REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR. VoIP RADIO CONSOLES

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR VoIP RADIO CONSOLES Date: May 11, 2014 Direct Inquiries to: Christopher H. Jett, Technology Director 101 Court Circle, P.O. Box 1000 Warsaw, Virginia Phone number: (804) Fax number: (804) address: Return Proposals to: Proposal Deadline: Number of Copies: Richmond County Administration Office Attn: Christopher H. Jett, Technology Director 101 Court Circle, Warsaw, Virginia June 6, 2014, 4:00 p.m. One (1) original and two (2) copies Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 1

2 1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Richmond County, Virginia (hereinafter referred to as County ) is soliciting competitive, negotiable proposals for the provision and maintenance of VoIP Radio Consoles, to be utilized by personnel of the Richmond County Sheriff s Office (hereinafter referred to as the PSAP ), located at 106 Wallace Street, Warsaw, Virginia 22572, for the control and management of the public safety radio communications and paging within the County. The County is soliciting responses to this Request for Proposals (hereinafter referred to as RFP ) from qualified Vendors, detailing their plan to fully implement a VoIP Radio Console solution that will meet the Sheriff s Office s need to replace its existing technically outdated desktop consoles with workstation based consoles, allowing for additional flexibility and ease of use in the management of radio communications from within the PSAP, while continuing to provide the ability to set tones for the VHF low band pagers utilized by the County s emergency responders. Proposed VoIP Radio Consoles must be capable of allowing PSAP staff to communicate via headsets and be able to be interfaced to the County s E-911 system in order to allow them to communicate via phone and radio using the same headset. The console systems must also allow the radio traffic to continue to be recorded by the PSAP s analog voice logging recorder. 1.2 Vendor proposals must cover all components (hardware and software) necessary to provide a VoIP Radio Console solution as defined within this RFP. Any specific hardware, software, or network configuration that will be expected to be provided by the County as part of the system implementation must be detailed in the proposals. 1.3 Proposed VoIP Radio Console solutions must consist of proven technology that will satisfy the present needs and future growth of the Sheriff s Office, as defined by the County. 1.4 Vendor proposals must describe a VoIP Radio Console solution that can ensure reliability, availability, and access twenty-four (24) hours a day, 365 days a year. 1.5 Vendor proposals must address the requirements for the day-to-day operation, as well as the ongoing administration and maintenance needs of the proposed VoIP Radio Console solutions. 1.6 Proposed VoIP Radio Console solutions must be able to be fully implemented, including end user and system administrator training, within six (6) months following an awarded contract and Vendor proposals must describe how this implementation will be accomplished. 1.7 Vendor proposals must provide a written, clearly labeled, response to each and every section of this RFP, identifying Understood, Comply, Do Not Comply, or Explanation Necessary. 1.8 Vendors are advised that the Richmond County Administration Office (specifically the Technology Director) will serve as the primary point of contact between Vendors and Richmond County in this procurement process. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 2

3 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 General Richmond County is located on the Northern Neck of Virginia, with the Rappahannock River forming its southwestern boundary and the counties of Westmoreland, Northumberland, and Lancaster forming its other boundaries. The County covers an area of 203 square miles and is located one hour northeast of the city of Richmond, Virginia and about two hours southeast of Washington, DC. As of the 2010 Census, the County had a population of 9,254. The Richmond County Sheriff s Office dispatch center is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and processes all emergency calls for service within the County of Richmond and the Town of Warsaw. The PSAP dispatches in excess of 8,000 calls for service each year, inclusive of those for law enforcement, fire, and rescue. 2.2 Current Status The Richmond County PSAP currently includes two (2) answering positions equipped with Motorola CommandStar Lite desktop radio consoles. These consoles are configured to allow for conventional radio communication on a total of three (3) VHF low band channels and two (2) VHF high band channels, consisting of low and high band channels for the Sheriff s Office personnel, shared low and high band channels for fire and rescue, and the State Police SIRS low band channel. The CommandStar Lite consoles are also configured to allow for the setting of four (4) separate tone combinations, for VHF low band pagers utilized by rescue personnel and members of the three (3) fire Stations located within the County. The antennas for the County s conventional radio system are mounted on a communications tower at the Northern Neck Electric Cooperative property on St. Johns Street, approximately 1,000 feet from the Sheriff s Office. The primary connection between the radio consoles in the PSAP and the radio equipment at the base of the tower on St. John Street is via four (4) separate leased circuits through Verizon. For the answering of administrative and E-911 phone calls within the PSAP, the County is currently in the process of replacing its Customer Premises Equipment (hereinafter referred to as CPE ) with the VESTA / Sentinel 4.x system from Cassidian Communications. There is a desire to move toward the use of headsets for communication within the dispatch center. However, the PSAP personnel do not currently use them with the CPE or radio consoles. For the recording of all phone and radio traffic within the PSAP, Richmond County utilizes a forty (40) channel analog TEN-4 Voice Logger produced by Stancil Corporation. For recording purposes, the radio traffic is terminated at a 66 punch block connected to the voice logging recorder. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 3

4 For the synchronizing of time between the multiple systems within the Sheriff s Office, the GP 934 two (2) Networks Command Center Package from Spectracom is utilized, which includes a NetClock / GPS 9383 and Time Server DESIRED SYSTEM 3.1 The Richmond County Sheriff s Office is seeking a VoIP Radio Console solution for the two (2) existing answering positions within the dispatch center as a replacement for the Motorola CommandStar Lite desktop consoles, with the capability of the following: a) Utilizing computers containing the standard Microsoft Windows operating environment. b) Allowing for communication on and the management of at least six (6) separate VHF radio channels, with the ability for expansion to at least eight (8) channels. c) Continuing to allow for the setting of at least four (4) separate tone combinations for VHF low band pagers, directly from the consoles. d) Allowing for multi-select within the radio consoles in order to allow for simultaneous transmission on multiple radio channels. e) Allowing drag-and-drop functionality for the patching of separate radio channels together for interoperability. f) Providing a means to reduce the reliance on the leased circuits through Verizon for the connection of the PSAP radio consoles to the equipment located at the base of the Northern Neck Electric Cooperative communications tower. g) Providing a total of ten (10) wireless headsets, providing Push to Talk functionality with the consoles, for use by PSAP personnel. h) Interfacing with the County s new VESTA / Sentinel 4.x CPE, allowing for the wireless headsets to be utilized by PSAP personnel for both radio and phone communication. i) Allowing for the continued recording of all radio traffic via the County s forty (40) channel analog TEN-4 Voice Logger produced by Stancil Corporation. j) Allowing for the synchronization of the time on the VoIP Radio Consoles with the other PSAP systems via the Spectracom GP 934 two (2) Networks Command Center Package, including a NetClock / GPS The Sheriff s Office also desires that the acquired VoIP Radio Console solution be capable of expansion to include two (2) additional answering positions in the future, one (1) at the dispatch supervisor s desk and one (1) in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located within the same building. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 4

5 4.0 VENDOR EXPERIENCE 4.1 Vendors shall provide a list of qualifications of the Vendor and/or the staff of the Vendor s organization who will be involved in the project. 4.2 Vendors shall provide references from similar projects handled by the VENDOR directly (including name, address, telephone number, a description of the project to which the reference relates, and date the project was completed). 4.3 Vendors shall include a written statement giving the County the right to investigate the references and past performance of any Vendor, subcontractor, or their employees, with respect to its successful performance of similar services and compliance with the RFP. 5.0 INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION 5.1 The VoIP Radio Console system shall be installed and configured by the Vendor at the convenience of County staff and shall not be considered accepted until it is operating in accordance with all specifications outlined in this RFP and any related contract. 5.2 The selected Vendor shall be responsible for making all necessary contacts and arrangements with the CPE provider to ensure the successful interface of the VoIP Radio Console system. 5.3 The VoIP Radio Console system implementation shall be accomplished with minimal interruption to the normal business operation of the Richmond County Sheriff s Office. 5.4 The VoIP Radio Console system shall be fully implemented within six (6) months following the awarded contract. 5.5 The selected Vendor shall assume full responsibility for supervision of the work irrespective of the amount of work sublet, and shall give the work the attention necessary to facilitate and ensure completion. 5.6 The selected Vendor shall be responsible, at all times, to observe and comply with all applicable laws, and shall protect and indemnify Richmond County and its representatives against all claims and liabilities arising from, or based on, Vendor or Vendor-employee violations. 6.0 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS The Vendor and all subcontractors, at their own expense, shall provide and maintain insurance with a company licensed to do business in the state of Virginia as follows: a) Workman s Compensation as required by all federal, state, maritime, and other laws including employer s liability, with a limit of at least $500,000. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 5

6 b) Comprehensive general liability, including contractor s liability, contingent liability, contractual liability, completed operation, and product liability, all on the occurrence basis with personal injury coverage: 1. Personal injury each person $1,000, Each occurrence $1,000, Property damage $1,000,000 c) Comprehensive automobile liability, including non-ownership and hired car coverage, as well as owned vehicles: 1. Bodily injury each person $1,000, Each occurrence $1,000,000 d) The Vendor and all subcontractors, in connection with the above mentioned insurance, shall furnish to the County duly executed forms showing proof of insurance naming Richmond County as additionally insured and demonstrating that insurance is in full force prior to commencement of the contract. 1. Umbrella liability limit of liability $1,000, TRAINING 7.1 Vendors shall detail the training requirements associated with the implementation of the proposed VoIP Radio Console system. 7.2 Vendor provided training shall include system user training as well as administrator training. 7.3 Training shall be provided on-premise at the Sheriff s Office, or other County-designated location. Video capture of the training by County staff shall be allowed. 7.4 Electronic copies of all training materials and any software demos or videos used in training shall be provided to the County for training new employees after system implementation. 8.0 SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION / MANUAL The selected Vendor shall furnish the County with an electronic manual for the VoIP Radio Console system upon its successful implementation. This system manual shall include details regarding the proper use, configuration, and administration of the VoIP Radio Console system, as well as the troubleshooting of system issues that might arise. 9.0 WARRANTY 9.1 Vendors shall provide detailed warranty information with their proposals. On each item offered, the following information shall be indicated: exact period of warranty, any special extended warranty offered, and a general statement of warranty policy. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 6

7 9.2 Manufacturer Original Warranties shall be provided on all equipment. Any exceptions shall be noted and explained in Vendor proposals. 9.3 Warranties submitted with the proposal response shall be in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied. The County shall not assume any warranty or liability on the Vendor s behalf unless made and agreed to in writing by both parties. 9.4 All VoIP Radio Console system components shall be guaranteed for a minimum period of one (1) year against defects in design and workmanship. The warranty period shall begin upon final acceptance of the system. The warranty shall cover labor, travel, and all other expenses. The VoIP Radio Console system shall be operable for the proposed use by the Sheriff s Office. 9.5 Warranties shall be all-inclusive of twenty-four (24) hours each and every day during the initial warranty period, and as required after the warranty period and during the maintenance period. While under warranty, the selected Vendor shall provide technicians who know the VoIP Radio Console system well, and can respond on-site for repair if necessary. 9.6 During the warranty period, software components shall be replaced as new software versions are released for mainstream distribution. The Vendor shall define costs to replace and/or upgrade software, including expected personnel costs. The Vendor shall also provide a preliminary implementation schedule. 9.7 Vendors shall describe, in detail, software maintenance and support programs available after expiration of the warranty, including how software problems will be resolved, terms of the support and maintenance, hours of coverage, and proposed software solution update or upgrade policies MAINTENANCE 10.1 The County desires to contract long-term with the selected Vendor for VoIP Radio Console system maintenance services. The County is requesting an annual renewal option in the maintenance services contract Due to the critical nature of emergency communications, Vendors shall be prepared and able to provide on-site service twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, 365 days a year. Vendors shall detail their response to calls for emergency service The selected Vendor shall maintain a full maintenance facility located within 100 miles of the County, with sufficient numbers of appropriately manufacturer trained and certified maintenance personnel available. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 7

8 10.4 Vendors shall offer a variety of maintenance service plans including: a) Normal Maintenance - defined as those problems that do not affect the overall performance of the VoIP Radio Console system, but still require attention. Vendors shall define their maximum response time parameters. b) Critical Maintenance defined as any problem that jeopardizes or degrades the overall performance of the VoIP Radio Console system. Vendors shall define their maximum response time parameters Site Visits On-site visits to the Richmond County Sheriff s Office for survey of the current dispatch center, network setup, and conventional radio system configuration are encouraged, but shall be at the Vendor's discretion. Failure to conduct a site survey shall not excuse errors in Vendor proposals. The County s Technology Director will coordinate any site visits Oral Presentations - Those Vendors who have been ranked by the County s Evaluation Committee at the top of the proposals received may be invited to give an oral presentation and system demonstration to the committee. This presentation shall include a specific outline of the Vendor's proposed implementation process. Any costs associated with this presentation shall be at the Vendor's expense. If the Vendor should choose to invite the Evaluation Committee for a site visit to another location where their proposed VoIP Radio Console system has already been implemented, the associated costs for the site visit shall be at the Vendor's expense Richmond County reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all proposals; to add or delete proposal items and/or quantities; to amend the RFP; to waive any minor irregularities, informalities, or failure to conform to the RFP; to extend the deadline for submitting proposals; to postpone award of the contract for up to thirty (30) days without impact to the implementation deadline; and to reject, for good cause and without liability therefore, any and all proposals upon finding that doing so is in the public interest; or to cancel this procurement process at any time prior to contract execution The contents of the proposal (including persons specified to implement the project) of the selected Vendor shall become contractual obligations if acquisition action ensues. Failure of the selected Vendor to accept these obligations in a contract, purchase document, delivery order, or similar acquisition instrument may result in cancellation of the award Withdrawal of Proposals - Prior to the deadline for proposals, any proposal may be modified or withdrawn by notice to the County at the place designated for receipt of proposals. Such notice shall be in writing over the signature of the Vendor, and shall be delivered on or before the deadline Richmond County shall not permit any proposal to be modified once the proposal has been publicly opened at the proposal opening. Modifications proposed after the proposal opening shall not be considered. No responsibility shall attach any County employee for the premature opening of a proposal not properly addressed and identified in accordance with this RFP. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 8

9 17.0 When discrepancies occur between words and figures, the words shall govern Award of Contract - The award shall be made to that Vendor whose proposal will be the most advantageous to the Richmond County Sheriff s Office as determined by the Evaluation Committee Any contract resulting from this solicitation shall be governed in any respects by the laws of the state of Virginia, and any litigation with respect thereto shall be brought in the courts of the Commonwealth RFP Cancellation Richmond County reserves the right to cancel this Request for Proposals at any time, without penalty Ownership of Contract Products / Services Proposals, upon established opening time, become the property of Richmond County. All products / services produced in response to any contract resulting from this RFP shall be the sole property of the County, unless otherwise noted in this RFP. The contents of the selected Vendor's proposal shall become contractual obligations Incurring Costs Richmond County shall not be liable for any cost incurred by Vendors prior to the issuance of a legally executed contract or procurement document. No property interest, of any nature, shall occur until a contract is awarded and signed by all concerned parties Non-discrimination - Vendors shall comply with all state and federal laws, rules, and regulations involving non-discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or gender News Releases - News releases pertaining to this RFP shall NOT be made prior to the execution of a contract without prior written approval of County staff Indemnification - To the extent authorized by law, the selected Vendor shall indemnify, save and hold harmless Richmond County, participating agencies, its employees, and agents against any and all claims, damages, liability, and court awards, including costs, expenses, and attorney fees incurred as a result of any act or omission by the Vendor or its employees, agents, subcontractors, or assignees pursuant to the terms of any contract resulting from this RFP EVALUATION PROCESS 26.1 Richmond County reserves the right to seek clarification of proposals. Vendors shall designate a contact person, address, and telephone number for questions that may arise during the proposal evaluation period The VoIP Radio Console System Evaluation Committee, consisting of the County s Technology Director, the Chief of Emergency Services, and Sheriff s Office personnel, shall review each submitted proposal to determine if it is complete and that it addresses the system Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 9

10 requirements as outlined in this RFP. Any proposal that does not address the VoIP Radio Console system requirements, as outlined in this RFP, shall be considered non-responsive and may be rejected The VoIP Radio Console System Evaluation Committee, upon its review of the submitted proposals, oral presentations, and system demonstrations, shall make a decision regarding the Vendor proposal that it believes provides the most suitable VoIP Radio Console system for the Sheriff s Office s present and anticipated future needs. The Evaluation Committee reserves the right to make its decision based on any combination of factors that it determines to be in the best interest of Richmond County and its citizens The tentative selection of a Vendor shall be announced to the selected Vendor by telephone and in writing, and to the non-selected Vendors in writing. Contract negotiations shall then begin with the selected Vendor During contract negotiations, Richmond County may require additional information it deems necessary to clarify the approach and understanding of the proposed VoIP Radio Console system. Any changes agreed upon during the contract negotiations shall become part of the final contract. If the County is unable to reach agreement with the first Vendor, discussion shall be terminated and negotiation shall begin with the Evaluation Committee s next chosen Vendor Appeals concerning contract award shall be delivered to the County in writing within ten (10) days of the selection announcement. Appeals shall specify grounds upon which the appeal is based. County staff shall review the appeal, and contact all parties involved within forty-five (45) calendar days of receipt of the appeal Richmond County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this RFP, and to cancel this solicitation if doing so would be in the public interest. The County reserves the right to accept a proposal or proposals in whole or in part. The selected Vendor shall be held to the terms submitted in its proposal, but may be required to reduce costs depending upon services that the County may determine to be unnecessary or for which the County decides to assume responsibility Richmond County reserves the right to reject any proposal of any Vendor who previously failed to perform to the satisfaction of the County, or complete on time agreements of similar nature, or to reject the proposal of a Vendor who is not in a position to perform such an agreement satisfactorily as deemed by the County Inquiries - Questions regarding the information contained in this RFP shall be submitted to Christopher H. Jett, Technology Director, not later than May 28, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. All questions shall be submitted in writing (including or fax), and received by the specified date and time. Mr. Jett may be contacted at 101 Court Circle, P. O. Box 1000, Warsaw, Virginia cjett@co.richmond.va.us Phone: (804) Fax: (804) A copy of the questions and responses shall be posted on the County website Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 10

11 ( and sent via to all Vendors that were sent a copy of this RFP. Vendors wishing a hard copy to follow the response shall specifically request such a response Addenda If necessary, any addenda to this RFP shall be posted on the County website ( and sent via to all Vendors that were sent a copy of this RFP. Vendors wishing a hard copy of the addenda in addition to the shall specifically request such a response. No addenda shall be issued later than two (2) days prior to the deadline for proposal submissions Deadline for Proposals - To be considered, one (1) original and two (2) copies of written proposals, clearly labeled on the outside Richmond County VoIP Radio Consoles, shall be delivered, not later than June 6, 2014 at 4:00 p.m., to the following location: Richmond County Administration Office, Attn: Christopher H. Jett, Technology Director, 101 Court Circle, Warsaw, Virginia Proposals received after this time shall not be given further consideration. An official authorized to bind the Vendor to its provisions shall sign proposals. The proposal shall remain valid for at least 90 days after the deadline date for proposals. Richmond County, Virginia 2014 RFP for VoIP Radio Consoles Page 11