Request for Proposals Erate Category 1 Hosted VoIP Service Hinds County School District Notice to Bidders Notice is hereby given to interested bidders that the Hinds County School District will receive written, sealed bids until the hour of 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6th, 2016, at which time bids will be opened in the Board Room of the Hinds County School District Office at 13192 Highway 18, Raymond, MS 39154. Bid Timeline Mandatory Pre-Bid Site March 17 th and March 18 th, 2016 8:30 a.m. (Vendors Must Attend Visit Both Days) Bid Due Date and Opening 10:00 a.m. on April 6 th, 2016 All interested bidders must attend a mandatory site visit Thursday, March 17th AND Friday, March 18th, 2016. The mandatory site visit on Thursday, March 17th, 2016 will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Raymond High School in the Library located at 14050 Highway 18, Raymond, MS 39154. The location for the Friday, March 18th, 2016 will be determined by the number of locations completed on March 17th, 2016. All vendors must attend BOTH days. Proposals from vendors who do not attend the site visit WILL NOT be considered. NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION: Hinds County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion or age in the admission to and provision of educational programs, activities and services or employment opportunities and benefits. Contact: Mr. John Neal, Title IX 601-857-5222 1
Hinds County School District Hosted VoIP RFP Subject RFP for a 3-year contract or a 5-year contract, the District desires to receive proposals for hosted VoIP services and analog lines. Purpose Proposals are being sought by the District for the purpose of securing the most cost efficient Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol Telephony (VOIP) service. The hosted solution must meet all criteria for E-rate eligibility as a Category One telecommunications service. The District will want to maintain analog lines at each location for fax machines. Background Our District s patrons, staff and administrators are using more and more resources that require more of the technology department s time. The District has limited resources to manage and maintain a on the premise phone system. The District is in need of a solution that would be feature rich, scalable and reliable without the costly investment of purchasing a phone system and the added IT staff needed to manage the system. As technology continues to change at a rapid pace, the District needs a hosted voice solution that provides monthly services for hosted VoIP. The District is also seeking proposal for analog lines to support the District fax machines. The purpose of this RFP is to explore the various options currently supported through the E-Rate program and its Category One services. General Requirements For VoIP services the District must be able to keep their current phone numbers. The Hinds County School District requires that the winning Service Provider provide discount billing using the SPI method for invoicing USAC. Terms used throughout this RFP USAC Universal Service Administrative Company SPAC - Service Provider Annual Certification SPIN Service Provider Identification Number Bid Submission Instructions Bids will be opened at 10:00 a.m., April 6 th, 2016, in the Board Room of the Hinds County School District Office located at 13192 Highway 18, Raymond, MS 39154. Bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked as follows: 2
2016 Erate Bid Envelopes not so marked will not be considered. The Hinds County School District Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids and waive any informality. Bidders must submit one (1) original, three (3) copies and one (1) electronic copy of their full response. Hand delivered bids or bids sent overnight other than by United Stated Postal Service must be sent to: Hinds County School District 13192 Highway 18 Raymond, MS 39154 Do Not Fax or Email Proposals. It is the sole responsibility of the respondents to ensure their responses arrive in a timely manner. Late arrivals will be rejected. The Hinds County School District is not responsible for delays of any commercial carrier or delays incurred by the respondents. Oral, telephone, or electronically transferred bids will not be considered. Signatures on the proposals must be in longhand and executed by a principal duly authorized by the vendor to make a contract. PLEASE NOTE: Common Carriers, UPS and FedEx, in the Raymond, Mississippi area generally do not deliver overnight packages on time. The Hinds County School District will not be responsible for nor will it accept bid responses delivered after the deadline. Inquiries All correspondence and inquiries regarding this RFP must be done via Email to Lisa Jones at ljones@hinds.k12.ms.us If a Service Provider does not receive a response within 48 hours, it is the responsibility of the Service Provider to call at the number listed below to confirm that the email message was received. Leave a message if necessary. 601-479-7389 Basis of Award E-rate approval by USAC Provider must have current USAC SPAC and SPIN References of at least three installations of similar application size and complexity Service Provider s ability to port numbers Helpdesk and Network Management System (24x7x365) Service Providers wishing to respond to this RFP MUST attend the MANDATORY site visit. The above is not an inclusive list. 3
Evaluation Methodology The Hinds County School District will award a contract based on the vendor submission that best meets the needs of the District with regard to the current Technology Plan, future growth, RFP specifications, and not necessarily the lowest price even though price will be the priority factor. The following factors will be considered when evaluating responses: Price Strength of References Adherence to Technical Specifications Technical Certifications of Vendor Staff Number of Service Staff within close proximity to Hinds County, MS Vendor response time for outages and helpdesk procedures Preference will be given for prior positive experience with Vendor Negative points may be given for a prior negative experience with Vendor The above is not an inclusive list. Disqualification of Bidder The Hinds County School District reserves the right to award to other than the lowest bidder when, in the judgment of the District administration, it is in the best interest of the District to do so. A Bidder may be disqualified for such reasons as: Bidder s failure to sign Bidder s Proposal Form or to otherwise properly complete the Proposal Form Bidder s failure to attend and complete the mandatory pre-bid conference Bidder being in litigation or dispute with the Hinds County School District Bidder having defaulted on a previous contract Bidder having preformed unsatisfactorily on a previous contract, including but not limited to the Bidder s failure to fulfill the warranty obligations of a previous contract with the Hinds County School District Bidder s failure to include documentation for required certifications and authorizations The above is not an inclusive list. The Hinds County School District will strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of the Erate program and the State of Mississippi Procurement Law when evaluating bid responses. General Conditions The following are the General Conditions for the work to be performed as outlined in the Detailed Specifications. 4
Scope of Work This RFP is for the procurement of telephone service for the District to include Hosted VoIP and analog lines. The service must meet all eligibility for Hosted VoIP telephone service as CATEGORY ONE telecommunication service as defined by the eligible services list for the funding year 2016-2017. This RFP is NOT to procure equipment, software, licenses, maintenance contracts or any other products or services that would be considered Category Two Internal Connections as defined in the USAC eligible services list prior to 2016. In the case of leased equipment such as routers, contractual terms of the lease must be provided with the Service Provider s bid. The term lease is used to refer to contractual arrangements whereby the ownership of the property remains with the service provider, as stipulated in the SLD Fact Sheet on Internet Services Connectivity, 2/24/98, page 1. The SLD has stated that it will not commit to discounts on a contract that is titled or described as a lease when in effect the terms of the agreement constitute a purchase. For example, a lease, which includes upfront payment of capital costs, will not be eligible for discounts. This RFP is NOT seeking quotes for a District owned phone system, but rather for phone service. The District does not seek to purchase, own or maintain an in house phone system, but rather issues this RFP for phone service that provides the most up to date VoIP features and functionality as a hosted service with equipment ownership, maintenance and service remaining with the service provider. Proposal Submittal In order to be eligible for submission of a quote, the Service Provider must attend the mandatory site visit. Any submissions submitted by a company that has not completed the site visit will be returned unopened. Due to the nature and diversity of the proposals, a significant amount of time may be required to determine which proposal provides the best option for The District. The evaluation process will not be complete until The District has determined the best proposal based on all factors. The Service Providers Qualifications The Service Provider must provide proof of registration with the (SLD) for reimbursement under E- Rate guidelines for Category One Services. If the Service Provider fails to file the appropriate forms with the SLD or fails to receive an SLD Service Provider Number, the District is not responsible for the discounted portion of the Service Provider s bill. The Service Provider must generate an invoice for the USF portion of the bill in accordance with SLD regulations. The Service Provider is responsible for supplying SLD SPIN with the quote. Vendor must provide a Mississippi Contractors License for telecommunications. Preference will be given to those who are on the Mississippi Public Service Commission s list of Telecommunications carriers. To reduce the chance of third parties in the support process, preference will be given to those who will be using their own PSTN Gateway for this proposal. It is preferred that the Service Provider has been in business for at least 5 years. A legible copy of 5
incorporation papers must be attached and noted. Service Providers must give examples of experience with installation of similar projects for at least three such installations. The Service Provider must provide discount billing through the SLD Service Provider Invoice (SPI) method. Service Providers not offering discount billing will not be considered. Governing Law All RFPs and related documents submitted to the District by the Service Provider are governed under the laws of the State of Mississippi. Comprehensive List of References All references should include: a contact person, dates of work, mailing address and telephone numbers. References must include three (3) or more references of installations of similar complexity, preferably in Mississippi. The District reserves the right to 1. Give full and proper consideration to the service, reputation, product knowledge, and experience of all companies presenting proposals, and to disqualify any such Service Provider it deems unqualified to provide the services requested 2. Reject any and all proposals if deemed necessary 3. Accept any alternative proposal believed to be in the best interest of the District 4. Waive any formality in the quote submission process 5. Cancel any awarded bid if the service proves unsatisfactory 6. Consider Bundled Pricing for award of more than one service or RFP 7. The District reserves the right to modify quantity and configuration requirements. The Service Provider agrees to sell the District the revised quantity of items at the unit price stated in the proposal regardless of quantity change The above is not an inclusive list. Terms of Contract and Erate Subsidies Payment for The District s hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is dependent on E-Rate subsidies. The District will file for the E-Rate subsidies throughout the term of the contract. In the event that the District E-Rate subsidies were to cease, the District will notify the service provider as to the date of the cessation and the District will be liable only for payment for services until the time of termination. If E-Rate subsidies stop, the District will not be bound by the remainder of the contract. Terms of Payment 6
The start of services for this project may not begin prior to July 1, 2016. The District will, if possible, issue an SLD Form 486 on the day services begin. For the duration of the contract, payments will be made on the first Friday after the first meeting of The District Board of Trustees after the submission of invoices from the Service Provider. Vendor Requirements The vendor must meet or exceed all minimum qualification requirements. All submitted quotes must provide at a minimum, all requested information in this quote document. Any portion not included will be cause for elimination from the quote process. Each response will be reviewed to determine if it is complete prior to actual evaluation. The information should be organized as indicated in the quote requirements. Any portions of the submitted quote, which are to be treated by the District as proprietary and confidential information, must be clearly marked as such. The District reserves the right to eliminate from further consideration any response, which is deemed to be substantially or materially unresponsive to the request for information, contained in this section. Vendors must include a reference for a project of equal size and scope that has been completed within the past three (3) years and it must include the following: Job Location Contact name and telephone number Date of contract Project Description Equipment/Service Installed 7
Detailed Specifications The specifications provided in this section are intended to convey the characteristics the District desires for Hosted VoIP phone service. Hosted VoIP Service using Broadsoft Platform or equivalent and/or compatible Hosted VoIP Service will use the current District phone numbers. The District wishes to retain the current phone numbers at all locations Hosted VoIP Service will provide four-digit dialing between rooms and facilities; Call Forwarding, both inside and outside of the District; Call Routing District; Call Transfer and Redial; Caller ID, both the caller and receiver, provided the receiver has this feature enabled on their phone Hosted VoIP Service will provide Enhanced 911 (E 911) Hosted VoIP Service will provide Centralized Voice Mail Solution that can be used transparently by all locations, and the ability for all locations to appear to be part of a single phone system, as well as, Voice Mail that is accessible from inside and outside of the District Hosted VoIP Service will provide analog ports for fax, alarm (security and fire), postage machine and auto attendant systems. Hosted VoIP Service will include in-state/out-of-state long distance service. Cost for this service must be included in the quote Hosted VoIP Service will meet the requirements of Category 1 eligible E-Rate funding Handsets must be SIP compliant Handsets should be Polycom or equivalent VoIP gateway service PSTN (public switched telephone network) interfaces; The PSTN interface offers a link from the IP infrastructure to the public switched telephone network to provide both connectivity to the analog phone network Respondents should possess and use their extensive knowledge and experience within the communications industry to recommend a creative solution that will meet or exceed the District s requirements Preference will be given to the vendor that provides a comprehensive, cost-effective solution for current specifications, future District requirements, and ongoing service and support Pricing should be submitted on the Service Providers standard quote form clearly showing all Erate eligible and Erate ineligible costs. Quotes must include all monthly recurring charges (MRC) and any applicable non-recurring charges (NRC). Quotes should be clear as to term (3 or 5 year) and number of VoIP and analog lines quoted along with upgrade pricing for additional lines. Discounts offered for award of more than one RFP must be noted on quote submission. The District reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities. 8
Handset Specifications The District is aware that at the time of this RFP, handsets either bundled, leased or purchased are not eligible for E-Rate subsidies according to the 2016-2017 Eligible Services List The District prefers a leased solution for handsets, but will consider pricing to purchase handsets. Polycom handsets and side carts or equivalent and/or compatible Pricing should be submitted on the Service Providers standard quote form clearly showing all handsets and associated costs as INELIGIBLE for Erate Discounts. Quotes must include all monthly recurring charges (MRC) and any applicable non-recurring charges (NRC). Quotes should be clear as to term (3 or 5 year) and should provide for pricing for additional handsets. The District reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities. The Hinds County School District welcomes proposals that may not meet these specifications exactly. However, such proposals must explain in detail how the alternative proposal will meet the general specifications of this RFP and why the District should consider such an alternative. If the explanation and reasoning satisfies both the District Administration and members of the IT department of the Hinds County School District, then the proposal will be considered as if it meets specifications. 9
QUOTE SUBMISSION FORM Company Name of Service Provider Corporate Headquarters Address City State Zip Service Provider Contact Name Service Provider Contact Phone Number Service Provider Contact Email Address E-Rate Service Provider Name E-Rate Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) Address of Mississippi Office City State Zip 24 Hour Toll Free Help Desk Phone Number By signing below, the vendor acknowledges that the prices listed in the vendor s proposal are the prices being bid for this project and that the vendor understands that portions of this Project may be funded from Erate Funds. This project is subject to funding availability and contingent upon Erate funding. PRINTED NAME TITLE SIGNED DATE 10
Required Documents Service Provider Quote Copy of Mississippi Contractors License for Telecommunications Description of Help Desk Procedures Description of Service Response Procedures Description or list of service locations that will provide service and support for the District installation and the number of technicians available for that support Description and number of each of the various INELIGIBLE handsets and side carts being proposed 3 References for similar installations as described in the specifications Full Description of the Hosted VoIP Service to be provided Service Provider staff certifications and qualifications 11