May 20, 2015 Request for Information (RFI) VRS Platform Providers The CAV is a new not-for-profit corporation that has been mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to design, implement and oversee the delivery of video relay service (VRS) in Canada. We are considering buying or licensing a VRS platform for call processing. In this scenario, we anticipate that CAV would engage other companies who would then use the VRS platform to provide call centres and sign language assistance (relay) in American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue de signes québécoise (LSQ) (Relay Providers). We have decided to issue this Request for Information (RFI) to companies who might have an interest in providing the VRS platform for Relay Providers to use in Canada. This is not a bid solicitation. This RFI will not result in the award of a contract. Therefore, not responding to this RFI will not preclude a given supplier from participating in any future procurement. Moreover, this RFI may not be followed by a procurement process of any kind. It is simply intended to solicit feedback. Nothing in this RFI may be construed as a commitment to prepare a Request for Proposals, or any other form of solicitation, for this project. CAV may use any information obtained as part of this review or while preparing a future official Request for Proposals or other form of solicitation. CAV will not be bound by any statement contained in this RFI, and reserves the right to change, at any time, any or all parts of the requirement, as it deems necessary. CAV also reserves the right to revise its procurement approach, as it considers appropriate, either on the basis of information submitted in response to this RFI, or for any other reason it deems appropriate. CAV will not reimburse any respondent for expenses incurred in responding to this RFI. 1
Platform Description The following is meant to be a high level description of the VRS Platform. It is not definitive, and is subject to revision. The VRS platform is the hardware and software required to: a. Connect deaf and hard of hearing sign language users with hearing parties and an interpreter; b. Connect sign language users with each other, without an interpreter (point to point calling); c. Allow voice, text and video communication simultaneously; d. Allow callers to make multiple calls without disconnecting; e. Allow CAV/Relay Providers to enforce typical rules for use of VRS; f. Provide for inter-operability among user devices, including wireless/internet connected devices with Android, ios and Windows operating systems and wired telephones on the PSTN; g. Handle calls from Canada to the U.S. and from the U.S. to Canada point to point that is, without relay, and handle calls from Canada to the U.S. using relay. It will also handle other international calls to the extent possible; h. Allow 10 digit numbers to be assigned to each device/caller; i. Allow proper billing of calls, including billing different legs of the calls, for instance to/from the platform, to/from the hearing and deaf user; j. Provide for registration and verification of registration; k. Provide for security, maintaining privacy and accuracy of records, and preventing fraud; l. Provide for audit and verification of VRS usage (e.g. minutes of use) and Relay Provider performance (e.g. time to answer, etc.); m. Allow CAV to change platform vendors if needed, assuring the transition and integrity of the registration and call record databases, and to add and subtract Relay Providers easily; 2
n. Provide the hardware, software and support for Relay Providers to be able to set up and operate call centres; and o. Allow users to queue for certain call centres and for Relay Providers to hand off calls to other Relay Providers in their centre or other centres p. Allow for call monitoring and/or recording by supervisors, CAV personnel for quality control, or by agencies, for instance, under court order. Please let us know if you cannot now meet any of these requirements, and what your plans would be to meet them, supposing they were in the final requirements document. RFI Responses and Process We request that we receive responses in writing, emailed to: Sue Decker Executive Director, CAV ExecDirector@cav-acs.ca We would appreciate responses by Friday, June 12, 2015. Responses will not be formally evaluated. However, the responses received may be used by CAV to develop or modify procurement strategies. CAV intends to review all responses received by the RFI closing date. CAV may, at its discretion, review responses received after the RFI closing date. As this is not a bid solicitation, CAV will not necessarily respond to enquiries in writing or by circulating answers to all potential suppliers. However, respondents with questions regarding this RFI may direct their enquiries to the above contact. Respondents should clearly mark any portions of their response that they consider proprietary or confidential as such. CAV will make commercially reasonable efforts to protect and preserve the confidentiality of such information, unless or until such information: (1) becomes public, through no fault of CAV; (2) 3
is disclosed to CAV by a third party without an obligation of confidentiality; (3) is independently developed by CAV; or (4) was already known to CAV at the time of disclosure by the respondent. Responses will become the property of CAV, and will not be returned. CAV may, in its sole discretion, contact any respondent to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response. CAV may set up calls or meetings with respondents to ask questions and receive clarification at our mutual convenience. At present, we are proposing the following time slots for this purpose: Tuesday, May 26th from 8 AM to noon Eastern Time Monday, June 1 st from 8 AM to noon Eastern Time The following are the questions we seek your input on: 1. Overall Business a. Please describe the VRS platform and system elements that you would be interested in applying in the manner described herein. b. Would you be interested in bidding should we issue an RFP for a Canadian VRS platform? c. Has your platform been used by any other VRS service providers other than yourself? d. Do you have any installations now that are handling multiple VRS providers? e. If CAV wanted to be able to modify the software to meet its needs, would that be a possibility? Why or why not? f. Are there any other considerations that would encourage you to bid or prevent you from bidding? 2. Platform overview a. We want to understand how uniform the platform is in each installation. 4
i. If you have various installations around the world, could you please describe the nature of the modifications made for the various users? ii. For instance, is there any overlap whatsoever in shared functionality or resources? b. Who provides hosting, and how is redundancy provided for? c. How are upgrades done? d. Which of the following options for building the CAV platform appear to you as most likely to ensure successful completion: i. Your company provides a ready-to-run system? ii. Your company works with a value-added reseller/systems integrator to integrate the system and provide the VRS-specific features? iii. Your company provides hardware and/or software components that are then integrated and enhanced by a third party as a separate CAV contract? e. Please describe the team that would likely be bidding on the contract. f. What aspects of the operation would you be handling? g. What aspects would your partner or sub-contractor be handling? h. If not provided on a turn-key basis, please describe all hardware, software, or other third party requirements or dependencies to operate the VRS platform. i. Please describe how you convey the video portion of the call. Please describe your recommended data speed, and any adjustments you make to allow for better quality transmission in different bandwidth environments, e.g., adjusting framerate, user messages. 3. Sign Language Operator Work Station We want to understand the difficulty to set up and operate, cost and flexibility of your operator work stations. a. What are the hardware and software requirements? b. What connections are needed? 5
c. What are the important features you would like to mention? d. How many are in use at this time? 4. Database & Reports Please describe statistics and reporting capabilities. a. What are the typical VRS key performance indicators tracked and reported? b. How do you ensure accuracy of the tracked data? Please explain your internal controls. c. Can the CAV define the reporting cycles e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, other? d. How do you handle storage and security of the data? e. Where (geographically) would the data be stored? 5. End-User Applications a. Please describe your end-user applications. E.g. PC, ios, Mobile, etc. b. Please describe if / how much you charge end-users for the use of these applications (CAV is considering end-users paying for use of apps; the sales would be directly from the VRS platform owner / licensor to the end-user). Please advise how much you would charge for your apps, should the CAV pursue this option. c. Are there any issues with CAV or any VRS Providers developing their own applications for various operating systems that would run on the VRS platform? d. Was your application development done in-house or through third parties? e. Have you published APIs in any cases? f. Can you provide test results from user tests in the following scenarios: i. Among and between Windows, ios and Android Devices ii. Among and between cell, WiFi and PSTN networks 6
iii. Cross border: Canada-US, other. 6. Emergency Calls a. How would you propose to implement the appropriate processing of emergency calls, specifically, the functionality necessary to comply with CRTC order 2014-187 partially quoted in Appendix A. 7. Cost a. The CAV would like to receive estimates of the cost and schedule for the implementation of the platform, as well as the annual cost for operating and maintaining the platform. b. For budgetary purposes what are the main cost components and costs for each component? c. Do you think it would be appropriate to charge Relay Providers a license or connection fee and how would this work and how much do you think it might be? 8. Platform Setup & Implementation a. What is the estimated time from contract start to platform launch? Can you specify the various project elements, milestones and timing? For instance, how much time would be involved in customization (or is this typically not involved / required)? b. Can you describe a possible test process before launch, including amount of time and how the test might be conducted? c. How would you know when the test is successful? In other words what would the criteria for success be? d. What is your process for prioritizing development requests? 9. Back-up, redundancy and testing a. Please describe your approach to back-up and security of data. b. Canada covers 6 time zones and has 2 official languages. What might be the best approach to providing platform redundancy? c. Once the platform is operational, how would testing of new user applications, work station features, or platform features take place? 7
d. What service levels and associated performance credits would you provide in connection with availability and performance of the VRS platform? 10. Call Centre Support The CAV envisions technical support for stand-alone call assistance (CA) providers and other VRS Providers through a network operations center (NOC) that can be reached by phone, email, and a trouble ticket system for service outages; as well as technical support, including a ticketing system, for issues of a lesser impact and urgency, such as interoperability or performance problems. a. Would your recommended solution for providing technical support align with the description above, or do you recommend a different approach? What would you recommend for VRS end users? 11. Please comment on your plans for integrating new technology such as voice to text, and sign-language to text into the platform. How and when do you think this would be possible? Finally, what else should the CAV consider pertaining to the possible procurement of a VRS platform? Thank You. Sue Decker, Executive Director Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc. 8
Appendix A Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2014-187 Paragraph 24 911 Services 24) Provide access to 9-1-1 service during the hours of operation of VRS using the same approach that the Commission has mandated for nomadic VoIP 9-1-1 services, as set out in Telecom Decisions 2005-21 and 2007-44. Specifically: a) the VRS operator must act as the intermediary between the VRS user and the 9-1-1 call operator at the PSAP; b) 9-1-1 service must be provided using the incumbent local exchange carriers tariffed emergency call routing operator service so that the VRS operator has priority access to PSAPs across the country; c) customers must be informed when they register for VRS, and when they initiate a 9-1-1 call outside of VRS operating hours, of the hours when 9-1-1 service is unavailable via VRS and how to reach 9-1-1 during those hours; d) an onscreen notification must appear when a VRS user tries to place a 9-1-1 call during hours when VRS is not operational; and e) each VRS user s address information must be entered into a database and automatically provided to the VRS operator during a 9-1-1 call made via VRS. i. The user-provided address information is to be used as a last resort, in situations where the VRS user is unable to provide or confirm their location. ii. VRS users must have the capacity to update their address information for 9-1-1 purposes through customer service and online. 9