TELEPHONE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Issue Date: November 24, 2008
Closing Date: 4:00 PM (CDT) on January 5, 2009.
1. SCOPE
This solicitation seeks qualified Vendors who have the capability to provide the specified E-Rate
eligible products and services specified for E-Rate 2009 (E-Rate Year 12).
2. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Vendors must submit all inquiries related to this RFP in writing by 4:00 PM (CDT) on January 2,
2008.
It is the intention of White River School District, hereafter referred as the Purchaser, to award
one contract; however, award is subject to:
1 Approval by the Services and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Purchaser Form 470
(Internal Connections) for E-Rate 2009 (E-Rate Year 12)
2 Availability of funds from the Purchaser for services not covered by the E-Rate discounts
approved.
3 Vendor must possess a South Dakota sales tax license.
4 Vendor must certify that the final contract will be negotiated and that the applicant is not
expected to agree to the vendor’s standard terms and conditions.
5 Vendor must certify that the vendor is not a subject of the FCC’s Red Light Rule.
The Purchaser reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and is not required to make an
award or enter into a contract based on this RFP. The prices provided in the Business Proposal
shall include all applicable Federal, State, and local taxes, fees or licenses; and the Vendor shall
pay all such sales, use, and other similar taxes, fees, and licenses required by law or regulation.
Purchaser reserves the right to waive or amend any irregularities or errors in any proposal if such
irregularities or errors so waived or amended, are corrected in the applicable proposal prior to
execution of the potential contract (e.g., adding or deleting specific equipment or optional
features from system requirements). By submission of a proposal, the Vendor certifies that no
person or selling agency has been employed or retained to solicit or secure the contract upon an
agreement or understanding for a commission, percentage, brokerage, or contingent fee,
excepting bona fide employees or bona fide established commercial or selling agencies
maintained by the Vendor for the purpose of securing business. The successful Vendor shall not
assign any resultant contract or any interest therein without the Purchaser’s prior written consent.
No modifications, supplements, or amendments shall be made to the resultant contract except as
mutually agreed upon in writing by the parties thereto. Any financial adjustments necessary as a
result of such modifications, supplements, or amendments shall be construed as a change in the
Contract Price, which shall be modified, supplemented, or amended, as both parties shall agree.
No payment for extras shall be made unless such extras and the price therefore have been agreed
to and authorized in writing by the Purchaser. Any items that are clearly necessary for
satisfactory operation and performance of the system and/or delivery of the services shall be
considered as part of the resultant contract although they are not directly specified. The Vendor
is expected to adhere to the following acts that pertain to contracts funded by grants to nonprofit
organizations. They are:
1 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act
2 E.O. 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity
3 Drug-free Workplace Act
4 E.O. 12549 Common Rule, certifying compliance regarding suspension and debarment
5 Workers’ Compensation Act
The Vendor shall keep informed of, and shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules,
regulations, and orders of the City, County, Purchaser, Federal, or public bodies having
jurisdiction affecting any work to be done to provide the services required. The Vendor shall
supply the Purchaser with proof of compliance with the above standards if requested.
CONTRACTS WILL NOT BE AWARDED TO VENDORS WHO FAIL TO PROVIDE
THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME FRAME.
The Vendor shall provide all necessary safeguards for safety and protection, as set forth by the
Purchaser and the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
standards and procedures. The Vendor shall certify that they or their employees are not
employees of the Purchaser. The headings and titles to sections in this RFP are for convenience
only and shall not be deemed to modify or affect the rights and duties of the parties. Proposals
shall be submitted in two volumes, Volume I B Technical Proposal and Volume II B Business
Proposal, in accordance with instructions delineated in paragraphs 4 and 5, respectively.
All responsive proposals will be evaluated based on stated evaluation criteria in paragraph 10.
Submitted proposals must be complete at the time of submission and may not include references
to information located elsewhere, such as the Internet websites or libraries, unless specifically
requested in this RFP document.
3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
3.1 GENERAL - TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FORMAT
The Technical Proposal must be concise and clear. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other
presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal, are not desired.
Elaborate artwork, expensive paper, bindings, and other presentation aids are not required. The
Vendor must provide the information delineated in the following sections using this outline as a
guide. Any proposal that does not include all of the following items will be classified as non-
responsive and may be rejected. Pricing is not to be included in the Technical Proposal.
3.2 QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, AND REFERENCES OF THE Vendor
This section addresses your qualifications and past experience to perform work of the nature
requested in this RFP. The Purchaser may make such investigations as deemed necessary to
determine the ability of the Vendor to supply the products and perform the services specified.
The Purchaser reserves the right to reject any proposal if the evidence submitted by, or
investigation of, the Vendor fails to satisfy the Purchaser that the Vendor is properly qualified to
carry out the obligations of the contract.
3.2.1 Description of Qualifications
Describe your qualifications to provide the products and services of similar size and scope to the
Purchaser’s environment specified. If you are teaming, address qualifications of the entire team
and state the names and relationships of all team members.
3.2.1.1 Federal E-Rate Universal Service Program
Provide proof of valid/current and in good-standing Service Provider Identification Number
(SPIN) certification along with contact information to include name, address, and telephone
number.
3.2.1.2 Industry Certifications
Describe any industry certifications, that your organization or personnel possess, which maybe
indices indicating your competency and knowledge in the proposed equipment. Indicate your
intent to use certified company resources to perform the installation and warranty for all products
and services offered under this contract. Provide proof of certification for those employees
intended to manage and implement the solutions proposed under this contract. Certifications
must be within one release of current proposed hardware and software.
3.2.1.3 Manufacturer/Supplier Relationships
Explain your relationship with the manufacturers of the proposed equipment in relation to
providing the equipment, warranty service, installation, and maintenance. On the date the
proposal is signed, the Vendor must be authorized and certified to sell and maintain equipment
for which they are proposing. Proposals not meeting this requirement will be deemed non-
responsive. Provide letters of certification from the manufacturer.
3.2.1.4 Financial Information
Discuss and demonstrate your financial stability to supply, install, and support the services
specified.
1. Vendor’s total annual gross revenue.
2. Specify how long your company has been in business.
3. Specify how long the company has been in business to sell, install, and maintain the
products and services referenced in this RFP.
3.2.2 Description of Experience and References
In determining the capabilities of an Vendor to perform the services specified herein, the Vendor
shall meet the following informational requirements. (NOTE: Each item must be thoroughly
addressed. Taking exception to any requirements listed in this section may disqualify the
proposal.) Provide a minimum of five (5) references that are using equipment and services of the
type proposed in this RFP. The references should fall within the categories identified below.
Three of the references should be approximately equal in distance from your service office as the
White River School District is. At a minimum, the Vendor shall provide the client name, the
location where the services were provided, contact person(s), client telephone number, a
complete description of the service type, and dates the services were provided. The Purchaser
reserves the right to use any information or additional references deemed necessary to establish
the ability of the Vendor to perform the conditions of the contract. Negative references may be
grounds for proposal disqualification. Your references should include Government, schools (K-
12), or other educational institutions where the Vendor, preferably within the last 3 years, has
successfully implemented the sale, installation, maintenance, support, and warranty of the type of
equipment/services that are being proposed. It is important to demonstrate the Vendor’s
understanding and knowledge of Educator’s requirements and how the Vendor helped Educators
deploy technology in their environment and to what extent the technology was utilized. Your
references should include detail regarding equipment specification, manufacturer, scope of
project, and problem resolution during implementation. The references should also detail
whether or not sub-Vendors were utilized and to what extent.
3.3 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
3.3.1 Overview
In this section, provide an overview of your technical solution to include subcontracting, testing,
certification, and quality control measures to meet all the requirements specified in this RFP.
3.3.2 Program Management
In this section, provide a detailed explanation of how you will provide program management
services.
3.3.2.1 Implementation Plan
Describe your planning process and at a minimum submit a preliminary Implementation Plan that
includes all section headings and a description of what will be included in narrative for that
section. Submit a preliminary schedule that includes at a minimum, major milestones and
significant activities necessary to provide the products and services specified.
3.3.4 Warranty, Maintenance, and Trouble Reporting
Please include support hours and expected on-site response time.
3.3.4.1 Overview
Describe your overall approach to providing warranty, maintenance, and trouble reporting
services as specified. Describe the organization that will provide installation, warranty, and
maintenance services. Include an organization chart with name of key personnel and number of
maintenance technicians by location necessary requirements. Provide relevant employment
history of technicians who will be servicing/maintaining this contract including name, location,
hire date, and years of experience in the industry. Describe the process and procedures that you
employ to train local technicians dedicated to providing warranty and maintenance services.
Describe the process utilized to evaluate current skill sets/certifications and the steps necessary to
ensure the local resources meet the manufacturer certification requirements. Describe the
availability of toll-free support and local support staff for troubleshooting problems. Will the
Purchaser have dedicated support staff, or will other entities share the same support staff? Will
there be a primary support contact assigned to Purchaser? Provide a sample Service Level
Agreement (SLA) that describes the services you will provide, the conditions and terms under
which the services will be provided, and service guarantees included. This SLA may be
incorporated into the resultant contract. Provide any additional information you feel differentiates
services offered from that of the competition.
3.3.4.2 Warranty
Describe how you will provide warranty service for the equipment offered as specified.
Specifically, explain how your warranty support and service would meet the requirements
for maintenance response times specified.
3.3.4.3 Maintenance
Fully discuss your capabilities for maintaining any equipment installed. Explain how you
would meet the response times required for the specified. Discuss your concept for providing
services nationwide and who you would use to do maintenance in each area of the United States
where Purchaser sites are located. Describe where you would place spare parts caches, and the
materials you would stock in each location. Discuss your capabilities for maintaining any
software and software upgrades offered. Explain how back-up maintenance services will be
provided if the primary technician responsible for a system is unable to respond due to vacation,
holiday, training, sick, on another call, etc. Demonstrate that you and/or you sub-Vendor’s
possess the required test equipment and documentation to perform maintenance on the equipment
specified. Provide a list of all relevant test equipment, where it is located, and samples of the test
procedure documentation. Describe the metrics that you will provide with the MPR to verify that
the required service levels are achieved.
3.3.4.4 Trouble Reporting
Describe the procedures for handling trouble calls and repairs from the discovery and reporting
of the trouble until the trouble is cleared as specified.
Describe and provide a copy of your trouble escalation procedures complete with the names,
titles, addresses, and telephone numbers of the persons who are to be notified. Detail your
capabilities to diagnose problems where the fault is not with the equipment covered by the
maintenance contract, but is with the associated telecom circuit or attached LAN. Describe in
detail the process of reporting, tracking, and clearing the trouble associated with the LAN or
Circuit Provider. Provide a sample of your Trouble logs.
3.3.5 Training
Describe your training concept and how you will provide the technical and user training as
specified. Define all training units. For each training unit defined, describe the course contents,
methods of instruction, training hours involved, the course materials/documentation that would
be distributed, and where the training would be given (i.e., on-site or off-site). If off-site training
is offered, explain where offsite training would be located. If factory training is offered, explain
where Afactory training@ is located.
4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING THE BUSINESS PROPOSAL
The Vendor shall furnish all personnel, material, equipment, hardware, software, services, and
facilities to perform the requirements set forth in the resultant contract.
4.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The Vendor shall provide pricing for one year, July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. All prices
must be valid until award is made. Since funding is dependent upon SLD commitments and the
availability of foundation grants for non-E-Rate funded portions, project start may exceed 1 year
from award. Each Vendor must submit all the information required by this RFP. Failure to
provide all the required information may result in elimination of the Vendor from further
consideration for award. Materially unbalanced bids will not be accepted and may also
result in elimination of the Vendor from further consideration for award. The Purchaser
intends to award a contract based on the initial offers received, without discussions or
negotiations of such offers. Therefore, it is imperative that each offer be fully responsive to the
RFP without exception to any provision. However, the Purchaser reserves the right to conduct
discussions if it determines them to be necessary. The Purchaser may reject any or all offers or
accept other than the lowest price. The Purchaser shall not be obligated to pay any costs incurred
by the Vendor in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation.
4.2 SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
The Vendor must provide the following information using this outline as a guide. Any proposal
that does not include the following items will be classified as non-responsive and may be
rejected.
4.2.1 Pricing Certificate
An authorized representative from your company must certify that pricing offered in the
Vendor’s Business Proposal is valid through December 31, 2009.
4.2.2 Proof of Insurance
The proof of insurance must be valid for the entire contract period and must be received by the
Purchaser within 10 working days of the Request for Documents notice. The Vendor shall submit
proof of (or the ability to obtain) insurance in accordance with the following.
General Requirements: The Vendor shall maintain for the duration of the contract, at its cost
and expense, insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damages to property, including
contractual liability which may arise from or in connection with the performance of work by the
Vendor, agents, employees, representatives, assigns, or sub-Vendors. This insurance shall cover
such claims as may be caused by any negligent act, or omission.
Primary Insurance: The Vendor’s insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as respect to
the Purchaser, its officers, officials, employees, and volunteers and shall apply to all projects or
location. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the Purchaser, its officers, officials,
employees, or volunteers shall be excess of the Vendor’s insurance and shall not contribute with
it.
Specific Requirements for Commercial General Liability: The Vendor shall purchase and
maintain occurrence coverage with combined single limits for bodily injury, personal injury, and
property damage of $500,000.00 per occurrence and $1,000,000.00 aggregate per year to cover
such claims as may be caused by any act, omission, or negligence of the Vendor or its officers,
agents, representatives, assigns, or sub-Vendors.
Additional Insured Status: The Purchaser, its officers, officials, employees, and volunteers are
to be covered as additional insured; for liability arising out of activities performed by or on
behalf of the Vendor, including the insured’s general supervision of the Vendor; products and
completed operations; premises owned, leased, occupied, or used.
Deductibles and Self-Insured Retentions. Any deductible or self-insured retention must be
declared to and approved by the Purchaser. At the request of the Purchaser, the insured shall
reduce or eliminate such deductibles or self-insured retention’s as respect to the Purchaser, its
officers, officials, employees, and volunteers.
Certificate of Insurance/Endorsements. The certificate must include the Purchaser’s contract
number. This insurance must be maintained for the duration of the contract. The Purchaser
Procurement must receive all 11 required certificates and endorsements within 10 days from the
date of the Request for Documents Notice before a contract will be issued. Work may not
commence until a contract is in place. The Vendor must notify the Purchaser immediately, of any
material change in insurance coverage, such as changes in limits, coverage, change in status of
policy, etc. The Purchaser reserves the right to require complete copies of the insurance policies
at all times.
4.2.3 Financial Statements for Requests exceeding $100,000.00
Certified Financial Statements. The Vendor shall submit certified financial statements,
preferably audited, for the 3 consecutive years immediately preceding the issuance of this RFP.
Quarterly Financial Statements. The Vendor shall submit copies of any quarterly financial
statements that have been prepared since the end of the period reported by your most recent
annual report.
4.2.4 Site Visit
If the Vendor has not already visited the campus to gain an understanding of the building layout,
and cabling plant, a visit is required to complete the bid process. The vendor must state that a
visit has been made; the date of that visit and an understanding of the scope has been established.
5. INVOICES/PAYMENTS
Payment of the Purchaser’s portion of Vendor’s invoices is typically 30 days from date of receipt
of invoice and compliance with the acceptance requirements specified.
The Vendor shall only invoice for expenses incurred, i.e., for those products actually installed
and for services actually provided up to, but not exceeding the limits specified.
6. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL
Deliver one (1) original and three (3) copies of the Technical Proposal and one (1) original and
three (3) copies of the Business Proposal to: Your Technical and Business Proposals are due no
later than the specified time and date established on Page The Contract and/or Proposal
Administrator may arrange for discussions with firms submitting proposals, if required, for
obtaining additional information or clarifications. Vendors are advised that, in the event of
receipt of an adequate number of proposals, which, in the opinion of the Contract Administrator,
require no clarifications and/or supplementary information, such proposals may be evaluated
without further discussion. Accordingly, proposals should be submitted initially on the most
complete and favorable terms from a technical and contractual standpoint, that Vendors are
capable of submitting to the Purchaser. Proposals, which after discussion and submission of
additional clarification and/or supplementary information are determined not to meet the
specifications of this RFP, will be classified as an unacceptable and no further discussion
concerning same will be conducted. Purchaser reserves the right to rely on any or all proposals in
whole or in part.
7. LATE PROPOSALS
Regardless of cause, late proposals will not be accepted and will automatically be
disqualified from further consideration. It shall be the Vendor’s sole risk to assure delivery
at the receptionist’s desk at the designated office by the designated time. Late proposals
will not be opened and may be returned to the Vendor at the expense of the Vendor or
destroyed if requested.
8. PERIOD THAT PROPOSALS SHALL REMAIN VALID
All proposals shall remain firm through December 31, 2009.
10. BASIS FOR AWARD
Proposals are evaluated on a points system according to the following criteria. The evaluation
team will award points in relation to how well the proposals address the criteria. Areas found
deficient will receive fewer (or no) points while those areas that are above the requirements or
stated minimums, will receive up to the maximum points.
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Qualifications of the Vendor (20%)
Qualifications
Experience
References
Technical Approach/Product (20%):
Program Management (10%)
Implementation Plan (Planning Process, Plan Content, Schedule)
Implementation (Organization, Progress Monitoring, Acquisition Management,
Subcontract Management, Financial Management, Key Personnel)
Data and Voice Infrastructure (5%)
Process, procedures, and methodologies to supply equipment and services specified
Equipment integration procedures
Acceptance testing procedures
Documentation
Warranty, Maintenance, and Trouble Reporting (20%)
Support approach and organization
Key personnel
Service Level Agreement
Warranty procedures
Maintenance support capabilities
Technician training and certification program
Spare part caches
Availability of test equipment
Trouble reporting and escalation procedures
Training (5%)
Concept and process
Training units offered
Training materials
Price (20%)
11. DISCUSSION/NEGOTIATION
Although proposals may be accepted and a contract awarded without discussion, the
Purchaser may initiate discussions with one or more Vendors should clarification or
negotiation be necessary. Vendors should be prepared to send qualified personnel to
Martin, to discuss technical and contractual aspects of the proposal.
12. BEST AND FINAL OFFER
The Purchaser may request a best and final offer from one or more Vendors. Vendors may be
contacted asking that they submit their best and final offer, which must include the discussed
and/or negotiated changes.
13. AWARD
Award will be made to the proposal offered by a responsive and responsible Vendor which is
determined to best meet the evaluation criteria and is therefore the one most advantageous to the
Purchaser.
14. CONTACT FOR CONTRACTUAL AND TECHNICAL MATTERS
The person to contact concerning contractual and technical matters pertaining to this RFP is:
Johnny Powell
White River School District
P.O. Box 273
South 2nd and Brock
White River, SD 57579
605-259-3135 fax: 605-259-3133
johnny.powell@k12.sd.us
15. TRAVEL
The Vendor shall include all travel for site visit, installation and setup, school site training,
project coordination, and technical/program support.
16. Monthly Progress Report
The Vendor shall prepare and submit Monthly Progress
Report (MPR). The report shall contain:
* A management summary, indicating any major problems and any significant progress or
events.
* A narrative description of work performed during the reporting period to include a summary of
completed actions.
* A list of actions expected to be performed in the next reporting period, including discussion of
any problems and recommendations for correction.
* Problems or issues that require Purchaser’s intervention.
* Monthly documentation of all order, warranty, and maintenance activities. Documentation will
be specific as to make, model, serial number, location of activity, and technician’s name
providing the service. Documentation will also include items that have been added to or removed
from maintenance. The Vendor and Vendor shall jointly agree upon the format of the MPR.
17. ACCEPTANCE REQUIREMENTS
Purchaser will accept the service and/or and authorize payment when the following criteria have
been met:
* Drop Ship Equipment (shipped to the Purchaser designated site and not installed by the
Vendor) has been satisfactorily received and invoiced.
* Vendor installed equipment has been installed to manufacturer’s specifications and is fully
functional and has operated continuously and reliably for a period of 30 days.
* Correction of Deficiencies in the above process noted by Purchaser and provided to the
Vendor on a "punch list" have been satisfactorily completed.
* Monthly Documentation of all order activity, warranty activity, and maintenance activity
properly
reflects the status of the equipment installed or serviced. Items added to maintenance shall have
their maintenance prorated until the anniversary date of the maintenance contract awarded.
18. DELIVERABLES
The Vendor shall provide the following deliverables at a minimum:
* Implementation Plan and updates.
* Disaster Recovery Plan as an annex to the Implementation Plan and
subsequently provide updates as required.
* Risk Mitigation Plan as an annex to the Implementation Plan.
* Service Plan with Service Level Agreements.
* All system equipment.
* Maintenance, spare parts, and test equipment during the acceptance testing.
* All documentation for the system(s), including Operation and Maintenance manuals, contract
drawings, test plans and procedures, and other materials required to fully define the
system.
* Manufactures Suggested Retail Price.
* Monthly Progress Reports.
19. ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 -Project Summary Sheet
Attachment 2 - Telephone System Features
Attachment 3 - Building Floor Plans
ATTACHMENT 1
Project Summary
System Design Requirements
Summary Sheet
24 November 2008
5 Buildings in two Locations
Hybrid Telephone System (see attached Specifications)
IP Video Conference Phones, operators console, wireless phones and conference phones.
PA system capabilities in zones.
Equipment WR Elem WR MS WR HS WR Event Ctr Norris
Location 1 Location 1 Location 1 Location1 Location 2
Consoles 1 1 1 1 1
Conference 1 1 1 1 1
Digital 2 2 3 2 1
Legacy 19 24 25 3 9
Wireless HS 3 3 3 3 2
Fax Lines
Voice Lines
Voice Mail 25 30 32 4 13
Total 26 31 33 10 14
Extensions
Location 1 is 26 miles from location 2.
Location 1 has six lines in a hunt group.
Location 2 has two lines in a hunt group.
A successful bid application will include a site visit.
Please identify which items are covered by e-rate and which are not.
Bids will be awarded based on the fulfillment of need not solely on price.
Bids maybe accepted in part, by division, or in its entirety.
Please include sample maintenance agreements with the equipment identified in the bid.
Please include hours of tech support operations and on-site service response time.
Local telephone Service provided by Golden West Telecommunications, Wall SD.
ATTACHMENT 2
Explain the Telephone System Features In The Following Areas:
IP BASED SYSTEM
List connectivity standards
HARDWARE
List Interoperability Standards
DESKTOP INTERFACE
LICENSES
INTEGRATION WITH LEGACY HANDSETS
DID or comparable.
SOFTWARE
Call Accounting
QoS and reliability
Classes of service
Report Capabilities
Auto Attendants
PERIPHERALS REQUIRED
UPS-SYSTEM
VOICE MESSAGING
UNIFIED MESSAGING
With and without an onsite exchange/email system, compatible with the state of SD
email system.
LABOR
Installation
Service: Onsite and Remote
* PLEASE IDENTIFY ALL NON- ERATE FUNDED FEATURES IN YOUR FINAL
PROPOSAL.
* HANDSETS ARE NON-ERATE ITEMS PLEASE IDENTIFY REQUIRED NUMBERS
AND PRICES.
* POWERED AND NON POWERED ETHERNET PORTS ARE PROVIDED BY THE
DISTRICT STILL NEED TO BE IDENTIFIED.
ATTACHMENT 3
Building Floor Plans