Managed Services Support - Questions and Answers No. 1

Shelby County
Tennessee
Lee Harris, Mayor
Questions and Answers No. 1
ISSUED: April 22, 2026
RFP 26-009-56A
Managed Services Support
(Memphis & Shelby County Division of Planning and Development)
TO ALL PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS:
The following questions were submitted by potential bidders. Our answers
are listed below in red:
1. How many users are there?
There are 30,778 Public Users, 418 active internal users, and 7 super users.
End-user support is not requested. Support is limited to back-office support
for super users/administrators.
2. How many Physical & Virtual Servers are there?
Server support is not requested or required. The Accela Civic Platform is a
hosted SaaS solution.
3. How many Laptops/Desktops are there?
Laptop/Desktop support is not requested or required.
4. How many Network Devices are there?
Network support is not requested or required.
5. What is the annual budget for this project?
There is no incumbent provider and no existing expenditures on this service.
6. How many shared printers, routers & firewalls?
Support for printers, routers & firewalls is not requested or required.

7. Is a ticketing system implemented and currently in use for formal IT help
request?
Yes. However, the vendor should provide a mechanism for receiving and
managing requests for service/tickets.
8. How many tickets are logged every month?
5- 10 monthly
9. What are the operating systems?
Support for operating systems is not requested or required.
10. Is the work entirely onsite or can it be done remotely to some extent?
We welcome a remote-first support model. No on-site support is expected.
11. If onsite is required, then how many onsite visits are required in a month?
We welcome a remote-first support model. No on-site support is expected.
12. Are there any Mobile devices. Are they being managed? If yes, what are you
using for MDM?
Yes, however, support for mobile devices is not requested or required
13. vCIO - Is there a current vCIO in place? If yes, how many hours a month support
do they provide?
No, there is not vCIO supporting existing technologies.
14. Is there any licenses requirement?
Bidders should show proof of being an Accela Certified Services Partner. No
licenses are required to support or deliver services for the Accela Civic
Platform.
15. Section II, Minimum Requirement #8 (Accela Certification)
The RFP requires vendors to "provide proof of being an Accela Certified Services
Partner." Could the County clarify whether this certification must be active and on
file at the time of proposal submission (April 29, 2026), or whether a vendor with
a pending or in-progress Accela certification partnership may still submit a
responsive proposal, provided proof of the application or partnership process is
included?
Proof of current status as an Accela Certified Services Partner should be
submitted with the proposal.

16. Section IX, Scope of Work (Current Environment)
To allow vendors to propose the most accurate and effective staffing model and
service delivery approach, could the County provide the following details about
the current Accela environment:
a) The current version of the Accela Civic Platform in use?
Accela SaaS, 25.3.0 (Most Current)
b) The approximate number of active Accela modules (e.g., Planning, Building
Permitting, Licensing, Enforcement)?
Six (6), soon to be seven (7)
c) The number of system administrators and power users currently supported?
Seven (7) to nine (9) super users
d) The volume of monthly support tickets or incidents (approximate)?
5- 10 monthly
17. Section IX, Scope of Work (Existing Integrations)
The RFP references integrations with third-party systems including GIS and
payment adapters. Could the County identify the specific third-party systems and
platforms currently integrated with the Accela Civic Platform (e.g., specific GIS
platform, payment gateway vendor, enterprise systems)? This will allow vendors
to accurately assess the technical expertise and staffing required.
Existing integrations include those for ESRI-based GIS, a custom built
payment adapter, GovQA records management, PermitHub data exchange.
18. Section IX, Scope of Work (Incumbent Vendor)
Is there a current Managed Services Provider supporting the Accela Civic
Platform for the Division of Planning and Development? If so, will the incumbent
vendor be permitted to bid on this RFP?
There is no incumbent managed services provider.
19. Section VII(c), Time Frame (Contract Start Date)
The RFP states the initial contract term begins "immediately upon execution of
the contract through June 30, 2026." Given that the proposal due date is April 29,
2026, and award notification is TBD, could the County provide an estimated
contract execution date? Additionally, will the initial contract period (through June
30, 2026) be treated as a partial-year term, with the first full renewal year
beginning July 1, 2026?

No, a contract execution date cannot be provided. If the contract is executed
prior to June 30, 2026, yes it will be a partial-year term.
20. Section XI(C)(4), Pricing Structure
The RFP requests itemized costs for each element of the scope of work. Should
vendors propose pricing on a fixed monthly retainer basis, a time-and-materials
basis, or both? Additionally, should vendors propose a separate hourly rate for
work outside the defined scope?
The proposer should present the pricing and service model that best delivers
the scope as written.
21. Section VI(H), LOSB Goal (20%)
Regarding the 20% LOSB participation goal: as a 100% woman-owned and
certified Diverse Business Enterprise (WBE/MBE/DBE), does HBCMSP's own
diverse certification status contribute toward or satisfy any portion of the LOSB
participation goal as the prime contractor, or is the 20% goal strictly applicable to
subcontractor participation?
This LOSB requirement/certification for Primes and/or Subs, is specific to
businesses headquartered and physically located in Shelby County
Tennessee.
22. Section XI(B), Proposal Copies
The RFP requires the completed Excel scorecard to be submitted on two (2)
separate USB devices. Could the County confirm whether the USB devices
should contain only the Excel scorecard files, or whether the full proposal
(including all supporting documents) should also be included on the USB
devices?
The USB devices should contain only the Excel scorecard files.
23. Is the Accela platform hosted on-prem, cloud, or vendor-managed (SaaS)?
The Accela Civic Platform is a hosted SaaS solution.
24. What level of responsibility does the MSP have for underlying infrastructure vs
application layer only?
There is no responsibility for infrastructure, only the enterprise solution and
integrations.

25. Are there any infrastructure dependencies impacting system performance that
fall under MSP scope?
None anticipated.
26. Would the County consider a 2-week extension?
We will proceed with the established timeline.
27. Would the County consider removing the LOSB requirement since there are no
LOSB Accela Certified Service Partners?
Removing the LOSB requirement is not an option.
For assistance with locating LOSB vendors please contact:
Ms. Lopasheia Thomas or Mr. Shep Wilbun
Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance
160 North Main Street, Suite 200
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Phone: 901-222-1100
Fax: 901-222-1101
E-mail: Lopasheia.Thomas@shelbycountytn.gov
Shep.Wilbun@shelbycountytn.gov
28. Is the County looking for a set of specific hours annually for Managed Application
Services? If so, what are they?
We are not seeking services based on time and materials or a specific
allotment of hours.
29. Can the County clarify if you are looking for additional content/responses to the
Comprehensive Response section other than the Excel file?
Sections II and XI. outline all requirements for the submission.
30. Is the County looking for narrative responses to Section IX (Purpose/Scope of
Work)? If so, should that be included in the "Comprehensive Response to
Minimum Requirements & Required Services" section of our response?
Response to Section IX can be expressed in narrative format. Generally,
any written format that demonstrates how the bidder proposed to deliver to
scope is sufficient. All submissions should follow the guidance provided in
Section XI, which includes the recommended format for the proposal
section of the submission.
31. In RFP Section XI (Proposal Submission), Subsection B (Proposal Copies), #2 -
can you clarify that the only contents desired on the USB devices is the native

Excel file? Please confirm you do not want a PDF of the complete proposal
response.
The USB devices should contain only the Excel scorecard files.
We do not want a PDF of the complete proposal response.
32. Is there a current MSP providing these services? If so, what is the transition
timeline and will there be a knowledge transfer period?
There is no incumbent managed services provider.
33. What documentation currently exists for system configurations, integrations, and
customizations?
There is some existing documentation for existing configurations,
integrations, and customizations. These will need to be expanded and
maintained as needed.
34. What are the existing third-party integrations (GIS vendor, payment adapter, etc.)
and their current support arrangements?
Existing integrations include those for ESRI-based GIS, a payment adapter,
GovQA records management, PermitHub data exchange.
35. Is the County expecting on-site presence, remote support, or a hybrid model?
We welcome a remote-first support model. No on-site support is expected.
36. What are the expected business hours for SLA coverage?
Our operational hours span from 7:30am to 5pm.
37. What constitutes the threshold between an "incremental enhancement" (in
scope) versus a "large-scale" change (excluded)?
We would define an incremental change as configuration and optimization
changes to the existing Accela Civic Platform that build on the current
configuration and business processes and can be delivered in bounded
iterations. Large-scale changes or implementations would materially re-
architect the platform, require major data migration, or replacement of our
core integrations. These would be scoped separately.
38. Should pricing be proposed as an annual subscription, time-and-materials, or a
blended model?
The proposer should present the pricing and service model that best
delivers the scope as written.

39. Should renewal year pricing be held fixed or can escalators be proposed?
The proposer should present the pricing and service model that best
delivers the scope as written. However, there is no rule or practice that
prohibits pricing uplift or escalators.
40. What is the expected onboarding timeline before full-service responsibility
begins?
An orientation and full transition should occur within 15 days.
41. What are the biggest challenges that are driving the need for a Managed
Application service?
We have experienced significant growth in both usage and system
complexity. The following is driving our need for a provider: improve
continuity of our mission critical system, increase our internal capacity,
decrease testing burden, enhance overall governance and standardization.
42. Is the County is seeking information under section IX PURPOSE / SCOPE OF
WORK, page 18 of the RFP about onboarding plans, transition plans, staffing
models, severity definitions, and other lengthy items, would it be permissible to
respond to these in the narrative of the response, and include references to the
relevant sections in the scorecard?
Yes, the request is that this information be address in the response. The
manner in which this is done is at the discretion of the bidder
43. Are vendors permitted to add rows to the scorecard?
No, vendors are not permitted to add rows to the scorecard.
44.Section IX - Purpose / Scope of Work, Operational Scale & Support Demand
a. Support Volume Baseline
i.Please provide high-level insight into current operational demand
There is consistent operational demand for Accela support. Exact
volumes will vary, the selected bidder should anticipate a
combination of (1) routine ticket-based support/issue resolution, (2)
iterative enhancements based on priorities, and (3) proactive
monitoring and issue prevention.
ii. Approximate average monthly ticket volume over the past year
5- 10 monthly

iii.Typical distribution between incidents/break-fix, configuration changes,
and enhancement requests
Incidents/break-fix, 50%
configuration changes, 25%
enhancement requests, 25%
45. Section IX.2 - Technical Support & Issue Resolution
a. Support Coverage Expectation: Does the County expect managed
services support to be limited to standard business hours, or is
after-hours/on-call support required for critical incidents? If after-
hours support is required, please clarify applicable severity
thresholds.
Direct support is limited to standard operating hours, 7:30am - 5:00.
The bidder should consider that some fixes, updates, etc. should be
applied outside of operating hours to ensure there is no disruption
of service.
b. Incident Severity & SLAs: Does the County maintain existing
incident severity definitions and SLA targets, or should proposers
submit recommended severity levels, response times, and
resolution targets as part of their proposal?
There are not current SLAs. Proposers should submit
recommended severity levels, response times, and resolution
targets as part of their proposal
46. Section IX.4 - Integration Support
a. Integration Landscape: Please identify the key integrations currently
supported (e.g., GIS, payment processors, external systems), and
note whether any integrations are considered high-risk or under
active remediation.
Integrations include: ESRI-based GIS (medium risk), a custom
payment adapter (medium risk), GovQA records management (low
risk), PermitHub data exchange (low risk).
47. Section IX.5 - Release Management & Upgrades
a. Release Cadence & Constraints: Please clarify:
i. Typical cadence for Accela upgrades and patches

Major releases occur twice annually, spring and fall. Environmental
updates, fixes, and/or patches happen regularly on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
ii. Any blackout or change-freeze periods observed by the County
None.
48. Section IX.7 - Planning & Optimization
a. Enhancement Intake & Governance: Please confirm whether the
managed services provider is expected to maintain a backlog of
enhancements and optimization recommendations, including effort
estimation and approval prior to execution.
The scope does request that the selected bidder 'recommend
performance enhancements or business process optimizations'. We
consider this added value and supports determinations for in and
out of scope work.
Sincerely,
Signed Original on File
Sonja Worthy, Buyer
Purchasing Department
Shelby County Government