The Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG), a regional collaborative agency of cities and counties that manages services including transportation and solid waste disposal, issued a request for proposals Nov. 24 seeking “Accounting Software and Implementation Services.” Among the takeaways:
- Formed in 1967 by a joint powers authority, MCAG includes six member cities as well as Merced County. It conducts transportation planning and administers the Transit Joint Powers Authority for Merced County, the Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority (MCRWMA), and the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System; and administrates Measure V, a transportation sales tax approved by voters five years ago.
- MCAG and MCRWMA are seeking proposals from service providers who can deliver an upgrade from Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 R2 to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2019 – or the most current version. The entities own the GP 2015 R2 license, according to the RFP, and have together 12 users that need to be able to access the software at the same time. MCAG and MCRWMA want the software upgrade, related services, hosting services and continuous technical support.
“MCAG intends to use the results of this RFP to award one service provider, (and) two separate contracts, one with MCAG and the other with MCRWMA,” it said in the RFP. The contractor chosen will be responsible for providing one software and license for both administrative offices. - The contractor chosen will be required to help upgrade the software indicated. Currently, the two county entities “access Great Plains (GP) on the Crestwood Server through Remote Desktop Services (RDS),” per the RFP. They’re looking to upgrade to the “newest version of the GP and RDS platform.” Other specific services needed include migrating and transferring the Microsoft Dynamics system and SQL databases to Dynamics GP 2019, or the “most current version — pre-production and production”; upgrading Microsoft Dynamics Management Reporter to support Microsoft Dynamics GP 2019; providing installation and user manual (PDF) documents for RDS and GP for Remote Desktop Services and Great Plains; providing testing and post-production upgrade help; and assisting in project planning and management. “Responders are encouraged to propose additional tasks or activities if they will substantially improve the results of the project.” The company hired will be “subject to administrative direction” from county staff and required to “consult with its IT partners, APEX.” As minimum qualifications, respondent must be “Microsoft licensed to install and upgrade Great Plains Software” and have experience installing and upgrading it.
- There’s no precise value stated for the contract, but its term will be three years, approximately from March 1 to Feb. 28, 2025. Questions are due by 12 p.m. Tuesday, with responses coming Dec. 14. Proposals are due by 12 p.m. Dec. 23, and interviews are slated for the week of Jan. 10. A notice of intent to award is expected in January and a notice of award in February. The tentative timeline for “major milestones” is to begin work and have a kickoff meeting during the week of March 1; do planning, testing and software implementation in March and April; and have an “updated software live date” of May 2.