USVI Public Records

Document text

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, BID FORM, PROPOSED CONTRACT AND PERFORMANCE BOND GENERAL OVERVIEW FOR COMPANIES TO PROPOSE A TERRIORIAL REAPPRAISAL FOR THE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS Sealed proposals for the Revaluation of all Real Property for the United States Virgin Islands shall be received by Special Master no later than 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2003, at which time they will opened and read. All proposals shall be in writing and must include the forms attached hereto, filled-out completely, and must be signed by an authorized agent of the company. If more space is required, attach paper clearly indicating the reference item. All items must be answered completely. Oversight and governance regarding the United States Virgin Islands Reappraisal shall be as follows: 1. The Special Master, Mr. Joe Hunt, MAI, CAE approves the agreement (Contract) with the Company and approves funds for payment. 2. The Special Master shall approve submission to the Finance Department all payment requests. 3. Kenneth Voss, MAI, SRA, CAE works under the direction of the Special Master and shall be the Project Manager for the United States Virgin Islands. 2 INFORMATION FOR PROPOSING COMPANIES Revaluation Please contact: • Mr. Joe Hunt, MAI, CAE - Office Phone 919.966.4372, Fax 919.968.0371 (Cellular Phone 919.260.1614) and/or Mr. Ken Voss, MAI, SRA, CAE - Cellular Phone 404.822.9595 regarding any questions about the Revaluation Request for Proposal during normal business hours. A Company may withdraw its Proposal in writing received by the Special Master, at the above address prior to the bid opening. Any correction or modification to the Proposal shall be received in writing by the Special Master before the bid opening in a sealed envelop, with the name of the Company and either a price or proposal for evaluation indicated thereon. A Proposal or correction or modification of a Proposal received after the time and date specified shall not be considered. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FORMAT AND CONTENTS Proposals shall include the following information: 1. Project Proposal Form. 2. Non-Collusive RFP Statement. 3. One page summary of the Company’s advantages and strengths. 4. Name and telephone number of person(s) to be contacted for further information and clarification. 5. Listing of all municipal revaluation completed during the past five (5) years, including client contact, telephone number, size of municipality indicated by number of real estate parcels, scope of services rendered, and date completed under present corporate entity. Such list must include at least two (2) municipalities similar to and at least equal to in size of the United States Virgin Islands. 6. Listing of all municipal revaluations now underway or under contract, including client contact, telephone number, size of municipality indicated by number of real estate parcels and their roles in those revaluations, and date to be completed. 7. Listing of personnel to be assigned to the USVI revaluation including years experience in current position and other revaluation positions, municipalities served and their roles in those revaluations. Resumes of personnel assigned to this project must be included. 8. Description of the methodologies used for assessing values for residential, commercial, exempt, non-taxable and vacant land parcels. 9. Description of sales analyses that shall be performed to calibrate and verify accuracy of valuations. 3 10. Description of the Company’s public relations program that would be used throughout the revaluation period. 11. Indications of how many years have been engaged as a company, corporation, partnership or individual specializing in government tax revaluation service. 12. Copy of the Company’s non-consolidated Financial Statement, audited if available, for the last two (2) years or a statement that they shall be provided upon request. 13. Each Company shall provide the name of a person or designated representative of the Company to whom all official Notices or correspondence shall be sent, and the correct mailing address of such individual. 14. Sample invoice and progress report. 15. A description of the Quality Control Program to be utilized in this Project. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE USVI Nature of Service It is clearly understood and agreed that the services rendered by the Company are in the nature of assistance to the Assessor and all final decisions as to proper valuations rest with the Special Master. Cooperation The Assessor and its employees shall cooperate with and render all reasonable assistance to the Company and its employees. Items Furnished by the USVI The USVI shall furnish the following: Maps Zoning Map and Zoning Regulations Land Dimensions: The USVI, when available, will make available lot sizes and total acreage to the Company of all pieces of property where the maps or present records fail to disclose measurements or acreage. The USVI will also provide assistance during informal reviews to resolve discrepancies due to land sizes, boundaries, etc. Property Transfers: The USVI shall notify the Company, on a regular basis, of property splits and transfers occurring after the initial file built by the Company. The Company shall update appraisal cards and the master file as necessary. Building Permits: The USVI shall make available copies of all building permits issued during the course of the revaluation project up to the date that the completed project is turned over to the USVI Assessor. The Vendor will be responsible for all updates until the project is turned over to the Assessor of the USVI. Signing of Communications: The Assessor shall sign, communication to be mailed at the Company’s expense, to contact a property owner for inspection of the property and for the purpose of obtaining the property owner’s income and expense information for the income approach for valuation of commercial properties. 4 Mailing Addresses: The USVI shall make available through the Assessor’s Office the current mailing addresses of all property owners. During the course of the Contract, a property owner may change their mailing addresses. At such time as the town is so informed and the information transmitted to the Company, the new addresses shall immediately be entered into the CAMA software. Office Space, Hours, Staffing The USVI shall furnish sufficient office space and necessary office furniture to carry out the items of this contract. The office shall be open during the regular hours maintained by the USVI, or, if the office is not open, the Company shall inform the Assessor of the availability of the contact representative. Transmittal of Records to the USVI Regular periodical delivery of appraisals, as completed, and in accordance with a schedule agreeable to the Assessor and Special Master, shall be turned over to the Assessor for review. The appraisals of all commercial structures, either complete or under construction, shall be valued as of January 1, 2005. The appraisals of all other structures, either completed or under construction, shall be valued as of January 1, 2006. All commercial records shall be completed and corrected and shall be turned over to the Assessor by June 30, 2005. All other records shall be completed and corrected and shall be turned over to the Assessor by June 30, 2006. The final inspection and review shall take into consideration any known or apparent changes in the individual property since it was first inspected so that the final appraisal of property shall be appraised as of January 1, 2005 for commercial property and January 1, 2006 for all other property. It is understood and agreed that the reappraisal of properties covered by the contract shall conform to the procedures and technical requirements of the USVI and in conformance with IAAO Standards of Practice and USPAP. At least biweekly, an authorized agent of the Company shall meet with the Assessor to discuss the progress and various other details of the project. Weekly status reports, submitted to the Assessor shall be required throughout the duration of the project. DEFAULT Satisfactory Performance Should the Company fail to fulfill, in a manner deemed satisfactory to the Assessor and Special Master, its obligations under this Agreement, or if the Company should violate any of the material, covenants, conditions, or stipulations of this Agreement, which failure or violation shall continue for ten (10) days after written notice of said failure or violation is received by the Company; then the Assessor and the Special Master shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by giving written notice to the Company of such termination and specifying the effective date thereof, at least seven (7) days before the effective date of such termination; and the Company shall remain liable for the breach of the Agreement by the Company. If this termination clause is invoked, the Company’s agents and employees shall, at the USVI’s direction vacate in an orderly fashion the office space provided by the USVI, leaving behind all records, properly filed and indexed, as well as other property of the USVI. Any funds held by the USVI under the Contract shall become the property of the USVI to the extent necessary to reimburse 5 the USVI for its costs in obtaining another contractor and supervising the transition. Termination of this Contract and retention of funds by the USVI shall not preclude the USVI from bringing action against the Company for damages or exercising any other legal, equitable, or contractual rights the USVI may possess in the event of the Company’s breach. The Company shall be liable for all costs and reasonable attorney fees resulting from its breach. The appraisal of all commercial structures, either complete or under construction and land shall be valued as of January 1, 2005. The appraisal of all other structures, either complete or under construction and land shall be valued as of January 1, 2006. Timely Performance Failure by the Company to complete all commercial work prior to January 1, 2005 and all other properties prior to January 1, 2006, shall be cause for a payment from the Company on request of the USVI in the amount of FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($500.00) per day beyond the specified date of completion. For the purposes of these liquidated damages only, completion of all work no later than June 30, 2005, for commercial property and June 30, 2006 for all other properties is defined as follows: • Completed data collection cards with all measurements and listings • Completed sketches • Completed review documents • Completed sales analysis and sales book with photographs • Completed final valuations • Completed informal hearings and hearing corrections These liquidated damages, if applied, shall be deducted from the progress payments or contract price. Delays occasioned by war, strike, explosion, or acts of God or an order of court of competent jurisdiction are expected. Liquated damages shall not be applicable where the USVI has elected to terminate the Contract. Cancellation If the Company does not pay its debts as they become due, or if a receiver shall be appointed for its business or its assets and not voided within sixty (60) days, or if the Company shall make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or otherwise, or if its interest herein shall be sold under execution or if it shall be adjudicated insolvent or bankrupt, then and forthwith thereafter, the USVI shall have the right at its option and without prejudice to its rights hereunder to terminate the Contract and withhold any payments due. Defense of Values For all appeals to the Board of Review or the Courts for the revaluation, the Company shall work in accordance with the procedures set forth in the USVI statues. Qualified personnel shall review the appeals and make recommendations as to whether the valuation should be modified. 6 During the informal review process, the Company shall participate in negotiating sessions with the aggrieved applicants in an attempt to settle the dispute. In the event settlement efforts fail, the Company shall prepare supplemental appraisal reports after the taxpayer notifies the Board of Review of the disagreement or lack of agreement. Excusable Delays In no event shall either party be liable to the other for any delay or failure to perform which is due to any Act of God or civil or military authorities, civil disturbance, wars, strikes, fires, natural catastrophes, or other unforeseen similar causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the party claiming excusable delays. USVI Records The original or a copy of all records, computations, and work product including machine readable databases, made by the Company in connection with any appraisal of property in the USVI shall, at all times, be the property of the USVI and, upon completion of all services to be performed under this agreement, or termination of this agreement, shall immediately deliver to the USVI, in good order, and the Company shall certify to the USVI, in writing, that is has delivered all such records to the USVI and has no such records in it’s possession. Such records and computations shall include the following, but not limited to: 1. Tax Maps 2. Land Value Maps 3. Materials and Wages, Cost Investigations and Schedules 4. Data Collection Cards, Final Property Record Cards with property valuations and sketches 5. Cost Sheets 6. Comparable Sales Sheets 7. Sales Data 8. Capitalization Rates and Schedules 9. Depreciation Tables 10. Computations of Land and Building Values 11. All letters of memoranda to individuals or groups explaining methods used in appraisals, operating statements of income properties 12. Land Schedules 13. Software licensed and operation date(s) 14. Hardware environment The Company shall have access to the USVI records during the course of providing services hereunder, and the parties shall cooperate in order to minimize any disruption 7 to the USVI. No record shall be removed from the USVI Assessor’s Office without the expressed written consent of the Assessor. Protecting the USVI Bonding The Company shall, to secure the faithful performance by the Company of the terms of this agreement, furnish to the USVI a Performance Surety Bond within fifteen (15) days of the execution of the Agreement, in the amount of this contract, which bond shall be issued by an admitted bonding company licensed to do such business in the USVI, with an A.M. Best Company rating of “A+” or better. Said bond shall be delivered to the USVI prior to the commencement of actual work and shall be in a form prescribed by the USVI. This bond shall secure performance of all Company’s obligations under this agreement including the Company’s obligation to address appeals for the 2006 Assessment Year. Failure to obtain a performance bond shall be an event of default. Indemnification and Insurance Except as provided below, the Company agrees to defend and save harmless the USVI against all claims, demands, payments, suits, actions, recovery, and judgment of every kind and description arising out of the performance of this agreement, for personal injury or property damage brought or recovered against it by reason of any negligent action or omission of the Company, its agents, or employees and with respect to the degree to which the USVI is free from negligence on the part of itself, its employees and agents. The Company shall carry Comprehensive Broad Form General Liability Insurance in the amount prescribed by the USVI, including protection for bodily and property damage. The Company shall also maintain Automobile Liability Insurance providing limits prescribed by the USVI hereto attached, and Umbrella or Excess Liability Insurance in the amount prescribed by the USVI attached. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance shall provide coverage as required. Prior to the commencement of the work the Company detailing the stated coverage’s shall supply Certificates of Insurance to the USVI. A carrier authorized to do business within the USVI shall issue these Certificates. The USVI shall also be named as an additional carrier. CHANGES AND SUBLETTING OF CONTRACT Scope of the Revaluation Project The revaluation requires the complete appraisal and revaluation of all real taxable, exempt and non-exempt property located with the USVI boundaries. The Company shall furnish all labor, materials, copying machines, supplies, and equipment, including computer equipment. All work for this project shall be in strict accordance with this Request for Proposal and written agreement signed by both parties and any amendments there to signed by both parties. 8 The values to be determined shall be market value as defined in the USVI Statues and relevant Court decisions. Basis of valuation shall be the recognized methods of appraising real property, as defined by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO). Should the question arise as to the taxable status of any property, the Assessor shall make the final decision as to the taxable status. The effective date of the revaluation for commercial property shall be the Assessment Date of January 1, 2005; the effective date of the revaluation project for all other property shall be the Assessment Date of January 1, 2006. Valuations and appraisals of all taxable, exempt, and non-taxable real property shall reflect full market value as of January 1, 2006. The number of property units in the USVI was 58,000+/- as of July 10, 2003. A more complete description of the properties can be found in the office of the Assessor. GENERAL CONDITIONS Project Award The USVI reserves the right to reject any, or any part of, or all Proposals; to waive formalities and technicalities; and to accept the proposal, which the USVI deems to be in the best interest of the USVI. Proposal price shall be a consideration, but lowest dollar cost Proposal shall not be the sole criteria to be considered. Consideration in the awarding of the contract shall be given to price, experience and competence of the Company, quality and experience of the Company’s personnel, the nature and size of the Company’s organization, the quality of similar projects performed by the Company in the past and any other relevant criteria. COMPANY Certification Each Company, corporation, partnership, or individual, herein termed Company, must hold, prior to the commencement of any and all work hereinafter required, written certification of approval by the Lieutenant Governor’s office. Personnel The Company shall provide experienced and qualified personnel in compliance with the requirements of the Equal Opportunity provisions of Federal and Territorial Governments. The Company shall submit to the USVI written qualifications of all personnel assigned to this project in the form of a resume. All personnel assigned to this project shall be subject to the approval of the USVI Assessor and shall be caused to be removed from this project by the Company upon written demand of the Assessor. The Assessor shall have the right to interview all personnel before they are assigned to this project. The USVI may request and receive motor vehicle and criminal records and conduct a background check of all project personnel. The Company shall, so long as the personnel named in the Proposal are in its employ, or associated with the firm, assure their availability for work directly related to the Performance of this Agreement. 9 Minimum Qualifications The Company shall employ personnel as necessary to execute the provisions of this work. Said personnel, shall, at a minimum, possess those minimum qualifications as established by the Lieutenant Governor’s office. If not presently approved for the purposes of completing a territorial-wide revaluation, the Company, and its personnel shall obtain such approval prior to the commencement of this revaluation. Project Manager Once assigned to this project, the Project Manager shall not delegate or assign any responsibilities of and for this project to any other person. It is the desire of the USVI to see that once a Project Manager has been assigned to this project that the Project Manager must remain solely assigned to this project to its completion. Failure to adhere to this provision shall be an event of default. Any exception that is beyond the control of the Company may, at the discretion of the USVI, be subject to negotiation. Identification All field personnel shall carry suitable I.D. cards, which shall include an up-to-date photograph, supplied by the Company. All automobiles used by the field personnel shall be registered with the USVI Police Department, giving license number, make, name, model, year and color, and ownership of the vehicle. Each vehicle shall have display magnetic signs on the drivers and passengers sides of the vehicle at the Company’s expense. The signs shall be no less than eighteen inches high by twenty-four inches wide, and shall include information sufficient to inform the public of the purpose of the occupants, i.e. USVI Assessors Office and telephone number. Conflict of Interest and Communication The Company shall employ no USVI employee, elected official or immediate relative/spouse. All written and electronic communication, subsequent to the awarding of this contract shall be to the USVI Assessor with a copy to the Special Master. No private communication with an individual USVI employee or elected official shall be permitted other than the bi-weekly meetings with the Assessor and property inspections as set forth above. Initial Staff Meeting Prior to the issuance of any field assignments, the Company shall hold a joint meeting with the Assessor and Special Master in order that all duties and assignments can be explained to all individuals who are to be performing tasks in conjunction with this project. All staff members of both the Company and Assessor’s office shall receive a copy of the executed agreement for the Revaluation. It is the USVI’s intent that all individuals who are to participate in this project should be fully informed as to the contract requirements. Any individual assigned to the project after the initial staff meeting shall also receive a copy of the executed agreement and shall attend a similar meeting held between the project supervisor and the Assessor. 10 Confidentiality The Company agrees not to disclose to anyone except to the Assessor any new values discovered, for any purpose, or to permit anyone except to the Assessor to use or peruse any of the data on file in connection with the revaluation. Assessment Date The completed appraisals, upon approval of the Assessor, shall be the basis for the Commercial Assessment Date of January 1, 2005; the complete appraisals, upon approval of the Assessor, shall be the basis for all the other property assessment date of January 1, 2006. All data contained in the Appraisal Cards and the Software shall reflect the Assessment Date of January 1, 2006. PAYMENT SCHEDULE Progress Payments Payments shall be made in the following manner. Thirty days after the execution date of this contract, and thereafter within ten days of the end of each succeeding month, the Company shall forward to the USVI Finance Director and the Assessor an invoice of work completed during the preceding thirty-day period. Such request for payment shall itemize and accurately indicate the extent and nature of work performed by volume, street and category or in any other manner required by the Special Master. The Assessor shall review each monthly invoice and within twenty days business days of its receipt either approve all or a portion of it for payment as follows or return it to the Company with a statement of reasons for its rejection. All monthly progress reports and work completed shall be subject to the review of the Special Master. Upon the Assessor’s or Special Master determination that the work delivered has been satisfactorily completed according to the work plan and time schedule attached to this Request for Proposal and written agreement and any amendments there to be signed by both parties, payment will be authorized in accordance with the terms of the Agreement. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE REVALUATION COMPANY Good Faith The Company shall in good faith use its best efforts to assist the Assessor in determining accurate and proper market valuations, and shall not undervalue or overvalue any land, building or other property to avoid or minimize its responsibilities. Public Relations The parties of this revaluation project recognize that a good public relations program is required in order that the taxpayers of the USVI may be informed as to the purpose, benefits and procedures of the revaluation. The Company shall provide reasonable assistance to the Assessor in conducting a program of public information through the press, radio and television. The Company shall participate in meetings with citizens, service clubs and property owner groups as a means of establishing understanding and support for the revaluation program and sound assessment administration. The Company shall supply visual aid and other 11 media at its disposal to this end. The Company shall submit a detailed public relations plan to the Assessor within thirty days of execution of an agreement. Conduct of Company Employees As a condition of this contract, the Company’s employees shall at all times treat the residents, employees, and taxpayers of the USVI with respect and courtesy; the Company shall take appropriate action and meaningful disciplinary measures against those who violate the terms of this provision. RECORDS General Provisions The Company shall provide all appraisal cards, computer supplies, office supplies, equipment, forms, literature, and papers to be used in this Project at no additional cost to the USVI. The Company shall utilize the designated USVI computer to process all information relative to this project. Additional Supplies The Company shall supply an adequate amount of property record cards for use on the project. These forms shall be designed to enable the Company to reprint information from the computer database that shall be created from existing USVI records. It will be the Vendor’s responsibility to verify any existing data and by furnishing data no assumption should be made for accuracy. The Assessor shall approve in writing all forms, reports; mailings etc. to be utilized in this project and shall have final approval as to color, size, content, etc. Assessor’s Records The Company shall use a system approved by the Assessor, for the accurate inventory of all records and maps, copies of which may be made from the files of the Assessor’s office, in connection with appraisal work. All such records and maps shall be returned before the end of the contract and prior to the final invoice paid. None of the Assessor’s records shall be taken outside the territorial limits without prior written permission of the Assessor. Appraisal Cards The Company shall complete field record cards, commonly referred to as “Data Collection Cards,” filed by the map and parcel number. The map and parcel number as indicated on the Assessor’s tax maps shall be considered the Parcel Identification Number for all parcels. These cards shall contain all manner of information affecting value, including, but not limited to, information as to location of property and locatable address if a structure appears on the parcel, classification as to usage, owner of record, source of title, size, shape and physical characteristics of land, with a breakdown of open and wooded acreage as applicable, public utilities available, public improvements, and zoning designations in effect as of the assessment date. Locatable addresses are assigned by the Assessor’s office. 12 All residential improvements shall be measured giving a listing of all exterior construction details. Quality of construction, actual and effective age and overall condition, shall be shown. Interior data for all structures shall include, but not limited to number and condition of rooms, number of bathrooms, number of kitchens, number of bedrooms, number of garage bays and any special or unique features that a structure may have, and value that each contributes to the market value of the whole. Detached structures shall be fully described as to use, inclusion in homestead or not, quality of construction, present condition and value that each contributes to the market value of the whole. All physical commercial improvements shall be measured giving a listing of all exterior construction details. Quality of construction, actual and effective age and overall condition, shall be shown. Interior data for all structures shall include, but not limited to number and condition of rooms or offices, number of restrooms and any special or unique features that a structure may have, and value that each contributes to the market value of the whole. All detached structures, if any, shall be fully described as to use, quality of construction, present condition and value that each contributes to the market value of the whole. Property Record Cards The Company shall also provide a set of cards commonly referred to as “Property Record Cards’ (PRC). These cards shall contain all information collected at the property as well as all information necessary to the valuation process. This information shall be computer generated by the software and shall include the sketch to scale of the footprint of all structures along with all physical data, replacement cost, depreciation grade, age, condition and estimated fair market values of the land and improvements. The records shall be filed by the Parcel Identification Number. The card shall be so arranged as to show, pricing detail, depreciation allowed for physical, functional and economic factors of all principal buildings in the parcel. The layout and design of the PRC’s is to be approved in writing by the Assessor prior to implementation. The Company shall prepare a property record card, 8 ½ x 11 inches, for each separate parcel of property in the USVI. The Company shall provide to the USVI upon request a plain paper printout of a property record card for any and all parcels with the USVI. The cards shall be so arranged as to show the owner’s name, street number, or other designation of the property and the mailing address of the owner, together with the necessary information for determining land value and classification, and space for indicating the land value and value of the buildings on the land. Any coding used by the Company on the property record card shall be clearly explained elsewhere on the card or on an attachment thereto. The signature or other identifying symbol of the Company’s employee appraising the property shall be noted on each property record card. Sketches and Digital Photographs Digital drawings shall accurately indicate the footprint of all floor areas of all structures. Special attention shall be paid to structures that are heated or have either one or both 13 electricity or running water. Footprints drawn to scale shall indicate all detached structures including tennis courts, swimming pools, or other significant improvements. All appurtenances to every structure shall be shown in its proper position (relative to the footprint of the main detailed structure) and labeled as to its function. The drawings shall be labeled, organized, and electronically filed according o protocol developed by the Assessor’s office. The Assessor shall offer one day of training to the Company’s personnel regarding this protocol. There shall be one hard copy of each drawing attached to its appropriate Property Record Card. Digital photographs shall be taken of all structures that habitable. Digital photographs shall be taken of one view of all other structures including but not limited to swimming pool and tennis courts or other significant improvements. The photographs shall be labeled, organized, and electronically filed according to the protocols developed by the Assessor’s office. Sketches of all buildings shall be drawn to scale for all properties with dimensions given on a separate card. On the data collection card shall appear a series of polygons and arcs that accurately depict how the total square footage of each structure on any given parcel is calculated. Final property record card folders shall separately contain all sketches printed to scale. These sketches shall not be available to the public in electronic form, but may be copies by a digital or analog copying machine. Digital photographs of all improved properties shall be taken and dated showing at least two sides of each major structural improvement and any significant site improvements such as swimming pools, tennis courts, landscaping, etc. Detached structures shall be photographed as necessary to accurately depict the use and configuration of the improvements. The Assessor shall offer one day training to the Company’s personnel regarding this protocol. There shall be one hard copy of each photograph attached to its appropriate Property Record Card. Except one photograph depicting the common approach to the main structure on any improved parcel the photograph shall not become a part of the software. Electronic copies of all photographs shall be filed according to the protocol in the Assessor’s office at the time of the signing of an agreement. Preliminary Assessment Notices At the close of the revaluation but not later than June 30, 2006, a notice shall be sent, at the Company’s expense by first class mail to each owner of record as of January 1, 2006, setting forth the valuation that has been placed upon the property identified in the notice. The Company shall provide the needed information for the notice. Also enclosed shall be a letter specifying the dates, times and place of the informal public hearings, and a valuation booklet, listing all taxable property in the USVI. Such notices, booklets and letters shall be subject to the approval of the Assessor and Special Master. The Company shall be responsible for providing a camera-ready image for printing and mailing of valuation booklets, which are to be sent to the taxpayers at the Company’s expense. The format shall be approved, prior to printing, by the Assessor and shall include the name of each property owner, Parcel Identification Number and the old and the new valuations. The booklet shall be arranged in alphabetical order of the property owners. The Company shall make available counter listings to be placed in strategic 14 locations around the USVI. Copies of the booklet are to be located in all Assessors’ offices. Informal Public Hearings Between April 2005 and May 2005 for commercial property and between April 2006 and May 2006 for all other property. The Company shall hold two public informational forums at a time and place approved by the Assessor, the Company’s personnel shall explain the manner and methods of arriving at the new valuations. Together with the Assessor, the Company shall hold informal public hearings so that errors on the part of the Company with respect to individual properties (size of buildings or land, number of bathrooms, etc.) can be resolved. The Company, in conjunction with recommendations of the Assessor, shall schedule a sufficient number of hearings expeditiously and fairly. Any information offered by the taxpayer shall be given consideration, and adjustments shall be made where warranted with the approval of the Assessor. Informal Reviews Immediately prior to the Informal Hearings the Company shall mail valuation notices by first class mail to all property owners together with the announcement of the informal review process along with a list showing all property owners and valuations in the USVI or a letter stating the newly estimated value of the property. Prior to mailing any valuation notices as described herein, the Company shall deliver to the Assessor the proposed list of valuations and shall meet with the Assessor to discuss the proposed list. The Company shall post in the Virgin Island Daily News public places a list showing all property values within the USVI. The Company shall provide a sufficient number of days for the informal reviews to respond to taxpayer questions resulting from the revaluation. The Company shall notify all property owners addressed during the informal reviews of the disposition of their review stating whether or not a change in value has resulted, and the amount thereof. Notification provided to all property owners addressed during the informal reviews of the disposition of their review shall be in writing, and provided at the Company’s expense. In addition to notifying property owners of proposed informal reviews, the Company shall make available to taxpayers, upon request, a copy of the proposed valuation record of the individual properties, which shows the data collected and other pertinent information. The Company shall provide adequate services, namely, sufficient telephone numbers, personnel, time and convenient hours so that a taxpayer, or agent of the taxpayers, may conveniently communicate with the Company after receiving the valuation notice. The informal reviews described herein shall be public and shall commence no later than June 2005 for commercial property and June 2006 for all other property. Formal Notification of Change of Appraisal In June 2005 for commercial properties and June 2006 for all other properties, the Company shall, at its expense mail together with a certificate of mailing a change of appraisal notice to each property owner in the USVI. The Company shall maintain accurate records as to the certificates of mailing. 15 The Company shall then make itself available so that together with the Assessor, the owners of the property, or their legal representatives may appear at specified times to formally grieve the assessed valuations of their property. During the grievance hearings the Company shall re-inspect each grievant’s property, and together with the Assessor reach a decision as to revised valuations. The Company shall, at its expense mail a “Notice of Results.” On or before July 2005 for commercial properties and on or before July 2006 for all other properties, after all grievances have been heard and acted upon, the Company at its expense shall print copies of the final valuation list that shall contain any and all changes made to individual properties during the grievance process. Appeals Beyond the Board of Review The Company agrees to furnish the services of a qualified representative to support the values established for the revaluation tax year upon appeals to the Board of Review or Superior Court, in all cases where the appeals have been entered within the time prescribed by law without cost to the USVI except that in the case of an appeal upon a Public Utility property that has been appraised by the Company, the services of an expert may be required and the charge shall be specified on a Bid Form. The Assessor in writing must approve the expert. The Company shall continue to be responsible for providing a qualified representative to support the established value even if the Board of Review has reduced the value. Project Plan Within ten-days of execution of this agreement with the USVI, the Company shall provide a project plan, also known as a delineation chart, for the project, which depicts the manpower requirements necessary to complete this project within the time frame allowed. The project plan shall further be delineated by each phase of function of the contract and shall show the production schedule and manpower loading for each two- period of the project. The Company shall submit updates to the project plan bi-weekly. APPRAISAL SPECIFICATIONS Sales Analyses Prior to the Data Collection phase of this project, a sales analysis program of all different major categories as defined by the Assessor shall be performed as a means of determining the schedule levels to be utilized in the project and for substantiating the neighborhood boundaries and groupings established. This analysis shall be done on the aggregate of all property categories and on each of the neighborhoods previously delineated. The sales analyses shall include, at a minimum, sales ratios and coefficients of variation or dispersion. Any additional requests for sales ratio studies by the Assessor or Special Master shall also be performed. Sale Survey In order to ensure that appraisal shall reflect full and true value, the USVI shall provide to the Company a copy of all property transfers for a period not to exceed four years immediately preceding the effective date of the revaluation. A sales analysis shall be 16 conducted using accepted appraisal methods in order to determine land, building and total property values. Such accepted methodology shall include the consideration of all sales provided by the USVI to the Company and their inclusion in the sales survey book with appropriate notations for those sales not used in the correlation of values. A qualified appraiser supervisor shall conduct the sales survey. All property sales shall be included in the sales book by photocopy or printout of the property assessment record card and a photograph of the principal buildings shall be attached thereto. The Company shall verify the sales price and terms of the sale and a notation to that effect made on the property assessment record card along with the sale price, date of the sale, and date of inspection. Land Sales Study Land values shall be determined from land only sales whenever possible. In the absence of an adequate number of land sales, the appraiser may use the land residual technique to assist in the determination of land values. The analysis shall show the sale price, adjustments made and final value as of the effective date of the revaluation. The Company shall inform the USVI, prior to any use, of the groupings of properties into areas or neighborhoods for the purpose of determining value. The indicated land values shall be shown as, but not limited to, front foot, square foot, acres or other appropriate units of comparison. The completed sales survey showing the sales used and the analysis to indicate property values, together with maps showing front foot, square foot, acre, or other appropriate units of comparison shall be delivered to the Assessor for approval and shall at all times be the property of the USVI. Confirmed vacant land sales data shall be analyzed on all sales occurring during the five years prior to January 2005 for commercial properties and January 2006 for all other properties. The analysis and application of all confirmed sales data shall be governed by procedures and techniques approved by the Assessor and Special Master. Sales may be used beyond the five-year period subject to the prior written approval of the Assessor. Land Value Study Land value shall be determined on the basis of Highest and Best Use, which shall be stated for each parcel identified. The results above shall be organized and presented in a format stratified by the Zoning designation. The Company shall consult owners, realtors, banks, appraisers, and other sources for information relative to all confirmed sales of improved/unimproved sales recovered during research in the USVI. The Company shall document and inform the Assessor as to those contacted and the findings. The Company shall consider factors affecting land value, such as location, zoning, available utilities, size, shape, view, improved/unimproved roads, special exceptions or zoning variances, non-conforming uses, flood plains, special purpose uses, form of ownership, and factors listed above. All factors affecting value and valuation computations and listed above shall be entered on the master file and the appraisal cards. 17 Appraisal of Land The Company shall appraise all land within the USVI: residential, vacant, commercial, agricultural, special use, public utility, all exempt and non-taxable. Then prepare a land schedule for each using IAAO standards at a minimum. Land Inspection The Company shall be responsible for familiarizing themselves with each plot or lot and note topographical features, such as high banks and steep slopes, category of road, access, proximity to utilities, approximate elevation, views, inland wetlands, soil conditions, irregular shapes, presence of utility easement or other factors which may influence the value of land. Land Value Unit The land value unit for all commercial properties shall be the square foot, based upon the market area, neighborhood and land class. At the discretion of the appraiser, and with approval from the Assessor and Project Manager, a land value per acre may be utilized. Each abutting parcel listed under a single ownership shall be separately appraised as if it were a stand alone parcel and the sum shall become the total of the owner’s land value. Land Value Map The Company shall delineate the land values on all streets and acreage in the USVI and enter it into the USVI CAMA system. Neighborhood Delineation After consideration of the applicable factors affecting value, the Company shall, with the cooperation and written approval of the Assessor, delineate neighborhoods within the USVI. Each neighborhood unit shall be assigned an identification code, which shall be used, as necessary in valuation. These neighborhood codes shall be recorded and maintained on property cards, USVI maps and the computer database. Each code shall be such form that without modification shall be used by the USVI CAMA system as a factor for determining final values. Appraisals The Company shall make a careful study and investigation of the costs of residential, commercial and industrial construction in the USVI, based upon delivered material costs and prevailing wage rates in the building trades. The Company shall develop data unit costs, which shall include architects and engineer’s fees and contractor’s overhead and profits. Before using such unit costs, the Company shall make test-using costs against actual appraisals of buildings whose actual current costs are known in order to ensure accuracy. Residential Property Appraisal Schedules The Company shall use unit costs as the basis of appraisal of residential properties. Schedules shall consist of unit base prices based upon definite specifications for houses of various types and quality of construction and reflect building customs and practices in the USVI. The schedules shall be completed for various story heights and cover 18 ground areas adequate for the valuation of all types of houses with tables of additions and deductions for variations from base specifications including schedules for garages. APPRAISAL OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES Appraisal Manual The cost data and schedules developed for the valuation of residential, commercial, industrial, manufactured housing and exempt properties shall be summarized and bound by the Company for use as an appraisal manual. Upon completion of the revaluation, the Company shall deliver copies of the manual to the Assessor. The Company shall instruct the Assessor in the use of the manual so that the Assessor will have an understanding of the appraisal process being utilized. TYPES OF COST SCHEDULES Residential Residential cost schedule shall include schedules for various architectural classifications, types, models, and story heights on a per square foot basis, normally associated with residential buildings. The schedule shall be flexible with special sections reflecting the various additions and deductions for construction types of heating systems, bathrooms, porches, breezeways, attached or unattached, as well as garages and schedules for other building improvements usually found on residential property such as swimming pools, barns, sheds, tennis courts, etc. The Company shall provide a quality control procedure to ensure that all data verification procedure is being conducted properly. The Company shall randomly select and re-inspect at least 10% of the improved properties to determine that the 100% data verification has been performed properly. The audit phase will conducted by the Special Master in accordance with the Settlement Agreement. Quality control forms designed for the purpose of re-inspections shall be provided by the Assessor on a weekly basis commencing with the first week of data collection activity. The Assessor and the Company shall cooperate in order that a rating system shall be designed to assign various weightings to all data elements for the purpose of determining the accuracy of the data verification program. The Assessor shall review data quality by tax map. Should the Assessor or the Company determines that the data quality is insufficient in any map, 10% failure on a map shall be considered a failure for the entire map. The Company shall recollect all of the building data in the tax map, which failed the quality control procedure. Interior Inspection The Company shall make every effort to obtain permission to enter upon each parcel. This shall require both telephone and written appointment confirmation and appointment requests. The minimum number of telephone attempts shall be three and shall be properly accounted for. It may be necessary for the Company to make these telephone calls during evenings and weekends and must take into account Federal, Territorial and school holidays. The Company shall guarantee to make a careful 19 inspection of the complete interiors of 100% of all structures of all improved properties excluding those where permission to enter has been refused or cannot be obtained. When entrance to a structure for a scheduled inspection is refused, the Company shall make note of the fact and within two (2) working days notify the Assessor of the fact in writing, giving the facts as to the time of the visit and if possible, the name of the party refusing entrance and other pertinent information. The Assessor shall review the situation, and if he shall be unable to gain the cooperation of the party involved, he shall so notify the Company, and they shall proceed to estimate the value of the building on the basis of facts ascertainable without entry and make adequate notations of the lack cooperation, and the manner of arriving at value, conspicuously on the record card. Properties whose owners have not answered letters requesting an appointment for inspection shall also be excluded from the total number of properties in computing the 100% figure. If after two (2) attempts, contact was not established with the property owner, a notification letter approved by the Assessor, shall be mailed, notifying the property owner that the representative of the Company was not able to make contact, and requesting that within a prescribed time limit the property owner contact the Company, by telephone or mail, for alternative arrangements for the inspection of the property. Refusals and lack of response to the Company’s letter shall be counted in the category of non-inspected properties. The data collection card shall indicate the initials of the Company’s inspector and the date(s) and time of the inspection. Exterior Inspection The perimeter of all improvements shall be carefully measured. The Company is responsible for the accuracy of all exterior information. All residential buildings and improvements shall be measured to the nearest one (1) foot. In many instances the Company shall encounter structures where greater accuracy is required so as to account for parts of a structure that do meet at a 90 degree angle. Story heights and configurations of the various sections and subsections shall be noted on the property record card. An outline sketch, prepared to scale, shall be made. This sketch shall contain enough information for simple conversion into any drawing software program. Site improvements shall include but are not limited to paving, retaining or decorative walls and fences, ponds, swimming pools, tennis courts, plantings and other landscaping, underground utilities, and grading. Review All properties shall be reviewed in the field by the Company’s personnel qualified as reviewers, as prescribed in this Request for Proposal. The properties shall be reviewed for classifications, final value, correct listing of information, and to assure that they are correlated to comparable properties. The Assessor shall be notified of the dates of reviewing and shall be entitled to accompany the reviewers during this phase of revaluation. 20 Pricing and Valuations Pricing and valuations of all land and buildings must reflect the fair market value as of January 1, 2005 for commercial properties and January 1, 2006 for all other properties, and shall be done from and in accordance with the previously approved manuals and schedules. The final valuation shall be the market value of the structures plus the market value of the land including site improvements plus any premium for improved parcel, water access view, or other non-tangible reason including but not limited to zoning restrictions or ease of access. In arriving at the market value of the property, all applicable valuation methods shall be used, all of which shall be noted on the appraisal card. APPRAISAL OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AND THOSE THAT MAY REQUIRED SPECIAL ATTENTION General All structures other than residential shall be inspected, classified, valued and reviewed in the same manner as residential properties as set forth above. (Except all commercial property which will be revalued by January 1, 2005) The dimensions of all buildings shall be to the nearest foot and recorded on the data collection card. The height of each building story shall also be recorded on the data collection card. All structures shall be identified and described as component parts of construction, size, area, age, usage, and present occupant(s) on the property forms, as prescribed in this Request for Proposal. Commercial Commercial building cost schedules shall be prepared in comparative unit costs of materials in place and charted on a per square foot basis, and shall be prepared for various story heights and contain all the additions and deductions for construction components from base specifications. Income Approach The Company shall gather confidential income and expense data on forms approved by the Assessor, which shall at all times be the sole property of the USVI. All conclusions derived by the Income Approach shall be supported by sales data, if available and warranted. The Company shall develop capitalization rates and gross rent multipliers by interviews with bankers, buyers/sellers, investors, realtors, and appraisers. The Company shall determine “market” or economic rents and expenses, and applicable capitalization rates and/or gross rent multipliers for various classes of commercial property. Neither the net operating income (NOI) nor the capitalization rate extracted from sales shall include current property tax expense. Any sales of income property 21 shall reflect whether or not all income and expenses are at market, or not, and any forecast NOI shall be made at market income, without exception The Company shall perform the Income Approach by the direct or discounted cash-flow methods of capitalization. Gross rent multipliers shall be used as an additional valuation check where applicable. The Company shall mail confidential Income and Expense Questionnaires to all commercial property owners. The Assessor shall approve the questionnaire in writing prior to mailing. Properties That Will Require Additional Attention Definition This section includes, but is not limited to, those properties that rely on easements, leases or other arrangements that permit their existence to continue. Cost Schedules Cost schedules for properties that shall require special attention shall be prepared in unit costs of materials in place and charted on a unit basis, and shall be prepared to contain all the additions and deductions for construction components from base specifications. Depreciation Depreciation schedules for properties that shall require special attention shall be prepared so as to estimate the actual economic life of the materials in place, the physical life of the materials in place and the functional life of the materials in place. All shall be based on the actual reconstruction cost as of the time of the USVI reappraisal. Easements and Other Conveyances of Rights Easements and other conveyances of rights that are not in fee shall be valued as to the benefit derived by the holder (lessee etc.). The servient interest shall be valued as if the dominant interest did not exist minus the burden caused to the servient interest by the dominant interest. Exempt Parcels Properties that are not taxable or exempt (in whole or in part) from real estate taxes either by statute or vote shall be valued as all other like properties with no regard to their exempt status. Farms Cost schedules for farm structures shall be prepared for square foot, unit, or cubic foot costs for various types of farm buildings, including, but not limited to: barns, sheds, mike houses, silos, trenches, coops, etc. Condominiums and Other Like Real Estate The Sales Comparison Approach and/or gross rents method (GRM) shall be used to value residential and commercial condominiums where applicable. For each complex there shall be a Master Card, showing the project diagram, percent of ownership, phase of development, common ownership amenities, and assessed values for each type of unit 22 type and each unit as well as a final property record card for each unit. Field inspectors shall familiarize themselves with the applicable declaration of condominium, covenants, and restrictions. Real property designated as “common” owner by a condominium association or other- like entity shall be valued as a separate parcel and the association shall be listed as the owner. This common property may be located within a structure. The value shall not be apportioned amongst the owners of the condominium association. Where several owners holding joint or undivided interest own the real property, that property shall be valued as a separate parcel and listed as one parcel under the names of various owners. Physical Depreciation Schedules Physical deterioration schedules or methods to be used in determining the amount of depreciation shall be representative of the USVI and shall reflect the normal and accepted depreciation rates of buildings according to classification. These schedule or methods shall cover residential, commercial, and all other type of improvements, and all shall be approved by the Assessor. Functional and/or external obsolescence shall be determined on an individual property basis. The preferred method is an overall depreciation schedule abstracting estimated land value and site improvements value from the sale property and then comparing the residual improvement value to a comparable new improvement. Schedules for USVI The Company shall supply and leave the USVI, copies of all of the above required building cost schedules and depreciation schedules for the USVI usage, with one copy of which shall be turned over to the Assessor upon approval by the Assessor of the schedules. Plat Plan A plat plan shall be made of all commercial properties where more than one building is present showing the location of and identification of the buildings and yard improvements. Site Improvements All site improvements shall be listed and valued separately. Site improvements shall include but are not limited to paving, retaining or decorative walls and fences, plantings and other landscaping, underground utilities, grading, etc. Review A final review and inspection shall be made in the same manner and for the same purposes as prescribed for residential properties. The reviewer shall be competently trained and fully experienced in the appraisal of the particular type and kind of residential, commercial, industrial, public utility or special purpose building; the final value of which he or she is responsible. 23 CONTROL AND DATA CHECKS Field Checks The Assessor shall spot check in the field, properties picked at random by him, with or without an agent of the Company being present. Building Permits The Assessor shall make available on a timely basis to the Company copies of all building permits issued during the course of the revaluation to allow the inclusion of all new construction, additions, and remodeling in the Company’s appraisals. System Backup The Company shall cooperate to backup the computer system and master file at least on a weekly basis. The backup file or disc shall be kept in a secure location, i.e. vault. Incomplete Construction The Company shall designate on its data collection card and electronically in the USVI CAMA system, each property that has incomplete improvements as of January 1, 2005 for commercial properties and January 1, 2006 for all other properties. The final card shall show the percentage of completion and reflect the percentage of completion in the valuation as of that date. THE FOLLOWING IS A DETAILED SPECIFIC OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION There is a functional requirement for both a Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal System (CAMA) and Tax Administration (Billing and Collection) System to be implemented by the USVI. There are two major objectives to be met by the development of this Request For Proposal (RFP). First, it is intended to establish and define a clear set of functional requirements to be satisfied for the new CAMA and Tax Administration Systems. Second, it will provide overall direction to the Vendor in submitting a proposal that will best meet the USVI’s computing needs in these areas: GIS, Valuation, collection of Revenue, Recorder (Deeds), and Assessment Administration. The system supports the cost, market, and income approaches to real property valuation. The system is used for the valuation of residential parcels applying a replacement cost, a multiple external feedback/market value estimate and a sales comparison estimate. Agricultural properties are valued through a productivity-based land valuation. Commercial and Industrial properties will be valued using the cost, income and market comparison approaches to value. The USVI’s Department of Finance is an appointed office. Its functions include the collection of real estate tax, and the collection of revenue. The goal of the office is to collect, safeguard and account for all funds received by the office in a cost effective manner utilizing computer technology and to provide prompt and courteous taxpayer assistance. 24 The Real Estate Billing and Collection application was developed in-house to handle all real estate tax billing and current tax collection functions. Property owner information is retrieved daily from the mainframe system. Tax bills are marked paid daily and payments receipted into the mainframe system. USVI tax bills are generated in May using assessment values interfaced from the Assessment system. Although it is unknown when the USVI will conduct another reassessment, the ability to quickly and accurately respond to changes and corrections to assessment data is critical and imperative. The current status of automation of the Assessment and Tax Administration areas remain consistent with the activity described in this section. However, the USVI would like to develop a master plan, which will target the sharing of information through the utilization of integrated or interfaced application software solutions. The plan, when fully implemented, will establish a single wide-area network that provides access to any available system or capability throughout the jurisdiction. A new integrated package is required by the USVI to support the Assessment and Tax Administration functions and reporting requirements. The objectives are to reduce the burden and improve accuracy of transaction input, to provide financial and document level information online to departments, to provide senior management with online summary financial information, to provide for comprehensive auditing and interface capabilities and to reduce the dependency for paper reports and forms. An import/export capability for interfacing with PC based applications such as Excel, MS Word, SPSS, and Access is required. There is a strong need to provide download and upload capabilities between the financial application and PC software packages. The capability to interface or share data between the modules or systems must exist. The Assessment and Tax Administration systems must be integrated; the Tax Administration application needs to pass data to the financial system; both need to have the capability to receive data from the Recorder of Deeds system. The USVI is desirous to implement this system in early 2004 The Vendor must present, in detail, features and capabilities of the proposed application software. In addition, the Vendor should include a description of any features (or value- added components) included or available in the proposed software that has not been specifically requested in the RFP. OVERALL EVALUATION PROCESS Responses to this RFP will be evaluated by the Project Management Team and, as required, additional USVI personnel. The USVI’s goal is to procure the most functionally complete, cost effective Assessment and Tax Administration Systems available. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND USVI CONTACT The goal of this RFP is to provide Vendors with a comprehensive description of the current functional computing requirements and the future requirements so that Vendors will have the basis to submit proposals, which accurately address USVI’s needs. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS Notice to Bidders 25 Inquiries and Submissions Vendors will have until December 18, 2003 to return completed RFP’s to the Lieutenant Governors Office. Important Date Pre-Proposal Meeting: These meetings will provide an opportunity to obtain clarification of the RFP. Pre-proposal meetings are mandatory. You must be in attendance to be considered for selection. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS An in-depth demonstration of the proposed software by the Vendor to the members of the USVI’s Program Management Team and additional USVI personnel if required will be scheduled during November/December, 2003. The USVI and the Vendor will schedule a mutually agreed upon date(s) and time(s) for the demonstration(s). The USVI reserves the right to schedule subsequent demonstrations of the products. All demonstrations will be conducted at a site that allows a full and complete examination of the capabilities of the systems. Vendors must qualify through the evaluation and demonstration process to be considered a potential candidate to be awarded this contract. The Vendor will also be the liaison for a scheduled visit to a site where the Vendor has the proposed system in operation. The Vendor’s participation in this activity will be limited to that of liaison for the purpose of introducing the representatives of USVI to the host client representatives. PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT Vendors must submit a proposal that includes systems for both of the areas requested in this RFP. Vendors not able to provide a total solution (both applications) are encouraged to partner with another Vendor in submitting one proposal document. In order to facilitate the analysis of responses to this RFP, Vendors are required to provide the details of their proposal responses in accordance with the instructions outlined in this section. Vendors have the flexibility to respond to the request in a format of their choice. The detailed portion of the Response Proposals should be prepared as simply as possible and provide a straightforward, concise description of the Vendor’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Expensive bindings, color displays, promotional material, etc., are not necessary. Emphasis should be concentrated on accuracy, completeness and clarity of content. All parts, pages, figures, and tables should be numbered and labeled clearly. The proposal should contain information relative to the following major categories: • Company Background • Proposed Applications • Database Software • Implementation Plan • Training Plan • Procedural Review and Recommendations • Implementation Support and Maintenance 26 • Client References • Cost Quotations • Responses to Functional Requirements Instructions relative to each part of the response to this RFP are defined in the remainder of this section. COMPANY BACKGROUND Vendors must provide the following information about their company so that the selection committee can evaluate the Vendor’s stability and ability to support the commitments set forth in response to the RFP. The selection committee, at its option, may require a Vendor to provide additional documentation to support and/or clarify requested information. The Vendor should provide the company’s background information including: • How long the company has been in business • A brief description of the company (e.g., past history, present status, future plans, etc.) • Company size and organization • The most recent audited financial statement PROPOSED APPLICATONS AND DATABASE SOFTWARE The Vendor must present, in detail, features and capabilities of the proposed application software. In addition, the Vendor should include a description of any features (or value- added components) included or available in the proposed software that has not been specifically requested in the RFP. Additional consideration will be given to Vendors whose additional software features are found to be of value to this USVI. Following is a list of information, which must be included in the detailed proposal response. Applications Software Provide a functional description of the application program product and how it will meet the requirements of this RFP. Database Software Provide a description of the Database Management System (DBMS) required supporting the computing environment. List any fourth generation features utilized in constructing the proposed applications software and any end user productivity tools. Hardware, Operating System, and Programming The acquisition of computer hardware, operating systems, and/or networks is an independent activity and not a requirement of this request for proposal. If the Vendor provides specifications and costs they will be used for informational purposes only. If costs for these items should be presented they must be included in a manner separate from the response to the stated requirements. However, the Vendor is required to provide the following information to be used in the evaluation process: 27 • Hardware Environment – Describe the supported computer hardware environment in which the proposed software will run. In the event there are multiple computer systems available, list all options. • Operating System – Identify the operating system that is supported by the proposed applications software and the proposed database management system in the hardware environment recommended above. In the event there are multiple operating systems available, list all options. • List the operating system software support products required to support the recommended computing environment. List any additional vendor software products required to support your proposed application software. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The Vendor must provide (as part of the response) a detailed implementation plan for the proposed software. This plan must include an estimated time frame and deliverables for various stages of the project. The USVI’s goal is to have the system fully operational in a production environment during 2004. TRAINING PLAN The Vendor must provide (as part of the response) a detailed training plan for the proposed software. This plan must include an estimated timeframe and deliverables for various stages of the project. IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE The Vendor must give a detailed description of the level and extent of all support to be provided during and after the implementation of the proposed software. Show any costs associated with this support in the Cost Quotations. Implementation Support Detail the type and amount of implementation support to be provided (e.g., number of personnel, level of personnel, time commitment, etc.). Training List the nature, level, and amount of training to be provided in each of the following areas: • Technical training (e.g. programming, operations, administration, etc.) • User training • Other staff training (e.g. executive level administrative staff) • Additional training that may be requested by the USVI Specify where and when training will be provided during the implementation process. It is preferred that the training takes place on-site at the USVI. 28 Continuing Support and Maintenance Specify the nature of any post-implementation support provided by the Vendor, and the USVI’s involvement associated with this support including: • Telephone support • Problem resolution performance measures (turnaround time-frames) • Delivery method of future upgrades and project enhancements • Availability of users groups Cost Quotations All costs must be itemized and included in the Vendor’s response. The Vendor’s cost quotations must include all costs (e.g., license fees, modifications, training, travel and per diem, installation, documentation, taxes, discounts, etc.). For each item, indicate if the cost is one-time, annual, or other (indicate the category). In the event the product or services is provided at no additional cost, the item should be noted as “no charge” or words to that effect. The Vendor’s cost quotations must be valid for a minimum of 120 days from the deadline for submission of proposals, and may not be increased once the USVI has initiated contract negotiations. System Modifications The USVI expects to have one agreement that will cover the production implementation of the proposed system solution. All modifications that are identified throughout this selection process (whether currently included in this Request for Proposal or discovered at a later date) shall be negotiated under a single agreement. MANDATORY REQUIREMENT The requirements defined in this section contain the overall general functions of the Assessment/Tax Administration Systems. By meeting the required current functions and adding the various desired functions, the new Assessment and Tax Administration Systems should provide the USVI with an integrated computing environment designed to support its special, and often complex, administrative requirements. Recognizing that little has remained constant over the last few years, the computing environment should be designed to accommodate change. The primary objective of the USVI in developing the Assessment and Tax Administration Systems is to provide a well-formed responsive process that can be easily adapted to new policies and procedures, as well as provide for new data and reporting needs. New reports satisfying management information requirements should be available on an ad hoc basis, as well as by using a standard report generation facility. Identified below are a number of requirements that must be addressed by the Vendor's bid for each of the core systems. These requirements are considered mandatory in implementing the complete Assessment and Tax Administration Systems. Together, they define a system that will operate efficiently in the proposed computer environment while providing a high level of flexibility in meeting the USVI current and future computing requirements. 29 Flexibility The Assessment and Tax Administration Systems must be designed with the recognition that the USVI will have ever-changing requirements. As such, it needs to utilize a database management system to perform administrative computing functions. Flexibility must be provided to meet external and internal management reporting requirements. This requirement can be met by providing user-controlled sequence, frequency, and content specification for production reports, and by either providing a modern report/retrieval system for ad hoc report requests or the availability of an end- user report/retrieval facility associated with the database product. The Assessment and Tax Administration Systems must be designed to minimize impact on the overall system arising from additions, changes, or deletions to the database. The system should permit changes in database structure without requiring recompilation of programs not directly impacted by the changes. Batch and On-Line Processing Environment The USVI intends to implement a distributed environment, which provides the ability for the user community to take control and responsibility for their data. To accomplish this, the new system should provide the end-user with the ability to enter data in an on- line interactive mode. In addition, the capability must be available for batch processing, such as regular and periodic reports, disbursement checks, and interfaces with ancillary systems. System Security The system must provide system and application security controls to prevent unauthorized use of the database, restrict access to the database, maintain database process controls, and log all database transactions. In addition, the system should provide security to limit availability to application software screens, data elements, and the contents of data elements where appropriate. Audit Trail of Database Updates Comprehensive audit trail capability should be provided where appropriate, including a listing of before and after values of data elements that were changed. Data/Systems Integration The Assessment and Tax Administration Systems must use an integrated database transcending functional areas. Each system must operate from a single data element dictionary addressing the entire system, with common update and query capability. Modularity The Assessment and Tax Administration Systems must be modular in design to accommodate a phased implementation. Once implemented, each system must be able to easily expand to include new functions without major impact on the system. 30 Process Controls Each system should provide the following process controls: • Comprehensive edit controls which; for example, prevent incomplete or incorrect data from being processed • Programmatic control of the process flow to prevent information from being processed in the wrong sequence • Processing cycles completed in a logical, prescribed order • Integrity of data entering the database, safeguarded through editing criteria System Documentation Specific elements of documentation, which must be available with the system, include: • User and Technical Manuals - On Line and Hard Copy • Data Element Dictionary • Operations Manual • On-line "HELP" Text A minimum of two copies of the documentation, in addition to any on-line documentation, will be provided for each application or module purchased. If on-line documentation is available in CD-ROM form, it shall be accessible from all workstations. Prior to training and no later than system delivery, all documentation shall be provided. The USVI's receipt of all required documentation shall be a prerequisite for system acceptance. All documentation shall be accurate and conform to the equipment and software as delivered. The latest revision level for equipment, parts, components and software shall be addressed. The Vendor shall provide all applicable updates to the initial hardware and software documentation for the life of the system, as long as the hardware and software maintenance contracts are in force. The Vendor shall provide complete documentation including, but not limited to, the following items: • File structures • Entity relationship diagrams • File layouts • Data flows • Data dictionaries Operational Efficiency Operational efficiency needs to be satisfied from both a technical and a functional viewpoint. Technical efficiencies can be achieved through modern development methodology and 4th generation programming techniques, and through the utilization of a well-defined applications specific database management system. Functional 31 efficiencies can be achieved by providing input capabilities directly from the USVI into the system. Errors in input must be capable of being corrected by the USVI. DBMS Technical Requirements Good computer applications are built on good database foundations. Poorly designed, or ill-equipped databases can doom computer applications. USVI's choice of the Database Management System (DBMS) for use herein is vital. The Vendor must recommend a DBMS product or identify DBMS products it proposes to use to support the Vendor's software. This section contains the requirements for the DBMS used to control the primary data storage for all software components. • Journalization - The DBMS software must retain a journal, or log, of virtually every database alteration. The log must reside on a disk file located outside the DBMS system, such that failure of the DBMS system's components will preserve the journal file. Upon failure of the DBMS system, the use of the previous DBMS backup, combined with the journal file, must be capable of recovering all databases to their state just prior to the failure. • Journal Mirror - The DBMS must be capable of retaining a real-time copy of the journal file at a second location. A copy of the DBMS will be regularly sent to a backup site off the premise of the primary server. The journal file retains a copy of all interaction that takes place throughout the day. A mirror copy of the journal file should be built off-site with a copy of the DBMS backup, assuring the USVI that no data will be lost when encountering a system failure. • Restart & Recovery - The DBMS system must be capable of restoring itself to its state at any given time or date in the past. Recovery of the entire database, or just specified sets of data must be accommodated. All transactions, for example, entered by a specific person might be removed. • Rollback – Assessors should be able to alter data as a "what-if" model, but their changes should be removable. Similarly, USVI Assessor’s may be authorized to make permanent changes to the assessment data, but their changes would be “rolled-back” should the required approval of their managers or the Assessor not be entered in time. • Commitment Control – The DBMS system should enable online transactions to make numerous alterations to the CAMA data, all a part of a lengthy alteration. But the complete set of alterations should be rolled back, should the lengthy transaction not be completed. An assessor, for example, might enter a new parcel’s data, but only get halfway through the process before leaving for the day. The parcel’s incomplete status would result in erroneous market values. The DBMS should rollback incomplete parcel entry, requiring re-entry of all data. Only when the application software is certain that the transaction is complete, would a “commitment” be made. Once “committed”, the data is saved – but still might be rolled back via “Rollback” above, should other circumstances be evident. 32 • Multi-Access - Dual attempts at updating the same piece of data must be controlled by the DBMS. When data field contention is encountered, the DBMS must queue update requests to prevent simultaneous updates; but it must provide simultaneous access to data fields, and it must permit database access to both online and batch jobs concurrently. To maintain database integrity the DBMS can keep duplicate records out of the database; for example, no two customers with the same customer numbers (key fields) can be entered into the database. Additionally, data security prevents unauthorized users form viewing or updating the database. Using passwords, users are allowed to the entire database or subsets of the database. • Administration - The DBMS must support performance monitoring tools and activity statistics reporting features. The DBMS should include a powerful set of administrative tools to monitor utilization, trace database access chains, and optimize schema and sub-schema definitions, model, and report areas/pages percent full, for the purpose of file optimization, placement and layout. • Relational Database Characteristics - A relational type database is required. The DBMS should utilize the concept of user views whereby pseudo schema are defined and stored for utilization by users without the users becoming involved in the actual schema and sub-schema structures of the database. The system should provide a security system to control utilization for user views by user ID, account, and activity. • Data Dictionary Facility - The system should include an active integrated data dictionary. This dictionary should be an integral component of the data access capabilities, including the definition of both data attributes and values. • Data Import Facility - The system should include a data import facility that permits transferring data from other data files into the database. • Data Access - All data must be available for read and update, not only through the DBMS, but also directly from reporting tools and user-written programs. • End-User Query Functions - The system must have end-user query facilities, which permit easy access to the information in the database. Microcomputer Access and Manipulation Tools must be available which provide decision support capabilities. These include the ability to select a subset and/or summary database from the production DBMS; download this information to a PC; manipulate the information using the same (or similar) tools. The software should be ODBC compliant. FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS The requirements defined in this section contain the overall processes, functionality, and general needs of the divisions within the USVI relative to an automated Assessment and Tax Administration systems. 33 System Features • Provide user-friendly system so that employees can easily master the skills they need. • Ability to run in both character and Graphical User Interface (GUI) mode. Ability for the system to run in a multitasking environment, allowing user to toggle between applications. Provide fast response time on data entry and inquiry. Provide for version change control to maintain update modification information for support purposes. Capability for both online and non-interactive batch input (process an input file). Provide control reports for all non-interactive batch update processes. Provide thorough editing with completeness and validity checking throughout all transaction processing, both in batch and online. Ability to produce an audit trail of data entered, changed, or deleted: ability to see who entered data and when it was entered, with ability to see information online or to print an audit trail report. Capability for remote access for data entry and inquiry with appropriate security and controls. Potential uses include satellite offices and employees working outside the office. (Servers on each island; connected by a LAN) Provide for electronic “paperless” workflow where applicable. Ability to retrieve history of changes to property assessment/billing information. Ability to access or retrieve information by various search criteria, including owner name, property street address, property location, deed reference, parcel identifier (map/block/lot), and PIN number (GIS). Generation of state mandated reports as a report and/or an exported file (where applicable). Ability to utilize bar code technology, both reading and printing of bar code, for billing and data collection. Provide for multiyear capability for both CAMA and Appeals System. Design Features Ability to customize the application as follows, without the need to reapply the changes with software upgrades: • Add custom (user defined) data fields and comment areas • Change the size of fields • Change the location of fields on the screen (design the screen layout) • Remove unused fields from screens • Ability to set up translation tables and rules to customize functionality. 34 • Ability to page backward and forward one or multiple pages in online inquiry screens. • Ability to provide translation of fields on the screen (codes). • Ability for user definition and maintenance of system values and rules without requiring programmer intervention or recompilation of programs. • Ability to install new releases of the application without the need for extensive reapplication of the types of changes listed here: rebuilding rules, define fields, modify field lengths, etc. • Provide for seamless integration of all proposed systems and/or modules. Current Hardware Specifications Server – IBM Netfinity 5500, Pentium II, 261, 524 KB RAM, Window NT OS, CD and 3 ½ Floppy disc drive, PCMCIA Workstation – IBM Personal Computer 340, 32 MB RAM, Pentium R, Microsoft Windows 95 Hand Held PC – Fujitsu Stylistic ST 1200, 16 MB RAM, Pentium R, PCMICA, Pen Right Software, Windows 95 OS Future Hardware Specifications Server – Dell Power Edge 2600 with Intel Xeon processors, 18 GB, 15k RPM, Ultra 230 SCSI hard drives, 2 GB DDR SDRAM memory, DAT drive for backup, Internal modem, CD Rom, UPS, Intel Pro 1000 Fiber network Adapter. Workstation – Dell Optiplex GX 260 Celeron Processor, Intel gigabit NIC, 7200 RPM, 40GB hard drive, 512 DDR SDRAM, 48x CDRW, flat panel monitor, USB optical mouse. Laptop – Dell latitude C640, 2.00 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M Processor, 40 GB hard drive, 5400 RPM. CDRW/DVD Combo, 14.1 Super XGA – Display, embedded Intel Pro/100M NIC. Hand Held PC – Fujitsu Stylistic LT P-600 Pentium III Processor, 600 MHz/300MHz with speed step, 15 GB hard drive, 246 MB SDRAM, passive with palm refection technology, liquid filed digitizer technology, low glare, built in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet. Documentation and Help Provision for multiple tier online field help, both user-defined and standard. Provide table look-up facilities in all critical areas. Provide non-technical, complete, and easy-to-read user documentation. Provide vendor-supplied user documentation in online retrievable form. Provide for user-defined on-line documentation, which may be used as an on-line procedures manual. Provide easy to understand system/technical documentation including data element dictionary, program narratives (functions and elements), record and file specifications, and batch process operating instructions. 35 Flexible and Easy Access to Data Ability for on-line update of all data elements within the application database Ability for real time updates such that on-line access from anywhere within the network displays the most current element value. The ability to retrieve data on an ad hoc basis with flexibility in determining search criteria and limits. Reporting Requirements • Provide a comprehensive set of predefined standard reports. • Ability to produce modified copies of existing reports. • Provide exception reporting: show errors and/or transactions that fall outside of specified parameters on a daily basis. • Automated generation of the required internal reports and notifications. • The ability to print various forms either blank or merged with system information. • Provide a fully functional online report writer to produce user-designed reports, letters and forms based on variable selection criteria. • Ability to allow users to develop and save reports. • Ability to show a report on the screen and/or print the report. • Ability to set up and save standard reports based on USVI requirements and allows user-entered parameters, such as date range, without changing the report itself. • Ability to design and produce graphs and charts based on variable selection criteria. • Ability to print reports on various types of printers, both local and networked, using various fonts and font size. • Ability to provide report restarts, sequence selection and printer configuration override. Security Property Assessment data is very important and sensitive information. Accordingly, protecting property assessment data from unauthorized updating is essential. Nonetheless, access to property assessment data should be easily obtained. The software chosen must accommodate a high degree of security without sacrificing accessibility. The software should provide for a security component that controls access to data based on organization and individual permissions. Users, for example, accessing property assessment data via the USVI's Web Site, would be a group having no update authority. The group identity would block any users within it from having update authorization. Similarly, not all users within a group authorized to update data fields, would be granted 36 update authority. Numerous levels of security, spanning the entire file system spectrum, should be affected and secured. Users should be identifiable to the software. Every access to the data should be identifiable by user-name and terminal identifier. Updates to data fields should be under the control of the DBMS and the client/server application program interface rules. Virtually every update to any fields within the property assessment database should be written on the journal file, with the user-name, terminal identifier, time and date recorded. The journal file should be a readable, USVI programming staff accessible file format. Any attempts at unauthorized access to the property assessment database should be recorded and be reportable. Document Storage and Archival • Ability to add document imaging, indexing, and retrieval in the future. • Ability to add form generation software, if not part of report writer Import/Export Functionality • Provide an export or download function to various types of files, including standard ASCII formats, for use with personal computer software such as spreadsheets, word processors, and databases. • Provide flexible import capability with a flexible file structure, including standard ASCII files, to facilitate development of links with other systems. • Provide for development of automatic interfaces with ancillary systems such as Recorder of Deeds, Finance, etc. Scanned Documents The software chosen should be capable of storing data in a wide variety of forms. Scanned documents are just one important example. The filing of paper documents related to USVI's 58,000 +/- property parcels is a huge task. The ability to scan a document and attach the scanned image to the parcel's database is very important. Retrieval of documents, since they are directly connected to the parcel's records, should be very fast. Software that is capable of assigning an index number to the original document, such that the original documents can be simply stored in boxes in the same order as scanned is vital. Finding original documents, using the computer-assigned index number, should be simple. Assessment Administration System Features • Ability to set up a multiple part parcel identifier or PIN number (GIS) 20 characters. • Provide separate fields for the owner and property address as follows: - House number - Direction (N, S, E, W, NE, SW, etc.) - Street Name - Street Label (Ave, Blvd, St, Rd, Pl, Ct, etc.) 37 - City - State - Postal Code (Zip Code) - Country • Ability to store and cross-reference an unlimited number of parcels per owner. • Ability to select which fields cause a history record to be created (for online view). • Ability for history file to maintain and show breakdown of old land/new land, old building/new building, and total value changes. • Provide for land splits and creation of new parcels (for trailers and right of ways). • Provide for public access (inquiry only) to data from a workstation on site or from a remote location. • Provide automatic five-digit zip code, if requested by taxpayer. • Provide for use of hand-held or portable data collection devices for data entry in the field and later import system. • Provide ability to cancel transaction before system is updated (double enter), and/or provide an undo feature, and/or provide ability to reverse the last change easily. • Provide for unlimited number of changes per day and per session. • Provide quick, easy way to change owner’s address on all parcels for that owner, with minimal data entry. • Provide online access to all rate tables, allowing user to see exactly what rate is used for figuring costs. • Provide an easy to use sketch vectoring system including unusual angles or rounded curves on buildings. • Provide market valuation and commercial valuation functionality with market modeling ability. • Ability to automatically flag parcels which cross municipal boundaries. • Ability to automatically flag parcels which have both exempt and nonexempt sections. • Ability to flag and add comment to parcels which need to be reviewed prior to the next assessment. Screen Design Ability to design a screen to update a specific subset of fields on one screen (for Tax Maintenance functions). Provide the following data on the main information screen: name, mailing address, property location, zoning, deed information (most recent deed), identifying information 38 such as map, block and lot numbers, PIN numbers (GIS), market value, breakdown of assessed value by land and building, and assessed value sales history (dates, amounts and validity codes). Provide the following additional information on the main screen: active building permits, pending appeal hearings or court proceedings, and the name of the business on commercial properties. • Ability to page up or down one or multiple pages in history screens, or move to a specific page. • Ability to page up or down one or multiple pages in name list screens, or move to specific page. • Provide multi screen capability (split screen) to view several applications in separate windows at the same time. • Provide multi windows ability to automatically activate the Landisc and GIS information from the main information screen. • Provide a note screen for an unlimited number of general notes for the parcel, with ability to tag a note private (no public access). • Ability to retrieve a history (list) of notes for a parcel. Multiple Buildings/Structures • Provide ability to view multiple screens of property record buildings and structures in a Windows environment. Also provide the ability to generate a total card without printing all other cards for a multiple card parcel. • Provide ability to change sales information and exempt status on multiple structures with one data entry. • Provide the following on the first screen for multiple structures: show breakdown of cost values of land and buildings listed on that screen; list total building values from additional screens; and show final value. • Ability to copy data from one building/structure to another, residential and commercial. • Ability to deactivate and reactivate one structure (if multiple) without affecting others. • Provide for variable location for property with more than one card. Retrieval • Ability to retrieve history of changes to property, assessment and owner information, including: - Parcel identification number (map/block/lot or GIS PIN number) - Municipality and school district - Exempt code 39 - Owner name and address - Assessment values - Deed(s) - Purchase price - Land and building values - Homestead Exclusion - Specify changes and reason - Comments - Date of change - Effective date of change - Property location • List all transactions, showing most current information first. • Provide ability to perform ad hoc queries with multiple search criteria • Ability to automatically update cross-reference in name/parcel order when parcel additions, splits, or transfers occur. • Provide easy access to a particular parcel of owner with several lots. • Provide cross-references by owner name for multiple owners (not just the first owner listed) • Provide ability to set up cross-references, such as by owner name and parcel ID, deed reference(s), or by specific program • Provide ability to create cross-reference lists that has access to all associated files: Assessment, billing, collections (current and delinquent), history, preferential programs, GIS, deeds. Building Permits • Provide ability to track and maintain building permits and monitor construction in progress. The building permit will contain specific data, i.e. St. Croix • Ability to access permits by M/B/L (map/block/lot or PIN number), owner name, permit number, and property location. • Ability to use duplicate permit numbers for different years but not for the same year (error message). • Provide automatic insertion of assessor's initials on permit, based on assessor’s territory (municipality). • Ability to easily access and change translation tables and system tables. • Provide ability to reflect building permits and certificates of occupancy directly on the property screen. 40 • Ability to prevent adding building permits to deactivated parcels. Preferential Assessment • Provide automated tracking for the various types of preferential valuation to track applications, approvals, and anniversary dates, to perform computations, to store values separate from normal values, and to generate all forms. • Provide automated tracking for the Revitalization Tax Assistance program to track applications, approvals, and anniversary dates and to perform computations. • Ability to store application and denial information, including reason for denial. • Provide ability to automatically calculate rollback taxes and penalties for all years affected. Rollback tax equals the sum of the differences between what the tax should have been and the preferential tax for each year, plus the penalty. • Provide automatic generation of a request for response when flagged that an application has been received. • Automatically generate a response to the property owner reflecting denial if the application is denied. • Provide a cross reference of all parcels in a particular covenant, so that if a property record is viewed, and it is under a covenant, all parcels relating to that covenant are reflected. Including an ability to flag parcels if individually they are not large enough to qualify but collectively they have enough acreage. Appeals • Provide ability to track appeals for multiple years. • Ability to store dates of appeal hearings dates of hearing decisions, and results of hearings. • Provide the capability of scheduling appeal hearings for applications that have been received. • Provide for deadline for filing appeal to be reflected on property record whenever change occurs. • Ability to automatically generate the appeal form with basic property information. • Ability to automatically generate letters and property id cards after scheduling an appeal hearing, and the ability to change property characteristics electronically after results are recorded. 41 Reporting / Printing • Provide a daily assessment activity report. • Ability to produce daily reports such as sales verification questionnaires produced from deeds recorded, daily activity, deeds updates, on-line error reports, daily notices, weekly reports, monthly reports. • Ability to track the status of sales verification questionnaires (response status). • Provide various notices for events such as change of assessment, transfer of ownership, name/address change, deed reference change, and property location change. • Generation of mandated reports • Provide ability to print final values, along with the comp sheet for the market value, and a cost sheet that reflects exactly how the cost was computed. • Provide ability to produce statistical reports showing coefficient of dispersion. • Provide printout of inactive property record data, clearly stating that the property is inactive. • Ability to print active Inventory Contents Sheets (ICS) and valuation sheets for properties with multiple building/structures in numerical order (show “1 of n”), without the need to access each structure individually before printing. • Provide report of preferential assessment properties, showing normal value and preferential values. • Ability to produce yearly summary and statistical reports for appeals. • Ability to produce median reports for Homestead Exclusion • Ability to create Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) to analyze sales. TAX ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM FEATURES • Ability to retrieve history of changes to tax administration and billing information. • Ability to access or retrieve information by various search criteria, including owner name, bill number, property street address, and property ID (map/block/lot or PIN number), receipt number. • Ability to view all billing and payment information. • Ability to provide report restarts, sequence selection and printer configuration override. • Ability to process payments through a PC workstation (update billing files without cashiering functions). • Ability to take payments in stand-alone mode and then upload payment information to update the database when the system becomes available. 42 • Ability to accept and process electronic data file (ASCII file on diskette, CD-ROM. tape, etc.) for property tax collection (payments) from outside agencies. • Ability to process payments paid with cash, personal check, certified check, money order, credit card, or a combination of these. • Ability to track the method of payment (cash, check number, credit card number, etc.). • Ability to easily reverse payments through a PC workstation. • Ability to post payments received in the mail to prior month according to postmark date (for interface to prior month in finance system). • Ability to export billing information and balances for distribution to tax services. • Provide real time update of payment information to Tax Administration system. • Ability to generate daily activity reports sorted by batch number and transaction number, providing subtotals for each batch. • Provide a table of municipalities, schools, mortgage companies, etc., with lookup/selection capability. • Provide one note screen for current, delinquent, and lien taxes (all notes for a property in one place). • Ability to link balance information for current, delinquent, and lien taxes to a common account balance screen. • Ability to produce a report listing all balances outstanding by month and end of year. • Ability to transfer prior year outstanding bill balances (open taxes), from current, delinquent, and lien taxes at year-end, adds appropriate fees, and provides required audit trail reporting. • Ability to create microfiche of computer-generated taxes bills, reports, notices, and payment information. • Ability to export computer-generated tax bills, reports, and notices to magnetic storage, so that the actual bill, notice or report can be viewed and printed in its original format. • Ability to produce on-demand Tax Certifications showing delinquent taxes. • Provide ability to create an extract file to outsource printing of notices and mailers. Real Estate Tax System Features • Provide the following fields for current year tax processing: bill number, owner name, owner mailing address, property location and/or street address, district (municipality), parcel identification number (map/block/lot or PIN number), assessment, millage rate, deed reference, payment amounts and due dates, and balances. 43 • Provide flexibility in assigning billing dates, payment due dates, discount and penalty percentages for all properties. • Provide flexibility in assigning tax rates for all properties, for properties split by municipal boundary, and/or for individual properties. • Provide flexibility to bill either separately or combined for parcels split by municipal boundaries. • Provide for interim billing: ability to generate and track biannual interim tax bills based on an increase in assessment within a calendar year using effective date in the Assessment system. • Ability to adjust bills for valid discounts, transfer of payments, corrections and refunds. • Provide ability to record that paid the bill; default the current owner name if payment is entered online but allow override. • Ability to archive/purge bills both paid and rolled to delinquent and lien. • Provide ability to create an extract file, complete with bill numbers, to outsource printing of tax bills. Reporting / Printing • Provide option to print tax bills on pre-numbered stock or on un-numbered bill stock, with appropriate controls for bill numbers. • Provide ability to print address and parcel ID (map/block/lot or PIN number) on bill envelopes. • Ability to generate weekly reports for current, delinquent and lien transactions in batch number order. • Ability to generate Real Estate Tax account reports, summarized by municipality, for open balances, year to date activity, monthly trial, overpaid reports, fully paid bill reports, and purged record reports. • Provide an audit trail of updates to the system (who, when, what changed). • Provide monthly overpayment notices. • Provide reminder notices on open balances. Delinquent and Lien Tax Collection Features • Ability to maintain bankruptcy status and history. • Ability to set up and maintain installment agreement: computation, status, and history of default or completion. • Ability to maintain unlimited number of interested parties per parcel. • Ability to maintain information on various notices sent and returned, including unclaimed notices. 44 • Ability to adjust base amount, penalty, costs, interest, and installments and show history of adjustments online and on reports. • Ability to add additional interest per month on the base and penalty amounts (percentage subject to change). • Ability to calculate what the interest and total due will be on a future date. • Ability to write-off overpayment and underpayment up to a specified amount (flexible table amount) • Provide a comment area that shows on the payment screen for comments like “no personal checks ever”. • Ability to automatically generate appropriate costs and fees at various points in the cycle. • Ability to track Sheriff's sales (Upset and Judicial) status, type of sale, sale price. • Ability to calculate minimum bid for Upset Sale, current taxes, and miscellaneous costs and liens. • Flexibility in assigning fee and interest rates. • Ability to maintain current status codes (bankruptcy, judicial, partial payment, hold, repository etc.). • Ability of electronic transmission of judicial records to the Sheriff’s Office for generation of service notices. Reporting / Printing • Ability to print reports: bankruptcy report, open installment agreement report, properties selected for tax claim sales, audit report to schools and municipalities on unpaid bills. • Provide receivable account reports summarized by municipality: open balance, account activity, monthly trial balance, and purged records reports. • Ability to print installment application and agreement forms, showing breakdown of all taxes. • Provide delinquent lien report showing all adjustments for that month (all activity outside of payment activity) for use in monthly reconciliation. • Ability to print posting notices, delinquent mailers, and bookkeeping receipts. • Ability to print lien certifications for paid and unpaid delinquent taxes. • Ability to print pay off report by name and year, installment payers by year, newspaper list (delinquent records going to Upset Sale), and NSF /Paid in Error reports. 45 Interfaces If proposing separate Assessment and Tax Administration systems, then the internal interfaces listed here are to be part of the proposal. External interfaces from/to ancillary systems (Recorder of Deeds, Finance, GIS, etc.) are also to be included in the proposal. Please note when simple export files, created by the user, can satisfy the requirement. Internal • Ability to create and print current year original USVI tax bills in the Tax Administration system from assessment values in the Assessment system. • Ability to update current, interim and delinquent tax information in the Tax Administration system with changes in Assessment system (owner name, address, split, etc.). • Ability to automatically create and print interim bills when assessment increases. • Ability to automatically adjust existing bills and print adjustment/refund notice when assessment decreases. External • Provide for a daily interface of PC workstation activity (payments and adjustments) to the New World Accounting System. • Provide process to accept daily interfaces from the Recorder of Deeds and update Assessment (owner and sale data) and Tax Administration (current and delinquent tax header information and interested parties). • Provide monthly extract file from Assessment for import to the Recorder of Deeds system. • Provide process to load data to Assessment from the GIS system, including multiple PIN numbers, land values, acreage per PIN, and total acreage per parcel. • Provide extract from the Assessment system for import to the GIS system. • Ability for Assessment system to communicate with Digital Landisc Image Maintenance system and Landisc Plus Network Image Distribution to retrieve current land and building pictures of parcel • Ability to load municipal building permit and certificates of occupancy data to the Assessment system building permit module from a file received from municipalities. • Ability to accept school district tax information files and load to Tax Administration. • Ability to extract billing data for distribution to school districts and municipalities for printing of original bills and interims. 46 GIS • Ability to query parcel records by geographic group through mapping an area in GIS system • GIS interface available on field hand-held units to assist field staff to locate and access property • Electronic Distance Measuring (EDM) is supported to conduct field measurements Statistical analysis In support of the modeling effort, the system must also include a variety of statistical methods, standard analytical and graphical tools such as: - Cluster analysis - Factor analysis - Normal statistics - Order statistics - Histograms - Scatter diagrams There are also statistics that are unique to the property appraisal industry that must be included: • Coefficient of Dispersion (COD). The most common measure of mass-appraisal uniformity (also known as horizontal equity). The COD is the average deviation of a sample of ratios from the median, expressed as a percentage of the median ratio. • Price-Related Differential (PRD). An intra-strata measure of mass-appraisal uniformity (also known as vertical equity). The PRD is the mean ratio divided by weighted (aggregate) mean ratio. • Median Absolute Deviation (MAD). The median of the absolute deviations from the median ratio. In a symmetrical distribution of ratios the measure approximates one-half the inter-quartile range. • Median Percentage Deviation (MPD). The MAD expressed as a proportional measure of dispersion. The median percentage deviation from the median ratio. 47 Algorithms Selecting the Comparable Sales The algorithm for selecting and adjusting the comparables is straightforward. The Score of the ith candidate comparable is calculated by the following formula: Scorei = ∑ − j ij j j har CandidateC r SubjectCha weight 2 )) ( ( Where the SubjectCharj is the value of the jth characteristic of the subject property; CandidateCharij is the value of the jth characteristic of the ith candidate; weightj is the weight assigned to the jth characteristic; abs is the absolute value operator; and p is an exponent. The lower the score is, the closer is the fit to the subject. The weight plays two roles. First, it serves to correct for differences in the amount of value different components contribute. One square foot of lot area contributes significantly less to property value than does one square foot of living area, which in turn contributes significantly less than one bathroom. Second, it allows the appraiser to overweight components that are important to his or a taxpayer’s notion of comparability, such as exterior wall type. Calculating statistics - Parametric statistics - Non-parametric statistics and ratio studies - Trimming - Outliers- sales that are well outside the range of most of the property sales can have a controlling influence over some statistical measures used in the ratio study. - Median: The middle occurrence - Mode: The most frequent occurrence - Bootstrapped median with bootstrapped confidence interval - COD - Bootstrap COD with bootstrapped confidence interval - Weighted COD: Weighted by sale price - Coefficient of concentration: Proportion of ratios within 10, 15, 20, 50 and 100 percent of the median - MAD: Median absolute deviation from the median ratio - Proportional MAD: MAD/median ratio - 25th Percentile: Ordering the data ascending by ratio, the value that appears 25 percent of the way up the list 48 - 75th Percentile: Ordering the data ascending by ratio, the value that appears 75 percent of the way up the list - Test for normality: The test employed will be dependent on sample size - Mean: The sum divided by the number of ratios - Geometric mean: The product of all ratios taken to the power of 1/n - Harmonic mean ratio: The reciprocal of the mean of the reciprocal of all ratios in the sample - Value weighted mean (by sales price) or aggregate mean: The sum of (the ratio times the sales price) divided by the sum of the sale prices. - Sample Standard Deviation - Sample Variance - Coefficient of Variation (COV): Standard deviation divided by the mean ratio - Price related differential (PRD): ratio of the mean ratio to the value weighted mean ratio - Minimum sale price - Minimum ratio - Maximum sale price - Maximum ratio - Average market price - Average market value - Number of sales used in each measure - GIS must have a communication link with GIS and Collections - Need a complete accounting package with the USVI accounting system END OF DOCUMENT