Business Registration Form Software Services

The City of Lake Forest’s Economic Development Division is seeking to enter into a one-year agreement for a software solution to streamline business registration form intake and storage. The goal of this project is to improve the experience for businesses seeking to open or operate in Lake Forest while increasing staff efficiency and supporting the City’s broader business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts. The City's current Business Registration system can be found here and provides intake for both commercial and home-based business forms.

The desired solution should provide a centralized, user-friendly platform for application and registration intake, document collection, business information management, and communication with the business community.

The selected vendor shall provide software, implementation, configuration, training, and ongoing support services necessary to establish and maintain a business resource and program management platform for the City. The City's current platform. hosts approximately 8,000 business registration forms and counting. Services shall include, but may not be limited to, the following:

A. Business Information Management

• Provide tools for collecting, maintaining, organizing, and updating business contact information and profiles.
• Allow authorized City staff to access and manage business records through a centralized system.
• Support the organization and retrieval of business information for outreach, program administration, and economic development activities.
• Include appropriate user permissions and access controls to protect information and limit access to authorized personnel.

B. Digital Applications and Program Administration

• Provide capabilities for creating and managing digital forms, applications, registrations, and program enrollment processes.
• Support the collection of required information and supporting documents through an online interface.
• Allow the City to customize forms and application requirements to accommodate different programs and initiatives.
• Support staff review and processing workflows, including the ability to route submissions to appropriate reviewers and track application status.

C. Business Communications and Outreach

• Provide tools to support targeted communications with businesses using available business information and contact records.
• Support the organization of business contacts for outreach related to City programs, services, events, and economic development initiatives.
• Allow staff to maintain current contact information and efficiently communicate relevant updates to the business community.

D. Reporting and Data Management

• Provide reporting capabilities that allow staff to monitor applications, program participation, business information, and other relevant activity.
• Include a dashboard or comparable reporting interface that presents useful operational information.
• Allow authorized staff to access, review, and export data for internal tracking, program evaluation, and reporting purposes.
• Describe available data export options and any limitations on the City’s ability to retrieve its information.

**E. System Configuration and Integration** [...]

**F. Implementation and Training** [...]

**G. Ongoing Technical Support and Maintenance** [...]

The City of Lake Forest is accepting electronic bid submissions. Bidders shall create a FREE account with OpenGov Procurement by signing up at https://procurement.opengov.com/signup. Once you have completed account registration, browse back to this page, click on "Submit Response", and follow the instructions to submit the electronic bid.

**RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:** https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/lakeforestca

The City is requesting software services for one-year, with no annual renewal.

Vendors shall provide a clear breakdown of all anticipated costs associated with implementing and maintaining the proposed solution. Pricing should distinguish between one-time implementation costs and recurring fees, including any costs based on the number of users, applications, business records, programs, or other usage limits.

**Required** with the response: Proposal Documents (Statement of Experience and Qualifications or Technical Proposal, and Costing Summary or Quote) and a current, signed IRS *Form W-9*.

Anticipated Contractor Selection Date: December 18, 2026