HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 8.4 RFP WebsiteDesignCiTY CLERK FILE # 600-30
AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: October 1, 2002
SUBJECT:
Authorization to Distribute a Request for Proposal for City Website Design
and Development.
Report prepared by: Steve Pappa, Information Systems Manager
ATTACHMENTS: 1) Request for Proposal (RFP)
RECOMMEN~DATIO~Authorize Staff to Distribute RFP
FINANCI~_____~ATEMENT: Funds are in the FY02-03 budget for this project.
DESCRIPTION:
The Request for Proposal will begin the process of awarding a contract for the design and development of
an enhanced City website. The improved website will provide updated service to the Dublin community.
BACKGROUND:
The City's existing website (.www.ci.dublin.ca.us) was developed in 1997. The development contract was
awarded January 7, 1997 after responses to the December 3, 1996 RFP were received. The City has
contracted for maintenance of the website since 1998.
Over the past four years, the City's website has gradually grown. Numerous technological advances have
occurred over the same period of time. The City wishes to incorporate proven technological advancement
into its website. The presence of the City's website on the Internet should encourage uses that inform the
public, stimulate economic development interest, and bring citizens closer to City services (through
interactive features and E-commerce). The City Council has identified this as a high priority goal. As
part of the development of an enhanced website the City will solicit website content ideas from staff and
the public, in the form ora brief on-line survey.
PROCESS:
The RFP will be circulated on October 2, 2002 and proposals are due to the City no later than October 24,
2002. The firm that proposes the best value, while meeting the City's needs, will be selected as the
successful bidder. The goal is to have the enhanced website activated on February 17, 2003. Staff is
planning to return to the City Council in November for the award of the contract.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council authorize Staffto distribute the RFP (Attachment 1).
COPIES TO:
ITEM NO.2~
City of Dublin, California
Information Systems Division
Request for Proposal for
Website Design and Development
October 1, 2002
ATTACHMENT 1
City of Dublin
Website Design and Development
Notice to Bidders
Notice is hereby given that sealed bids, subject to the conditions named herein and in the
specifications therefore, for the City of Dublin Website Design and Development addressed to the
City of Dublin will be received at the City Clerk's Office, 100 Civic Plaza, 2aa floor, Dublin, CA
94568, up to October 24, 2002 at 4:00pm, at which time they will be publicly opened and
examined for completeness.
For further information on this bid contact Steve Pappa, Information Systems Manager, at
925-833-6604 or steve.pappa(~ci.dublin.ca.us
If you want an electronic copy of this RFP then send an e-mail request to
steve.pappa(~ci.dublin.ca.us
It is anticipated that the contract will be awarded on November 19, 2002. The City will work
with the successful bidder to develop an implementation plan for the website to be in-place on
February 17, 2003.
Steve Pappa, Information Systems Manager
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
WEBSITE RE-DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF PROJECT
The City of Dublin is seeking the services of an experienced website design firm to redesign,
develop, and implement a new City website utilizing posted information on the existing website
as well as new information, products, and features as suggested by the City. The City's existing
Internet website is http://www.ci.dublin.ca.us, which contains general City information as well as
separate pages for most City departments. The City has identified the types of information it
would like to have on its new main page and individual department pages, with the intention of
the successful firm incorporating all of this information in a manner utilizing consistent design
and layout themes to provide a resourceful, informative website.
The City of Dublin's current website (www.ci.dublin.ca.us) has been in existence since 1998.
The site is hosted off-site. The City currently has a monthly maintenance agreement. City
Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes are posted to the site twice monthly by the maintenance
provider. Other periodic updates are done by the maintenance provider including the City
Activity Guide (four times annually), annual budget, Goals & Objectives documents, and other
miscellaneous additions and updates.
Some website content is maintained remotely by City staff. The content includes employment
opportunities, upcoming events, community links, recreation class offerings, requests for
proposals, available industrial, retail, and office properties, and major Dublin employers.
Several firms have offered products and services to the City in order to improve the website, yet
no firm has explained in what way the website can be improved. This RFP process is an
opportunity for responsible firms to express their vision for a new and improved version of the
City of Dublin website, and to explain how the firm's offering surpasses the City's current
website.
There are approximately 400 pages on the City's website. A total about 875 html pages, pdf files,
and graphic files make up the website.
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to provide interested vendors with sufficient
information in order to prepare and submit proposals relative to the selection of website design
and development services to replace the City's current website (www.ci.dublin.ca.us). On
November 19, 2002, the City of Dublin will be awarding a contract for the design and
development of a website. The website will go-live February 17, 2003.
2.0
OVERALL PROJECT GOALS
2.1
Recreate and greatly enhance the City's existing website to be a resourceful,
informative, and marketing asset that provides a citizen/business fi-iendly
environment that emphasizes access to City services and departments and
business opportunities.
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3.0
2.2
Develop a highly beneficial, cost-effective, easy to use, interactive and
architecturally sound website that is flexible enough to support the City's Internet
needs for a minimum of five years.
2.3
Create a standardized format and enhanced graphical look for all pages; thereby
establishing a unified theme throughout the City's website. However, the
established theme should also provide the flexibility to allow for different City
functions and some level of individuality and/or functionality between City
functions and departments.
2.3
The general website design and element will include accessibility,
usability, appeal, functionality and ease of incorporating future features.
Although the City has some specific requirements, the City is also interested in
your ideas for content, and more specifically, your approach in re-designing the
style of the City's website. Respondents are encouraged to consider and propose
alternative solutions and recommendations.
SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED
3.1 System operations and technical features:
3.1.1
The website must provide for high-speed upload/download response
times for low-end to high-end computers that are used by the average
citizen.
3.1.2
As per the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City must provide the
same level of service to individuals with visual, hearing, motor, or
cognitive disabilities that are provided to the general public. All
proposals must include the utilization of W3C Content Accessibility
Guidelines when designing and developing the City's website. The City
expects respondents to offer suggestions regarding accessibility.
3.1.3 The site should be developed to minimize loading times for analog dial-
up customers.
3.1.4
The site must be designed to function effectively with common versions
of software and hardware, which must be identified in your proposal. In
addition to other software compatibilities, the site must also be
compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, NT, XP
operating systems, and MacOS.
3.1.4
All documents, including maps and tables, should be in a Portable
Document Format (PDF), HTML, or in a format approved by the City to
provide ease of viewing, printing, and downloading, and in alternate
ADA acceptable download formats.
3.1.5
Include links for citizens to download any browser supplement products,
such as Acrobat Reader, that are necessary to view information on the
site.
3.1.7 The site must be compatible with current versions of commonly used
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3.2
3.3
Interact browsers. Please identify any incompatible browsers in your
response.
3.1.8
The site should take into consideration the City's future desire to include
e-commerce capabilities to enable secure on-line credit card purchases,
verification, fulfillment, and acceptance.
3.1.9
The site should be designed to include future e-government transactions
such as on-line permitting, park and facility reservations, class
registrations, and other interactive forms.
3.1.10
The City requires the selected firm to work with City staff and the City's
software application vendors to enable the City's website for e-
commerce.
Other requirements and features:
3.2.1 Cross-referenced information should be hyper-linked from page to page
within the website and the Home Page link always visible.
3.2.2 Graphical files should be relative to the site and provide for quickest
loading. No use of cartoons or caricatures.
3.2.3 The site must be designed for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week operation;
except for scheduled maintenance downtime.
3.2.4 Capability to maintain an archive of existing and past records such as
agendas, minutes, press releases, newsletters, etc.
3.2.5 City personnel may maintain the site. Therefore, a system needs to be in
place for maintenance and updating capabilities by non-technical staff.
3.2.5 The proposal should include basic training for a minimum of 15
employees, the training plan and timeline.
Services required after selection
3.3.1 The selected firm's representatives may be required to attend a minimum
of one City Council meeting.
3.3.2
The selected firm's representatives will be required to meet with the
City's project manager and/or representatives to discuss and plan the
project(s), and provide progress reports as needed. A minimum of three
on-site meetings should be held during the duration of the project.
3.3.3
In conjunction with performance under the approved contract, the
contractor may be required to attend additional progress meetings in the
event contractor is not in conformance with the contract. These meetings
will be at no additional cost to the City.
4.0
3.3.4
Initial draft website design templates will be provided to the City within
six weeks from the date of the contract for review prior to
implementation.
3.3.5
A joint beta testing period and a subsequent acceptance testing period
shall be provided, during which the City may evaluate the website on
City property, or at a to-be-determined remote hosting service, to ensure
satisfaction with the website functions and specifications.
3.3.6 Provide the City with the source code for the website and any
applications developed in conjunction with the website.
3.3.7 The selected firm will be responsible for coordinating and implementing
the website with City personnel and the web hosting site.
3.3.8 All pages shall be copyright by the City of Dublin. The City of Dublin
shall be the sole owner of all website content.
PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
4.1
In order to receive consideration, all bid proposals shall be made in accordance
with the following instructions:
4.1.1
Proposals shall be made upon the forms provided therefore, properly
executed and with all items completed; the signature of all persons
signing shall be in long hand.
4.1.2
Blank spaces in the forms must be properly filled in, and the phraseology
thereof must not be changed. Additions must not be made to the items
mentioned therein. Any unauthorized conditions, limitations or
provisions attached to a proposal may cause its rejection. Alterations by
erasures or interlineations must be explained or noted in the proposal
over the signature of the vendor.
4.1.3
Proposals submitted shall be treated as sealed bids. Clearly mark on the
sealed envelope or package "SEALED BID - CITY OF DUBLIN
WEBSITE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT - DO NOT OPEN WITH
REGULAR MAIL"
4.1.4
Vendor may include in their proposal information related to the vendor
and proposed solution additional to the bid form and other information
specifically requested by this RFP. However, said additional information
shall not substitute for the bid form and answers to specific information
requests.
4.1.5
No faxed proposals will be considered. No proposal received after the
time fixed for receiving them will be considered. Late proposals will be
returned to the vendor unopened.
4.2 Proposal Format
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4.3
4.4
4.5
4.2.1 Signature: Proposal shall be signed by an authorized corporate officer.
4.2.2
Bid Forms. Each vendor shall fill out completely and accurately the
proposal forms supplied with this invitation to respond to the bid. Failure
to use the forms provided will invalidate the proposal. Failure to answer
any of the questions or provide any of the information requested in the
bid specifications may subject the entire proposal to rejection. The
inability to meet a specific feature or item of equipment requested or any
specific general condition will not invalidate your proposal, but will be
weighed in the final selection of the successful vendor. It is the vendor's
responsibility to point out those items and or conditions that can not be
met.
4.2.3 Valid Period. Include a statement that the terms of the proposal will
remain valid for 60 days.
4.2.4
Qualifications. State the firm's relevant experience; responsiveness;
ability to perform; and anticipated manpower allocation. Provide three
references of agencies where similar work has been performed in the
past. Include screen prints of a sampling of pages from the three
reference websites. In each case briefly describe the project scope and
indicate a contact person and phone number, and when the work
occurred.
4.2.5
Identify the personnel to be involved in the project and their background.
Include information relative to any subcontractor. Identify the means by
which the firm's support services are activated in the event of an
incident.
Deadlines.
4.3.1 Due date for response:
On or before October 24, 2002 at 4:00 p.m.
4.3.2 Fifteen (15) bound copies of the bid proposals should be submitted to
City of Dublin
City Clerks Office
100 Civic Plaza, 2~a floor
Dublin, CA 94568
Economy of preparation. The proposals should be prepared simply and
economically, and provide a straight-forward, concise description of the bidder's
capabilities to satisfy the requirements of these specification. The bidder shall be
responsible for costs incurred in the proposal preparation and delivery.
City Right to Accept or Reject Proposals. The City of Dublin reserves the right
to accept or reject any proposals, and all subsequent material, either verbal or
written, exclusive of an executed written contract. This invitation to respond to
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
the bid in no way obligates the City of Dublin to any company, supplier,
manufacturer, or respondent to the RFP.
Bid Clarification
4.6.1
Bid clarification upon receipt of the proposal may be required. Your
firm may be contacted for additional information and/or detailed
discussion of the proposal. An appropriate representative of the
proposing firm w/th knowledge of the scope of work and the firm's
proposal should be identified within the proposal.
Addenda or Bulletins
4.7.1
Addenda or bulletins. Any addenda or bulletins issued by the City
during the time of the bidding performing a part of the documents
provided to the bidder for the preparation of this bid shall be covered in
the bid and shall be made a part of the contract.
Withdrawal of Bids
4.8.1 Any bidder may withdraw a bid by written request, at any time prior to
the scheduled deadline for submission of bids.
Errors and Omissions. Any errors, omissions, or oversights brought to the
attention of the City of Dublin subsequent to the due date of this proposal, which
alter or modify the information which form the basis for evaluation of the
submitted bid response, shall remain the responsibility of the vendor.
Additionally, any errors, omissions, or oversights of a material nature may
constitute grounds for rejection of the submitted proposal.
5.0
REQUESTED INFORMATION
5.1 The proposal should contain a total cost of the project, as well as a detailed
"line item" breakdown of costs for the project. In addition, please specify:
5.1.1 "Not to Exceed" Fees (for actual cost of time and materials needed to
complete the project).
5.1.2 "Not to Exceed' Fee (for any reimbursables anticipated during the course
of this project).
5.1.3 Hourly rate schedule for services.
5.1.4 Cost per page for additional pages.
5.1.5 Any additional costs/charges (such as traveling expenses) must be clearly
defined in the proposal. Information and costs for the optional services
should be submitted separately.
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.5
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.9
5.11
5.12
5.13
5.14
5.15
5.16
5.17
Proposal(s) should include any necessary software and hardware, any additional
communication requirements, integration needs and potential costs necessary to
host and maintain the website (i.e. hardware, software, installation, software
licensing, training, annual maintenance, etc.).
Proposal(s) should be all encompassing, with a single vendor identified as the
"responsible lead vendor." Please include whatever subcontracting will be
required to meet the needs of the proposal or clearly indicate what portion of the
services are not included as part of your proposal.
The Proposal should not exceed 50 pages in total (optional service proposals are
separate).
Fifteen (15) bound copies of the Proposal must be submitted.
The title page of the proposal should contain your firm's name, ad&ess,
telephone number, principal contact, fax number, and e-mail address.
Years of experience related to website design.
Include resumes of all principals to be involved in the project and their roles and
responsibilities for the proposed project.
The Proposal should contain a Table of Contents.
Enclose a section on relevant website development experience and information
on the extent of your firm's abilities to meet the needs of this project.
Provide an estimated summary timeline for completion of this project.
Provide a list of at least three (3) comparable websites, including municipalities
and governmental agencies, designed by your firm. Include the website address,
company/agency contact, address, telephone number, and hard copies of the
Home Pages. These companies/agencies may be contacted for references.
All proposals must include a Proposal Form (Attachment 1) containing the firm's
name and signed by a responsible officer or employee.
Proposers are welcome to provide any other information deemed appropriate for
this project.
Is your firm willing to provide liquidated damages for inability or unwillingness
to deliver the proposed solution to meet the go-live date of February 17, 2003?
Yes No
If yes on 5.15, what is the maximum liquidated damages available?
What is the warranty period of the proposed system? The City assumes that the
system will be covered by a warranty period during which errors will be fixed
free of charge.
5.18
What are the terms and costs of system maintenance after the initial warranty
period has expired?
5.19 What, if any, are the recurring licensing costs of the proposed system?
5.20 What system maintenance training is offered as part of the proposal?
5.21 What support is offered during the agreed-upon warranty period?
5.22
Provide one or more "mock-ups" for a new City of Dublin website. Provide
hardcopies of a rudimentary design for a homepage and one or more content
pages that display a common theme and scheme. Items worth including could
be, but are not limited to, menus, button, graphics, headers, footers, borders.
The City will retain ownership of these mock-ups.
The City wishes to get an understanding of the firm's creative vision regarding
the City of Dublin website.
Note, that you need not include the Dublin City Seal in your examples, but you
may leave a space for its insertion. The City prohibits the use of the City Seal
except by City staff while conducting official City business.
6.0 OPTIONAL SERVICES
6.1
The City is considering hosting and maintaining its website in-house, but is
interested in receiving proposals on these services. Companies are not obligated
to propose on these optional services, or likewise, may submit a proposal for
these services only.
If providing a proposal on these services, please provide separate proposal(s),
with the appropriate titles and cost estimates thereof. Please indicate whether the
costs reflect an annual, monthly, or hourly rate and the minimum number of
hours available to the City during the designated time frame. Please also include
information as it relates to these services as requested in Section 5.1.5.
6.2 Website Maintenance
6.2.1 The City has not yet determined whether it will be maintaining the
website in-house with City personnel or contracting out this service. If
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the service is contracted out, the following is the scope of services the
City would like to have provided:
6.2.1.1
Monthly inspections of the entire City website for accuracy
of information, date timeliness, and grammatical and
spelling accuracy. Designated department representatives
should be contacted directly by the contractor regarding any
outdated information and elimination thereof.
6.2.1.2
Posting of City press releases and other information
provided in an agreed upon standardized format within 4-
hours of submittal by the City (weekends and holidays
excepted).
6.2.1.3
Minor test/date corrections within 24-hours of notification
by the City (weekends and holidays excepted). Acceptable
notification methods by the City are e-mail, facsimile, or
telephone.
6.2.1.4
Periodic posting of special reports such as the City's General
Plan, Budget, Water Quality Report, etc. within 72 hours of
submittal by the City (weekends and holidays excepted);
unless otherwise approved by the City.
6.2.1.5
Attendance of quarterly on-site meetings with the City's
Project Manager and/or Website Committee.
7.0
SELECTION PROCESS
City staff will review the proposals received and based on experience, scope of work,
cost and other relevant issues, the most qualified firms may be asked to conduct a
presentation and be interviewed for further consideration. After the interview process has
been completed, staff will make a final determination regarding the selection of a firm
and a contract. It is anticipated that interviews will be conducted on or about the week of
October 28, 2002.
7.1 Proposal Evaluation and Review
As indicated, staff will review and evaluate all proposals and select a firm based
on a combination of factors that represent the best overall value for the services
requested. In evaluating the proposals, the City will select proposals for further
consideration based on, but not limited to, the following criteria:
7.1.1
Completeness and inclusion of requested information.
Each proposer shall meet all of the specifications. Nonsubstantial
deviations may be considered, provided that the proposer submits a full
description and explanation of/and justification for the proposed
deviations. Final determination of any proposal will be made by the City
of Dublin. The City of Dublin reserves the right to purchase services
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7.2
7.3
which in its opinion represent the best value to the City for the duty to be
performed;
7.1.2 Ability and effectiveness of the firm to meet the needs of the City in
given project areas;
7.1.3 Qualifications and experience of the firm and staff assigned to the
project;
7.1.4 Past performance of the firm on completed projects;
7.1.5 Similar projects completed by the firm;
7.1.6 Professional standing and financial stability of the firm;
7.1.7 Availability of the firm to meet deadlines, responsiveness to changes,
and staying within projected budgets;
7.1.8 Ability to present materials that can be understood by technical and non-
technical staff;
7.1.9 Feasibility of the proposal based upon the proposed scope of service;
7.1.10 Ability to provide technical support throughout the length of the contract.
Presentation and Interview
The most qualified firms will be selected to conduct a formal presentation to City
staff/project team for further evaluation. Qualifying firms will be notified by the
City to schedule a presentation and interview session w/thin 14 days of receiving
and reviewing the written proposals. The presentation and interview session shall
take place at the City of Dublin Civic Center, 100 Civic Plaza. Any firm not able
to appear for this presentation and interview session will be eliminated from
further consideration for the award of this contract.
In addition to the items contained in section 7.1.1 - 7.1.10, other areas to be
considered during this session will be, but not limited to:
7.2.1 Demonstration of qualifications and fulfilling the needs of the project as
outlined in the Request for Proposal;
7.2.2 Demonstration of services provided to other companies, agencies, and
municipalities;
Final Selection
Following the review of the proposals, presentation, and interviews, the City may
further invite a firm(s) to formally meet with City representatives/project team
prior to making a final determination. Factors that will determine the final
selection will include the finalization of terms in regards to service agreements
and costs. However, the City of Dublin reserves the right to reject any or all
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8.0
9.0
quotations, waive any informality in this RFP, and to accept or reject any items
thereon.
7.4 Contract Commencement and Completion
7.4.1
The selected firm will be required to enter into an Agreement for the
project with the City. A sample agreement is available for review upon
request;
7.4.2
Any contract resulting from this RFP shall not be effective unless, and
until, approved by the City Council. Upon approval, the contract shall
start within 30 days after the award of the contract. The estimated
completion date shall be defined in the proposal submitted by the
selected firm, but shall be no later than 85 days from the award of the
contract;
7.4.3
Before the City executes a contract, the selected firm shall furnish the
City a certificate exfidencing Workman's Compensation Insurance and
Comprehensive Public Liability Insurance or General Liability
Insurance. The insurance policies shall be issued by a carrier licensed in
the State of California with a rating of B+ or better, as stated from time
to time by Standard and Poors, Moody's, or Bests'. The City shall be
named as an additional insured and the Certificates of Insurance must be
accompanied by the applicable endorsements for the specific insurance
policy.
OWNERSHIP AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
8.1
All screens, graphics, domain names, content and the "look and feel" of the site
developed shall be owned solely by the City of Dublin, together with any and all
underlying software, object code, digital programming, and source code.
8.2
The contractor does not retain any rights to use any materials or software it gains
from its creation of the website.
8.3
All intellectual property developed in connection with the website will be owned
solely by the City of Dublin.
8.4
In developing the website, the contractor will not infringe or violate the copyright
and other intellectual property rights of third parties.
8.5
The contractor is responsible for securing various rights, licenses, clearances, and
other permissions related to works, graphics or other copyrighted materials to be
used or otherwise incorporated in the website.
8.6 All applicable copyright notices will be displayed on the website.
8.6
Contractors, will not, during the website development or thereafter, use the City's
logos, except with the City's express written approval.
CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY
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10.0
9.1
A City representative will be designated to monitor all technical aspects and
assist in administering the contract. The types of actions within the City
representative's authority are to assure that the contractor performs the technical
requirements of the contract. The City representative will also perform or cause
to be performed, inspections necessary in connection with performance of the
contract; monitor the contractor's performance under the contract; and notify the
contractor and the City of any deficiencies observed.
9.2
The City will be responsible for providing the contractor with the specific
information on the content to be included on the City's website, including
documents and images in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe PDF, JPEG,
TIFF, BMP, and Adobe Illustrator within two weeks of the contractor's request;
unless otherwise specified and approved.
9.3
The project team, made up of the City's project manager and representatives
from the City's Website Committee, will be available as necessary to answer
questions and provide resources.
9.4
The City representative will not be responsible for any failure on the part of the
contractor to carry out work in accordance with the contract.
MISCELLANEOUS
10.1
The contractor shall hold the City of Dublin, its officers, agents, servants, and
employees, harmless from liability of any nature or kind on account of use of
copyrighted or un-copyrighted composition, secret process, patented or un-
patented invention, article, or appliance furnished or used under the quotation.
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Attachment 1
PROPOSAL FORM
PLEASE SUBMIT FIFTEEN (15) COPIES OF YOUR PROPOSAL. CLEARLY MARK ON
THE SEALED ENVELOPE OR PACKAGE "SEALED BID - CITY OF DUBLIN WEBSITE
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT - DO NOT OPEN WITH REGULAR MAIL" AND
DELIVER TO:
City of Dublin
100 Civic Plaza
Dublin, CA 94568
Attention: Kay Keck, City Clerk
Firm name:
Bid for proposed system (bid honored up to contract signing):
This signature certifies that the prices listed in the response to this RFP document represent the
"best price" offered by our company of the products and services offered to the City of Dublin.
Authorized Official (Print)
Firm
Signature of Authorized Official
Address
Title
City, State, Zip code
Telephone number
FAX number
Date e-mail address
1¸5