Electronic Purchase Solution

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Request for Information 6100066662
Electronic Purchase Solution
Summary.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Commonwealth) issues this Request for Information (RFI)
to solicit information that will be used to assist with the development of a solicitation for an
electronic purchase solution which may be released by the Commonwealth in the near future.
Specifically, this request seeks information from which the Commonwealth can formulate
specifications and requirements, realistic timeframes and cost structures for the referenced
procurement and project. The Commonwealth desires to produce a solicitation that promotes
vendor competition and creative technical solutions. The Commonwealth is open to any and all
ideas in relation to this project and encourages alternative ideas that will help the Commonwealth
better define its requirements. This RFI is an earnest attempt to become aware of and
knowledgeable about current solutions to support the project requirements of the
Commonwealth. This RFI will also help the Commonwealth identify vendors who are able to
provide the required services to support this goal.
Background.
The Department of Corrections (DOC) is seeking information regarding commercially available
solutions that can securely support the electronic purchase of authorized goods and services by
inmates within a correctional environment.
The Department currently supports several types of inmate purchases, including:
* Food, beverages, ice cream, and other items from vending machines.
* Copies and printing within institutional law libraries.
* Food, photographs, and other items sold during institutional fundraising activities.
Fundraising proceeds may be donated to local charities.
* Other authorized goods and services.
PIN-pad devices are currently used with certain vending machines and law library copier
equipment. Fundraising activities may involve other transaction methods, including paper-based
processes.
For certain electronic purchases, inmates must currently transfer money from their primary inmate
account to a separate purchasing account before funds can be used. The inmate initiates the transfer
through a commissary request, and inmate accounting staff perform the corresponding debit and
credit transactions. Remaining funds must be reconciled and refunded when an inmate leaves
Department custody.
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The Department is interested in understanding whether other solutions could simplify this process,
reduce manual accounting activity, and provide a common method for securely supporting
different types of inmate purchases.
Any proposed approach must be suitable for a correctional environment. The Department does not
currently provide institutional wireless connectivity for inmate purchasing devices. Respondents
should consider this limitation when describing available solutions.
Issues to Be Addressed.
The Commonwealth is requesting feedback from firms with expertise in an electronic purchase
solution , as set forth below:
1) Include a cover letter, with the RFI response, on Company Letterhead, which includes a
point of contact name, phone number and email address.
2) Complete Attachment A, Electronic Purchase Solution Questionnaire. Please respond to
the questions in the questionnaire and limit the responses to these questions only.
Point of Contact:
The sole point of contact for this RFI shall be Amanda Wasko at amawasko@pa.gov.
Due Date.
The Commonwealth is requesting that all responses to this RFI be submitted via email to
Amanda Wasko at amawasko@pa.gov by 10:00AM on 10/6/202 with the subject line
of Electronic Purchase Solution - 6100066662.
Disclaimer.
This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a
solicitation for future business, an offer for procurement or any other type of current or future
procurement or contractual action and is only intended to gather input. The Commonwealth will
not award a contract on the basis of this RFI nor will it pay for information it receives.
Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Commonwealth to form a
binding contract. No party is bound by the information provided in response to this RFI.
Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. The
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is not liable for any costs or expenses incurred by the
Respondent in the preparation of its responses.
Respondents needing confidential treatment for any proprietary information they furnish must
clearly identify that in their respective Responses. All information received in response to this
RFI that is marked Proprietary will be handled in accordance with applicable law including the
Right To Know Law, as amended.
All material submitted shall be considered the property of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and
may be returned only at the Commonwealth's option. Notwithstanding any Respondents
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copyright designations contained on responses, the Commonwealth shall have the right to make
copies and distribute responses internally and to comply with public record or other disclosure
requirements under the provisions of any Commonwealth or United States statute or regulation, or
rule or order of any court of competent jurisdiction.
Respondents to this Request shall not provide recommendations as to specific courses of action
and shall not be deemed to be an advisor or consultant to the Commonwealth. The
Commonwealth will evaluate the information presented and determine any subsequent course of
action, which may consist of contracting for implementation of Commonwealth-determined
work. Such work may be procured through any procurement method available, and respondents
to this Request may be considered for selection to perform such work.
Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Respondents will not be notified of the result of the
review, nor will they be provided copies of it.
Commonwealth Reservation of Rights.
The Commonwealth reserves the right to consider or reject any and all responses to this Request,
to amend and/or reissue this Request and to abandon and then recommence at any time, or not
recommence, this process. All costs of any response to this Request and participation in any
presentations to the Commonwealth are solely the responsibility of the Respondent and the
Commonwealth shall not be liable for payment of any such costs.
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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
ATTACHMENT A
Electronic Purchase Solution QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Is the proposed solution able to provide the below functionality? If so, please describe:
a. Secure inmate identification and transaction authorization.
b. Access to available inmate funds for authorized purchases.
c. Vending transactions.
d. Copying and printing transactions.
e. Staff-assisted or other transactions for fundraising events.
f. Item-level sales information.
g. Identification and reporting of taxable and non-taxable sales.
h. Transaction reporting and financial reconciliation.
i. Inventory or quantity tracking, where available.
j. Institution-level and Department-wide reporting.
k. Appropriate security and controls for a correctional environment.
l. An efficient and straightforward process for institutional and accounting staff.
2. What solution would you recommend for securely supporting inmate purchases across multiple
correctional institutions? Please provide a high-level description of how the solution works.
3. Can vending, copying/printing, fundraising, and other inmate purchasing activities be
supported through a common platform or ecosystem? If so, please describe how.
4. Does your solution require inmates to maintain a separate purchasing balance in addition to
their primary inmate account? If so, please explain how funds are transferred, maintained,
reconciled, and refunded.
5. If a separate purchasing balance is not required, how does your solution determine available
inmate funds and authorize and settle purchases?
6. What activities would Department inmate accounting staff be required to perform to support
the solution?
7. How are inmates securely identified or authenticated when making a purchase? What approach
do you recommend for a correctional environment?
8. What transaction devices or methods do you recommend for vending machines, law library
copying/printing, and institutional fundraising activities?
9. What connectivity does your solution require? The Department does not currently provide
institutional wireless connectivity for inmate purchasing devices. Please describe how your
solution would operate within this environment and how temporary connectivity interruptions
are handled.
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10. How does your solution handle incomplete or unsuccessful transactions? For example, how
does the solution ensure an inmate is appropriately charged when a vending product is
dispensed and is not charged when a product or service is not successfully provided?
11. How would your solution support high-volume fundraising events in which many inmate
purchases may occur within a relatively short period?
12. What reporting capabilities are available? Please describe available reporting for individual
inmate transactions, items sold, taxable and non-taxable sales, institutions, Department-wide
activity, accounting/reconciliation, and inventory or quantities sold, where applicable.
13. Is your solution currently being used within correctional institutions? If so, please provide
examples of the types of correctional environments and inmate purchasing activities currently
supported.
14. Which capabilities described in your response are currently available as part of your standard
solution and which would require integration, customization, third-party products, or
development?
15. What infrastructure, hardware, software, interfaces, or other Department resources would
generally be required to implement your solution?
16. Based on your experience with correctional agencies, are there other capabilities, technologies,
controls, or approaches the Department should consider when evaluating a future inmate
electronic purchasing solution?
17. What is the typical cost structure for the services identified in this questionnaire?
18. Is your solution available on an existing Department of General Service's contract or a
cooperative purchasing contract?
19. Are you willing to provide a demonstration of your solution, if requested?
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