A. RFP Sample Format
Request for Proposal for Company X Six Sigma Deployment
Table of Contents
Bidding Instructions
1.0 General Information.
1.1 Request for Proposal (RFP).
1.2 Cost Reimbursement.
1.3 Proposal Format and Number of Copies.
1.3.1 Content.
1.4 Proposal Due Date. Your proposal is due ____________.
1.5 Proposal Expiration Date. Your proposal must be valid for a period of 60 days from the proposal due date specified in Paragraph 1.4 above. Company X reserves the right to negotiate changes, to reject any proposal or parts thereof, or to not make any award.
1.6 Signature. Your proposal shall be signed by an official authorized to bind your company to the order of magnitude contemplated.
1.7 News Releases.
1.8 Alternate Proposal.
1.9 Contractor Survey. To assess your ability to meet all proposed plans and commitments, Company X reserves the right to conduct surveys of your facilities, and the facilities of any subcontractors working on this project, at any time during the contractor selection process or during the period of contract performance.
1.10 Oral Presentation. The Contractor shall provide an oral presentation to the Company X team on _________, 2006 and _________, 2006. Details will be provided.
1.11 Clarification. All questions regarding this RFP shall be provided in writing via the Internet to __________@_____.com or faxed to ___-___-____ by ________, 2006.
1.12 Amendments. This RFP may be amended by Company X at any time. Contractors must acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this RFP by signing and returning the Amendment via fax within three (3) working days of amendment date.
1.13 Contract Award. It is anticipated that one award will be made by _______, 2006.
1.14 Period of Performance. Contract Award through ________, 2008.
1.15 Contract Type. Firm fixed rates.
1.16 Evaluation. Award will be made on a competitive basis to the Contractor submitting the “best value” proposal that is most advantageous to Company X. The evaluation shall occur in the following areas listed (in alphabetical order):
• Availability
• Cost
• Depth of Program
• Flexibility
2.0 Business Operations and Technical Proposal.
2.1 Executive Summary. The Contractor shall summarize in this section why it should be awarded this business.
2.2 Legal Entity. The Contractor shall furnish the following information:
a. The legal name of its Company as it should appear on any order that may be issued.
b. The complete street address and mailing address (if different).
c. The legal form under which the Company does business (sole proprietorship partnership, corporation, etc.).
d. If the firm is a Division or Subsidiary, the name and address of its Parent Company.
e. The date upon and state in which the Company was formed or incorporated.
f. Whether the Company is classified as a
• Large Business
• Small Business
• Woman-Owned Business
• Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
• Foreign Business
2.3 Company Organization Chart.
2.4 Facilities/Capabilities.
2.5 Additional Capabilities and Excess Capacity.
2.6 Experience. The Contractor shall describe the number of years of experience it has in providing the services requested in this RFP.
2.7 Company X Business. What percent (%) of your sales is Company X business?
2.8 References. The Contractor shall provide a list by _______, 2006 of the names and phone numbers of
a. Three client references that Company X may contact for which the Contractor currently provides services requested in this RFP.
b. Three former clients that Company X may contact that have terminated or non-renewed the services included in this RFP. The Contractor shall also provide an explanation for the termination or non-renewal.
c. What Company X businesses in the United States have used your services? Please provide name, phone number, date, and description of the service.
d. List corporate clients with corporate deployment contracts that are active right now.
2.9 Requirements. The Contractor shall specifically include a statement that it will comply with all the requirements of Exhibit A Statement of Work. Exceptions, if any, must be stated in writing at the time your proposal in submitted, must be specific rather than general, and must be accompanied by a specific reason and alternative language.
2.10 Technical Requirements.
2.10.1 Materials
• Provide copies upon request of each of your Six Sigma materials for Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt, and Train-the-Trainer for manufacturing and transactional services for Company X’s review. Describe how Company X can use this material.
• Describe how your team and materials will be tailored to Company X’s requirements.
• Confirm that your material is available in both hard copy and electronic formats.
• How would you integrate current Company X quality and change initiatives into formal training material?
• Identify the foreign languages in which your materials are available.
• Describe the Company X Corporate global licensing arrangement for your materials.
2.10.2 Training
• Describe your training approach for Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt, and Train-the-Trainer for manufacturing and transactional environments.
• How do you ensure that the Trainer and the Consultant providing support are the same person to maintain continuity during the project?
• Explain how your coaching sessions are structured so Company X receives the best value for the service.
• Provide a listing of your Six Sigma course offerings.
• Describe your Train-the-Trainer program.
• Describe Six Sigma software and Internet tools.
2.10.3 Experience
• How many companywide Six Sigma deployments has your company managed? Describe them in general terms (manufacturing-chemical, manufacturing-discrete transactional). Summarize the results.
• How do you know your program is successful?
• Are you willing to defer payments until the value of your services are evidenced?
• What’s your measurement system to ensure goals are met?
• What, and how, is your company held accountable for, and responsible for, during the period of performance of the contract?
• What is the typical time for a client to become self-sustaining?
• What are the typical financial returns on Company X’s investment in your services?
2.10.4 Consultants
• What percentage of your trainers/consultants speak a foreign language? Please identify the language(s).
• Provide a summary, including educational background, type of industrial experience, and years of experience for manufacturing and transactional services consultants.
• Describe the process to be used with Company X for Company X consultant interviews.
• Confirm that you are willing to provide Trainers/Consultant support to facilitate common materials tailored to Company X’s needs.
• Describe how you provide on-going project support.
2.11 Confidential Information.
2.12 Account Management.
• Describe your company’s approach to customer service and how you would manage the Company X account.
• Identify the account manager and/or a project manager who will be assigned to the Company X account. This individual(s) must have the appropriate authority and responsibility to ensure all requirements of the contract are met.
• Describe how you will ensure that appropriate backup is available for the account manager, project manager, and trainers.
• What would your typical deployment to a Company X division consist of?
2.13 Risks. The Contractor shall identify the risks associated with this effort; describe the complexity of each risk; categorize them as Low, Medium, or High; and describe how it intends to mitigate the risks.
3.1 Exhibit B, Price. Contractor shall complete Exhibit B, Price Matrix and include the completed form in the proposal.
1. Licenses—Corporate Global. Identify what is included in this fee; e.g., software, materials, Facilitator Guide for internal trainers, etc. Please indicate the price of the software.
2. Training Materials for each category as shown.
3. Consultant fees for classes and on-going support.
4. Mark-up fees for independent contractors.
3.2 Payment. A milestone payment schedule will be developed and mutually agreed upon.
3.3 Additional Terms and Conditions. The following terms and conditions will be included in the contract issued for deployment of Six Sigma:
1. Prohibitions.
2. Consultants. Company X may review and approve all personnel providing services under this contract. This includes account manager and/or project manager and consultants. Contractor agrees not to assign work on Company X’s premises to any of its employees who are not suitable to Company X. Contractor agrees to remove any individual from the project immediately if requested by Company X.
The Contractor will provide Trainers/Consultant support to facilitate common materials tailored to Company X’s requirements. These materials may not be Contractor materials.
3. Account Management. A designated Account Manager and/or Project Manager will be assigned to the Company X account and will have the appropriate authority and responsibility to ensure all requirements of the contract are met.
4. Materials. All materials shall be available in hard copy and electronic format and must be compatible with Company X software; e.g., MS Office, Windows, Lotus Notes, or Minitab. All materials shall also be available in foreign languages. The specific languages are TBD.
5. License. The Contractor shall grant to Company X and its present and future subsidiaries a permanent, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use electronic versions of the training materials and presentations (including any audio or video recording or other record of training presentations), together referred to as the “Training Materials,” for Company X worldwide distribution for Company X internal use. Additionally, Contractor understands and acknowledges that Company X may disclose the Training Materials, not for resale, to third parties (such as suppliers, customers, and distributors) with whom Company X has a commercial relationship; Contractor agrees that such distribution does not violate Company X’s license hereunder and is included in the license fee paid by Company X.
6. Statistical Software. Company X will work with the Contractor to determine the primary statistical package for the corporation.
7. Key Personnel. The Contractor shall notify the Company X Program Manager in writing 30 days prior to making any change in Key Personnel. Key Personnel are defined as follows:
a. Individuals who are designated as Key Personnel by written agreement of Company X and Contractor.
b. The Account Manager, ___________, is hereby designated as Key Personnel.
Notwithstanding any forgoing provisions, the Key Personnel shall be assigned to perform services for the period specified in this agreement unless the Contractor has demonstrated to the written satisfaction of Company X’s project leaders that the qualifications of the proposed substitute personnel are equal to or better than the qualifications of the person being replaced. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply if the Key Personnel leave Contractor’s employ, or are no longer available due to circumstances beyond Contractor’s control.
8. Hiring Practices. During the term of this agreement (and for a period of three years thereafter), Contractor agrees not to solicit or hire any Company X employees trained in Six Sigma. Contractor shall agree to instruct its employees, and its subcontractors, not to actively solicit Company X for employment opportunities during the term of this Agreement.
9. Payment Schedule. Company X and the Contractor will mutually agree to a milestone payment schedule, which will be incorporated and made a part of this agreement by reference.
10. Price. All consultants’ fees and materials costs for Company X worldwide shall be as shown in Exhibit B, Prices. No other prices will be allowed.
11. Global Agreement. This RFP applies globally and will include Six Sigma deployment for the United States.
12. Technical Contract Worker Agreement. Each individual consultant providing Six Sigma training to Company X will be required to sign a Technical Contract Worker Agreement prior to starting work at Company X.
Exhibit A Statement of Work
Objective and Goal
To deploy the Six Sigma training process as a global corporate initiative for its business units and staff groups.
Company X’s goal is to provide a standard Six Sigma methodology with common materials to ensure uniformity throughout the corporation.
Requirements
All Six Sigma training will use ______ statistical software. The Contractor shall provide Six Sigma Training for the following deployment:
Account Management
The Contractor shall provide a dedicated account manager and/or project manager, subject to Company X approval, to coordinate and manage the Company X account. This individual(s) must have the appropriate authority and responsibility to ensure all requirements of the contract are met.
Deliverables
Customized training materials—hard copy and electronic for Champions, Master Black Belts, Black Belts, and Green Belts.
Facilitators Guide for the internal trainers—hard copy and electronic.
Monthly project reports.
Exhibit B Price Matrix
Other Services
Please list below any other services required that are not shown above. Include the description and the price.