The same numbers across HFG
Bring information from all 12 point-of-sale systems into one place. Show where each number came from, check for errors, and keep a record of corrections.
Vendor Q&A §3 Q8Hitcents response | HFG Enterprise Data Management System
Software built for Houchens.
Improved as your needs change.
Hitcents has worked with Houchens for years and remains your technology partner today. We propose to bring your business information together, build the inventory and reporting tools you need, and keep updating the software as your business changes.
We will use Handrail, the system we built to help our team develop, test, and run software. Your monthly service includes ongoing software changes within agreed limits, so adding a new function does not automatically mean paying for another build.
Built on years of working together
01
Houchens decides what needs to change.
Your team explains the problem, sets priorities, and reviews whether the result meets the need.
02
Hitcents builds and runs the software.
We are responsible for the agreed work, technical decisions, and ongoing service.
03
Handrail helps us build and test changes.
It keeps your requirements and business rules with the work, uses AI to help write and check software, and helps us put approved changes into use.
When your team needs another change, we use this process again. ↗
Hitcents
A technology partner Houchens already knows, with years of experience working with your business
12
Point-of-sale systems to connect so stores and the home office can use the same numbers
HFG
Houchens keeps control of its information including the right to request copies under the agreement
What HFG has asked us to solve first
Connect the store records.
Keep inventory current.
Make reporting easier.
HFG has named three equally important needs: one trusted set of business records, accurate inventory, and reports people can build themselves. We propose starting with company-operated grocery stores and making useful tools available as we connect their information.
Current inventory
Update stock quantities as goods are received, sold, transferred, or adjusted. Give teams the records they need to investigate a difference.
Vendor Q&A §3 Q8Build reports without rebuilding spreadsheets
Let store and corporate teams answer their own questions using the same records, without asking someone to assemble a new spreadsheet each time.
Vendor Q&A §3 Q8Keep your existing checkout and financial systems.
HFG's request calls for a new system that brings information together from the systems you already run. Your core point-of-sale and financial systems stay in place. We would connect their records to new inventory, reporting, and other business tools.
Vendor Q&A §4 Q1
You work with Hitcents.
Hitcents is the company making this proposal and the company responsible for delivering the agreed work. Our experience with Houchens helps us ask better questions about your systems and daily work from the start.
Handrail helps write, test, and run the software.
Handrail is the system Hitcents built to help develop, test, and run software. It keeps track of what Houchens needs and the rules a change must follow. AI helps write and check the software; people make decisions and approve its use.
The work you have already done
You have already done the hard work:
explaining what you need.
Your RFP puts years of experience into writing: what your teams need, where today's processes fall short, and what better software should do. That gives us a clear starting point. With Handrail, we use those requirements to guide what we build and how we check it.
You have told us what needs to work.
We start with your RFP, answers, and process maps. Our years of working with Houchens help us fill in the details with your team.
See whether it works for your people.
Hitcents uses Handrail to build and test the software against those requirements. Your team reviews working software and tells us what needs to change.
A missed detail can become the next change.
If a store needs another step or accounting needs a different report, we update the requirements, build the agreed change, and test it before putting it into use.
You do not have to get every detail right on day one.
We expect to learn together during implementation. We review changes against the agreed build scope. Once the monthly service begins, adding or changing a function in the same system does not, by itself, trigger another build fee. Included changes are part of the service you are already paying for. Usage limits and extra work can affect the cost.
See what changes are included and what can cost extra ↓Why the cost of future changes matters
What will it cost to change
the system next year?
A list of features tells you what a system does today. Before choosing one, ask how much time, money, and outside help it will take to change it. Vendors send different files, managers need different approvals, and new stores need to be added.
An invoice arrives in a new format.
Update how the system reads the file. Check that the invoice amounts and reports are still correct.
Large credits need a manager's approval.
Change who must approve the credit. Keep a record of the amount, the decision, and its effect on inventory and accounting.
Another group of stores needs to be added.
Connect those stores' information, give employees the right access, and include the stores in the appropriate reports.
“How will this system meet our needs today, and what will it take to change it next year?”A question to ask every software provider
What the monthly service lets you do
Adding a function does not automatically mean another build fee.
The monthly service lets you use Handrail to add or change what the software does. Under our Master Services Agreement (MSA), adding a new function to the same running system does not, by itself, trigger another initial build fee. Usage limits, work done by people, separate systems, and other agreement terms can affect the cost. Those limits are explained in the pricing section.
See what is included and how additional costs work ↓MSA §§4.7, 7.1–7.7 | Applies once the monthly subscription beginsHFG's own guiding principles: “Business value over feature count” and “Long-term partnership over short-term cost savings.” RFP §7.
An example from HFG's receiving process
The invoice says 100 cases.
The store received 96.
Track the missing four.
Your process map asks how to keep inventory accurate while accounting waits for a supplier credit. Follow this example to see how HFG and Hitcents would agree on a rule, put it into the software, test it, and change it later if needed.
Example, using sample numbers
The example uses sample numbers. HFG would approve the inventory and accounting treatment before we built it into the working system.
HFG explains what the store and accounting need
100 cases invoiced. 96 received.
The store needs to show 96 cases received. Accounting needs to track the four cases still owed as a credit. HFG and Hitcents agree how the system should record both.
What the system should show96 cases received. A credit for four still due.
Keep the original invoice, record the actual quantity received, and show accounting which credit is still outstanding.
- Explain: 100 cases invoiced, 96 received. The store needs an accurate count and accounting needs to track the credit.
- Agree: decide how to record the receipt and credit, then test the rule, duplicate files, and employee access.
- Use: HFG checks the results with sample records; Hitcents puts the approved change into use.
- Change again: review outstanding credits and the time spent resolving them, then choose the next improvement.
Your team decides what is right.
Our team builds and tests it.
Handrail helps our team write the software, run checks, and put approved changes into use. Your team checks that the result follows HFG's business rules. Hitcents is responsible for the technical work. We propose giving HFG the controls to manage routine users, access, and settings without calling us.
Source: Attachment B, “3. Nonfuel Grocery Receiving,” rows 3–5. This example explains how we propose to work together. It is not a demonstration of completed HFG software.
What you see and when
Review working software
before the first stores go live.
You can try the sample screens in this proposal today, before choosing a provider. During the build, we propose regular reviews of working software so your team can check the results and request changes before employees depend on it for daily work.
Try the sample screens
Explore the proposed inventory, reporting, and receiving screens. Use them to discuss what fits your teams and what needs to change. These are sample screens, not a live HFG system.
First prototypes in Month 1. All 38 by Month 4.
Review the first inventory, reporting, and access-control tasks at the end of Month 1. Add ordering and daily workflows in Months 2–3, then complete all capability prototypes, including nice-to-haves, by the end of Month 4. Each uses representative records in a test environment.
Start with an agreed group of stores
Put the first inventory and reporting tools into daily use after HFG checks the records and business rules, employees are trained, and the teams agree the software is ready.
Add the remaining stores and tools
Complete the agreed connections and functions in stages. The monthly service supports further changes as your needs develop, within the purchased allowances and agreement terms.
Month 6 is the target for daily use, not the first time you see working software.
The draft Order Form targets first daily use at the start of Month 6 and completion of the initial build in Month 12, measured from project start. These are planning targets, not guaranteed dates. First working prototypes are targeted for the end of Month 1, with none promised earlier; all 38 capability prototypes are targeted by the end of Month 4. Prototype reviews precede production acceptance, training, and rollout. Timing depends on access to systems and records, work by other providers, and HFG decisions.
Measure whether the work is paying off.
HFG has said it has limited measurements of today's results. We propose measuring current reporting effort and inventory accuracy at the start, then reviewing the results together each month. We would agree the targets and review schedule with HFG.
| What should improve | What we would measure | What it tells HFG |
|---|---|---|
| Less reporting effort | Hours spent assembling and reconciling recurring reports | Time employees can spend on other work. Count cash savings separately, when spending actually falls. |
| More dependable inventory | Count accuracy and time to resolve receipt or credit differences | Whether teams can rely on the stock record |
| Reports people use | How many teams use the reports, how recent the records are, and whether managers use the margin reports | Whether managers have current information when they make decisions |
| Less time and cost to make changes | Time and total cost from approving a change to putting the tested change into use | How much each improvement costs and how long HFG waits for it |
Compare the benefits with the full cost: the build, monthly service, extra usage, other providers, and HFG employees' time. We have not yet measured savings or a return on investment, and do not guarantee them. Vendor Q&A §2 Q2–4.
How we would manage the work together
You decide what comes first.
We show you what is working.
- 01HFG names the people who can make business decisions, provide system access, and approve completed work.
- 02Hitcents keeps a shared list of the work and regularly shows HFG the changes that are ready to review.
- 03Both teams agree who trains employees, what must be checked before use, and any spending that needs approval.
- 04HFG manages routine user accounts, access, and settings. Hitcents builds the software and provides the agreed ongoing service.
Hitcents pricing
What it costs to build, run,
and improve the system.
The proposal has two charges: a fixed fee to build the agreed system and a monthly fee to run and improve it. The draft Order Form covers one shared HFG system for up to 1,000 users.
01
Build the agreed HFG system
Build it and prepare it for daily use
$355,000fixed fee
$120,000 Enterprise base+$235,000 dedicated build team=$355,000 fixed
Pay the fixed fee in twelve monthly installments. Finishing early does not reduce the fee or cancel the remaining installments. The work includes connecting systems, moving and checking records, introducing the software in stages, and resolving issues as it enters daily use. AI helps us build and test; people still need to understand the records, settle business rules, and coordinate the work.
02
Run and improve the shared HFG system
For up to 1,000 users
$20,000per month
Enterprise plan | 500 users included$15,000/mo
User allowance | 1,000 users total+$5,000/mo
Monthly price before extras$20,000/mo
12-month term$240,000/yr
The monthly service keeps the software available, checks for problems, provides support and security services, and lets you make changes through Handrail within agreed limits. Monthly service charges can begin while build installments are still due. The billing rules below explain when they start.
Why this work needs a dedicated team
HFG has 12 point-of-sale systems, hundreds of other sources, and years of records to bring together. We need to check how those records relate, resolve differences with your team, and introduce the software across many locations.
Why 1,000 users
Store employees and several corporate departments will need access. HFG has not yet confirmed the number of users. Up to 2,500 total users is $27,500/month ($330,000/year). For more than 2,500 users, we would agree a price in the Order Form.
Example for the first 12 months
About $495,000 if HFG begins using the first major part of the system in Month 6. That includes the $355,000 build and seven months at $20,000. The actual start date determines the final amount.
What the monthly service includes, and what can cost extra
Add or change functions
You can use Handrail to add reports, change approval rules, or add other functions to the same system. Adding a function alone does not trigger another build fee. The plan includes 1,000 Change Requests each month. A distinct change or follow-up counts as a request; reporting a defect or asking a support question does not. Further automated changes use the usage credits described below.
40 engineering hours each month
The plan includes 40 hours of work by our engineers each month. Additional hours cost $200/hour and normally require written approval first. Time spent fixing confirmed Handrail platform incidents or Hitcents-caused defects does not reduce those 40 hours.
Some work needs a separate price
A separately operated system, a project with a guaranteed deadline, substantial manual work to move data, extra engineering hours, or another provider's fees can cost more. A particular feature may take more than one month's allowance. The MSA explains when separate terms apply.
Usage limits, extra charges, and when billing starts
How usage is counted. The agreement uses Resource Credits to measure computing and AI usage. The monthly plan includes the quantities shown above. Credits are usage units, not engineering hours or a promise to finish a feature. Usage beyond the included credits costs $1.25 per Resource Credit.
What happens when you reach a limit. The draft allows extra computing usage to be billed automatically so the system can keep running. Optional AI work stops at its allowance unless HFG approves more. Work by our engineers beyond the included 40 hours normally requires written approval before it is charged. The $20,000 monthly price can therefore increase with extra usage or approved work.
When monthly billing begins. The MSA calls this the Subscription Commencement Date. Under §5.5, it is the earliest of these events:
- The system goes live.
- HFG instructs Hitcents to make it available for daily business use.
- HFG starts using a material part of it in daily business.
- 15 business days after a valid Production-Ready Notice, if launch is delayed for a reason other than an unresolved material defect caused by Hitcents. This is the formal notice that the software is ready for its intended business use.
If the system is introduced in stages, §5.6 starts the subscription with the first material stage used in daily business, unless the Order Form expressly sets a different staged billing schedule. Build installments may still be due at that point.
How long the agreement runs. The standard subscription lasts 12 months from its start date. It renews for another 12 months unless either party gives written notice at least 60 days before the term ends. Monthly payments do not make the build or subscription a month-to-month purchase.
Help when something goes wrong. Enterprise includes running the software, keeping backups, checking for problems, priority support, and standard disaster recovery. The target for an initial response is one hour for Severity 1, four hours for Severity 2, and one business day for Severity 3. Severity describes how serious a problem is. These are response targets, not deadlines for fixing every problem. They become binding service promises only if the agreement expressly says so and states a remedy. We still need to agree HFG's specific recovery targets and other open service details.
Sign-in and activity records. The draft includes company sign-in support (SSO / SAML) and detailed records of user activity at no additional fee. The chosen sign-in provider supplies the extra identity check called multi-factor authentication (MFA). Taxes, options not selected in the draft, and other providers' unconfirmed charges are not included in the quoted price.
Your data, access, and rights if the service ends
HFG owns its information and reports. During an active subscription, the MSA lets HFG request a standard copy of its data in a commonly used format. Work to rearrange the data or help move it to another system may cost extra. HFG's RFP asks for unrestricted access to copy and move its data. Before signing, both teams need to agree how that requirement fits with the MSA's standard terms.
HFG can manage routine accounts and settings. We propose controls for HFG to manage users, decide who can see and change information, adjust settings, and make routine changes to data sources. We would agree and demonstrate those controls and the training HFG needs to use them.
Hitcents owns the software; HFG has specific protections if service cannot continue. MSA §17 defines the events that give HFG rights to operate and maintain the application independently, such as certain permanent service failures. Simply choosing not to renew does not give HFG those rights. The draft does not include an option to buy the source code, or an independent escrow provider to hold a copy for agreed circumstances.
Request your data promptly if the agreement ends. Under the standard terms, HFG has 30 days after the agreement ends to request its data and must have paid amounts that are not in dispute. The data may be deleted after that period. Any additional rights to move the data, take over the software, or arrange independent code storage must be written into the signed agreement.
Price summary
Initial Build: $355K fixed.
→Once the subscription starts: $20K/month recurring.
Contract detail
The draft Order Form lists the proposed prices and services. The Master Services Agreement sets the standard terms. Read both for the full agreement.
Review draft Order Form ↗ Review Handrail MSA ↗Review the requirements and sample screens
Review all 38 requirements
and try the sample screens.
The sample screens below show how we propose the system could work. They are not finished software. In the next evaluation stage, HFG asks vendors to demonstrate working software with sample records. That is where the team can test the functions and examine how they work.
What we propose to demonstrate next
We propose following grocery records from a receipt and supplier credit into inventory and a report. HFG could check the results, then ask how we would change a business rule. We would agree the demonstration, sample records, and timing with your team.
RFP §§4.9, 5 | Vendor Q&A §9Our response to all 38 requirements
Requirement review | Attachment A
What we propose for
each requirement.
Each item below says whether it appears in the sample screens, is part of our proposed plan, or needs further agreement. These labels do not replace the formal responses required in Attachment A. A function shown in a sample screen is not necessarily available in working software today.
38Total requirements
30Required
8Nice to have
Shown Proposed Needs agreement
No requirements match that search.
Sample screens | try the proposed system
Sample screens
Try the screens
your teams could use.
Use these sample screens to discuss what HFG needs before the system is built. See what different employees could access, how records could be checked, and how people could build reports.
Sample screens
Try the proposed inventory and reporting screens
These screens use sample information. They show a proposed design, not finished software or measured speed.
Three things to try
- 01Change rolesSee which tools and information are available to different employees.
- 02Open Sources & Data ChecksSee how HFG finds bad information and gets it fixed.
- 03Open inventory and receivingSee how a receipt or sale would affect the inventory shown.
Example | when a store has not sent its records
Example: missing store records
Know when a store's records
are missing from a report.
This example shows the approach we propose when a store has not sent its latest records. Flag the missing information, show how current the available numbers are, and update the reports when the records arrive.
Every business reports in
Sales, deliveries, and adjustments from every point-of-sale system
CollectedFlag missing or inconsistent records
Show teams which records need attention before they rely on the report
CheckedStock counts stay current
Update stock quantities using receipts, sales, transfers, and adjustments
Ready to actUse the same records in each report
Stores, accounting, merchandising, and leadership see the same numbers
Across HFG
What the report shows
Ready to check for missing records
Run the example to see how a report would show a missing store and update when its records arrive.
- Waiting to run the morning check.
Proposed example
This is an example of the proposed design. The final functions, schedule, and service commitments must be agreed by HFG and Hitcents.
This page accompanies the written RFP response and Attachment A workbook; both documents are still required. The sample screens show proposed functions. The formal response must state which functions are actually available today.
Our recommendation
Choose Hitcents to build it.
Keep working with us to improve it.
We know Houchens and believe this is the right way to meet your software needs: connect the information, build the tools your teams need, and keep improving them through an ongoing service. Select Hitcents for the next evaluation stage so we can demonstrate the agreed tasks and review the work, responsibilities, and schedule with your team.