Mass Notification SaaS Platform

The vendor is required to provide mass notification SaaS platform for include:
- Interoperability
•    Common alerting protocol (CAP) for exchanging emergency alerts, allowing a consistent alert message to be disseminated simultaneously over multiple communications pathways 
•    Industry standard data formats (like json, xml, csv), protocols, and authentication and authorization standards 
•    Well-documented application product interfaces (API) 
•    Support standard data models 
•    Support multiple data formats 
•    Provide tools or capabilities for mapping data fields between application and other systems 
•    Established clear governance policies and procedures for data sharing and integration.
1. Integrated public alert and warning system (IPAWS)
•    The application must be alert origination software (AOS) for issuing IPAWS (integrated public alert warnings system) wireless emergency alerts (WEA), emergency alert system (EAS), and other alerting systems for warning the public of an imminent threat and public safety incident and providing information on corresponding protective actions. 
•    IPAWS alerts must be crafted and sent to the IPAWS open platform for emergency networks (IPAWS-open) using IPAWS-compliant alert origination software. 
•    The IPAWS-open gateway will validate the alert, then route the alert to the public via multiple dissemination pathways. 
•    The platform must:
o    Allow users to retrieve and view IPAWS alerting permissions
o    Support limiting access to event types and geocodes based on user permissions
o    Display the connection status to IPAWS
o    Allow for a pin or password to distribute a live alert
o    notify the user if the digital certificate expires
o    Must support both live and test digital certificates
o    Support access to the IPAWS test environment for routine testing
o    Provide clear indication of the environment to which the software is pointed (live or test)
2. Organizational enterprise systems
•    PeopleSoft – enterprise resource software
o    Must be able to manage staff users and recipients based on employment status, work location, and contact information
o    The platform must have tools to resolve and reconcile data conflicts between contact databases and prioritize based on user input
•    Fusion - risk management software
o    Contact specific groups, teams, or rosters during any event, including major crisis or emergency situations
o    Capability to notify, poll, and initiate conference calls
o    Must be able to migrate existing mass notification capabilities into its platform
•    WebEOC – incident management software
o    Support integration to connect mass notification with incident management workflows to coordinate response
•    Microsoft azure / ENTRA / active directory and okta – user management, authentication and authorization, security policy, single sign on (SSO), etc.
o    Dynamic group memberships
o    Initiate conference calls through microsoft teams
•    Social media monitoring
o    Integration with existing social media applications or social media listening tools for automated alerting and early warnings
•    Geographic information systems (GIS)
o    Must be able to integrate with GIS enabled applications and leverage environmental systems research institute (Esri) geospatial technologies
•    Application must be able to support integration with CAD and RMS
o    Subscribe to events within the cad, configure specific events or incidents to automatically trigger notifications, leverage GIS integrations
•    Shooter detection systems guardian (SDS)
o    Integration with gunshot detection systems which use sensing to detect the discharge of a weapon to issue automated notifications.
- Transition services
1. Implementation and migration of current capabilities and data
•    Migrate existing mass notification capabilities from live mission critical systems affecting our customer base, tenants, vendors, and employees. 
•    This may require data conversions, transformations, synchronization, and field mapping to migrate users, roles, recipients, groups, and subscriptions. 
•    Responsible for quality control and assurance to ensure these groups and others using the existing platform are not adversely affected. 
•    The platform to retain the capability to upload targeted recipients extracted from other systems.
2. Incumbent to successor plan
•    Participate in planning sessions with the successor
•    Provide documentation of systems, processes and workflows
•    Conduct knowledge transfer of relevant operations
•    Grant temporary access as needed to the platform
•    Support parallel operations during a transition period
- Application functionalities
•    Rapid mass notification through multiple user selected channels of communication sent from a device including landline, desktop, laptop computer, tablet, smartphone, and mobile data terminal. 
•    The application must have redundancies to send notifications in the case of internet or other network outages.
o    All notification content will be related to port authority business areas as well as public safety to notify customers, staff, tenants, and consultants.
o    Notifications will be sent by qualified users from varying departments within the authority.
o    Must have outgoing contact information registered to the authority 
o    Caller id must have the capability to be configured for each department.
•    Text, voice call on all mobile carriers and devices as well as landlines.
•    Capability to prerecord a message to precede voice alerts to introduce an alert available for both text-to-speech and live recorded message.
o    Ability to store and reuse prerecorded messages
•    SMS via SMPP (600 character minimum)
•    Integration with government emergency telecommunication services (GETS) and wireless priority service (WPS) over-subscription during emergency conditions
•    Capability to subscribe and unsubscribe via SMS text message
o    Push notifications via cross platform mobile applications
•    Including path and bus terminal mobile applications and other non-pa apps
o    Emails (via smtp or suitable protocol), desktop notifications, social media
•    Messages are to be automatically optimized for the platform they are publishing to (e.g., email messages not use abbreviations, X and twitter messages publish up to 280 characters with an asset).
•    Must support the use of rich text, images, and access to other content and resources in email messages.
•    Must support file attachments without impeding storage or delivery performance.
•    Social media messaging must have access control to protect accounts
o    Public websites, intranets, internal systems
o    Integrated systems via API
o    Supports messaging with attachments
o    Supports free-form messaging with little to no character limitation
o    Alerting corrections for issued alerts sent in error
•    Dedicated web-based and mobile application or user portal, focused on user experience with port authority branding.
o    Compliant with section 508 of the act and WCAG 2.0 or higher standards for product accessibility.
o    Capability to opt-in, register, receive notifications, and send confirmation or share details across all facilities or channels.
•    Opt-in to emergency notification messages by category
o    Allow users to edit their contact information, prioritize and order with how, and when they receive messages by device.
o    Allow recipients to subscribe and edit registration groups or subscriptions.
o    Application to include tip and push information functionality.
o    Support sees something say something functionality, upload a picture or video and submit with location information.
•    Two-way communication for recipients to respond to alerts, confirm receipts, request assistance, or provide updates by replying via SMS, email, polling, or similar check-in functionality
o    Touch-tone responses to voice notifications upon request
o    Polling should not require a mobile application
o    Polling has the capability to be “location-aware”
o    Capability to conduct customizable quota polls
o    Support multiple response views including list, maps, charts, and other exportable reports
o    Ability to redirect return calls to a voice message hosted on the vendor platform
o    Defined and ad-hoc recipient targeting with the ability to send to specific groups or individuals based on location, department, contact list, subscription preferences, etc.
o    Geographic alerting based on a recipient’s location or sending targeted messages to individuals within a defined geographic area
•    Must be able to create, edit, and store common geographically selected areas
•    Capability to target multiple but separate geographic areas at the same time
o    Ability to search for a residence or business by searching for an address, facility, landmark, or other commonly used geographic search criteria
o    The platform must manage authority staff user and recipient accounts separate from other subscribers
•    Ensure internal messages are not seen by public subscribers
•    Opt-in preferences for internal staff must be managed separately from other users and recipients.
•    Templated messages for common situations and draft messaging with preview prior to sending.
o    User friendly template editing tools
o    Saving and editing of “canned” alerts
•    Automated messaging for faster dissemination of critical information-based predictive information e.g., weather, social media, natural disasters, facility incidents, security threats (shelter in place)
o    Support geographic boundaries for predicted path weather notifications
•    Provide an option to configure a hotline number that can be used to provide timely information to subscribers and the public at large
•    Scheduled messaging with rule-based triggers
o    E.g., traffic management, pre-arranged events
o    Multiple day or times for scheduled messaging
•    Originate conference calls and allow the originator to manage the call
o    Allow for conference call caller id to show as a designated title
o    Call origination to be available for all pa facilities
•    Contact database management
o    The application must support pre-defined and ad-hoc subscriber and group lists
o    Must be able to create contacts outside of the integrated HR software
•    Must be able to report the status and provide details of an ongoing messaging campaign
o    Support function to message recipients who have responded and to select nonrespondents within a single workflow
•    Must be able to support at least 750 accounts
o    Administrator, manager, and user roles defined in the user access section below
o    Customizable role-based permissions
•    Must be able to distribute up to at least 20,000 contacts and 250,000 subscribers within an hour
•    FedRAMP certifications.
o    Staff will be required to complete mandatory security compliance and awareness training for all vendor staff
•    Implement SSO to streamline user authentication across integrated applications
•    Built in security procedures to prevent inadvertent or unauthorized alert transmission.

- Contract Period/Term: 3 years
- Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: October 07, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: October 10, 2025