Questions and Answers

Question 1

Question: We can only host the Drupal (Alfresco, Sharepoint, etc..) part of the solution. Is this a deal breaker?

Answer:    No, it is not a deal breaker. However, PDMA will give preference to a solution provider able to provide the complete solution. Similarly, it is our distinct preference to be able to go to one hosting provider for application-level issues (Managed Hosting), rather than to multiple hosting companies for pieces of the solution.

Question 2

Question:  How many companies did this RFP go out to?

Answer:    Direct approaches were about a dozen, while only five or six companies had prior discussions with PDMA. Of those companies contacted, we expect about five or six responses in total. We have not picked a preferred vendor or platform at all prior to the issuance of the RFP.

Question 3

Question:  What is the budget for this project?

Answer:    PDMA has not set a fixed budget for this work. However, the maximum budget for Phase I was thought to be $20K with about $1K/month for managed hosting. If vendor proposals are above the $20K for Phase I, then PDMA will consider a reduced scope or additional funding, which may delay the project.

Please also see the co-marketing and sponsorship opportunities section of the RFP. PDMA is very open and interested in exploring joint opportunities with vendors.

Finally, this proposal will not go automatically to the lowest bidder. When evaluating proposals, PDMA will consider the economics of the complete solution and the experience level of the vendors.

Update: We have received a number proposals and generally they were 2-3 times our original estimate. We believe PDMA will be able to afford this level of expenditure.

Question 4

Question:  Are you looking for a hosted solution?

Answer:    Yes. PDMA does not have IT staff and needs a Managed Hosting provider to take responsibility at the application level. This includes keeping the application running and upgraded to the latest release, backups, etc.. PDMA will provide content and community managers. We do not require a cloud-based or SAAS solution, but that servers running the application be maintained by the Managed Hosting provider.

Question 5

Question:   Which license will you use for Alfresco, the Enterprise Edition or the Community Edition?

Answer:     Since we have not made a platform choice, PDMA also has not made a license selection. If the vendor is proposing an Alfresco-based solution, then please recommend the appropriate license. Some vendors are not able to provide services on a Community Edition. In that case, we understand that the vendor may have to propose the Enterprise License or the new SMB hosted solution, which is currently in Beta.