II. Scope of Work

This section describes the scope of the work that is expected to be performed by the vendor selected to assist the State with its ERP project.

A. Approach to Conducting the Requirements Definition/Software Selection Phase

For phase 1 of the ERP project, the vendor should propose a process to be employed by the project team to define the State's business requirements and to select a proven ERP solution that best meets those requirements. The vendor will also assist the State in defining the steps necessary to prepare for an ERP implementation and in performing those tasks.

As indicated in the project strategies, the State would favor an approach that moves aggressively to define requirements, issue an RFP, and select software. While the approach proposed by the consultant should expedite the process to the extent possible (and prudent), it still must provide a sound basis for evaluating and selecting an ERP system that will meet the State's needs.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Specify an overall approach or methodology for the Requirements Definition/Software Selection process including, software/hardware requirement definition, business process change analysis, RFP creation and software evaluation.
2. Describe approaches to conducting a software selection used successfully by your company in other engagements.
3. Identify what aspects of the proposed process serve to expedite the selection of software
4. Identify the aspects of the proposed process that serve to ensure that the State is well positioned to select a package that is a good fit for the State functionally and technically.
5. Identify other strategies or approaches that the State should follow in preparing for a statewide ERP implementation.
6. Identify major risks that will be faced in implementing an ERP system and how they should be mitigated.

B. Business/System Requirements

The first major activity of the Requirements Definition/Software Selection phase will be to identify and document the State's requirements for an ERP package. For the purpose of sizing the level of effort required to complete the Requirements Definition/Software Selection Phase, the vendor should assume that requirements will be defined and documented for all of the functions listed above in the Project Scope section, except budget development. The modules of the ERP system to ultimately be included in the initial implementation will be decided by the State, with advice from the consultant.

The requirements should be gathered and documented in such a way as to facilitate the development of a request for proposal (RFP) for an ERP software solution for the State. Requirements will be defined for both the central administrative agencies that may perform a statewide function (e.g. payroll or personnel) and for the line agencies which perform financial and administrative functions in the conduct of day-to-day business. A part of this process will be to define (or confirm) for each agency which functions (and agency-specific legacy systems) will be included within the scope of the new integrated, ERP system.

It is envisioned that a joint State and consultant team will perform the requirement gathering and definition process. In each interview or focus group conducted, both a State team member and a consultant team member will be present. The consultant will be responsible for documenting the information gathered and for insuring consistency of breadth and depth of information collected.
The State team members will provide the knowledge and insight of state business practices and systems to ensure that the right questions get asked and issues get explored.

One key issue that will need to be continually reviewed is the need to identify agency requirements that are truly unique and critical, and to distinguish them from historical practices for performing a specific function that, in fact, can be adapted to fit a standard statewide process.

A major component of the requirement definition activity will be to address business process change and change management. Part of the information gathering effort in this phase will be to document current business processes that are broken and to understand what the disconnects are. The vendor should propose an approach for addressing business process improvement in conjunction with the implementation of an ERP system. The vendor should also propose steps the State should take to prepare for business process change. Other factors to be covered are the role that limiting customizations to the ERP software plays in changing business processes and what business process changes should be postponed until after the ERP system is operational.

The vendor should also address change management in this section of the proposal and identify any task that should be completed in this phase to prepare for the change management effort to be conducted during implementation. The proposed tasks should be consistent with the proposed strategy for business process change.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Define the process or approach recommended to capture the State's requirements for the ERP software, including any tools or software that will be employed.
2. Describe approaches to requirement definition used successfully in other engagements your company has conducted.
3. Explain how you will conduct a requirement definition process that will enable the State to identify its critical and unique business requirements, ones which will be particularly important in the evaluation of how well the ERP packages meet Connecticut's needs.
4. Explain how the requirement definition process can be used to build consensus across the State's agencies in support of an ERP implementation.
5. Describe the level of detail to which the requirements for the RFP software should be defined.
6. Define to what extent the current systems and interfaces should be studied and documented.
7. Provide an analysis of how requirement definition for a packaged solution differs from requirements definition for a custom developed solution.
8. Provide an example of a functional requirements definition document (or an excerpt from one) that you believe is appropriate, and at the right level of detail, for inclusion in an RFP for an ERP package.
9. Recommend the best approach for addressing business process change in conjunction with the ERP system implementation.
10. Define the planning for change management that should be performed in this phase.
11. Define to what extent the current business/system processes should be studied and documented.
12. Indicate to what extent you are able to provide to-be business process maps for each of the top ERP packages, or provide, in some other way, information defining the best practices supported by each package.
13. Define any other recommended tasks or activities that should be performed in this phase, or information that should be gathered, to prepare for an ERP implementation.
14. Identify the deliverables that will be completed by the vendor as part of the requirements definition

C. Technical Requirements

Under the supervision of the project directors, the vendor will review and assess the State's technical infrastructure and readiness to implement an ERP package, which will be used by many if not all of the State's agencies. As a part of this effort, the vendor will review the outputs of an enterprise architecture planning process, which has been initiated by the Department of Information Technology with the assistance of the META Group. The vendor will also provide an analysis of the technical strengths and weaknesses of the leading ERP software packages. Based on the assessments of the State's architecture, technology directions, and ERP package requirements, the vendor will recommend a technical architecture for the ERP system and define requirements that must be met to build that architecture.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Define how the technical requirements for an ERP solution, including hardware, telecommunications, and supporting software, will be determined.
2. Describe how you have defined technical requirements in other similar engagements.
3. Define what technical specifications can and should be developed in this phase. What level of specification should be done prior to software selection and what has to wait until software is selected.
4. Define any other recommended tasks or activities that should be performed as part of the technical requirements activity, or information that should be gathered, to prepare for an ERP implementation.
5. Identify the deliverables that will be completed as part of the technical requirement definition.

D. RFP Preparation and Software Selection

Under the supervision of the project directors, the consultant will draft an RFP for acquiring an integrated, off-the-shelf, ERP software package that best meets the State's functional and technical requirements. The consultant will assist the State in defining selection criteria, developing a scheme for weighting or otherwise prioritizing the criteria, and proposing a plan for vendor system demonstrations based on requirements or scripts defined by the joint project team. Upon evaluating the RFPs and the software demonstrations based on the selection criteria, the State will select the ERP solution that is the best fit for Connecticut and will be implemented.

As an input to the selection process, the vendor will provide the State with an objective analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the major ERP software packages that have responded to the State's RFP. This analysis should cover features and functions performed by the software, technical requirements, and any implementation considerations or issues.

Under the supervision of the project directors, the consultant will have primary responsibility for developing the RFP for the software and technology solution, which will not cover implementation services. The consultant will also assist the State in contract negotiations with the software vendor.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Define a software selection approach or strategy, including the tasks to be performed to complete the RFP preparation and software evaluation as described above.
2. Describe what approaches or activities have proven effective in the other engagements where you have developed RFPs and evaluated software.
3. Identify the factors critical to determining which solution is the best fit for the State of Connecticut.
4. Describe the assistance you will provide the State in analyzing how well each of the software packages meets the State's needs.
5. Recommend how software demonstrations should be structured to provide the clearest picture of how well the software packages meet the State's needs. Define how the demos will be factored into the software selection process.
6. Recommend whether site visits to public sector installations of the software from vendors under consideration should be conducted, and, if so, how they will be factored into the software selection process.
7. Identify the deliverables that will be completed as part of the RFP preparation and software evaluations activities
8. Describe the assistance that can be provided to the State in negotiating a contract with the software vendor.

E. Project Management

While this phase of the project will be conducted jointly by the State and the consultant, the State is looking to the consultant to play a lead role in managing the day-to-day activities of the project. The State will maintain overall responsibility for the management of the project through a team of three project directors. The three project directors represent the three core administrative agencies that are responsible for achieving a successful ERP implementation (Office of the Comptroller, Department of Administrative Services, and the Department of Information Technology). The consultant should assign a full time project director to be their counterpart.

The consultant should propose a project organization that includes the project directors, the project steering committee, State agency advisory committees representing the line agencies, and however many separate teams or sub-teams that are recommended.

Project management activities expected of the consultant include (but are not limited to) providing overall project guidance and direction, producing regular project status reports, providing recommendations to the project directors on how to address issues that arise, maintaining an issue log tracking the issues raised and their resolution, ensuring consistency and quality of project deliverables, monitoring actual progress against the project plan, providing project briefings as necessary, and developing and maintaining a detailed project plan.

To initiate this phase of the project the contractor and the State will need to confirm and finalize the strategies/approaches to be employed, the organization of the joint project team, and the detailed plan for the phase. The contractor should address project initiation in the proposal and identify the tasks that should be performed.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Define the tasks to be performed as a part of initiating the project and as part of ongoing management of the project.
2. Describe project management techniques that have proven to be effective in projects your company has managed that are similar to this one.
3. Provide a recommended organization chart for the project
4. Provide a project plan identifying the tasks and timeframes for completing the Requirements Definition/Software Selection phase of the ERP project

F. Project Implementation Planning

The consultant will work with the project directors to produce a project plan and timeline for the implementation phase. Some of the key issues to be addressed are the implementation approach, how to phase the implementation, the target implementation dates for each phase, and the scope of each phase.

Additionally, the consultant will assist the project directors in putting together a budget estimate for the implementation phase, including software, hardware, and implementation services. The consultant will also provide recommendations on the size and skills of the support team that the State will require to support the ERP system after it goes into production.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Describe the assistance that will be provided to the project directors in putting together a plan for the System Implementation phase.
2. Describe the assistance that will be provided to the directors in developing a budget estimate for the System Implementation Phase.

G. System Implementation Phase

The work to be performed in the system implementation phase includes the tasks required to put into production a new, integrated core administrative and financial system, utilizing the public sector version of an ERP package. The scope of the effort in terms of modules of the software package to be implemented, and the branches of government that will be transitioned to the ERP system, will be determined in Phase 1.

Specific tasks to be performed in this phase include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Performing a gap analysis to determine State requirements that are not addressed by the ERP package as delivered, and to identify how these gaps will be handled.
• Mapping out and assisting in implementation of new business processes to complement the ERP system.
• Installing and configuring the ERP software.
• Providing assistance as necessary in the installation of the hardware and networking infrastructure for the ERP system.
• Programming and testing of any customizations, extensions, or additional reports required.
• Providing assistance as necessary in the programming and testing of interfaces.
• Providing assistance as necessary for converting data from legacy systems into the ERP system.
• Developing a training plan and executing it.
• Providing assistance as necessary in the development of user procedures.
• Developing a system test plan and conducting the system testing.
• Planning and coordination of user acceptance testing
• Providing day-to-day project management for the implementation phase
• Providing production system support for an agreed upon timeframe after the system goes live to ensure the system is stable

We are requesting that in their response to this RFP that vendors propose a general implementation methodology or approach that they would follow in implementing an ERP system for the State of Connecticut. They should within this methodology identify all the tasks required to implement the ERP system.

The levels of service to be provided by the consultant for the implementation tasks defined will be part of the contract negotiations for the System Implementation Phase.

In the proposal the consultant should include or respond to the following:

1. Define the methodology to be used to implement the ERP system.
2. Identify keys to success for an ERP system implementation of this size and scope.
3. Provide information about how long other large-scale ERP implementations your company has conducted have taken to complete and how applicable they are to the State of Connecticut's project.
4. Address how the challenges faced in a public sector implementation differ from those faced in a private sector implementation.
5. Address the additional challenges presented by implementing an ERP system for an entire state government as opposed to a single agency.
6. Provide a sample implementation plan from an ERP implementation of a similar scope, preferably from a public sector client.

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