PRESOLICITATION for RFP below:
1.1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) (hereafter referred to as solicitation) is to obtain proposals from qualified Bidders for the Secretary of State and the State of California (hereafter referred to as State) to design, develop, test, implement, maintain and support a solution for California’s Notary Automation System (hereafter referred to as “NAP 2.0”).
1.2. BACKGROUND
SOS is responsible for the appointment and regulation of California notaries public and for the issuance of Apostilles.
Prior to appointment and for each appointment thereafter, a notary public applicant must submit an application, complete an SOS approved education course from an SOS approved vendor, pass a notary public examination and get a background investigation from both the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of SOS regulatory activities, SOS investigates and initiates disciplinary proceedings, as needed, to ensure notaries public comply with applicable law.
Apostilles are SOS certificates generated for the authentication of California public official and notary public signatures on documents for use outside of the United States. Currently, Apostille requests are received in the Sacramento and Los Angeles offices, as well as, at Apostille Pop-Up Shops throughout California (2024 APUS Pilot Program).
SOS currently utilizes an antiquated Legacy NAP System, ancillary paper-based processes, and standard Microsoft Office 365 tools to accomplish the tasks necessary to support the Notary and Apostille functions and services. SOS needs a new system providing:
1. Notary public application tracking and support;
2. Notary public background check tracking and support;
3. Notary public education vendor tracking and support;
4. Notary public testing and support;
5. Notary public seal manufacturer permit tracking and support;
6. Notary public discipline tracking and support;
7. Apostille tracking and support;
8. The new Remote Online Notarization Act (Chapter 291, Statutes of 2023 (SB 696, Portantino or RON) platform vendor tracking and support;
9. RON depository vendor tracking and support;
10. Online services to accommodate RON;
11. Online public information and records services, including Online verification of Apostille issuance;
12. Online payment processing;
13. A secure database; and
14. Sufficient flexibility to accommodate future changes efficiently.
Legacy NAP System
To execute the SOS’s responsibilities in accordance with Government Code section 8200, SOS currently utilizes the Legacy NAP System to store and maintain critical notary public commission data and images of public official signatures. In addition, the Legacy NAP System is used to process and verify Apostille requests. The Legacy NAP System also stores information related to notary education vendors, seal manufacturers and other data to support the commissioning and regulation of notaries public.
The Legacy NAP System is approximately 30 years old and needs replacing. The Legacy NAP System was developed utilizing the PowerBuilder application coupled with an Oracle database and is based on antiquated programming language to support primarily a paper-based process. The Legacy NAP System is very difficult to update and it is difficult to find qualified information technology staff or vendors to support the Legacy NAP System.
For more information, contact austin@provteam.com