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What is the estimated page count for the 392 boxes of records standard letter-size pages, file folders per box)? Unable to estimate. Will the City identify which physical records, if any, will not be destroyed based upon the Secretary of State’s retention schedule or is the awarded vendor expected to do so? The awarded Vendor is Expected to do so. Box Dimensions: Are the boxes standard 12x15x10, or are the dimensions different? The boxes are the standard Could you specify the quantities and sizes of the 6,000+ large format maps? Unable to estimate. Could you estimate the number of boxes that are not full? Unable to estimate. Are any of the records double-sided, or are they mostly single-sided? There will be both single- and double-sided pages. The count for that we are unable to estimate. Are there any non-paper materials photos, blueprints, or microfilm,) included in the project scope? We have not come across, photos or “traditional” blueprints, however there will be color documents that have been printed, and any blueprints we could have, would most likely be in the large format rolls. Can you please provide the full Attachment A – Inventory of Records to Be Scanned, including estimated quantities (boxes, pages, and record types per department)? The full Attachment A is already provided in the RFP. Attachment A references an inventory of records “to be provided by the city.” Will the City issue a detailed inventory identifying departments, record types, quantities (boxes, pages, or linear feet), and condition before proposal submission? The full Attachment A is already provided in the RFP with the details we can provide. Could the City provide a more detailed breakdown of the Large Format items (Maps), specifically their typical size A0, A1) and condition? All the large format maps and plans have been rolled and well preserved. However, because they are bundled by property or development, we are unable to break down the sizing. Are the large format documents a dedicated collection, or are they mixed with other document sizes? Mixed document sizes Are the records currently prepared staples/clips removed), or should we include document preparation costs in the proposal as an Optional Service? Assume documents need to be prepared. This will be the responsibility of the vendor. ---PAGE BREAK--- Should output files be delivered as single-page PDFs or combined multi-page PDFs per record set? If single paged it should be its own named file. Will the City require image enhancement (deskew, despeckle, etc.) or adherence to any FADGI or image-quality standards? There is no requirement. Just that the image is clear enough to be discernable. Will the City require scanning to be performed on-site at City Hall, or will records be allowed to be transported to the vendor's secure facility? As long as they remain secured they may leave the site Please clarify the expected data-retention period after final delivery should all digital copies be destroyed upon acceptance, or may the vendor retain backups for a defined interval? Digital backups shall be maintained until the project is accepted as completed by the City. Does the city require destruction by a NAID-certified vendor, or will an in-house certified process be acceptable? In house certified process will be acceptable. Should original documents be destroyed immediately after city acceptance of digital deliverables, or only after project close-out and written authorization? Only after project close out and written acceptance. The City will have to wait for the office of the SOS to verify if certain documents can be destroyed. Can the City provide photographs of opened boxes representative of the different collections to help vendors assess document density and condition? The city will provide pictures representative of materials to be scanned. What is the specific file format required for the digital copies, other than the minimum 300 DPI, searchable PDF? Please refer to the Digitizing Guidelines attachment in the RFP. How many metadata fields are expected per record Department, Record Type, Date Range, Notes, etc.)? Could you estimate the average number of characters per field? Please refer to the Digitizing Guidelines attachment. Please confirm whether the collections include bound volumes, loose photographs, or other items requiring specialized scanning methods. There will be a variety of the issues mentioned. Will the City provide any existing index or metadata electronically, or should DMI create this from the documents themselves? Vendor will be responsible for creating the index or metadata. ---PAGE BREAK--- Should the City receive one master index file for the entire project or separate index files by department? Please separate by department. How should the oversize maps be indexed? This will be up to the Vendor as long as the index is detailed. Are any records known to be fragile, water-damaged, mold-remediate, or otherwise deteriorated that would affect preparation or imaging productivity? There are Water damaged documents, and older documents that may need special preparations. Can the City provide the "City-defined naming conventions" and the "Sample Index Template (Attachment with specific examples so we can confirm our indexing capability? We do not have one, and will defer to vendor’s approach. The RFP specifies “minimum 300 DPI, searchable PDF or as otherwise agreed.” Does the city prefer color, grayscale, or bitonal imaging for standard documents? Expect there to be some Grayscale and Color images. Does the city require a specific OCR accuracy rate, or may vendors apply commercially accepted OCR validation methods? OCR should be as accurate as possible. For the file-naming convention (DepartmentCode_RecordSeries_Date.pdf), will the city provide a master list of department and series codes, or should the vendor assign codes based on the index template? We do not have one and will defer to vendor’s approach. Are vendors expected to populate optional metadata fields shown in Attachment D “Series Code,” “Storage Path”) or only the required fields? This will be the vendor’s responsibility. What is the City's preferred or pre-approved secure cloud-based transfer method, if we propose that instead of USB drives? If the vendor has a method they generally use, the City is open to working with them on it. Otherwise, The city leans towards utilizing One Drive or an hard-drive provided to the City. What level of background screening is required for personnel (local/state only, or federal fingerprint-based)? Standard background checks are acceptable as there will be no CJIS documents included in this project. NIST 800-171 Compliance: Can the City confirm the specific requirements or standards expected regarding NIST 800-171 compliance is a formal certification required, or is adherence to certain controls sufficient)? “Adherence to certain controls” is sufficient Is NAID AAA certification required, or will an equivalent certification be acceptable? Yes, Provided the vendor states how the certification is equivalent ---PAGE BREAK--- Will document destruction occur on-site at City Hall or off-site at a certified facility? Destruction will be the Vendors responsibility in their facility. What is the City’s procedure for approval prior to destruction of digitized originals? The City will need to confirm that all documents have been properly scanned before destruction. Should DMI maintain a separate chain-of-custody manifest in addition to providing Certificates of Destruction? Yes, for items leaving the property Are there any transportation security requirements, such as GPS-tracked vehicles or locked containers? Currently the City does not have any transportation security requirements. Are there any "record series requiring special handling confidential, legal, or historical)" that will impose unique security protocols or require a higher DPI? Montana has a Historical Society imposed term limit on documents, meaning anything 50 year and older need to be sent to the Historical society before it can be destroyed. We ask that any documents you find that are 50 years and older be digitized and then sent back to us intact. What is the anticipated time frame the City will require to provide the written City approval for destruction after digitization is complete and Quality Assurance (QA) is performed? It will be the vendors responsibility to assure the City that the scans were complete and accurate. Please confirm the QA acceptance standard (sampling percentage, tolerances for image skew, completeness, or re-scan criteria). It will be the vendor’s responsibility to assure the City that the scans were complete and accurate. For the Pricing Proposal (Attachment should the "Records Assessment" phase be priced as a fixed cost or as a unit cost per box)? Pricing format is at the discretion of the vendor. Does the city have a target project completion date or fiscal-year goal for planning purposes? It is preferred that the project be completed by May 1st, 2026. Since the proposal requires unit costs, estimated quantities, and a Total Not-to-Exceed Project Cost, will the final contract price be fixed, or will it be adjusted based on the final verified unit quantities after the assessment? If the vendor proposes a not-to-exceed-cost, then they would be held to that, or it will likely be based on a verified quantities. The RFP requires a statement of compliance for Montana records/privacy; is this covered by form Attachment B – City of Belgrade’s adopted Retention Schedule in the RFP (with link to State’s retention schedule) provides the specifics. The signed contract with the City for the selected RFP will be the binding document. ---PAGE BREAK--- The RFP requires biweekly progress reports. Will the City provide a reporting template or preferred key metrics pages scanned, QA pass rate, batches completed)? We do not have one and will defer to vendor’s approach. you are open to an out of state vendor completing this project? Yes If so, we were hoping you could send us some photos of the boxes, the documents and some of the maps so we can see their condition. We will be placing pictures in the RFP for vendors to get a sense of the scope/condition. Is the city open to phased delivery and invoicing by department or record series? One single Delivery and Invoice is preferred. Will the City allow batch pickups, or must records remain available on-site during digitization? One single pick is preferred. The RFP references NIST 800-171 compliance. Will the City require a formal System Security Plan (SSP), or is attestation sufficient? Attestation is sufficient. Are standard employee background checks acceptable, or will fingerprinting/CJIS-level clearance be required? Background checks are acceptable as there will be no CJIS Documents included in this project. Will the City require any security audits or site inspections before or during the project? No Is DMI required to retain digital backups for any specific period after project completion? Digital backups shall be maintained until the project is accepted as completed by the City. Should pricing be expressed per-page, per-box, or as a total not-to-exceed project cost? Pricing format is at the discretion of the vendor. Will the City accept separate line-item pricing for optional services (document prep, scanning, PDF creation, etc.)? Yes. Will milestone billing be permitted, or is payment only upon final acceptance? Payment upon final acceptance is preferred. Are there any bonding, insurance, or retainage requirements that vendors should account for in pricing? Nothing beyond what the vendor deems necessary to be in compliance with the RFP. Will electronic submissions be accepted in addition to the required printed copies and USB drive? No. ---PAGE BREAK--- Can you clarify how evaluation scoring will weigh cost versus quality, particularly under the 'Methodology and Quality Controls' criteria? While cost is a critical component of the selection, describing and ensuring how the public documents project will be carried out will guide the RFP reviewers as well. 3.3 Project Approach and Methodology (25%) • Describe scanning, indexing, and quality assurance processes. • Outline security measures for handling, transport, and storage. • Explain destruction procedures and certification process. 3.5 Pricing Proposal (20%) • Itemize pricing by task category (scanning, indexing, destruction, etc.). • Identify unit costs, estimated quantities, and total estimated cost. • Include any optional costs and total not-to-exceed project cost. Thank you for your continued interest in serving our community. Are these pages two sided or single sided? There will be both single and double sided pages What is the condition of documents? Most are in good condition, however, there are some that are water damaged from a large leak in the ceiling. What is the size and quantity of files that need to be scanned? Please provide approximate quantity next to the below given sizes: Unable to estimate. a. 8.5”x11” or 8.5” x 14” b. 11”x17” up to 18”x24”: c. 18”x24” up to 24”x36”: d. 24”x36” up to 36”x48”: Can we pick up all the documents in a single trip? That is preferred What is the level of preparation required? (Removal of fasteners, staples, post-it’s, etc.) Expect to prepare all the boxes. How are documents stored currently? Most are stored in boxes, some have been bound in plastic wrap. What level of reassembly is required? (Do we need to apply to fasteners, post-it’s and rearrange the documents in the same order after scanning?) No, as long as the documents are neatly stored in boxes there is no fastening needed. Do we need to scan B&W or Color? If color, then what % of documents are color? Anything in color will need to be scanned in color. We are un able to estimate the percentage. ---PAGE BREAK--- Is 300 dpi scanning sufficient? It Is preferred. What is the expected output format? a. Is it TIFF or PDF? PDF b. Is it single page or multi-page? This will be up to the Vendor. What are the indexing criteria? a. Is Indexing to be done at file level? This will be up to the Vendor as long as the index is detailed. b. How many fields should we assume per each index? Please see page 10 of the RFP for a sample. c. How may keystrokes per each Index? 30 Maximum d. Can you please share the sample format? Please see page 10 of the RFP. How many files should we assume per each Boxes? Unable to Estimate Can you please provide us a pricing format to enable us to give you pricing as per your requirement? or shall we prepare it ourselves? Pricing format is at the discretion of the vendor. Are you looking for a local vendor? Local is preferred, however this project is not limited to local vendors. What are the rules/guidelines for reviewing, cataloging and identifying your documents and files? See Guidelines attached in the RFP. What are the sizes of your boxes listed in your inventory? Standard 12x15x10 Bankers Boxes Are these boxes or loosely packed? Estimate of pages per box? There is a mixture of and loosely packed boxes. We are unable to estimate the amounts. How are your large format [maps] currently organized? Folded in boxes [in the same folder as the Permits] or rolled or flat in drawers? Most are rolled up and grouped by Project, some may be stored in a hanging file cabinet. Finance Records, Accounts Payable: Are these files heavily stapled or pages in a folder? They may be stapled. It will be the responsibility of the Vendor to remove them. Index Fields: What do you want for the DESCRIPTION and FILE NAME required fields for the three departments? Is the information for these fields readily understandable on the document? Can you provide examples for all three departments? Examples are provided on page 10 in the RFP. ---PAGE BREAK--- What date do you expect to start [after choosing a qualified vendor]? Early to mid-January What date to you want the project to be complete? It is preferred that the project be completed by May 1st, 2026, with at least a 60 day buffer to ensure the Secretary of state approves document destruction. Do you have a drive-up dock or ground loading. There are no loading docks for the locations with the files Do you have resources for use by vendors such as a fork truck or pallet jacks? We do not. Do you have space to stage pallets of boxes? Space is extremely limited. Pallets may need to be staged in the truck during business hours, or the small parking lot can be utilized during off hours and on weekends. Is there elevator access for the boxes stored in the basement? Yes Will vendor be scanning all contents of the box (Scope 2.1) or will some documents need to be purged out due to retention guidelines (Attach. All documents will be scanned. Can you explain in more detail what special handling means from Scope 2.1. Vendor must be able to outline their procedures for handling documents of historical or confidential nature should they encounter them. Do you have a box manifest. No What is the age of these documents and their conditions? Any concerns for water damage? Documents can range from 1 to 50+ years old. There are approximately 12 boxes with known water damage. Can you confirm the dimensions of the large format blueprint drawings and their condition. Unable to estimate Can we cut bad edges on the drawings if needed to run through the scanner. Only if it does not affect the content and integrity of the document. Does the City have a deadline they would like this project completed by. It is preferred that the project be completed by May 1st, 2026, with at least a 60-day buffer to ensure the Secretary of state approves document destruction. Scope section 2.4 Compliance & Security. You reference the physical records remain the property of the City. Do you want everything eventually shredded or will there be a need to return or store any original documents? Montana has a Historical Society imposed term limit on documents, meaning anything 50 year and older need to be sent to the Historical ---PAGE BREAK--- society before it can be destroyed. We ask that any documents you find that are 50 years and older be digitized and then sent back to us intact. Anything under 50 years can be shredded. Can you provide any photos of the boxes and their contents? Yes they will be posted in the RFP. Do you need scanning done in color or black/white. Anything in color will need to be scanned in color.