Page 225 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

210 AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

The government must follow the requirements it sets forth, and cannot elect
to disregard requirements, for whatever reasons. A requirement should not be
set forth as mandatory unless it really is. Similarly, a RFP should request only
the information that will be used. If the RFP requests work and personal ref-
erences for key vendor employees, the government needs to be prepared to use
and evaluate that information.
Some jurisdictions permit releasing a draft RFP or holding a pre-RFP
meeting with vendors to solicit input and answer questions about the technol-
ogy. The key consideration is that the government agency acts in a fair manner.
If there are 30 known vendors, each vendor should be solicited for input or
invited to the pre-RFP meeting. A fair evaluation should be undertaken of the
comments received. And the government agency should make changes based
on its judgment of what will best aid a successful procurement.

9.7.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
As a general principal, the introduction and background segment of a RFP
informs the reader about the governmental agency making the procurement,
the problem and how it was defined, its vision of how the procurement will
solve the problem, and an overview of how the procurement will be conducted.
A government agency may already have an overview document that can be used
for this segment. The prior analysis on the problem identification and the busi-
ness needs also provides valuable source material for this section.

9.7.2 GENERAL INFORMATION AND RESPONSE FORMAT

This segment of the RFP sets out the rules for the procurement. It identifies
the time frame for conducting the RFP and the various steps involved in the
RFP. Generally speaking, once the RFP is written and necessary reviews and
approvals are obtained, the process is commenced through public advertising
and release of the RFP to vendors who are believed to provide the technology
and to those who request the RFP. A period is provided for the submission
of questions and provision of responses. Consideration should be given to
how the government wishes to handle questions of a proprietary nature. It is
common for a RFP to specify that proprietary references will be removed from
the questions and answers circulated. Such a practice provides a means of
addressing possible vendor concerns associated with the question-and-answer
period. It is strongly recommended that the RFP permit only written questions
and responses and that it designate a single point of contact. Such requirements
help protect employees from allegations of favoritism or providing different