Agency Housing Finance Agency

Contractor VGM Group Inc.

SWIFT Contract Number 209109

Project Name Website Technical Training & Post-Deployment Support

Project Number (if applicable) {Empty}

Summarize purpose of the contract, including why it was necessary: To create a fully functional, informative, accessible user friendly website for the agency that is easy to maintain. The contract also included providing technical training and post deployment support to agency staff to support the website in the future.

Project Duration

Start Date Mon, 04/04/2022 - 00:00

Original end date Wed, 12/28/2022 - 00:00

Actual end date Fri, 05/31/2024 - 00:00

Did project finish on time? Yes

Total billable hours utilized (if applicable) {Empty}

Contract Amounts

Original contract: $193000

Amendments $211035

Contract total $404035

Did project finish within budget? Yes

What was the funding source? Business Technology Support Division

Is this a sole source contract? No

If this was a single source contract, explain why the agency determined there was only a single source for the services (if applicable) {Empty}

Evaluator Name Kristy Zack

Evaluator Email Address Kristy.Zack@state.mn.us

Evaluate the contractor's timeliness The process of identifying and addressing the needs of the State's various stakeholders took longer than anticipated but was not the fault of vendor. The State also identified additional functionalities of the website that were needed which required the contract to be extended. The vendor provided technical training and post-deployment support in a timely manner. Vendor was responsive to staff queries related to technical questions.

Evaluate the contractor's quality The vendor provide a website that meet our needs.
The site was built using best practices, and performs smoothly across different browsers and devices. The design is intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring visitors can easily navigate and find the information they need.
The vendor's training was thorough and covered the necessary topics. Vendor provided training documentation as a resource for staff.

Evaluate the contractor's cost The project was more than anticipated but some of that was due to additional functionalities identified by the State. Vendor provided approximately 10 training sessions and additional technical support. The cost for training and support was a bit high. However, this was specialized training that staff required and vendor was the only entity that could provide the training.

Evaluate the contractor's overall performance The vendor delivered a highly functional, well-designed website that met our expectations in terms of usability, aesthetics, and performance. While the project cost exceeded the initial budget due to the addition of extra features, the vendor provided transparent explanations and justified the additional expenses. The vendor promptly addressed issues. Throughout the project, the vendor maintained clear and consistent communication. They were responsive to our questions and provided regular updates on progress. The vendor did an exceptional job with providing training. Vendor did not leave trainings until all questions were answered satisfactorily. Vendor provided post-deployment support as requested. However, there was no strategy behind what they worked on. The responsibility for this rested on both the Agency and vendor.

Would you engage the contractor's services again? Yes

Describe any negative action taken during the duration of this contract (i.e., termination, pursuit of suspension, etc.): N/A

Please rate the overall experience with the contractor 4 - satisfied