Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Stephen Farmer (Acting Director)
Department: Finance and Administrative Services Division: Purchasing
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO APPROVE final ranking of qualified firms of Request for Proposals (RFP) No. TRN2129615P1, Homeless Management Information System Solution for the Human Services Department. The ranked shortlisted firms are: 1 - WellSky Corporation d/b/a WellSky; 2 - Bitfocus, Inc.; 3 - International Software Systems, Inc.; 4 - CaseWorthy, Inc.
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Why Action is Necessary
In accordance with Broward County Procurement Code Section 21.42.(j), Procedures for RFPs, RLIs, and RFQs, if an objection or protest has been filed with respect to an Evaluation Committee’s ranking, the ranking must be submitted to the Board for final approval. The Board, by majority vote, may (1) accept the ranking as final; (2) reject all responses to the solicitation; or (3) direct the Evaluation Committee to reconvene to consider any new or additional information the Board directs the Evaluation Committee to consider. In addition, the Board may request presentations by the ranked vendors and may, by supermajority vote, rerank those vendors in a final ranking.
What Action Accomplishes
Approves the Evaluation Committee’s recommendation of the final ranking of qualified firms.
Goal Related Icon(s)
☐County Commission
☐Go Green
☐MAP Broward
Previous Action Taken
None.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE PURCHASING DIVISION AND THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT/HOUSING OPTIONS SOLUTION SUPPORT DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
The Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) determined that no County Business Enterprise (CBE) participation goal should apply to this solicitation based on OESBD review of the products and services and availability of CBE firms (Exhibit 2).
This solicitation is to engage a qualified firm to provide a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Solution for the Housing Options, Solutions and Supports Division (HOSS-D). The goal of the HMIS Solution is to acquire a solution that promotes industry best practices to collect and store client-level data, expand standard data analysis and custom reporting capabilities, advanced data sharing interface capabilities to eliminate duplicate client data entry with third-party databases utilized by participating agencies, and advanced data presentation tools including community dashboards as mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The RFP was advertised on June 13, 2025, and, at the time of the submittal deadline on July 17, 2025, nine firms submitted proposals: Bitfocus, Inc. (Bitfocus); CaseWorthy, Inc.; Fly Like An Eagle Outreach, Inc.; Global Vision Technologies, Inc.; International Software Systems, Inc.; PlanStreet, Inc.; SGS Technologies, LLC; Swiss Software, LLC; and WellSky Corporation d/b/a WellSky (WellSky).
On September 15, 2025, an Initial Evaluation Committee (EC) meeting was held. The EC evaluated the submittals and determined that eight of nine firms were responsive and responsible to the RFP requirements: Bitfocus; CaseWorthy, Inc.; Global Vision Technologies, Inc.; International Software Systems, Inc.; PlanStreet, Inc.; SGS Technologies, LLC; Swiss Software, LLC; and WellSky. The EC determined one firm, Fly Like An Eagle Outreach, Inc., as non-responsible to the insurance responsibility requirement.
In accordance with Broward County Procurement Code Section 21.42, Procedures for RFPs, RLIs, and RFQs, the Evaluation Committee shall establish a “shortlist” of vendors for further consideration of award of the solicitation, unless the Director of Purchasing determines that shortlisting would not be in the best interest of the County. During the Initial Evaluation Committee meeting on September 15, 2025, the Evaluation Committee evaluated the responses, scored, and passed a motion to shortlist four firms of the eight responsive and responsible vendor responses who would advance to final evaluation, which would include vendor presentations, Question-and-Answer period, numerical scoring by the Evaluation Committee, and ranking.
On October 13, 2025, a Final EC meeting was held. After presentations, scoring, and questions and answers, the EC named WellSky as the first-ranked firm; Bitfocus as the second-ranked firm; International Software Systems, Inc. as the third-ranked firm; and CaseWorthy, Inc. as the fourth-ranked firm (Exhibit 1).
The EC’s proposed recommendation of ranking was posted on the Purchasing Division website from October 22 - 27, 2025, which provided an opportunity for any proposer or interested party to present any new or additional information regarding the responsibility of the proposers.
On October 24, 2025, the Director of Purchasing received a timely written objection from Bitfocus to the ranking. The objection letter was focused solely on price. Bitfocus offered to submit a revised price matching WellSky’s offered price and requested the County to reconsider the rankings and/or proceed to negotiations with Bitfocus (Exhibit 3).
On November 7, 2025, the Director of Purchasing issued a response to Bitfocus objection stating that, after reviewing the procurement records and proceedings of the EC, and in consultation with the Office of the County Attorney, the issues raised in the objection were not of sufficient merit to recall or otherwise alter the recommendation of the EC. The RFP required firms to submit pricing with their responses as part of the Evaluation Criteria, in which Pricing represented 20 points out of a possible 100 points. The County’s evaluation was not solely based on price. The evaluation of firms was conducted appropriately and within established requirements, guidelines, practices, and procedures set forth in the Broward County Procurement Code, County Ordinances, and existing written guidelines of the Purchasing Division. As such, the objection was denied (Exhibit 4).
The EC’s final recommendation of ranking was posted on the Purchasing Division website from November 7 - 17, 2025, which provided an opportunity for any aggrieved proposer to file a protest. No protest was received.
Additional supporting documentation provided to the EC regarding this procurement can be found on the Purchasing Division website at <https://www.broward.org/Purchasing/Pages/Repository.aspx>.
Source of Additional Information
Robert E. Gleason, Director, Purchasing Division, (954) 357-6070
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
There is no fiscal impact.
Requisition No. HUM0000438