MNIT/AELSBOA RFP ITN Licensure Compliance System

The Minnesota Department of Information Technology Services (MNIT) is seeking a replacement of their licensing and compliance system (LCS) with a cloud-based, vendor-managed, hosted, SaaS licensing system to modernize the management of licensing and compliance enforcement services. The new system should support the life-cycle of the administration of licensure, certification, and compliance in eight professional fields. The scope of work includes application intake, renewals, reinstatements, firm licensing, CE/PDH/CPE tracking and audits, complaints and investigations, and board workflows. The system should also provide role-appropriate staff and public portals, configurable rules and queues, document generation, notifications, and an accurate, current public roster. Some key features of the system include: • Application intake: New applications are manually accepted, validated, and routed from individuals and firms through to decision/issuance without a single system of record for both Boards. • Renewals: Renewals are manually processed offline with manual compliance checks, payment processing, and status updates. • Reinstatements: Reinstatement requests are manually processed with requested documentation from the applicant, manually gathered, reviewed, and processed for reactivation. • Firm licensing and Renewals: Firm applications and renewals are manually processed alongside individual licenses with no consistent rules and tracking. • CE/PDH/CPE tracking & audits: Continuing-education (CE)/Personal Development Hours (PDH)/Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements are manually tracked, and audits are manually conducted, with manual evidence capture and disposition. The successful proposer will be required to provide a cloud-based, vendor-managed, hosted, SaaS licensing system that meets the requirements outlined in the RFP. Some key deliverables of the project include: • Application intake: The system should intake applications electronically for different user types, validate and route submissions, and provide real-time status for administrative end-users. • Renewals: The system should intake renewal applications electronically for different user types, validate and route submissions, and provide real-time status for administrative end-users. • Reinstatements: The system should intake reinstatement application requests electronically for different user types, validate and route submissions, and provide real-time status for administrative end-users. • Individual/Firm licensing and Renewals: The system should intake and process these requests electronically for different user types, validate and route submissions, and provide real-time status for administrative end-users. • Payments & Treasury Reconciliation: The system should allow users to make credit card, debit card, and e-check payments and request refunds, allow for real-time payment confirmation, and be configurable and customizable to interface with the State’s approved merchant payment processor/gateway. • Complaints, Investigations, and Orders: The system should intake complaints electronically, track the complaint workflow, provide the ability to upload evidence to support investigations, and issue any enforcement orders for all end-users. • CE/PDH/CPE tracking & audits: The system should have the ability for continuing-education requirements and rules to be defined in the system and electronically tracked and validated per the licensure rules for each user, with electronic evidence submission and disposition, and the ability to process and track audits on the workflow. • Communications: The system should provide the ability for internal and external system user notification and electronic messaging which integrates with the preferred Microsoft Outlook vendor. • Document & Record Management: The system should provide version-controlled documents, and legacy permits are digitized and stored within the system's data repository, with disaster recovery of documents to maintain business continuity if a disaster arises. • Data Migration: The system should deliver a full migration of core entities with full data quality, including data mappings, reconciliation processes, cutover and rollback plan, and auditing of results. • Reporting and Public Roster: The system should provide users with standardized reports, the ability to create reports and queries, create and edit a public roster with current professional status, and create role-based dashboards. • System Configuration and Template Management: The system should have the ability to configure rules, fees, forms, templates, and workflows without code, with structured governance, version control, and change-management practices which allow policy and rule updates without system disruption. • Integrations: The system should support integrations between the solution and external State and payment systems, including integration with State of MN LoginMN enterprise SSO/MFA, external payment gateway (US Bank), Commerce department to send Treasury batch reports, Management & Budget (MMB) for compliance reporting, and Secretary of State for firm ownership registrations. • User Account & Profile Management: The system should provide users external facing self-service for applicants/licensees/firms, with profile/contact updates, address validation/standardization, name change with documentation, communication preferences, firm affiliations, with inline validations, confirmations, audit logs, and a consistent mobile/desktop user experience, and maintain digital accessibility compliance with State and WCAG 2.2 AA standards. • Post Launch Hypercare, Training & Onboarding Support: The system should have a post-launch support system, training of new users in the system, and onboarding of State users into the system, with an adoption plan with role-based training, knowledge base/SOPs, and knowledge transfer to State, and post–go‑live hypercare, followed by sustainable operations and maintenance with clear service level agreement (SLA). Some key evaluation criteria for the proposals include: • Work Plan: The proposal should include a detailed work plan that outlines the tasks, timelines, and milestones for the project. • Functional Requirements and Self-Assessment: The proposal should include a self-assessment of the proposer's ability to meet the functional requirements of the system. • Qualifications and Experience: The proposal should include information about the proposer's qualifications and experience in delivering similar systems. • Quality Assurance & Quality Control: The proposal should include information about the proposer's quality assurance and quality control processes. • Accessibility: The proposal should include information about the proposer's approach to accessibility, including compliance with State and WCAG 2.2 AA standards. • Cost Detail: The proposal should include a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with the system, including all fees, expenses, and other costs. Some key terms and conditions of the contract include: • The contract will be for a term of 12 months, with the option to extend for up to an additional 4 years. • The contract will include a requirement for the proposer to provide a cloud-based, vendor-managed, hosted, SaaS licensing system that meets the requirements outlined in the RFP. • The contract will include a requirement for the proposer to provide training and support to State users. • The contract will include a requirement for the proposer to provide ongoing maintenance and support for the system. • The contract will include a requirement for the proposer to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including those related to accessibility and data security.