SLED Opportunity · FLORIDA · CITY OF LAKELAND
AI Summary
City of Lakeland seeks proposals for cloud-based timekeeping and scheduling software for Police and Fire departments. Budget is $150K first year, $75K recurring. Integration with Oracle PeopleSoft required. Evaluation based on functionality, public safety experience, integration, reporting, implementation, and cost. RFP due April 23, 2026.
The City of Lakeland (City) is seeking proposals for cloud-based Timekeeping and Scheduling Software to serve the needs of Police and Fire (public safety). The budgetary estimate for this project is $150,000 for licensing and setup in year one and $75,000 for reoccurring license renewals.
The City’s public safety departments consist of approximately 450 personnel in Police and 250 personnel in Fire. They maintain minimum staffing levels and provide 24/7 services to the public. Processes are largely manual, utilizing Excel and email communications. Fire uses a custom application for timekeeping and schedule exception workflows.
The City’s uses Oracle PeopleSoft for all time reporting, payroll and HRMS functions. Schedules are created and exception time is reported either using the application directly or through the import of a formatted flat file. PeopleSoft will remain the system of record for time worked and paid.
Current demographics:
Fire Shifts – 24/48 with a three-week Kelly day, approximately 30 admin/40 hour
Police Shifts – 12-hour rotating, 8.4-hour administrative schedule, 8-hour civilian/salaried (additional details in the attachments)
Our pain points are largely related to inefficiencies and duplicate data entry. The proposed solution should centralize the functions around timekeeping and scheduling with robust and configurable workflow capabilities.
Evaluates how well the solution meets public safety scheduling needs.
Evaluates vendor familiarity with public safety operations.
Evaluates system compatibility with existing City systems.
Evaluates the system’s reporting capabilities.
Evaluates vendor’s ability to successfully deploy and support the system.
Evaluates overall value and transparency of pricing.
“I attest no City of Lakeland employee, their spouse, or child has an ownership stake in this organization.”
A certificate of existing insurance coverage should be submitted with the proposal as proof of insurability. If the current coverage does not meet the RFP requirements, then the Respondent should request an affidavit of insurability from the Respondent’s insurance agent that certifies the requirements can and will be met.
THIS RFP SHALL BE VALID FOR SIXTY (60) DAYS FROM DATE OF OPENING.
The following RFP is in strict accordance with the City of Lakeland Request for Proposal No. 2026-RFP-030, dated Thursday, March 26, 2026 and all attachments as referenced therein.
“I hereby certify that I understand and am aware that the City of Lakeland at its sole discretion reserves the right to waive technicalities or irregularities, to reject any or all proposals, and/or to accept that proposal which is in the best interest of the City. The award of this RFP, if made, may be based on considerations other than total cost and may be awarded based on various considerations, including without limitation; Respondent’s experience and/or qualifications, past experience, administrative cost, standardization, technical evaluation and oral and/or written presentations as required. The City reserves the right to accept all or part, or to decline the whole, and to award this RFP to one (1) or more Respondents. There is no obligation to buy. The RFP, if awarded, will be in the judgement of the City the most responsive to the City’s needs. The City of Lakeland encourages the use of minority and women owned businesses as subcontractors or in joint venture arrangements.
If claiming Local Vendor Preference, I certify that the company satisfies each of the following criteria at the time of their submission of a response to the solicitation necessary to qualify as a “Local Business”: a vendor, supplier or contractor that: (i) conducts business within the jurisdictional limits of Lakeland Electric’s service territory by providing goods, services or construction; (ii) maintains a physical business location within the jurisdictional limits of Lakeland Electric’s service territory in an area legally zoned for conducting such business; (iii) conducts business on a daily basis from the local business location; (iv) has conducted business from such location for at least twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the due date for the applicable bid or proposal; and (v) provides a copy of its local business tax receipt, if located within the City of Lakeland, or a copy of its Polk County local business tax receipt, if located outside of the City limits but within Lakeland Electric’s service territory.”
If claiming Local Vendor Preference, a valid Local Business Tax Receipt must be provided at the time the response is submitted in order to qualify for such consideration.
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Q (Implementation): • Does the City of Lakeland prefer a single deployment (go-live for all in-scope employees at once) or a phased rollout with multiple deployment groups?
A: We would prefer a single go-live but are open to a phased rollout.
Q (Implementation): • If a phased approach is preferred, how would you like to segment deployment groups (e.g., by department, location, employee type, union groups)? • Are there any priority groups that should be implemented first?
A: We would prefer a single go-live but there are opportunities to target specific groups if there is a compelling reason.
Q (Implementation): • Does the City have internal resource availability (payroll, HR, IT) to support a single deployment, or would a phased approach better align with staff capacity?
A: Yes, the City has resources available for support throughout the project and continuing into production.
Q (Implementation): • Are there any training or change management considerations that would impact the deployment strategy?
A: We wouldn't expect an impact to our deployment but change management is expected to be part of project management and training part of the services offering.
Q (Implementation): • Are there any critical deadlines or events (e.g., fiscal year, payroll cycles, seasonal operations) that should influence deployment timing?
A: As we look at a go-live date, there will be considerations as to what week would work better than another but no factors that affect the schedule timing at a macro level.
Q (No subject): The selection criteria include several areas such as functional requirements, vendor experience, and references. However, the Vendor Questionnaire does not include specific prompts for many of these items. Can the City clarify how vendors are expected to address these selection criteria within their submissions? Should vendors include a comprehensive narrative response covering these areas within the "Additional Required RFP Submittal Information" upload?
A: Yes, you are correct, please upload in the "Additional Required RFP Submittal Information "
Q (No subject): Can the City provide an overview of the anticipated procurement process following proposal submission, including whether certain criteria (such as functional capabilities or references) will be further evaluated through demonstrations, interviews, or additional information requests?
A: After the submission, the selection team will review all the submittals and possibly shortlist a few firms to do a presentation. This of course will be determined at the selection committee meeting.
Q (No subject): Can the City provide additional insight into the primary operational challenges or objectives driving this procurement (e.g., overtime management, staffing visibility, compliance, or process standardization)?
A: Our challenges are largely related to manual processes and inefficiencies. We are looking to automate.
Q (Scheduling): Is scheduling currently managed centrally or by division/unit?
A: Division/Unit and the type of schedule is based on CBA agreements.
Q (Scheduling): How are staffing minimums and qualifications defined and enforced today?
A: They are defined by policy and managerial directive and enforced by the manual schedule.
Q (Scheduling): What are your FLSA work periods and overtime thresholds for Police and Fire?
A: Police (sworn): FLSA - 84 hours over a two-week period, Fire: 144 hours over a three-week period
Q (Scheduling): How are call-backs, holdovers, comp time, and built-in overtime currently handled?
A: Manual inputs.
Q (Scheduling): Can you share your union detailed pay rules (including shift differentials, specialty pay)?
A: All this information can be found in the CBA agreements attached to the RFP.
Q (Scheduling): What do clock operations currently look like, and going forward would they potentially include through mobile apps, or hardware devices?
A: Neither group has a clock in/out, only elapsed time is reported.
Q (Scheduling): How are shift trades, time-off requests, and approvals currently managed?
A: Police: no shift trades (as of now) and manual submissions for the rest, Fire: OnBase forms and workflows for requests and approvals
Q (Scheduling): How are certifications and expirations currently tracked and enforced in scheduling?
A: Manual tracking from data that may be disjointed and incomplete.
Q (Communications): What are your expectations for mobile usage and employee communication (notifications, acknowledgments, recall)?
A: Yes, mobile notifications are desired.
Q (Implementation): What is your target implementation timeline, and will Police and Fire be deployed together or separately?
A: We do not have a reason for separate implementations but are open to what makes sense for the project.
Q (No subject): The RFP references scheduling and workforce management requirements for both Fire and Police personnel. Can the City confirm whether off-duty/secondary employment management — including the ability for officers and firefighters to request, approve, and track off-duty job assignments (e.g., private security details, event staffing, construction site coverage) — is within scope of this solicitation, or if it is intended to be addressed through a separate system or process? If off-duty management is in scope, please indicate whether the City requires: 1. Officer/firefighter self-service request submission for off-duty assignments 2. Supervisor or command-level approval workflows 3. Coordination with payroll or billing for off-duty hours tracking 4. Integration with the primary scheduling system to manage availability conflicts This will help us ensure our response accurately addresses all functional requirements the City intends to evaluate.
A: This is not a requirement as we already have a functional solution. We would however, be interested in potentially combining the systems in the future.
Q (Pricing Proposal ): Could you please advise whether there is a designated pricing form, or if respondents should submit pricing in their own format?
A: Any format is acceptable.
Q (No subject): To ensure we provide the most thorough and complete response possible, would the City consider a one or two week extension to the proposal deadline?
A: As we approach the deadline, we'll consider the engagement and make an appropriate decision at that time. It is recommended to plan as though there will not be an extension.
Q (No subject): Are the presentations set to be held virtually or in-person? What might be the potential dates?
A: We are undecided and will coordinate with the finalist on the dates.
Q (Employment Shifts: K-9 Handlers work 11.0 or 7.7 hours per workday (Garcia Time)): With Garcia Time, how are you currently breaking down the 7.7 hour shift, by the minute, or 15 minute increments?
A: We currently break it down to the minute for scheduling. For timekeeping, it is not broken apart from the 8.4 hour day.
Q (No subject): Is PeopleSoft capable of determining pay directly from scheduled work activity?
A: We do not do any scheduling in PeopleSoft. If the schedule were exported and formatted to be ingested as time worked, PeopleSoft would process it.
Q (Scheduling): Do the Police/Fire departments have additional policy documents about their scheduling procedures?
A: We do not
Q (No subject): Can the City confirm its current payroll/timekeeping system and any required integrations (e.g., Kronos, Workday, other)? Additionally, what level of integration is expected (file export, API, real-time sync)?
A: PeopleSoft is the HR/Payroll/Timekeeping system. Integrations come via a formatted file export.
Q (No subject): Does the City require Single Sign-On (SSO) as part of this implementation? If so, please confirm the identity provider (e.g., Azure AD/Entra ID).
A: Yes, Entra
Q (No subject): Does the City intend for this solution to manage secondary employment/off-duty assignments, including rate management, approvals, and billing? If so, are there specific requirements for invoicing or vendor coordination?
A: This is not a requirement as we already have a functional solution. We would however, be interested in potentially combining the systems in the future.
Q (No subject): Does the City prefer a schedule-driven timekeeping model (where assigned shifts are the baseline and exceptions are tracked), or a traditional clock-in/clock-out approach? Are physical time clocks required?
A: We currently schedule and track time worked by exceptions and it would be preferred. We won't by using physical clocks.
Q (No subject): Can the City provide clarification on key scheduling and overtime rules across the various CBAs (e.g., shift bidding, overtime distribution, comp time, minimum staffing requirements) that must be enforced within the system?
A: Yes, all of these scenarios need enforced: shift bidding, overtime distribution, comp time, minimum staffing requirements. The CBA's are the most condensed guidance that we have.
Q (No subject): Are there any required integrations with existing systems such as CAD, RMS, or other public safety platforms that should be included as part of this proposal?
A: No, it will not be required to integrate with other Public Safety platforms.
Q (No subject): Are there specific reporting formats or public records requirements beyond standard export capabilities that the City expects the system to support?
A: PeopleSoft is the HR/Payroll/Timekeeping system. Integrations come via a formatted file export.
Q (No subject): Does the City have a preferred implementation timeline or target go-live date? Additionally, are there any constraints related to fiscal year, union agreements, or staffing that should be considered?
A: As we look at a go-live date, there will be considerations as to what week would work better than another but no factors that affect the schedule timing at a macro level.
Q (No subject): Can the City confirm the anticipated number of total users (sworn, civilian, and administrative) that should be included in pricing?
A: Approximately 450 personnel in Police and 250 personnel in Fire
Q (Workflow): The RFP Overview mentions workflow capabilities. Can we get some examples of the workflows the city would like to create?
A: An example would be vacation approval. A user would submit the request, and it would route appropriately.
Q (No subject): Sections 1.18 Terms and Conditions of the Agreement states that “A copy of the agreement to be entered into with the successful Respondent is included with this RFP Attached herein, should the City require such.” Can you please confirm which sections act as the Terms and Conditions of the agreement, or provide a copy of the attachment?
A: Attachment N is the standard City of Lakeland contract. Once the vendor is awarded the department and legal will work with the vendor on the contract before it is presented to City Commission
Q (No subject): Can the please City clarify the preferred integration method with PeopleSoft (API-based vs flat file), and whether real-time or batch processing is expected for time and payroll data synchronization?
A: PeopleSoft is the HR/Payroll/Timekeeping system. Integrations come via a formatted file export. Batch processing.
Q (No subject): The RFP references exception scenarios where hours may exceed 24 in a single day due to special pay or unique circumstances. Can the City provide specific examples of these scenarios (e.g., court time, emergency call-back, secondary employment, overlapping assignments), and clarify how these hours should be represented for both scheduling visibility and payroll export?
A: An example would be if the combination of hours worked and holiday hours exceeded 24. We would need over 24 shown in scheduling but would need it in time reporting.
Q (No subject): The RFP states "Processes are largely manual, utilizing Excel and email communications. Fire uses a custom application for timekeeping and schedule exception workflows". What is the type of data in the Excel spreadsheets and the Fire's custom app?
A: The Excel sheets (as well as pdf's and other documents) are used for scheduling and timekeeping. Fire's custom app is used for timekeeping and creating the export to PeopleSoft for pay.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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