1. How does MiCTA define request for proposal?

An RFP is a written solicitation, issued on behalf of the MiCTA membership, encouraging vendors to submit competitive proposals on products and/or services based on aggregated demand, requirements, and specifications, which reflect the needs of the membership as a whole. The RFP document contains vendor response requirements, terms / conditions, standards, and specifications that are either; required, preferred, or optional.

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2. How is MiCTA's RFP different than my organization?

Aggregation of Demand:

MiCTA’s RFP aggregates the demand of member organizations. This demand provides more potential purchasing volume than any one individual institution or organization has to offer a vendor. The higher the sales potential, the more attention vendors will give an RFP/Q.

Member Contributions:

Members are encouraged to contribute in the development and evaluation of the RFP. Members can lend their expertise by drafting sections of the RFP, evaluating vendor responses, contacting references, conducting financial verifications, etc. Member contributions are strictly voluntary, and at the discretion of the Member and their institution / organization.

Competition:

Time is money! Therefore, vendors historically devote more time, effort, resources, and are more competitive when responding to RFP’s with high sales volume potential. In addition, manufacturers and corporations will authorize deeper discounts or "special program pricing" when competing for high sales volume projects.

Contract Usage:

Members, who commit support for the resulting agreements prior to the RFP’s release, strengthen the RFP by providing a minimum sales volume that vendors can use to secure more competitive discounts. Additionally, continued use of MiCTA Agreements further strengthen MiCTA’s position to negotiate deeper discounts during contract extension or re-bid situations for like products and services.

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3. What are the advantages of a collaborative RFP approach?

Participation:

Members determine which RFP initiative they will participate in, and the level of participation by either:

1. Working on entire process from beginning to end,

2. Working on-site with either the Development or Evaluation committee,

3. Submitting product and technical specifications or RFP requirements,

4. Working on off-site processes like references, financials and product testing, or

5. Choosing not to get involved in the current project.

Project Scope:

Each RFP encompasses the core requirements of the entire MiCTA membership, but also allows flexibility for individual Member purchasing requirements to be met. An RFP can be a detailed configuration list of products and services required that allows a one-to-one evaluation, or an open solution approach where the vendor recommends products and services based on the specifications provided. Both RFP formats allow each proposed solution to be subjectively evaluated on its own merits.

Expertise:

Members, from the various organizations and institutions with an interest in an RFP initiative, are recruited to lend their product/technical, business, and procurement knowledge and expertise. The RFP Development Committee ensures the requirements and specifications of the membership as a whole are addressed, and the Evaluation Committee ensures a fair and ethical process by following good procurement processes and procedures.

Industry Standards:

Development Committee members work together to determine base industry standards that will ensure interoperability of products and/or services in-house as well as between off-site locations. Adhering to industry standards is becoming even more important as sister organizations join forces to run cooperative programs between individual Member locations. Therefore, industry standards are frequently called out as requirements in the RFP document.

Standardization:

Members electing to standardize on brands, models or system configurations will have few, if any, upgrade or interoperability issues in-house or between other Member organizations / institutions. Members, working closely with vendors and manufacturers, accomplish standardization by completing MiCTA’s intense product testing process, which generates a white paper report documenting test results. This paper is posted to MiCTA’s web site for Members to use when making their procurement decisions.

Product Testing:

The RFP provides the opportunity to run objective product testing scenarios with the proposed products and/or services. Testing can consist of anything from a one-day off-site to a 2-6 week in-house process. Members are encouraged to lend their technical expertise to this process in order to put products / services through a full battery of testing scenarios. Upon completion of the testing process, the team consolidates their test results in a white paper report. The white papers include details of the comprehensive testing process, product / service quality comparison, component interoperability and ease of installation / operation rating, and documentation of the quality of technical support services requested during the process. White paper reports are posted to the MiCTA web site, and password protected for Member use only. This service provides valuable information to Members who may not have the time or facilities to product test prior to making a purchasing decision.

Comprehensive RFP Evaluations:

MiCTA’s RFP evaluation and analysis is a multi-phase scoring process. Evaluators subjectively score responses based on the weighted criteria as published in the RFP. The consolidated weighted score percentage becomes the vendor’s "total cost value" ratio. The cost value ratio is applied to each vendor’s cost proposal, which assists in determining the Endorsed (best value) or Approved (very good value) award recommendations.

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4. What are the benefits of using MiCTA agreements?

Time / Resource Savings:

Member organizations / institutions using MiCTA agreements realize in-house cost savings in time and personnel resources, as well as product / service cost savings. Resources saved can then be dedicated to high profile projects that are unique to the organization / institution and has the potential of generating greater institutional cost savings. Additionally, Members are afforded an immediate comfort level with MiCTA selected vendors due to the extensive evaluation, analysis, and verification process conducted prior to awarding an RFP.

Choices:

MiCTA is all about offering choices whenever possible to the membership. Therefore, the evaluation process recommends Endorsed (best value) and Approved (very good value) vendors who supply the same products, services, or categories of products / services. Members can select from various agreements that best meet their individual requirements based on; products and services offered, geographical coverage, maintenance / support services, etc.

Members can even compare just bottom line costs between Endorsed and Approved vendors whenever cost is the sole deciding factor or the organization requires three price quotes to approve a purchase. Multiple agreements for the same products and services not only provide Members with options, but it also motivates vendors to remain competitive during the term of the agreement.

Living Document:

Successful vendors are required to treat resulting MiCTA Agreements as living documents, committed to pass along price decreases upon occurrence, and offer new technology upon market release or product testing by MiCTA. A yearly contract review provides vendors an opportunity to offer additional incentives, products and services, as well as better pricing based on MiCTA purchasing volumes. Therefore, MiCTA pricing will always reflect current market changes. Additionally, Members will have an avenue to pursue leading edge technology to test and/or purchase.

Almost everyone is faced with doing more with less -- time, resources, and personnel. MiCTA offers Members an opportunity to actually accomplish more with less by encouraging participation in MiCTA sponsored RFP’s, and utilization of resulting agreements to benefit their organization / institution. Not only will the Member look like a winner, but their organization / institution will also be a winner due to the efforts of MiCTA Members doing good things for the entire membership.

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5. What participation commitment is a member required to provide?

Member participation in the RFP process is invaluable, lends credibility to the process, and provides an element of involvement for the entire membership. Members are not required to participate in any RFP initiative, but strongly encouraged to do so in order to take ownership of the process and potential outcomes. MiCTA covers the cost of meeting rooms, continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon breakout sessions and required office supplies, and Member volunteers are responsible for their transportation to/from the meeting site, accommodations, and dinner. The cost to participate in one MiCTA RFP initiative is less than most Members expend processing one RFP for commodity-type products and services.

Additionally, all Members reap the rewards of "best value"

(Endorsed) and "very good value"