TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 7, 2014
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order and enter into an agreement for Contract 14-RFP-19 Harassment Awareness and Workplace Ethics Training Programs with ePath Learning, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $44,200.00, Account 101-25000-601170, Requisition 1376392
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with ePath Learning, Inc. to provide a one-hour eLearning course on harassment awareness, and a one-hour eLearning course on workplace ethics for all District employees and supervisors. The eLearning course on harassment awareness will be provided in 2014, and the course on workplace ethics will be provided in early 2015.
On March 27, 2014, Request for Proposal 14-RFP-19, Harassment Awareness and Workplace Ethics Training Programs was publicly advertised. Three hundred sixteen (316) firms were notified and thirty-three (33) requested proposal documents. On May 9, 2014, the District received seven (7) responsive proposals from the following vendors: Drake Resource Group, Inc., ePath Learning, Inc., Lloyd & Lloyd Corporation, Moraine Valley Community College, Reflection Software, Skillsoft Corporation, and Syntrio, Inc.
The proposals were evaluated by staff from the Human Resources Department and the Procurement and Materials Management Department. The criteria for these evaluations were outlined in Request for Proposal 14-RFP-19 and included: understanding of the project, approach to work, technical competence, financial stability, cost of services, compliance with insurance requirements, submission of all necessary licenses and permits, and affirmative action. Following the preliminary evaluation of proposals, three (3) proposers were deemed to be finalists and were interviewed on June 30, 2014. A solicitation was sent to each finalist on July 3, 2014 for an unqualified "best and final" offer. The "best and final" offers were returned to the Director of Procurement and Materials Management on July 9, 2014.
Based on the evaluation of proposals and interviews, it is recommended that a purchase order be awarded to ePath Learning, Inc. (ePath). ePath received the highest technical score among the proposers. It has provided customized eLearning courses for private and public sector organizations since 1999, and is the District's current Learning Management System provider. ePath's professional services team includes a staff of instructional designers, programmers, media artists, media professionals and project managers to deliver state-of-the-art customized courses. In addition, its team is skilled in communicating with subject-matter-experts (SMEs) to gather essential information to accurately translate and integrate these materials into a logical sequence to create an engaging learning experience.
In view of the foregoing, it is requested that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to award a contract to ePath Learning, Inc. in the amount of $44,200.00. Funds are available in Account 101-25000-601170 in an amount of $22,100.00 for 2014. Funds will be available in Account 101-25000-601170 in an amount of $22,100.00 in 2015 and are contingent on the Board of Commissioners' approval of the District's budget for 2015.
Requested, Denice E. Korcal, Director of Human Resources
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for August 7, 2014