RFP21126002 Technology & Application Stack Evaluation Closed

RFP21126002

Closed at: 2:00p.m., June 17, 2025

The BCER is seeking an experienced infrastructure architect or consulting partner to conduct a comprehensive review of our IT infrastructure

Download RFP21126002 Technology & Application Stack Evaluation Description

Description

The BCER is seeking an experienced infrastructure architect or consulting partner to conduct a comprehensive review of our current IT infrastructure. The objective is to ensure the environment is scalable, secure, cost-effective, and aligned with our future technology and business goals. This includes delivering a modern, unified digital user experience that supports operational excellence and helps maintain competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market.

Questions and Answers

If you have any questions about this posting, please email procurement@bc-er.ca.

4 to 8 weeks of effort

20-40k

Left to the proponents discretion. I would assume most of the work can be done remotely, including workshops and discovery sessions. If coming on site Victoria and/ or Fort St John would be the only 2 locations the proponent would need to travel to.

Left to the proponents discretion.

This should be included in the hourly rate on the proposal.

Primarily on-premise, Microsoft and Oracle, VMware, HP servers, cisco networking. Development is mixed. Current stack is in OpenShift, .Net and c#. have some java, PostgreSQL and other tech.

We would be happy to discuss/share our digital strategy so there is a better understanding of what it is we are trying to do. We are looking for the entire end to end tech stack as a result of this. That would be part of the outcomes of the future state.

Left to the proponents discretion and proposed approach to determine effort. Likely this is part time as we cannot dedicate full time support for this.

No.

We would be happy to discuss/share our digital strategy so there is a better understanding of what it is we are trying to do. We are looking for the entire end to end tech stack as a result of this to help drive the delivery of our digital strategy.

The point of this evaluation is to help us develop the diagrams. We have some info we can share (not fully up to date). There is no current UX or service design style guide.

These would help inform the technology stack assessment and likely worth including in your proposal.

For cybersecurity we use CIS controls. We should definitely review our posture against the BC gov digital standards and digital experience standards, but we are not held to those.

We don't have a specific tool. This could be discussed and recommended in your proposal.

Desk- based heuristics are fine.

For the tech stack a CDO, Executive Director, 5 Directors, likely 5-6 senior staff.

Logical Architecture Diagrams, Physical Deployment Diagrams, Reference Integration Patterns, Backlog of Epics/Features, Acceptance criteria - Data Management Strategy, API Reference Architecture, Crosswalk Documents . The documentation should provide a fulsome review of where we are and where we are potentially going with recommendations.

The assessment is to evaluate future states options including cloud architecture.

Our preference is for less than 2 month engagement.

All access requirements can be discussed and provided with the successful applicant.

No preferential or insider information gained from this engagement will be used for competitive advantage in future bids.

Amendments

There are no Amendments at this time.

Competition ID: RFP21126002

RFP21126002 Technology & Application Stack Evaluation Closed

RFP21126002

Closed at: 2:00p.m., June 17, 2025

The BCER is seeking an experienced infrastructure architect or consulting partner to conduct a comprehensive review of our IT infrastructure

Description

Questions and Answers

Does BCER have an anticipated number of hours or general timeframe (e.g., weeks/months) for this engagement?

Is there a target or not-to-exceed budget that proponents should work within?

Will the work be primarily remote, or are there any expectations for in-person engagement (e.g., stakeholder workshops or discovery sessions)? If so: What is the expected onsite location?

What frequency of onsite presence or travel should proponents anticipate?

If onsite meetings are required, will BCER reimburse related travel and accommodation costs separately, or should these be built into the proposed hourly rate?

Could you provide a high-level overview of BCER’s current IT infrastructure and application environment (e.g., cloud vs. on-prem, key platforms in use) to help tailor our assessment approach?

Is BCER aiming to fully migrate its application stack to the cloud, or selectively modernize certain components?

Is there flexibility around the July 2025 commencement date? Should proponents assume a part-time or full-time resource allocation during the engagement?

Will participation in this assessment engagement preclude the successful proponent from bidding on or participating in any future RFPs related to implementation or solution delivery that may follow from this work?

Could you please elaborate on the intended scope of the engagement? For instance, does the engagement primarily focus on user experience (UX) modernization, a broader architectural overhaul, or a combination of both?

Can BCER supply up-to-date architectural diagrams, CMDB exports or application/integration inventories at project start? Is there a current UX or service-design style-guide we should review?

Does “current-state assessment” include data architecture, information-security architecture and ISMS maturity, or are these out-of-scope? Beyond infrastructure/applications, should we analyse DevOps tool-chains, CI/CD and test automation?

Which specific security / architecture benchmarks (e.g., ISO 27001, ISO 27017, CIS Controls, BC Government Digital Standards) must the future-state comply with? What accessibility baseline (WCAG 2.2 AA? BC Government Digital Experience Standards?) will the UX benchmark be measured against?

Does BCER prefer frameworks (TOGAF ADM, SAFe, Agile Scrum) or modelling tools (Sparx EA, BizzDesign, Mural) for roadmap and artefact delivery?

For the “benchmark against government and industry standards for digital UX” work-stream: a) Is the consultant expected to run usability testing with end-users, or only desk-based heuristics? b) Are personas, journey maps and design system audits required deliverables?

Please confirm approximate number and seniority of BCER SMEs to be available; expected workshop count/length per workstream. Confirm preferred cadence and audience for “status reports” referenced in RFP deliverables.

Besides the roadmap, what specific artefacts constitute “futurestate architecture” (logical diagrams, physical deployments, reference integration patterns, backlog of epics)? What acceptance criteria or review gates will BCER apply before sign-off?

The Q & A notes an on-prem core with some OpenShift and .NET. Does BCER expect the roadmap to evaluate wholesale cloud migration options (IaaS/PaaS), hybrid patterns, or simply modernise on-prem?

Is BCER comfortable with a phased, part-time model (e.g., 2 consultant FTE-weeks spread over 6-7 calendar weeks) or does it require concentrated effort in the first weeks?

Will remote consultants be granted secure VPN access to internal systems, or must all sensitive reviews occur via BCER hosted virtual desktop or on-site?

Are travel expenses fully embedded in the not-to-exceed budget or will BCER allow separate disbursement lines if on-site work exceeds assumptions? Does BCER have a preferred timesheet format to accompany the required “monthly invoicing including detailed hours worked”?

The Q & A clarifies we may bid on subsequent implementation RFPs. Can BCER confirm that any artefacts we deliver will not be deemed to create a “design-build” conflict for future procurement stages?

Amendments