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PUBLIC NOTICE
Microsoft SharePoint Evaluation and Improvements for Public Health Agency
PDPHE is a local public health agency in Pueblo County, CO and currently employs around 96 staff members spread across four main work areas: 1) Environmental Health Services; 2) Community Health Services; 3) Community Engagement, Prevention, and Response; and 4) Administration.
As technology continues to rapidly advance, PDPHE recognizes the need to reflect on current department utilization of digital platforms and proactively think about what is on the horizon. Recently, agency leadership has been engaged in conversations related to Microsoft SharePoint and the need for increased standardization across the department to support continuity of operations, ease of locating files when needed, and emerging storage considerations. PDPHE also recognizes that an imminent component for government entities includes AI integrations.
About 10 years ago, PDPHE first began to transition from external hard drives to Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive. During that transition, no specific rules or standards were put in place to guide creation, organization, and use of cloud storage. As such, the four work areas all have created a variety of SharePoint sites, which all function and are organized differently. Along with this, leadership has recognized a gap when it comes to document retention, whether that be a lack of standards for document archival, or historical documents and originals difficult to find or missing from the sites completely. Compounding this are conversations with Pueblo County IT prompting PDPHE to consider its SharePoint storage usage and to rethink file organization utilizing metatags instead of folders. While PDPHE functions independently from Pueblo County government, the department does contract with them for all IT services. Additional context gathered through a brief internal audit to better explain scope is that department-wide, PDPHE has about 80 SharePoint sites that cumulatively utilize about 1.15 TB of storage.
This Request for Quote involves hiring an outside contractor to conduct multiple activities, including:
- Audit current organization and usage of PDPHE SharePoint sites with a focus on access/permissions, site type(group, etc.), naming conventions, nesting, and metatags. This audit will include defined problem(s) noted duringevaluation, the scope of the problem(s), and recommendations/solutions that showcase phases or costs tocomplete.
- Provide a list of recommendations or solutions to develop standards for document organization and archiving,keeping in mind the potential for AI integrations.
- Implement a selected solution that fits the agency’s needs.
- Create an admin guide document to accurately capture the solution for continued sustainability.
- Develop trainings for internal staff, of which one will be provided to key staff who will maintain the standards andanother to onboard all PDPHE staff to the new organization of materials.
Key considerations for applicants to keep in mind for this project:
- All assets dedicated to this project must be in the US and cannot be offshore.
- A variety of files the department makes use of are subject to the following:
- CORA
- HIPAA
- FERPA
- CJIS
- 42 CFR Part 2
- The department would like considerations involving the potential for future AI integrations.
- Certain files will have specific retention requirements.
- The department contracts with Pueblo County IT for IT related needs and therefore must follow their applicableprocesses and protocols.
- The department makes use of Microsoft 365 Government licenses with some hybrid commercial features.
- Certain SharePoint sites are department-wide, while many are work-area-specific.
- PDPHE would like to see all the activities previously listed completed within the project timeframe. However, ifonly a set number of activities can be accomplished within the project timeframe and for the maximum dollaramount, PDPHE asks that applicants list what activities they are able to provide within those restrictions.
This work will be done within the constraints of a contingent grant source, which will conclude November 30, 2026. Due to reporting requirements, PDPHE aims to have this project completed by October 30, 2026.
In summary, PDPHE has recognized the need for better standardization of document storage, retention, and access. The department aims for a future state where consistent expectations and understanding of when, where, and how to store documents, which type of site to establish, and ownership of sites are established for all staff. This includes rules for naming conventions, nesting recommendations, guidelines for tagging, archival processes and guidelines, and consideration for AI integration.