Request for Proposal
Bid Number: 2003-020
June 6, 2003
Newberry County is seeking proposals for
a turnkey implementation of a LAN based telephone system. The central telephony switch is to be
installed in the Newberry County Courthouse, 1226 College Street, Newberry SC
29108. This main switch will support
remote phones via fiber optic cable connecting Ethernet data switches at the
following locations:
1.
Newberry County Courthouse Annex 2. Newberry County Auditor & Treasurer
Building
1309 College Street 1400 Lindsay Street
Newberry SC 29108 Newberry SC 29108
Proposals
will be received until Tuesday, June 24, 2003 at 3:00p.m. at this time they
will be opened publicly and read aloud.
Mailed bids must be sent to the attention of Crystal Waldrop, PO Box
156, Newberry, SC 29108. For questions
about this RFP or its contents, contact Crystal Waldrop at the above listed
number.
The final
decision of the successful vendor rests solely with the County of
Newberry. An awarded contract will be
based on system features, functionality, ease of management, and price. The
proposal must meet all of the stated specifications and must satisfy the needs
of the County. Proposals not meeting
the specifications for the County will not be considered.
General
Overview:
Newberry
County Courthouse is currently undergoing renovation. During the renovation, the county has installed CAT-5 cable to
each phone location and back to a central office where the main telephone
switch will be located. It is the
responsibility of the vendor to provide CAT-5 patch cables to each phone and
provide any racks, patch panels and/or additional cabling that may be required. Also, the point of demarcations for incoming
service may be relocated within the building. It is the responsibility of the vendor to successfully relocate
the point of demarc to the switch location within the building.
Our objectives and expectations from the new system are as
follows:
·
Standards-based
architecture supports legacy PSTN and LAN/WAN standards to facilitate easy
management, reliable service and low cost of ownership.
·
State of the art, and flexible design that has native VoIP
support.
·
Built-in
call processing features:
·
automated
attendant
·
hunt/call
groups
·
computer
telephony integration (CTI)
·
unified
messaging
·
Caller
ID capable
·
Voice
Mail
·
Call
Detail Reporting
·
Seamless
integration with existing Centrex System
·
User-friendly
interfaces and Web-based administration facilitate administrator and end-user
programming to perform basic configuration tasks such as extension assignments,
voicemail setup, speed dial programming, hunt group setup and so on.
·
Application
standards: TAPI 2.1, TAPI/WAV; IMAP4, HTTP, H.323
·
Telephone sets should be able to run on Ethernet LAN
·
Soft Telephone support on the desktop
·
Leverage future T1s at distant locations (branch office should be
able to make a local or long distant call via a remote T1)
·
Integrated and expandable voice mail system to support its
internal operations
·
Integrated call reporting
·
Support for project account entry capture (for all external
outbound calls)
·
Remote agent/ Telecommuter capability.
·
Expandable
Telephony / IVR capability with a 3rd party toolkit
·
Handle Multiple T1s or ISDN PRIs, and regular CO trunks
·
Networkable: Branch and home office support capabilities. The proposed PBX should deploy (as an
option) a distributed architecture, which allows one PBX to reside at multiple
locations.
·
Minimum 4 party Conference
·
System must offer (as an option) redundant load balancing power
supplies.
·
System must offer (as standard) dual Ethernet network connections
standard.
·
System must offer (as an option) raid mirrored disk drives, with
each drive automatically storing all system setups, voice mail messages and
auto attendant messages.
·
Phones must be powered centrally across Ethernet cabling.
·
Phones must be equipped with a second 10/100 mbps Ethernet data
port.
Existing construction and cabling plant will be utilized. Vendor will be responsible for using existing space, conduit, and raceways as much as possible. Vendor is to provide final cable termination and testing, as well as rack mounts and wall plates.
Guarantee:
The successful Vendor shall furnish all labor, materials and equipment necessary to perform and complete the work called for in the specifications, plans or other instructions attached to or referred to in the resultant contract. All work shall be done in a workmanlike manner by workmen skilled in their respective trades, and all materials furnished shall be new and the best of their respective kinds, unless otherwise specified. The work shall be completed within the time stated in the contract, but the successful Vendor shall not be liable for delays due to causes beyond his/her reasonable control. The successful Vendor will comply with the Owner's performance schedule unless the Owner formally declares and approves an extended time interval for work completion and system acceptance. The successful Vendor shall be held to repair or replace, at his/her expense, any equipment or materials found to be defective within one (1) year (if originally proposed) from the date of system cutover.
The successful Vendor shall comply with all rules, regulations, ordinances, codes and laws relating to the work or the conduct thereof and shall secure and pay for any permits and licenses necessary for the execution of the work.
This RFP does not commit Owner to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of proposals. Further, Owner reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals or any part of a proposal, if it is in its best interest to do so.
Vendor shall agree to maintain General Liability Insurance, Worker's Compensation and Employer's Liability Insurance to cover all its personnel engaged in the performance of the services herein described as well as damages arising as a result of the performance of such services
Owner shall provide appropriate environmental conditions, necessary commercial power facilities for the system, access to the premises, access to and from the common carrier network, a secure equipment storage area, and suitable conditions for the Vendor's workers.
To be considered, any person, firm or corporation responding to this RFP must be the manufacturer's authorized dealer with manufacturer certified technicians capable of installing and maintaining the product proposed.
Trunks shall
terminate directly on circuit card assemblies in the PBX without the use of
channel banks; however, T-1 circuits, which use channel service units, are
permitted.
The Vendor
shall program all software and other features into the PBX before delivery to
Owner's premises. The ability to backup the Customer Database to PC standard
medium is required. The ability to load a backup database from a PC-file
directly into the PBX utilizing common communication software is mandatory.
Circuitry shall be provided within the PBX for use by maintenance personnel to identify and associate a malfunction with an individual circuit component. In addition, the PBX will have the capability to allow diagnostic and maintenance testing of PBX circuitry from a remote location. Costs of the maintenance port and necessary ancillary equipment will be a part of the Vendor's submission.
A.
The PBX shall be equipped to accommodate the number of analog
station lines as specified in Addendum A.
600 ohm standard, 1200 ohm optional (excluding instrument), + or ‑ 5%.
20 Hz, 90 VAC + or ‑ 5%.
The nominal signal bandwidth of the system shall be at least 300 Hz to 3000 Hz.
A.
The
system shall operate from a primary power source of alternating current.
The PBX shall be protected from
primary power source fluctuations by an uninterruptible power source that shall
provide 30 minutes of operation in the event of a total power failure.
The system shall support standard push-button type telephones utilizing DTMF and rotary dial pulse signaling on the same station line card.
This feature must provide for automatic forwarding to a recording or a designated answering point for calls which:
A. Have been made to a vacant
(uninstalled) station.
B. Have been made to a down (out‑of‑order)
station.
C. Have been made to an attempted trunk
call in violation of a restriction.
Intercept may be specified for any
combination or all of these conditions.
The memory shall have the capability of supporting the maximum capacity of the PBX proposed at cutover.
As an ongoing internal function of the PBX, a self‑test routine must identify faults within the system. When faults are located by means of the self‑test function, a system alarm and log will be generated. The displayed alarm shall discriminate between major and minor alarm conditions. The log shall be accessible either locally or remotely and be archived in non-volatile memory.
The PBX shall
provide the capability of forwarding trunk or internal calls to another
station, port or directory number to satisfy the following conditions:
A. Calls to an Unattended Station
B. Calls to a Busy Station
C. ALL Calls
System shall
have a dial‑up conference that will allow up to 6 concurrent conference
calls, each call supporting up to 4 participants, of which up to 3 may be
external.
The PBX shall allow the station user the capability for call transfer and station consultation on all trunk calls and/or station calls either incoming or outgoing.
Sequential
and/or non‑sequential number hunting shall be available for all stations
allowing up to fifty stations to be placed in a single hunt group. The system
will support minimum 48 hunt groups.
In case of power failure, a minimum of one single line; analog, touch-tone telephone shall automatically connect through to the central office
Dial call
pick-up shall permit a station user within a call pick-up group to dial a
designated code or select a feature key on a multi-line telephone and answer a
call for any other ringing station within that group. Once transferred to the
answering station by the call pick-up process, the call shall be disassociated
from the originally rung line. An individual call pick-up group must be capable
of containing a minimum of 50 stations.
Arrangements for the answering of incoming calls during non-business hours must include "Universal Night Answer (UNA)", "Assigned Night Answer (ANA)", and Mixed Mode arrangements.
Entry to
amplified paging equipment (provided by Owner) shall be accessible from
selected stations, and by zone control by dialing an authorized code.
The provision for providing restrictions from particular types of trunks as well as other services shall be provided. Minimum degrees of restriction must include the ability to:
A. Restrict Stations From Direct Access
to Central Office (CO) Trunks.
B. Restrict Stations From Direct Access
to Private Network Lines.
C. Restrict Stations From
Direct-In-Dial.
D. Restrict Stations From Direct
Distance Toll Dialing.
E. Restrict Stations From Initiating a
Dial-Up Conference.
The PBX shall provide the following single digit dial access codes:
A. "O" Operator
B.
"9" Central Office Trunks
C.
"8" Network Access/Trunks
C. Accept up to 6 digit project account
codes as prefix or suffix on every outbound call, and provide facilities and/or
interfaces to call accounting system (native or 3rd party).
The system shall be required to assign up to 6 digit codes that will activate a dialing sequence for frequently called numbers. This permits an allowed (by Class of Service) station user to dial predefined numbers using fewer digits than are normally required. System speed calling lists shall be able to accommodate up to 26 digits per number. Speed calling will use DTMF signaling to transmit the digits. System Speed Calling shall have the ability to provide a minimum of 100 telephone numbers.
An administrative web portal shall be provided by the Vendor and used by the Owner, after acceptance of the system. The administrative web portal will, at a minimum, provide for the following:
A.
Simple, Easy to Learn and Use, and web based menu Driven
Instruction Sets
B.
Changing Telephone Numbers
C.
Changing Classes of Service
D.
Changing Feature Arrangements
E.
Changing hunt groups
F.
Printing Traffic Studies
G.
Monitoring Diagnostics and Alarms
H.
Global speed dial assignments
I.
Access to Call Detail Reports
J.
Full data backup of the system
The Vendor shall provide a sufficient number of hours of instruction to designated personnel, on the operation and use of the administrative portal. A complete description of the training course that will be provided, including length of course, location of training site, and the degree of proficiency the trainee will attain should be included in the Vendor's proposal. The instruction shall be provided prior to acceptance of the system at a time mutually agreed to by the Owner and the Vendor. The administrative web portal will be located on the customer's premises.
The system shall provide the station user, while conversing with a call in progress, the ability to dial either an appropriate hold code, or to depress a feature button which would place the call in progress on system hold, and allow the station user to: (1) originate another call or, (2) use any other features provided by the system.
The PBX shall be equipped to capture Call Detail information. The information to be captured shall as a minimum provide:
A. Date
of Call (Month and Day)
B. Calling
Station Number
C. Called
Number (all depressed digits)
D. Time
(Time Call Was Placed)
E. Duration
of Call (Minutes and Seconds)
The above information will be
accessed via a web interfaced console as a part of the PBX.
The
PBX shall provide access to at least two different types of paging:
All
Set Page: Allows a party to page all telephones simultaneously via their
telephone speakers. The connection(s) are one-way audio to each telephone, and
are terminated when the paging party hangs up. A telephone being paged in this
manner may originate and receive calls - when this occurs, the paging on that
telephone is terminated.
External
Page- The main PBX must contain a built-in external paging interface,
preferably via an RJ-11 jack.
Key
system telephones should be able to respond handsfree to a directed call.
Telephones
must be able put a call on hold (parked) to be retrieved at any extension in
the system. Digital telephones may also Park calls on any of the additional
line keys, without blocking additional incoming calls to non-busy keys.
The
telephone system identifies a calling party on an outgoing trunk. The
identifying information consists of the calling party’s extension number which
is transmitted (tones or pulses) on the trunk, after an external number has
been successfully dialed. T-1 Tie trunks must transport ANI digits received at
that PBX. These ANI digits may be presented to display phones on another
telephone system or for other uses to create a seamless network of PBX systems.
The
telephone system identifies Automatic Number Identification (ANI) numbers and
Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) numbers that are transmitted to the
PBX on an incoming trunk. ANI provides the telephone number of the calling
party; DNIS provides the telephone number dialed by the calling party.
Telephone
system must offer up to 80 hours of message storage via hard disk. The proposed
system must offer up to 175 voice mail boxes. A minimum of 50 Phantom voice
mail boxes (ie voice mail for users without permanent telephone stations) must
be supported.
This
feature will allow the local or remote program adjustment for spring and fall
at any time during the year.
All
telephone instruments provided shall be "pushbutton" type, utilize
DTMF signaling, and be minimally equal in quality, construction and performance
to telephone instruments manufactured to present United States industry
standards. Vendor shall furnish full specifications of all proposed telephone
sets including:
·
Digital
single line
·
Digital
multi-line
·
Attendant
Console
These
units are expected to be capable of utilizing the features of the PBX and
provide:
• minimum of 12 Speed
Call Keys
• Fixed-Function
Keys: Program, Hold, Flash, Message
• Handset And Ringer
Volume Control
• Ringer Pitch Control
• Message Waiting Lamp
·
Hands Free Operation Option
·
Digital Display showing time/date, number
of voice mail messages
·
Two-way high quality speaker
·
Voice Mail lamp
·
Voice Mail retrieval button
·
Separate Speaker, Redial, Conference,
Transfer, Hold buttons
·
10 mbps RJ-45 Ethernet connection jack
required on phone
Programmable function keys and speed dials for each user are to be
programmable via the LAN using standard browser interface
The telephone instruments specified above, shall be
proposed in the quantities as listed in Addendum A.
The PBX must be
capable of operating on a LAN cabling (CAT5, CAT5e, CAT5E, or CAT6)). Bid must
include 24 or 48 port 10/100 mbps Ethernet switches which can also power all
proposed Ethernet phones.
An attendant
console shall be provided that is, desktop situated and utilizes
non-switched-loop operation. An easy to read LCD display provides information
about calls to and from the console. It shall provide for attendant console
overflow operation. This console shall be equipped for either handset or
headset operation. All calls directed to the console shall provide both visual
and audible signals. The console shall be able to perform all functions
normally required which include: "0" level calls, recalls, calls to
the listed directory number, the capability to complete outward and inward
calls, transfer calls, camp-on, and paging, including direct page to all digital
telephones. Console should also include Busy Lamp Field and Direct Station
Selector. Console training will be provided prior to cutover. Attendant should be able to seamlessly
carry out all PBX features with remote parties (home office).
Vendor shall utilize existing LAN cabling and or existing four pair plants at each location designated by the Owner. Installation by Vendor includes the following: provide, terminate and test all connectors for stations. New connectors must include RJ-45 jacks and wall plates.
Vendor will supply all materials and equipment necessary for a completely operational system.
The proposed system(s) per location shall be wired and equipped as
listed in Addendum A.
Owner will work with the vendor to
identify and determine the final trunking needs per location basis.
The Vendor
shall provide a full year of hardware warranty against defects in material and
workmanship from time of system acceptance of the installed system. Warranty
shall include all parts and labor required to honor the warranty. Authorized
service technicians must be located within a three hour travel time of
Newberry.
A. Maintenance is to be provided on a complete service basis.
Maintenance costs, other than those covered under warranty, shall be listed
separately from the cost of equipment and shall include the costs of all parts
and labor. The initial maintenance contract will be for a one-year period
starting at the conclusion of the warranty service period. The one-year
maintenance cost must be included as a separate cost in the basic offering.
B. The Vendor's response
shall indicate if Vendor plans to provide total system maintenance or
subcontract the system maintenance or any part thereof. In the event the use of
subcontract maintenance is planned, the offeror shall indicate what portion(s)
of the system maintenance will be provided by the subcontractor and shall
furnish proof of an agreement or that a tentative agreement has been negotiated
with the subcontractor to provide maintenance on the proposed system. The
Vendor shall also provide sufficient documentation that indicates the
subcontractor is properly trained and has been certified by the equipment manufacturer
to provide maintenance on the proposed system or any part thereof.
C. Maintenance will include coordination with the local telephone
company concerning operation of CO trunks or network access trunks and access
devices. This coordination will include the resolution of problems involving
the local telephone company's circuitry and will be a part of the Vendor's
warranty service and maintenance contract responsibilities as Owner's agent.
Emergency
maintenance response time shall be within 4 hours after receipt of an emergency
maintenance call from Owner's designated representative. Emergency maintenance
is defined as:
A. System Failure
B. Failure of a
Common Control Unit
C. Failure of 50%
or More Trunk Circuits
D. Failure of a Power
Supply
Routine
maintenance response time shall be within 4 hours after receipt of a routine
maintenance call from Owner's designated representative. Routine maintenance is
defined as any occurrence that does not meet the criteria of emergency
maintenance.
Vendor is to list as a separate line item the per hour charge for
phone relocations, modifications, as well as any other billable rates that
might pertain to the system.
PBX must allow
maintenance personnel and the designated customer to access, update software,
and monitor the system from a remote site via a web browser. There shall be no
interruption to service during remote access.
The quantities
of equipment provided in Addendum A represent Owner's best estimates of its
requirements at the time the RFP was issued and are subject to change prior to
completion of the installation of the system. The Vendor provides them
specifically for pricing the response to the RFP. The Vendor shall also quote
pre-cutover unit prices as part of its pricing proposal, should a requirement
dictate a need for a change. The provisions of this paragraph are applicable
regardless of whether the system is acquired by purchase or lease.
The Vendor
shall provide complete user training, administrator training, and attendant
console training. A comprehensive help manual must be available and accessible
on all customer networked computers. The complete administrative manual must be
provided in digital format, stored on the phone system and be accessible via
the customer’s network. The complete user manual must be provided in digital
format, stored on the phone system and be accessible via the customer’s
network.
The Vendor shall have a commitment from the manufacturer for parts supply, maintenance, and manufacturing field support, including software, for a five-year period. This commitment shall be included in accordance with the delivery schedule set forth in the contract.
Coordination With Telephone Company.
All
coordination of the system shall be the responsibility of the Vendor.
The Cutover should
occur during times which will cause the least amount of disruption to normal
business functions for each location.
The system shall, as a minimum, be tested as follows: The installed telephone system must demonstrate its capability of providing the services enumerated in the contract. Test equipment required for demonstration will be Vendor provided.
A. The telephone
system cutover shall occur at a specified time, as noted by the End User.
B. Vendor
personnel shall be available after telephone system cutover to clear any
malfunction, which may develop.
C. Final
acceptance of the telephone system as serviceable shall be concluded after 5
days of acceptable service
Vendor shall
respond to the system requirements by at least listing each
paragraph/subparagraph, its title, and the Vendor's response. The Vendor's
response must be explained in detail and shall indicate compliance and how the
offeror proposes to satisfy each requirement.
Vendor must
also supply the contact information of at least 10 successful installations of
similar equipment installed over the past 18 months. Preferable consideration
will be given to those vendors who have a successful history of network based
telephone systems.
The Vendor must
state specific paragraph terms and conditions to which the Vendor takes
exception. The Vendor shall state the exact requirement to which exception is
taken. Any additional costs associated with an exception must be identified and
included in the pricing section.
The Owner will provide the site preparation necessary to house the PBX. Vendor's additional requirements must be noted in the Vendor's response to the specifications. Vendor's site preparation requirements in addition to or less than those provided herein will be evaluated for cost.
A. Total telephone
system purchase cost including equipment and installation costs must be
identified as a separate line item.
B. Provide cost
for maintenance for the one-year period following warranty.
Vendor shall
respond to each listed hardware and system requirement in narrative form AND in
tabular form in Addendum A.
Vendor shall
provide information on the number of certified technicians on its staff to
service the type of PBX being proposed and the total number of that type of PBX
in Vendor's service area.
Vendor shall list the type, capabilities and frequency of these procedures.
Vendor shall provide information on the type of technical support, who will provide the technical support and the hours when technical support will be available.
Vendor shall supply the name, street address, city, state, zip code, and telephone number of Vendor's local service center. Indicate the distance from this local service center to Owner's facility in road miles and driving time.
Vendor shall indicate whom the Owner's telephone coordinator will contact to obtain service for the PBX.
Vendor shall list the response time and the availability of emergency and routine maintenance.
Vendor shall provide the methods used to dispatch technical staff to respond to Owner's calls for service.
Vendor shall supply information on the geographical location of replacement spare parts and indicate the distance from this parts depot to Owner's facility in road miles and driving time. In addition, list the emergency back up location for spare parts and indicate the distance from that location to Owner's facility in road miles and driving time or the time required to get parts from that depot to Owner's facility.
Vendor shall supply information relating to the number of trainers, their years of training experience and whether they are certified by the manufacturer of the equipment Vendor's are proposing.
Vendor shall provide data on the user training including class size, length of training class session, number of students per class, the training techniques to be employed, any materials to be provided for users and other information which will help evaluate Vendor's training techniques.
Vendor shall supply the following information about a minimum of three PBX installations, completed in the past year, that have approximately the same number of instruments. Include the name of the owner, complete address, name and phone number of the owner representative familiar with phone system, date installation was completed, and the number of stations.
The proposals, in two (2) copies, shall be submitted in a sealed
envelope marked “IP based Telephone and Intercom System, Bid Number: 2003-020”,
and delivered in person, by courier or by U.S. Mail by the time and to the
place noted below:
Date: June 24, 2003 no later than 3:00
p.m.
Location: Newberry County
Attention: Crystal Waldrop
1309 College Street
PO Box 156
Newberry, SC 29108
A. The Vendor
shall respond to this RFP by supplying a cover letter, completing and
returning written responses
acknowledging compliance with each stated requirement AND completing Addendum A
of this RFP. The award will be based on the stated criteria, which shall be
used to identify the most responsive responsible Vendor, whose system most
nearly satisfies the overall specifications.
B. Vendor shall
include in its response technical and physical specifications, with visual
representations, for the systems proposed. One (1) copy of the operating
manual, complete inventory list and installation configuration shall be
provided for each system proposed.
·
All
proposals are due on June 24, 2003 by 3:00 p.m.
·
We may request further information after the internal evaluation
of the proposals.
·
We
expect to finalize the selection process no later than June 30, 2003.