion/future release dates.Hardware requirements: describe minimum hardware requirements to run both server and client applications (if applicable), such as processor type and speed, RAM, and hard disk space. If any modules, such as handheld inspections, require additional devices or hardware, include these. If there are known compatibility issues with any specific platform or device, list those also.Operating System requirements: description should include OS compatibility, including specific OS version information. Include a description of methods used to ensure that the product remains compatible with the OS after OS patch and hot-fix releases.Network Requirements: List all network requirements necessary for full functionality of the product. Include a description of any and all necessary protocols, bandwidth requirements, levels of connectivity (i.e. LAN, Internet, direct-dial, etc.) and any other relevant information.

Notable Features

This section should include any unique product features which the Vendor would like to describe.

Installation and Conversion Process Proposal

Installation Process: Provide an enumerated plan for the installation process. Specify tasks to be performed and by whom.Installation Verification: Provide an enumerated plan for verifying full functionality of the product.Data Conversion Process: Provide an enumerated plan for the conversion of necessary data from the current at The Brownsville housing authority system, as outlined in Section VI, “Data Conversion Requirements”.Data Conversion Verification: Provide an enumerated plan for verifying correct data conversion.

Training Proposal

Initial Training: Describe any and all training to be included as part of the proposed installation package, both for the users and for the system administrator. Include information on the training

16

method, amount of training time, and at what point during the installation process the training will occur.Ongoing Training: Describe any ongoing training programs the Vendor offers that are not included in the initial training.

Maintenance Proposal

This section should include detailed descriptions of all maintenance plans offered by the vendor. Descriptions should include:

Support Hours (emergency and non-emergency)Types of Support (phone, e-mail, on-site, etc.)Guaranteed Response Times (emergency and non-emergency)List of Issues SupportedList of Issues Specifically Excluded from SupportMaintenance Services Included (software patches, HUD regulation changes, software customization, consulting, other)

Cost Proposal

Itemized Installation Costs: Itemize the cost for each specific installation component. The list should include:Each software componentEach hardware component (if applicable)Each user/administrator training componentLabor for InstallationLabor for ConversionTravel ExpensesFirst year maintenance costSales taxOther cost (not included in the above list)

Summary Installation Cost: This is the proposed bottom-line price that the Housing Authority will pay for all product costs for the first year. All costs listed in this proposal, including the itemized costs above, must be valid for a minimum of one hundred and twenty (120) days from the RFP due date. The Vendor must specify how long in excess of 120 days the product and service pricing will be valid.

Ongoing Maintenance Cost: This is the cost of all maintenance and support for the product after the first year. If the Vendor offers multiple support programs, the cost of each program should be listed.

17