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This section may also set forth the government’s general reservation of rights,
including the right to not award any contract under the RFP. Public access
requirements (such as the freedom of information law or sunshine laws) to the
procurement process and the steps for a vendor to request restricted public
access would be outlined here. General expectations or assumptions are also
detailed, for example, the vendor bears all costs associated with submitting a
proposal and assuring timely submission of its proposal.

9.7.3 AFIS SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK REQUIREMENTS
In this section of the RFP, the government details what it wants to obtain. For
example, it will specify if the AFIS must handle latent print searches. Factors to
consider when evaluating the functionality needed for the AFIS are set forth in
Chapter 7. Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of different AFIS func-
tionality is a critical component of the specification process. These decisions
necessarily form the basis of the evaluation. The information conveyed in the
RFP reflects conclusions reached during the business needs assessment process.
It is strongly recommended that the RFP consider both the short-term and the
long-term AFIS needs. As previously discussed, most probably, once a jurisdic-
tion selects an AFIS vendor, it is unlikely to change vendors.
The RFP should be developed in such a way that it not only addresses the
immediate need, but also obtains the information needed for development of
a contract vehicle that can “grow” with the AFIS application, including the intro-
duction of new technology and features. It should be a proactive mechanism,
not just a reactive mechanism intended to address the currently identified need.
For example, while the government recognizes the need to train current
employees and requests pricing for six training programs, consideration should
be given to building in a mechanism for training future employees or provid-
ing a refresher program. One solution is to obtain hourly pricing as part of the
RFP for subsequent training programs, with a clause to permit increases to the
hourly fee based on a known index, such as the Consumer Price Index. Or if
the AFIS will be used to conduct employment background checks based on
statutory authorization, consideration should be given to developing the RFP
to readily permit the governmental response to a legislative increase in the
number of background checks. That goal could be accomplished by obtaining
(and incorporating into the contract) the entire product line offered by the
vendor as part of the response.
It is important to clearly distinguish between the elements the government
requires in the resulting contract (this specific AFIS) and those it wants to have
“on option.” Furthermore, it should be understood that even though the final