IFB - Washington · Web viewVendor: Contract Number: 06614 Description One Time Unit List Price Percent Discount Net to State Dedicated Access Toll free Service Calls routed to voice

Request for Qualifications and Quotation 06614Toll Free Calling and Support ServicesThe Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, Master Contracts and Consulting Unit (DES), issues this Request for Qualifications and Quotation (RFQQ) under the authority of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 39.26. DES reserves the right to modify dates and times. Any changes will be sent electronically as amendments to all users of Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) who download this RFQQ.

Posted to WEBS......................... February 4, 2015

Question-and-answer period...... February 18, 2015 through March 1, 2015

Pre-Bid Conference Data, Time, and Location February 17, 2015................................................... 9:00 am – 11:00 am................................................... 1500 Jefferson St SE................................................... Olympia, WA 98504 Room 2332

Final Amendment posted to WEBs (if necessary) March 5, 2015

Bids are due............................... March 10, 2015, 2 p.m.

Anticipated award date............... April 1, 2015

Procurement coordinator............Neva Peckham(360) [email protected]

Deliver bids to.............................Washington State Department of Enterprise ServicesContracts & Legal Services1500 Jefferson St SEOlympia, WA 98501

Attention: Tech Brokerage Office

IMPORTANT: Bids must be delivered in a sealed package and should have the following information on the outside:

Bid Response to RFQQ 06614 for Toll Free Calling Services and Support

Bid due date and time Name and address of Bidder’s company

Page 1 of 32

mailto:[email protected]

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=39.26

06614 Request for Qualifications and Quotation Toll Free Calling and Support ServicesPage 2 of 32

CONTENTS1 SUMMARY OF OPPORTUNITY5

1.1 Purpose of the RFQQ..................................................................................................................... 51.2 Purchasers...................................................................................................................................... 51.3 Contract term.................................................................................................................................. 51.4 Estimated usage............................................................................................................................. 5

2 RFQQ OVERVIEW 52.1 Announcement and special information..........................................................................................52.2 Complaint, debrief and protest (general information)......................................................................52.3 Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS)......................................................................62.4 Amendments................................................................................................................................... 62.5 Bidder communication responsibilities............................................................................................62.6 Bidder responsiveness.................................................................................................................... 72.7 Pricing............................................................................................................................................. 72.8 Additional Equipment and/or Services............................................................................................72.9 Management fee............................................................................................................................. 72.10 Non-endorsement and publicity..................................................................................................72.11 Dealer authorization................................................................................................................... 72.12 Economic and environmental goals............................................................................................72.13 Vendor qualifications.................................................................................................................. 8

2.13.1 Qualified Purchasers Verification.....................................................................................................82.13.2 Required Registrations.....................................................................................................................82.13.3 Network Routing..............................................................................................................................82.13.4 Responsible Organization................................................................................................................82.13.5 Single Point of Contact.....................................................................................................................82.13.6 Minimum level of Experience...........................................................................................................8

2.14 Vendor status as a Washington business...................................................................................82.15 E-Rate Program (Mandatory).....................................................................................................82.16 Use of Third Party Vendors........................................................................................................92.17 Prior contract performance.........................................................................................................92.18 Debarment and suspension (if applicable).................................................................................9

3 PREPARATION OF BIDS 93.1 Pre-bid meeting.............................................................................................................................. 93.2 Bid submittals responsiveness checklist.........................................................................................93.3 Format.......................................................................................................................................... 103.4 Confidentiality, proprietary material and trade secrets..................................................................113.5 Due date and time........................................................................................................................ 113.6 Bid opening................................................................................................................................... 11

4 EVALUATION AND AWARD 124.1 General provisions........................................................................................................................124.2 Best and Final Offer...................................................................................................................... 124.3 Scoring.......................................................................................................................................... 124.4 Determination of responsiveness..................................................................................................134.5 Determination of responsibility......................................................................................................134.6 Price evaluation............................................................................................................................ 134.7 Technical specifications evaluation...............................................................................................134.8 Selection of Apparent Successful Bidder......................................................................................134.9 Announcement of Apparent Successful Bidder.............................................................................134.10 Award....................................................................................................................................... 144.11 Bid information availability after award.....................................................................................14

5 CONTRACT INFORMATION 145.1 Incorporated documents and order of precedence.......................................................................14


5.2 Parties........................................................................................................................................... 145.3 Authority to bind............................................................................................................................ 145.4 Counterparts................................................................................................................................. 155.5 Contract usage report................................................................................................................... 155.6 Additional Reporting Requirements..............................................................................................155.7 Changes....................................................................................................................................... 155.8 Price adjustments.........................................................................................................................155.9 Miscellaneous expenses...............................................................................................................16

6 Technical and service requirements 166.1 Existing Telecommunications Environment (Appendix E)(Mandatory).........................................16

6.1.1 Purchasers..........................................................................................................................................166.1.2 Long Distance Network.......................................................................................................................166.1.3 Voice Messaging.................................................................................................................................166.1.4 Cellular service....................................................................................................................................16

6.2 Toll Free Number Service Requirements (Appendix E)(Mandatory).............................................176.2.1 Voice Transmission.............................................................................................................................176.2.2 Grade of Service.................................................................................................................................176.2.3 Call Setup Time...................................................................................................................................176.2.4 Continuous Operation.........................................................................................................................176.2.5 Diverse Routing..................................................................................................................................176.2.6 Coverage Outside Washington...........................................................................................................176.2.7 SS7 Network Support Local Exchange Carriers...................................................................................176.2.8 Predetermined Percentage Routing....................................................................................................176.2.9 Geographical Routing.........................................................................................................................176.2.10 Time of Day Routing......................................................................................................................176.2.11 Day of Week Routing.....................................................................................................................176.2.12 Network Congestion Routing.........................................................................................................186.2.13 Originating Phone Number Routing...............................................................................................186.2.14 Carrier Automated Routing............................................................................................................186.2.15 Emergency Routing........................................................................................................................186.2.16 Service Interruption Routing..........................................................................................................186.2.17 ISDN & SIP Support........................................................................................................................186.2.18 ANI Support...................................................................................................................................186.2.19 Local Calling Area Blocking............................................................................................................186.2.20 Originating Number Blocking.........................................................................................................186.2.21 Co-location of CPE..........................................................................................................................186.2.22 Disaster Recovery Plan...................................................................................................................196.2.23 DNIS Support..................................................................................................................................196.2.24 Service Locations............................................................................................................................196.2.25 Dedicated Service Minimum Usage...............................................................................................196.2.26 Automatic Forwarding...................................................................................................................196.2.27 TNT & TBCT Support......................................................................................................................196.2.28 Automatic Call Termination...........................................................................................................196.2.29 Fax Support....................................................................................................................................196.2.30 Service Information Website..........................................................................................................196.2.31 Service Support Website................................................................................................................19

6.3 Toll Free Service Availability/Reliability (Appendix E) (Mandatory)...............................................196.3.1 Service Availability..............................................................................................................................196.3.2 Service Performance...........................................................................................................................196.3.3 Out of Service Definition.....................................................................................................................206.3.4 Extended Out of Service Conditions....................................................................................................206.3.5 Toll Free Number Outage...................................................................................................................20

6.4 Service Installation (Appendix E)(Mandatory)...............................................................................20


6.5 Purchaser Support (Appendix E)(Mandatory)...............................................................................206.5.1 Help Desk Function.............................................................................................................................206.5.2 Vendor Support Functions..................................................................................................................206.5.3 Adds/Moves/Changes........................................................................................................................206.5.4 Account Representatives....................................................................................................................206.5.5 Purchaser Service Number..................................................................................................................206.5.6 Invoices...............................................................................................................................................206.5.7 Reporting............................................................................................................................................216.5.8 Detail Call Records..............................................................................................................................216.5.9 Protection of Purchaser’s Confidential Information............................................................................226.5.10 Maximum and Minimum Billing Increment....................................................................................226.5.11 Transition Planning........................................................................................................................22

6.6 Date Warranty (Appendix E)(Mandatory)......................................................................................226.7 State Price List (Mandatory).........................................................................................................226.8 State Price List Format (Mandatory).............................................................................................236.9 Training Rates (Optional)..............................................................................................................266.10 Documentation Rates (Optional)..............................................................................................266.11 Consultation Rates (Optional)...................................................................................................266.12 Interactive Voice Response (IVR) (Optional)............................................................................266.13 Prices for Evaluation (Mandatory)............................................................................................266.14 Presentation of All Price Components (Mandatory)..................................................................266.15 Universal Service Fund Charges (Mandatory)..........................................................................276.16 Other Pricing Factors (Mandatory)...........................................................................................276.17 900 Services and Policy (Optional)...........................................................................................27

7 RFQQ EVALUATION 277.1 Evaluation Model.......................................................................................................................... 277.2 Final Total Points..........................................................................................................................287.3 Pricing Evaluation Models.............................................................................................................28

8 APPENDICES 30Appendix A: Master Contract Terms and Conditions.............................................................................30Appendix B: Bidder Profile..................................................................................................................... 30Appendix C: Price Proposal...................................................................................................................30Appendix D: Non-Price Proposal...........................................................................................................30Appendix E: Mandatory Technical and Service Specifications..............................................................30Appendix F: Sample Statewide Price List..............................................................................................30Appendix G: Complaint, Debrief and Protest Procedures......................................................................30Appendix H: Supplier Diversity..............................................................................................................30Appendix J: Definitions.......................................................................................................................... 30Appendix K: Exceptions......................................................................................................................... 30

9 CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSURANCES 3110 BIDDER’S AUTHORIZED OFFER and CONTRACT SIGNATURE PAGE 32


1 SUMMARY OF OPPORTUNITY

1.1 Purpose of the RFQQ

The purpose of this RFQQ is to establish a Master Contract for Toll-Free Calling and Support Services.

To accommodate Customer flexibility needs, the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) may award to multiple Vendors who provide the best value.

1.2 Purchasers

This contract will be available for use by all Washington state agencies and authorized parties to the Master Contracts Usage Agreement (MCUA), including institutions of higher education, cities and counties, other political subdivisions or special districts, and nonprofit corporations.

The use of the resulting contracts is optional for all users authorized by the DES under the MCUA: https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/ContractSearch/MCUAListing.aspx.

1.3 Contract term

The initial term of the contract is three (3) years from award of the contract. Contract award will be effective upon DES countersignature. Options to extend for additional term(s) or portions thereof will not exceed nine (9) years unless circumstances require a special extension. Total contract term will not exceed nine (9) years. Extensions will be exercised at the sole discretion of DES by written mutual agreement. DES reserves the right to extend with all or some of the contractors.

1.4 Estimated usage

Purchases over the initial three-year term of the contract could approximate $24 million from (user agency/all users). Purchase potential from other purchasers is unknown.

DES does not represent or guarantee any minimum purchase.

2 RFQQ OVERVIEW

2.1 Announcement and special information

The RFQQ, its appendices, attachments, amendments and any approved portions of the Bidders response will comprise the entire RFQQ and will become the resulting contract between DES and the awarded contractor(s) when it is countersigned by DES.

NOTE: The Master Contrac t Terms and Conditions , which is Appendix A to this RFQQ, contains general provisions and terms for solicitations issued by DES. Should a term within the Master Contract Terms and Conditions conflict with a term elsewhere in this RFQQ, the RFQQ will prevail.

2.2 Complaint, debrief and protest (general information)

NOTE: See also Appendix D, Complaint, Debrief and Protest Procedures, located in the Appendices section below.

Complaint: This solicitation offers a complaint period for Bidders wishing to voice objections to this solicitation. The complaint period ends five business days before the bid due date. The complaint period is an opportunity for the Bidder to voice objections, raise concerns or suggest changes. Failure by the Bidder to raise a complaint at this stage may waive its right for later consideration. DES will consider all complaints but is not required to uphold a complaint, in part or full. If Bidder complaints result in changes to the RFQQ, written amendments will be issued and posted on WEBS.

https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/ContractSearch/MCUAListing.aspx

http://www.des.wa.gov/services/ContractingPurchasing/Purchasing/Pages/MasterContractsUsageAgreement.aspx

http://www.des.wa.gov/services/ContractingPurchasing/Purchasing/Pages/MasterContractsUsageAgreement.aspx


Complaints must be sent to the Procurement Coordinator located on the face page of this document.

Debrief: Debrief meetings are an opportunity for the Bidder and the Procurement Coordinator to meet and discuss the Bidder’s bid. A debrief is a required prerequisite for a Bidder wishing to lodge a protest. Following the evaluation of the bids, DES will issue an announcement of the Apparent Successful Bidder (ASB). That announcement may be made by any means, but DES will likely use email to the Bidder’s email address provided in the Bidder’s bid. Bidders will have three business days to request a debrief meeting. Once a debrief meeting is requested, DES will offer the requesting Bidder one meeting opportunity and notify the Bidder of the meeting place, date and time. Please note, because the debrief process must occur before making an award, DES will likely schedule the debrief meeting shortly following the announcement of the ASB and the Bidder’s request for a debrief meeting. DES will not allow the debrief process to delay the award or be used as a delaying tactic. Therefore, Bidders should plan for contingencies and alternate representatives and Bidders unwilling or unable to attend the debrief meeting will lose the opportunity to protest.

Protest: Bidders wishing to protest must do so in conformity with Appendix A, Complaint, Debrief and Protest Procedures.

2.3 Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS)

Bidders are solely responsible for:

Properly registering with Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) at https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/webs/, and maintaining an accurate Vendor profile in WEBS.

Downloading the RFQQ packet consisting of the RFQQ, all appendices, and incorporated documents related to the RFQQ for which you are interested in bidding.

Downloading all current and subsequent amendments to the RFQQ to ensure receipt of all RFQQ documents.

Notification of amendments to the RFQQ will only be provided to those vendors who have registered with WEBS and have downloaded the RFQQ from WEBS. Failure to do so may result in a Bidder having incomplete, inaccurate, or otherwise inadequate information and bid.

2.4 Amendments

Prior to the bid due date and time, DES reserves the right to change portions of this RFQQ. Any change will be issued in writing by DES as an amendment and incorporated into the RFQQ. If there is any conflict between amendments, or between an amendment and the RFQQ, the document issued last in time will be controlling. Only Bidders who have properly registered and downloaded the original RFQQ directly via WEBS will receive notification of amendments and other correspondence pertinent to the procurement.

2.5 Bidder communication responsibilities

During the RFQQ process, all Bidder communications about this RFQQ must be directed to the Procurement Coordinator. Unauthorized contact regarding this RFQQ with other state employees involved with the RFQQ may result in disqualification. All oral and written communications will be considered unofficial and non-binding. Bidders should rely only on written amendments issued by the Procurement Coordinator.

Bidders are encouraged to make any inquiry as early in the process as possible to allow DES time to consider and respond; however, no response is required from the Procurement Coordinator.

If a Bidder does not notify DES of an issue, exception, addition, or omission, DES may consider the matter waived by the Bidder for protest purposes.

If Bidder inquiries result in changes to the RFQQ, written amendments will be issued and posted on WEBS.

https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/webs/


2.6 Bidder responsiveness

Bidders are to respond to each question/requirement contained in this RFQQ. Failure to comply with any applicable item may result in a bid being deemed non-responsive and disqualified.

DES reserves the right to determine the actual level of Bidders’ compliance with the requirements specified in this RFQQ and to waive informalities in a bid. An informality is an immaterial variation from the exact requirements of the competitive RFQQ, having no effect or merely a minor or negligible effect on quality, quantity, or delivery of the supplies or performance of the services being procured, and the correction or waiver of which would not affect the relative standing of, or be otherwise prejudicial to Bidders.

2.7 Pricing

Bid prices must include all price components needed for the delivery of the goods and/or services as described in this RFQQ. Failure to identify all prices in a manner consistent with the instructions in this RFQQ is sufficient grounds for disqualification.

NOTE: Pricing provided on the Price Worksheet is to be rounded to the nearest whole cent. For evaluation purposes only, any pricing submitted in portions of whole cents will be rounded into whole cents utilizing the MS Excel “round” function as shown in the extended price calculation.

2.8 Additional Equipment and/or Services

Additional Equipment and/or Services that are appropriate to the scope of this RFQQ, as determined by the State, may be added to the resulting Master Contract by mutual agreement through a written amendment.

2.9 Management fee

All master contracts executed as a result of this RFQQ will be subject to a management fee, paid by the contractor to DES. The management fee is further described in Appendix A, Master Contract Terms and Conditions, Section 3.8 (Management fee) and Section 3.9 (Contract usage report).

The management fee will be 0.74 percent of contract sales/purchase price for work orders. The purchase price is defined as total invoice price less sales tax. No taxes will be assessed against the management fee.

2.10 Non-endorsement and publicity

In selecting a Bidder to supply Toll-Free Calling and Support Services specified herein to contract purchasers, neither DES nor the purchasers are endorsing the Bidder’s Toll Free Calling and Support Services, nor suggesting they are the best or only solution that would satisfy their needs.

2.11 Dealer authorization

The Bidder, if other than the manufacturer, must provide upon request a current, dated and signed authorization from the manufacturer that the Bidder is an authorized distributor, dealer or service representative and is authorized to sell the manufacturer's products. Failure to provide manufacturer’s authorization upon request may result in bid rejection.

2.12 Economic and environmental goals

In support of the state’s economic and environmental goals, although not an award factor (unless otherwise specified herein), Bidders are encouraged to consider the following in responding to this RFQQ:

Support for a diverse supplier pool, including small, veteran-owned, minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises. DES has established for this RFQQ voluntary numerical goals of:

3 percent women-owned businesses (WBE);3 percent minority-owned businesses (MBE);3 percent small businesses (SB);3 percent veteran-owned businesses (VB).


Achievement of these goals is encouraged whether directly or through subcontractors. Bidders may contact the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises for information on certified firms or to become certified. Also see Appendix I Procurement Reform Small Business Fact Sheet.

Use of environmentally preferable goods and services to include post-consumer waste and recycled content.

Products made or grown in Washington.

2.13 Vendor qualifications

2.13.1 Qualified Purchasers Verification

Vendors must state in their response that they have read, understand, and will fully comply with each of the following requirements. The Toll Free Number Services will be provided to Qualified Purchasers within the state of Washington who have a executed Master Contracts Usage Agreement (MCUA).

2.13.2 Required Registrations

The Vendor meets all TOLL FREE CALLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES requirements. Vendor has obtained any necessary registrations with federal, state and local regulatory authorities, including the Federal Communications Commission and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission necessary to provide Toll Free Number Services.

2.13.3 Network Routing

Vendor is able to perform as the responsible organization for Toll Free Number Service. This will include implementation of network routing among single or multiple Toll Free Number Service providers.

2.13.4 Responsible Organization

Vendor guarantees that their firm will remain the Responsible Organization (RESP ORG) throughout the term of the contract. Specifically, they will be the entity that is responsible for managing and administering the Toll Free Number Purchaser’s record information in the nationwide SMS/Toll Free database.

Vendor agrees to transfer Responsible Organization (RESP ORG) authority upon notification by Purchaser of intent to transfer service.

2.13.5 Single Point of Contact

Vendor will be the single focal point for all issues related to service, billing and problem resolution. Vendor will also be able to have direct network management control over the Toll Free call transactions for Purchasers served by this Contract.

2.13.6 Minimum level of Experience

Vendor must have at least three (3) years of experience providing the Service proposed in Vendor’s response to customers of similar size to the State.

2.14 Vendor status as a Washington business

The “Apparently Successful Vendor” must agree to register with the Washington State Department of Revenue. The Vendor must additionally agree to collect and report all applicable state taxes.

2.15 E-Rate Program (Mandatory)

Vendors must commit to participate in the Federal Communication Commission’s E-rate discount program established under authority of the Federal Telecommunications Commission Act of 1996. Participation in

http://www.omwbe.wa.gov/


and implementation of this program will be provided without the addition of any service or administration fee by the Vendor. Please declare that you understand and accept this requirement.

2.16 Use of Third Party Vendors

The Vendor must state if third party Vendors are/are not being used. If the Vendor is using third party Vendors, they must be listed in the Appendix B Bidder Profile.

2.17 Prior contract performance

If the Vendor has had a contract terminated for default during the past five years, all such incidents must be described. Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the Vendor’s non-performance or poor performance and the issue was either: (a) not litigated; or (b) litigated and such litigation determined the Vendor to be in default.

Submit full details of all terminations for default experienced by the Vendor in the past five years including the other party’s name, address and telephone number. Present the Vendor’s position on the matter. DES will evaluate the facts and may, at its sole discretion, reject the Vendor’s quote if the facts discovered indicate that completion of a contract resulting from this TOLL FREE CALLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES may be jeopardized by selection of the Vendor.

If no such terminations for default have been experienced by the Vendor in the past five years, so declare.

2.18 Debarment and suspension (if applicable)

The contractor certifies, that neither it nor its “principals” (as defined in 49 CFR. 29.105 (p) is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency. Furthermore, Bidder certifies that neither it nor its “principals” (as defined in 49 CFR.29.105 (p) is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any state governmental entity.

3 PREPARATION OF BIDS

3.1 Pre-bid meeting

DES will host a pre-bid meeting to address RFQQ requirements at the time and location indicated on the cover page. While attendance is not mandatory, Bidders are encouraged to attend and participate. The purpose of the pre-bid meeting is to clarify the RFQQ as needed and raise any issues or concerns, especially those of the vendor community. If interpretations, specifications, or other changes to the RFQQ are required as a result of the meeting, the Procurement Coordinator will post an amendment to WEBS.

Assistance for disabled, blind or hearing-impaired persons who wish to attend is available with prior arrangement by contacting the Procurement Coordinator identified on the cover page.

3.2 Bid submittals responsiveness checklist

The following checklist identifies the hard-copy submittals which will comprise a bid. Any bid received without a hard copy item identified in this checklist and designated as REQUIRED will be rejected as being non-responsive. Please identify each page of the submittals and any supplemental materials with your company name or other identifiable company mark.

Signature (REQUIRED): Complete as instructed and return a signed original of the Section 9 Bidder’s Authorized Offer.

Bidder Profile (REQUIRED): Complete as instructed and return a copy of Appendix B Bidder Profile.


Price Proposal (REQUIRED): Complete as instructed and return a copy of Appendix C Price Proposal. Failure to complete this submittal as instructed may result in a bid being rejected for lack of responsiveness.

Non-Price Proposal (REQUIRED): Complete as instructed and return a copy of Appendix D Non-Price Proposal.

Mandatory Technical Specifications and Services (REQUIRED): Complete as instructed and return a copy of Appendix E Mandatory Technical and Service Specifications.

Sample Statewide Pricelist (REQUIRED): Complete as instructed and return a copy of Appendix F Sample Statewide Price List.

Exceptions: Bidder may submit any exceptions to the contract terms and conditions via Appendix K Exceptions.

RFQQ amendments (AS INSTRUCTED): If instructed to do so in any amendment to this RFQQ, sign and return a copy. Failure to sign and return any required amendments to this RFQQ, may result in a bid being rejected for lack of responsiveness. When in doubt, sign and return a copy of all RFQQ amendments.

3.3 Format

Bidders shall submit their response in a sealed envelope and labeled:

THIS IS A BID FOR RFQQ 06614 Toll-Free Calling and Support ServicesBidder Company NameATTN: Bid ClerkDepartment of Enterprise Services, Contracts & Legal Services

The sealed bid response envelope will contain two separately sealed envelopes containing the non-price and price responses. The separate envelopes will be labeled as instructed below. Each envelope will contain a single hard copy and a single electronic copy on a “USB Flash drive or Thumb drive”. Electronic copy will have two (2) separate folders. Folder #1 will contain the same contents as the Sealed Envelope #1below. Folder #2 will contain the same contents as the Sealed Envelope #2 below.

Responses must be legible and completed in ink or with an electronic printer or other similar office equipment, and properly signed by an authorized representative of the Bidder. All changes and/or erasures must be initialed in ink. Unsigned bids will be rejected on opening. Incomplete or illegible bids may be rejected.

Responses must be prepared on standard 8.5 x 11-inch loose-leaf paper and placed in three-ring binders with tabs separating the major sections of the Response. Pages must be numbered consecutively within each section of the Response showing Response section number and page number.

Include Vendor name and the name, address and telephone number of the Vendor Representative at the beginning of each volume of the Response and on each subsequent page in the “footer” section.

Figures and tables must be numbered and referenced in the text of the Response by that number.

Foldouts containing charts, spreadsheets, and oversize exhibits are permissible.

1) Sealed Envelope #1 will be labeled:

Non-Price Response to RFQQ 06614[Bidder Company Name]ATTN: Neva PeckhamDepartment of Enterprise Services, Master ContractsEnvelope Number 1 will contain:

Appendix E - Mandatory Technical Specifications and Services (required)


Appendix D – Non-Price Proposal (required) Appendix K – Exceptions (if desired) Bidders Marketing, Manuals or other Printed Material (if desired)

2) Sealed Envelope Number Two

Financial Response to Contract 06614[Bidder Company Name]ATTN: Neva PeckhamDepartment of Enterprise Services, Master ContractsEnvelope Number 2 will contain:

Appendix B – Bidder Profile (required) Appendix C – Price Proposal (required) Appendix F - Sample Statewide Price List (required) Bidders Authorized Offer, signed (required) MWBE Certification (if applicable) Exceptions and/or proposed revisions to contract terms and conditions( if desired)

Note: In a joint effort to save prices, reduce waste and save energy, Bidders are encouraged to use double-sided printing and recyclable materials. Bidders are encouraged to refrain from submitting bids in three-ring binders, spiral bindings or other non-recyclable presentation folders. Foldouts containing charts, spreadsheets, and oversize exhibits are permissible.

3.4 Confidentiality, proprietary material and trade secrets

All documents submitted by Bidders to DES as part of this procurement will become public records as defined by the Public Records Act, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 42.56. DES will not ask Bidders to submit confidential or proprietary materials or any documents containing trade secrets. However, if a Bidder chooses to submit such materials, they should be submitted in separate envelope(s) and clearly and prominently marked as “Confidential” or “Proprietary” or “Trade Secrets.”

DES will treat such properly labeled materials as confidential in the administration of this solicitation, but DES bears no responsibility for determining or defending the confidentiality of any materials in the event of a public record request seeking to view or obtain copies of the materials. A further description of the rights and responsibilities of DES and Bidders can be found in Section 1.5, “Public records and exempt information,” of Appendix A, “MASTER CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS.”

3.5 Due date and time

Bid packages must be received on or before the due date and time at the location specified on the cover page. Time of receipt will be determined by the official time stamp located at DES.

If a bid is late or received at a location other than that specified it will be rejected. In the event the official time clock is unavailable, the Bid Clerk will establish the official time and take reasonable steps to ensure the integrity of the bid receipt is preserved.

3.6 Bid opening

After the bid due date and time, the DES Bid Clerk will open and process sealed bids protecting the confidentiality of the contents. The names of the Bidders will be recorded and made available upon request. Bid contents will not be available for public view until after the contract has been awarded (RCW 39.26.030).

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=39.26.030

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56


4 EVALUATION AND AWARD

4.1 General provisions

Bidder responsiveness, responsibility and price factors will be evaluated based on the evaluation process described in this section.

Contract award will be based on the evaluation and award criteria established herein and will be subject to consideration of all factors identified in RCW 39.26 and other criteria identified in the RFQQ.

Bidders whose bids are determined to be non-responsive will be rejected and will be notified of the reasons for rejection.

After bids have been submitted, DES may require individual Bidders to appear at a time and place determined by DES to discuss contract requirements. Any such meeting should not be construed as negotiations or an indication of DES’s intention to award.

DES reserves the right to: (1) Waive any informality; (2) Reject any or all bids, or portions thereof;(3) Accept any portion of the items bid unless the Bidder stipulates all or nothing in their bid; (4) Cancel an RFQQ and re-solicit bids; (5) Negotiate with the lowest responsive and responsible Bidder to determine if that bid can be improved for the purchaser.

Preferences and penalties: Preferences and penalties that are required by law, rule, or RFQQ will be applied to bid pricing. Some preferences and penalties may be added by contract language and could be applied to bid pricing. A preference reduces the Bidder’s stated price by the amount of the preference and is an advantage to the Bidder. A penalty increases the Bidder’s stated price by the amount of the penalty and is a disadvantage to the Bidder. Preferences and penalties are applied to the pricing for evaluation purposes only but are not applied for purchasing purposes.

References: DES reserves the right to use references to confirm satisfactory customer service, performance, satisfaction with service/product, knowledge of products/service/industry and timeliness. Any negative or unsatisfactory reference can be reason for rejecting a Bidder as non-responsible. DES reserves the right to waive the reference check.

4.2 Best and Final Offer

DES reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the Response submitted; i.e., there will be no best and final offer procedure associated with selecting the “Apparently Successful Vendor”. Therefore, Vendor’s Response should be submitted on the most favorable terms that Vendor can offer.

4.3 Scoring

The scoring criteria will be as follows:

Step 1: Responsiveness, based on bid submittal. If it appears responsive, move to Step 2.

Step 2: Mandatory Technical Requirements will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, determined by the Bidder’s ability to meet all the mandatory technical requirements as stated in Appendix E. Bidders that meet all the mandatory technical requirements will advance to the Non-Price Evaluation.

Step 3: Non-Price Evaluation will evaluated by the evaluation team and scored as described in Appendix D.

Step 4: Price Evaluation will be evaluated as described in Appendix C. The Bidder that receives the highest l total evaluation points will be determined the lowest Bidder. Other offers will receive proportionately fewer points based on the following formula:

Lowest price/higher price X total available points

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=39.26


4.4 Determination of responsiveness

Bids will be reviewed initially on a pass/fail basis to determine compliance with administrative requirements as specified herein.

DES reserves the right to determine at its sole discretion whether a Bidder’s response to a minimum RFQQ requirement is sufficient to pass. However, if all Bidders fail to meet any single RFQQ requirement, DES may reject all bids and cancel the RFQQ or waive the requirement from the RFQQ’s criteria for responsiveness.

Responsive bids will be further evaluated based on the requirements in this RFQQ.

4.5 Determination of responsibility

During evaluation, DES reserves the right to make reasonable inquiry to determine the responsibility of any Bidder. Requests may include financial statements, credit ratings, references, record of past performance, clarification of Bidder’s offer, on-site inspection of Bidder's or subcontractor's facilities, or other information as necessary. Failure to respond to these requests might result in a bid being rejected as non-responsive.

4.6 Price evaluation

Evaluated price from responsive bids is calculated as shown on the price sheet embedded in the attached Appendix C: Price Proposal.

Price sheet: Bidders must record their bid pricing in the appropriate cells on the price sheet. Bidders must submit pricing for all required line as instructed. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from award.

4.7 Technical specifications evaluation

DES reserves the right to request that the apparent successful Bidder provide documentation that its product or service meets the technical specifications. Failure to fulfill this request within 10 business days of the request may be cause for rejection.

4.8 Selection of Apparent Successful Bidder

The responsive and responsible Bidder that meets all of the RFQQ mandatory technical requirements and has the highest total combined points for non-price evaluation and the price evaluation will be the Apparent Successful Bidder. DES, at its sole discretion, may make multiple awards based on statewide needs.

DES reserves the right to request additional information or perform tests and measurements as part of the evaluation process before award. Failure to provide requested information within 10 days may result in disqualification.

Before award, DES may negotiate with an Apparent Successful Bidder to determine if a bid can be improved.

Designation as an Apparent Successful Bidder does not imply that DES will issue an award to your firm. It merely suggests that at this moment in time, DES believes your bid to be responsive. This designation allows DES to perform a responsibility analysis and ask for additional documentation. DES may also re-examine the bid to determine whether the bid is truly as responsive as initially believed. The Bidder must not construe this as an award, impending award, attempt to negotiate, etc. If a Bidder acts or fails to act as a result of this notification, it does so at its own risk and expense.

4.9 Announcement of Apparent Successful Bidder

Following the announcement of the Apparent Successful Bidder, Bidders may request a debrief conference. See also Section 2.2 – Complaints, Debriefs and Protests (General Information) and Appendix G – Complaint, Debrief and Protest Procedures. Failure to follow instructions could result in your protest being denied.


4.10 Award

An award, in part or full, is made and a contract formed when both DES and awarded Bidder have signed the Authorized Offer and Contract Signature page. In some circumstances, DES may include an award letter which further defines the award and is included by reference to accompany the signature page.

DES reserves the right to award on an all-or-nothing consolidated basis.

Following the award, all Bidders will receive a Notice of Award, usually through a WEBS notification.

4.11 Bid information availability after award

After the contract has been awarded, Bidders may see results of the RFQQ evaluation and award by accessing www.des.wa.gov or contacting the procurement coordinator. Bidders may also schedule an appointment to review the bidding process.

5 CONTRACT INFORMATION

5.1 Incorporated documents and order of precedence

A bid submitted to this RFQQ is an offer to contract with DES.

A bid becomes a contract only when awarded and accepted by signature of DES and Bidder on the Authorized Offer and Contract Signature page. The documents listed below are, by this reference, incorporated into a contract resulting from this RFQQ as though fully set forth herein. No other statements or representations, written or oral, are a part of the contract.

a. The RFQQ

b. The awarded vendor’s bid

c. All appendices

d. Approved portions of the Bidder’s response

e. RFQQ amendments (if any)

f. Award letter (if any)

In the event of a conflict in such terms, or between the terms and any applicable statute or rule, the inconsistency will be resolved by giving precedence in the following order:

a. Applicable federal and state of Washington statutes and regulations

b. Mutually agreed written amendments to the resulting contract

c. The contract, including all documents incorporated in the subsection immediately above.

Conflict: To the extent possible, the terms of the contract must be read consistently.

Conformity: If any provision of the contract violates any federal or state of Washington statute or rule of law, it is considered modified to conform to that statute or rule of law.

5.2 Parties

This contract is entered into by and between the state of Washington, acting by and through DES, and the awarded contractor with the parties more fully described on the Authorized Offer and Contract Signature page.

http://www.des.wa.gov/


5.3 Authority to bind

The signatories to this contract represent that they have the authority to bind their respective organizations to this contract.

5.4 Counterparts

This contract may be executed in counterparts or in duplicate originals. Each counterpart or each duplicate will be deemed an original copy of this contract signed by each party, for all purposes.

5.5 Contract usage report

Total contract usage (sales) must be reported quarterly by the contractor in the Contract Sales Reporting System. A login password and a required DES Vendor Number will be provided by DES.

Reports must be submitted electronically within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter, i.e., no later than April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31.

A further description of the sales reporting requirement and the management fee based upon it can be found in sections 3.8 and 3.9 of Appendix A, Master Contract Terms and Conditions.

5.6 Additional Reporting Requirements

The awarded Vendor will be required to submit to DES Contract Administrator a quarterly report of all purchases made from as a result of this Master Contract. The report must identify: (1) the Master Contract number; (2) each Purchaser making purchases during the reporting month; (3) the total number of Toll-Free numbers purchased by each Purchaser; (4) the total number of switched minutes billed to each Purchaser; (6) the total number of dedicated minutes billed to each Purchaser; and (6) the total number of switched minutes billed under the contract. Each quarterly report will be due by the 15th of each month following the end of each quarter.

5.7 Changes

DES reserves the right to modify the resulting contract by mutual agreement between DES and the contractor. Alterations to any of the terms, conditions or requirements of this contract will only be effective upon written issuance of a mutually-agreed contract amendment by DES. Changes to point-of-contact information may be updated without the issuance of a mutually accepted contract amendment.

5.8 Price adjustments

Firm and fixed period: Pricing will remain firm and fixed for the initial term or three (3) years from date of award of the contract.

Price protection: The contract prices are the maximum prices the contractor may charge.If lower pricing for similar quantities becomes effective for the contractor, purchasers must be given immediate benefit of such lower pricing. The contractor may also offer volume and promotional discounts.

Contractor agrees all the prices, terms, warranties, and benefits provided in this contract are comparable to or better than the terms presently being offered by the contractor to any other governmental entity purchasing similar quantities under similar terms. If, during the term of this contract, the contractor enters into contracts with other governmental entities providing greater benefits or more favorable terms than those provided by this contract, the contractor is obligated to provide the same to purchasers for subsequent purchases. DES will be notified of changes in contract pricing.

Price increases: The contractor may propose price increases on an annual basis by written notice to the Contract Administrator. Price increase requests will be based on the Producer Price Index/NAICS 517110. Price increases are to be on a pass-through basis only and must not produce a higher profit margin for the

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contractor than that established by original contract pricing. Requests must include supporting documentation such as price increases at the manufacturer's level and/or other documentation of price increases.

Consideration of price increases will be at the sole discretion of the Contract Administrator. If a price increase is approved in part or in full, the resulting new contract pricing will be implemented through a contract amendment. Price increase requests will not be considered in during the initial term of the contract.

Contract extensions and price adjustments: Contractors may not make contract extensions contingent on price adjustments.

5.9 Miscellaneous expenses

Expenses related to day-to-day contract performance (including but not limited to travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals) will not be reimbursed to the contractor. However, DES recognizes that there may be occasions when the purchaser requires the Bidder to travel. In such cases the purchaser must provide written pre-approval of such expenses on a case-by-case basis. Any such reimbursement will be at rates not to exceed the guidelines for state employees published by the Washington State Office of Financial Management set forth in the Washington State Administrative & Accounting Manual, and not to exceed expenses actually incurred.

6 TECHNICAL AND SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

Vendors must state in their response that they have read, understand, and fully comply with each of the following requirements.

6.1 Existing Telecommunications Environment (APPENDIX E)(Mandatory)

Vendor must acknowledge and be capable of serving the existing telecommunications environment as described herein.

6.1.1 Purchasers

The resulting Master Contract from this TOLL FREE CALLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES will be available to Washington State organizations as specified in TOLL FREE CALLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES Subsection Error: Reference source not found1.2 Purchasers. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Washington State agencies and institutions• Judicial branch of government• Legislative branch of government• Higher education, including four-year institutions and community colleges• K-12 schools, school districts and service districts• City and county governments• Port and public utility districts

6.1.2 Long Distance Network

Consolidated Technical Services (CTS) serves 40 cities in Washington using a combination of Centrex, PBX, SLD (long distance network) and digital transport. Additionally, many organizations maintain their own PBX’s and telecommunications systems.

6.1.3 Voice Messaging

Voice Messaging services are provided using the Avaya Aura platform. Agencies also provide Interactive Voice Response services on a variety of platforms. Additional voice message systems may be used by different agencies.

http://www.ofm.wa.gov/policy/default.asp


6.1.4 Cellular service

Cellular service is provided by Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, and Sprint PCS.

6.2 Toll Free Number Service Requirements (APPENDIX E)(Mandatory)

Vendor’s Toll Free Number Services must:

6.2.1 Voice Transmission

Vendor must provide, at all times, voice transmission quality measured at the Purchaser interface which is at or better than toll quality as defined within the ITU-T P.800 specification with an MOS not below 4.0 or the ITU-T P.861 specification utilizing a PSQM value not in excess of 0.5.

6.2.2 Grade of Service

Vendor must provide a P.01 or better grade of service to all locations on the Vendor network.

6.2.3 Call Setup Time

Vendor must provide call setup within 6 seconds. This is defined from the moment the Vendor receives the last digit of the dialed number to the point ringing is heard.

6.2.4 Continuous Operation

Solution must be supported by switching sites and wire centers that are capable of continuous operation during a commercial power outage.

6.2.5 Diverse Routing

Solution must be supported by facilities within Vendor network and capable of providing diverse routing between Vendor switching sites in the event of a Vendor's network failure.

6.2.6 Coverage Outside Washington

Vendor must provide Toll Free Number access to callers from Canada, Alaska and Hawaii without requiring a number change.

6.2.7 SS7 Network Support Local Exchange Carriers

Solution must support SS7 signaling interconnection to the local exchange carriers, and utilize SS7 signaling within the proposed network for the routing of Toll Free calls.

6.2.8 Predetermined Percentage Routing

Solution must have the capability to have calls to the same Toll Free Number handled simultaneously by multiple long distance carriers, or routed to different locations on the basis of a predetermined percentage (e.g., 90 percent carrier #1, 10 percent carrier #2, etc.). This functionality must be provided at the Service Control Point (SCP) level rather than the serving switch level.

6.2.9 Geographical Routing

Solution must have the capability to have calls to the same Toll Free Number handled simultaneously by multiple long distance carriers, or routed to different locations on the basis of geography (e.g., Eastern US carrier #1, Western US carrier #2, etc.). This functionality must be provided at the Service Control Point (SCP) level rather than the serving switch level.

6.2.10 Time of Day Routing

Solution must have the capability to have calls to the same Toll Free Number handled simultaneously by multiple long distance carriers, or routed to different locations according to time of day (e.g., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. carrier #1, other hours carrier #2, etc.). This functionality must be provided at the Service Control Point (SCP) level rather than the serving switch level.


6.2.11 Day of Week Routing

Solution must have the capability to have calls to the same Toll Free Number handled simultaneously by multiple long distance carriers, or routed to different locations according to the day of the week. This functionality must be provided at the Service Control Point (SCP) level rather than the serving switch level.

6.2.12 Network Congestion Routing

Solution must have the capability to have calls to the same Toll Free Number routed simultaneously to different call centers intelligently, on the basis of network congestion. This functionality must be provided at the Service Control Point (SCP) level rather than the serving switch level.

6.2.13 Originating Phone Number Routing

Solution must have the capability to have calls to the same Toll Free Number routed to different call centers intelligently, based on the originating phone number of a call (area code only, area code & prefix or the complete 10-digit number).

6.2.14 Carrier Automated Routing

Solution must have the capability of carrier supplied automated routing, which allows callers to route their own calls, using the touch-tone pad of the telephone (e.g., entering account numbers, or department choice).

6.2.15 Emergency Routing

Provide the ability to control the routing pattern of a Toll Free Number within thirty (30) minutes of Purchaser’s emergency request.

6.2.16 Service Interruption Routing

Provide the ability to reroute traffic, in the event of service interruptions, within thirty (30) minutes of Purchaser requests to another number or a Vendor-provided recording.

6.2.17 ISDN & SIP Support

Provide Support for ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) T1s and if offered by the vendor, support for Session Initiated Protocol (SIP).

6.2.18 ANI Support

Pass the Toll Free call’s originating Automatic Number Identification (ANI) to the customer’s receiving switch to allow the customer to route callers based on their telephone number. This only applies to Toll Free service provided over facilities utilizing ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) or Session Initiated Protocol (SIP).

6.2.19 Local Calling Area Blocking

Provide the ability to block Toll Free access to callers within the local calling area of the Toll Free Purchaser's telephone system. Vendors must make available to Purchasers custom local number referrals for callers that are blocked on specific numbers in a given local area.

6.2.20 Originating Number Blocking

Provide the capability to block Toll Free access to callers based on 10-digit ANI and Caller ID, area code (NPA), Area Code + Prefix (NPA NXX), calls originating from pay phones, and geographic location. This blocking capability could be required on a permanent basis, or in response to traffic spikes and toll fraud. In the case of toll fraud, the blocking must be activated within twenty-four (24) hours of notification by the Purchaser.

6.2.21 Co-location of CPE


Allow co-location or virtual co-location of CPE in situations where calls can be handled without being transported to Purchaser premise. In these situations, 24-hour access (with prior arrangements) must be made for vendors of the CPE equipment to make repairs and provide maintenance to the CPE. If escorted entry is required, Vendor must be able to provide escort within two (2) hours.

6.2.22 Disaster Recovery Plan

Make available, upon Purchaser request, the Disaster Recovery plans for catastrophic outages, such as power interruptions and circuit cuts.

6.2.23 DNIS Support

Provide the ability to support Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS).

6.2.24 Service Locations

Provide Toll Free Service to any location where a Purchaser may be located within the state of Washington

6.2.25 Dedicated Service Minimum Usage

State the minimum usage requirements for providing Toll Free Service over dedicated facilities.

6.2.26 Automatic Forwarding

Provide, in the event that a T-1 carrying services is unavailable, the ability to automatically send toll free calls to a switched number for each toll free number supported by that T-1. This routing must support the ability to forward multiple toll free numbers to multiple switched Public Switched Telephone Network numbers.

6.2.27 TNT & TBCT Support

Provide Takeback-N-Transfer (TNT) and/or Two B Channel Transfer (TBCT) capabilities to Purchaser. Specify locations within the State of Washington where service is available.

6.2.28 Automatic Call Termination

Provide automatic call termination for calls over a predetermined duration. The minimum threshold will be 10 minutes.

6.2.29 Fax Support

Provide support for incoming fax calls. If SIP is utilized, the Vendor’s network must support ITU standards T.38 & G.711 for Faxing.

6.2.30 Service Information Website

Vendor agrees to maintain and support a website accessible through DES’ website (http://des.wa.gov/services/IT/ITContracts/ITMasterContract/Pages/default.aspx) for access to information about Vendor’s services.

6.2.31 Service Support Website

If available, the vendor will provide customers with a website which allows online account management, e.g., the ability to change toll free number routing via an online interface, and/or the submission and monitoring of online trouble tickets.

6.3 Toll Free Service Availability/Reliability (APPENDIX E) (Mandatory)

6.3.1 Service Availability

Toll Free Service must be available 24 hours per day, every day of the year.


6.3.2 Service Performance

Toll Free Service must perform 99.99 percent of the time during a calendar month.

6.3.3 Out of Service Definition

The inability of Vendor to deliver a Toll Free call to its predetermined destination due to carrier-related network problems shall be considered “Out of Service.” This definition shall not cover problems due solely to Purchaser’s network or equipment.

6.3.4 Extended Out of Service Conditions

The existence of an Out of Service condition for 24 continuous hours (or more) shall allow the Purchaser, at its option, to terminate the affected Toll Free Number Service without termination liability or receive an Out of Service credit in an amount equal to the monthly recurring charge for the affected Toll Free Number Service for the month in which the outage occurred.

6.3.5 Toll Free Number Outage

Toll Free Number Service for the month in which the outage occurred.

6.4 Service Installation (APPENDIX E)(Mandatory)

For dedicated services, Vendor must commit to installing Toll Free Number Service within forty-five (45) days of Purchaser’s order. If a lack of facilities means that Vendor cannot meet the installation date, Vendor must notify Purchaser in writing of such circumstances within fifteen (15) days of Purchaser’s order, to set a new installation date schedule.

For switched services, Vendor must commit to installing Toll Free Number Service within five (5) Business Days of Purchaser’s order.

6.5 Purchaser Support (APPENDIX E)(Mandatory)

At a minimum, Vendors must provide support services defined below.

6.5.1 Help Desk Function

Vendor must provide general Purchaser assistance and information. Vendor must include problem determination, tracking, reporting and follow-up with callers in the realm of the help desk function. In addition, the Vendor must supply Purchasers with an Escalation List with individuals or functions of increasing levels of responsibility to resolve issues not addressed to the Purchaser’s satisfaction.

6.5.2 Vendor Support Functions

Vendor must provide the following: Database administration Single point of contact responsible for problem resolution Single point of contact for service orders

6.5.3 Adds/Moves/Changes

Vendor must respond to Purchaser’s request for adds, moves or changes within five (5) Business Days of the request.

6.5.4 Account Representatives

Vendor must dedicate a minimum of two (2) full time in-state account representatives (or one representative and one assistant) who will promote, market, and demonstrate the service to potential new subscribers and existing subscriber organizations.

6.5.5 Purchaser Service Number


Vendor must provide a 24-hour, Toll Free number for Purchasers to use for service questions/assistance that will make direct contact with the above Account Representative.

6.5.6 Invoices

Invoices must be submitted to Purchasers no later than the end of the month, for the previous month’s activities. Invoices must be available on paper, and via electronic delivery. Electronic delivery may be effected via password protected Internet website, or by electronic media (e.g., CD or DVD). Data delivered via electronic delivery must be provided in a format (e.g., tab delimited) which can be imported into generally available database or spreadsheet programs.

Invoices must show contracts rates on a per minute or per unit basis rather than as a discount off of a tariff or price list.

At a minimum, invoices must contain the following information

Call date Call origination time Origination location information (NPA, NXX, and Station) Toll Free Number dialed Call duration in minutes and seconds Vendor usage charge Intrastate/interstate/international indicator ANI (if provided to the Vendor). Payphone identifier, on a per call basis

At a minimum, invoices must allow for the following account coding structure:

Number (5 alpha/numeric digits) and sub-agency number (4 alpha/numeric digits; however only 1 is used currently). Format = 99999-XXXX

Account identification (4 alpha/numeric digits) and sub-account number (2 alpha/numeric digits). Format = 9999-XX

NOTE: Purchasers use various combination(s) of the above coding structure. For example, some use agency number without a sub-agency; there will be multiple billing addresses for one agency; some use only a one-digit sub-agency number rather than three-digits; some do not use an account number. Vendor must allow flexibility in invoice account coding to meet unique Purchaser needs. Vendor will be required to work with individual Purchasers to establish billing criteria whereby the number of minutes and the number of calls are a requirement. Electronic billing management software must be made available to Purchasers (reference below).

6.5.7 Reporting

Vendor must provide Purchaser, upon request, management level reporting on their Toll Free usage to include at a minimum call detail, peak and overall traffic volume, calls blocked, and distribution of calls by area code or location. Vendor must be able to provide information on the most frequent callers and user selectable threshold associated with a Toll Free service. Vendor must also provide a line item disclosure stating precisely the rates for any surcharges, such as Universal Service recovery charges and originating calls from pay phones.

Electronic billing management software must be made available to all Purchasers.

At Purchaser’s request, Vendor must be able to supply a summary level report of the information identified in 6.5.6 above.

Vendor must provide DES, upon request, management level statistical reporting on overall Master Contract usage.

6.5.8 Detail Call Records


Vendor must provide the Purchaser detail call records via electronic delivery. Electronic delivery may be affected via a secure encrypted Internet website, or by electronic media (e.g., CD or DVD). The detail call records must be suitably formatted for subsequent manipulation, either via proprietary software package or common software (e.g., ACCESS). The intent of this requirement is to provide the Purchaser the capability to do custom reports.

6.5.9 Protection of Purchaser’s Confidential Information

Vendor acknowledges that some of the material and information which may come into its possession or knowledge in connection with this acquisition or its performance may consist of confidential data, the disclosure of which to, or use by, third parties could be damaging.

Therefore, access to information contained in call detail records, among other items, shall not be granted except as authorized by law or agency rule or in accordance with this section. Vendor agrees to hold all such information in strictest confidence, not to make use of it for other than the performance of the Master Contract resulting from this acquisition, to release it only to authorized employees or subcontractors requiring such information, and not to release or disclose it to any other party.

Vendor agrees to release such information or material only to employees or other parties who have signed a written agreement expressly prohibiting disclosure. Vendor further agrees to either destroy or return all such information, at Purchaser’s option, at the end of the term of this Master Contract.

In the event of unauthorized disclosure of such information or material, Vendor further agrees to comply with all state and federal statutory provisions and provisions of the Master Contract as applicable.

6.5.10 Maximum and Minimum Billing Increment

Vendor must bill in six-second increments or less. This means that a call, which lasts for one minute and five seconds, would be billed for a maximum of one minute and six seconds of usage.

Vendor billing will round all Toll Free calls out to the fourth decimal place.

Vendor will not bill for busy signals or for calls abandoned prior to receiving answer supervision from the receiving switch.

Vendor must state minimum billing increments, if any. Minimum billing increment shall not be more than one (1) minute.

6.5.11 Transition Planning

Vendors must state that they will participate and cooperate fully in planning for and accomplishing the Purchaser’s transition, either on to, or off of the Service. Vendor will be expected to accept reasonable duties required by Purchasers making a transition.

6.6 Date Warranty (APPENDIX E)(Mandatory)

All services and software provided under this RFQQ must: (i) not have a life expectancy limited by date or time format; (ii) correctly record, store, process, and present calendar dates; (iii) lose no functionality, data integrity, or performance with respect to any date; and (iv) be interoperable with other software used by Purchaser that may interact with date records of the services and software

6.7 State Price List (Mandatory)

Vendors must prepare and include as a part of this RFQQ response, a State Price List (see Table 1 below) which contains the State price for each separately priced item, feature or option of the proposed Service. This document is the Vendor’s price quotation. Please note only those products and services listed on Vendor’s proposed State Price List may be purchased under the terms and conditions of any resulting


Master Contract. “Net to State” pricing will be the pricing charged and shown on invoices to Purchasers under the contract resulting from this RFQQ.

6.8 State Price List Format (Mandatory)

The State Price List (Appendix F) provided by the Vendor must contain:

The name of the proposing Vendor

The unit of measurement and rate for each item (each, minute, hour, etc.).

State purchase price for each service proposed.

Installation prices, if applicable, for each item proposed.

Training and documentation rates.

Bundled service packages (describe individual elements comprising packages and any requirements or limitations on the offering of such packages).

Additional fees required to provide any service.

Taxes should not be included. Please refer to the sample layout in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1SAMPLE: STATE PRICE LIST

Vendor: Contract Number: 06614

Description One Time Unit List Price Percent Discount

Net to State

DEDICATED ACCESS TOLL FREE SERVICE CALLS ROUTED TO VOICE TELEPHONE NUMBER(S)

Monthly (Fixed) Per T1 Month

Monthly (Fixed) Per ISDN PRI T1 Month

Co-location of Purchaser CPE Month

Monthly (Fixed) Per Toll Free Number Month

Intrastate Calls Per Minute

Interstate Calls Per Minute

Calls from Alaska Per Minute

Calls from International (Canada) Per Minute

Calls from Hawaii Per Minute

Calls from Virgin Islands & Puerto Rico Per Minute

ROUTING FEATURES FOR TRAFFIC ON CONTRACTED CARRIER’S NETWORK

Route by percentage Month

Route by percentage (per call) Per Call

Route by time of day Month

Route by time of day (per call) Per Call

Route by day of week Month




Net to State

Route by day of week (per call) Per Call

Emergency Reroute of Traffic Occurrence

Emergency Reroute of Traffic Per Call

Route by originating area code or exchange

Month

Route by originating area code or exchange (per call)

Per Call

Automatic Number Identification (ANI) Month

Automatic Number Identification (ANI) (per call)

Per Call

Dialed Number Identification Service Month

Dialed Number Identification Service (per call)

Per Call

Caller initiated routing (voice response)

Month

Caller initiated routing (voice response per call)

Per Call


Per Minute

Permanent changes in routing Each

Takeback-N-Transfer Per Call

RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION SERVICES (RESP. ORG.)

Routing changes submitted to other carriers

Occurrence

On demand network reconfiguration with other carriers

Occurrence

Troubleshooting other carrier problems Occurrence

Troubleshooting other carrier problems hourly

Business Hour


Overtime


Premium

Miscellaneous changes in SMS database

Occurrence

Transferring records to a new Resp. Org.

Occurrence




Net to State

Consultation Rate Hour

SWITCHED ACCESS TOLL FREE SERVICE CALLS ROUTED TO A VOICE TELEPHONE NUMBER

Monthly (Fixed) Month

Monthly (Fixed) Per Toll Free Number Month

Intrastate Calls Per Minute

Interstate Calls Per Minute

Calls from International (Canada) Per Minute

Calls from Alaska Per Minute

Calls from Hawaii Per Minute

Calls from Virgin Islands & Puerto Rico Per Minute

ROUTING FEATURES, FOR TRAFFIC ON CONTRACTED CARRIER’S NETWORK

By percentage Month

By percentage (per call) Per Call

By time of day Month

By time of day (per call) Per Call

By day of week Month

By day of week (per call) Per Call

Emergency Reroute of Traffic Occurrence

Emergency Reroute of Traffic Per Call

By originating area code or exchange Month

By originating area code or exchange (per call)

Per Call

Caller initiated routing (voice response)

Usage


Per Call

On demand changes in routing Each

Takeback-N-Transfer Per Call

RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION SERVICES (RESP. ORG.)

Routing changes submitted to other carriers

Occurrence

On demand network reconfiguration with other carriers

Occurrence




Net to State

Troubleshooting other carrier problems Occurrence


Business Hour


Overtime


Premium

Miscellaneous changes in SMS database

Occurrence

Transferring records to a new Resp. Org.

Occurrence

Consultation Rate Hour

6.9 Training Rates (Optional)

Vendors may propose under this section a separate training rate or series of programs to be acquired upon Purchaser’s request.

6.10 Documentation Rates (Optional)

Vendors may propose prices for providing additional copies of documentation over and above what is normally included in standard service.

6.11 Consultation Rates (Optional)

Vendors may propose prices, if any, for consultation over and above what is normally included. (Reference Sample State Price List, Section 6)

6.12 Interactive Voice Response (IVR) (Optional)

The State is interested in the availability of IVR Services. Vendors should provide pricing and a descriptive narrative that details the services they offer. The State, at its sole option, will decide whether to include such additional services within the Master Contract.

6.13 Prices for Evaluation (Mandatory)

The “Net to State” prices must be used in the RFQQ evaluation models. (Reference RFQQ, Section 7). All prices used in the RFQQ evaluation models must be taken directly from the State Price List, and must be the highest rate that any customer using the resulting Master Contract could be charged within the timeframe(s) specified in the model.

Vendors may propose “tiered” pricing, but only where graduation from one tier to another affects all Master Contract Purchasers equally. At no time during the term of the Master Contract should Vendor charge higher prices to one Purchaser than another Purchaser for the same service.

6.14 Presentation of All Price Components (Mandatory)

All elements of recurring and non-recurring prices to be borne by the Purchaser must be identified in the State Price List. This includes, but is not limited to any administrative, registration or setup fees, consultation,


training and documentation and/or any installation prices. DES and Purchasers will not be responsible for hidden or non-disclosed prices.

6.15 Universal Service Fund Charges (Mandatory)

Vendors may elect not to charge Universal Service Fund (“USF”) assessments to Purchasers under the resulting contract. If Vendors elect to charge USF to Purchasers, they must invoice the Purchaser for Vendor required contributions. Such charges must be clearly stated and appear as a separate line item on the Vendor's invoice for any services provided to the Purchaser as a result of this RFQQ. Vendor must state its USF percentage in its financial response which shall serve as a ceiling for USF charges for the duration of the contract resulting from this RFQQ.

6.16 Other Pricing Factors (Mandatory)

Vendors must commit to participate in the Federal Communication Commission’s E-rate discount program established under authority of the Federal Telecommunications Commission Act of 1996. Participation in, and implementation of, this program will be provided without the addition of any service or administration fee by the Vendor.

6.17 900 Services and Policy (Optional)

The State is interested in the availability of 900 Services. Vendors should provide pricing and a descriptive narrative that details the services they offer. The State, at its sole option, will decide whether to include such additional services, within the Master Contract.

7 RFQQ EVALUATION

The “Apparently Successful Bidder” will be the responsible Vendor that; (1) meets all the RFQQ and Mandatory Technical Requirements, and (2) receives the highest final total evaluated points.

Evaluation models will be used to evaluate Vendor price quotations. Prices used in the models must be identical to those in the Vendor’s State Price List (reference Section 6, above), “Net to State”. The prices used must be the highest rate that any customer using the resulting Master Contract could be charged within the timeframe(s) specified in the model.

The prices used in the models will be compared with the State Price List. Vendor must state all prices, including tariffs, access reform charges, Universal Service Fund charges, and charges from local exchange carriers. All items in the evaluation models must be completed (use no charge [N/C] where applicable.) If there are discrepancies between the model(s) and the State Price List, the Vendor may be subject to disqualification.

7.1 Evaluation Model

Evaluation models contained herein are for evaluation purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect actual situations or circumstances. Prices used in the evaluation models should not include taxes.

For each line item in the model, enter the rate in the appropriate column. The rate must be the “Net to State” price as quoted in the Vendor’s State Price List (including any percentage discounts from the Vendor’s standard pricing. Calculate the amount for Year 1 and Year 2, as appropriate, by multiplying the rate times the quantity. “Net to State” prices will be the Vendor’s pricing to Purchasers under the contract resulting from this RFQQ.

The evaluation models must be filled out completely. Where there is no charge or rate for a service or product enter N/C (no charge) in the rate column and a zero (0) in the amount column. If the Vendor fails to provide a price, the State will assume the item is free. If the Vendor states “no charge” for an item in the model, the State will receive that item free for the period represented in the model.


DES will review all mathematical computations and will calculate the points and the final total points (reference Subsection 7.2). The points will be calculated using the ratio of the dollar amount of each Vendor’s bid to the dollar amount of the lowest bid. This ratio will be multiplied by the points allocated to that model to arrive at the total points for each model.

Point Calculation Example for Models

Company ABCA B C D E F G

Example Model 1 Worth a minimum of200 fictitious points

Description

Total Total

Qty Unit Rate Amount Year 1 Year 2

E.1 Telecom gadget (installation)

1 Each $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 N/A

E.2 Telecom gadget (monthly) 1 Month $18.00 $18.00 $216.00 $216.00 (Rate x 12 Months)

Subtotal Year 1 $266.00


Model TOTAL $482.00

Company XYZA B C D E F G

Example Model 2Worth a minimum of 200 fictitious points

Description

Total Total

Qty Unit Rate Amount Year 1 Year 2

E.1 Telecom gadget (installation)

1 Each $60.00 $60.00 $60.00 N/A

E.2 Telecom gadget (monthly) 1 Month $25.00 $25.00 $300.00 $300.00 (Rate x 12 Months)



Model TOTAL $660.00

Sample Point Calculation (Lowest Bid/Higher Bid X Total Points Available)

Company ABC Company XYZ

Bid Price Awarded Points Bid Price Awarded points

$485.00 200 $660 146.97

7.2 Final Total Points

The evaluated points from each model will be summed to determine the Bidders total points for the price evaluation and combined with the total non-cost evaluation points to determine the Bidders overall total points.

7.3 Pricing Evaluation Models

There are three (3) pricing models that will be evaluated. They are described below:


(1) Model A - Dedicated Access (600 Maximum Points Available)

Set up a turnkey dedicated access T1 to a PBX at a Purchaser premise in Olympia, located in the service area of the CenturyLink Olympia Whitehall Central Office. The T1 will deliver intrastate service for four Toll Free Numbers at a Purchaser service call center. Each of the four Toll Free Numbers will generate a specific DNIS code, which identifies the called number, at the answering position of the ACD agent. Each of the four Toll Free Numbers will overflow to a switched number equivalent, in the event that the dedicated facility is unavailable. The call center operates from 8am to 7pm Monday through Saturday, accepting only calls originating within the State of Washington. After hours, on Sundays and holidays, calls to these numbers will be unanswered. Anticipated traffic to these Toll Free Numbers Monday through Saturday will average approximately 1,900 hours (40,000 calls) per month. The expected traffic distribution is 1,600 hours between 8am and 5pm, and 300 hours (6,000 calls) between 5pm and 7pm. Assume that intrastate usage will be 70% intraLATA, and 30% interLATA.

Model B - Switched Access (300 Maximum Points Available)Arrange for a switched Toll Free Number to terminate on a three-line hunt group at a Purchaser’s premise. They will answer calls only from 8am to 5pm, off-hour calls will not be answered, and overflow calls receive a busy signal. They anticipate receiving 110 hours of traffic (2,200 calls) per month, 80% of calls (88 hours) are intrastate, 15% are interstate and 5% originate in Canada. It is anticipated that 150 of the calls will originate from pay telephones. Assume that intrastate usage will be 75% intralata, and 25% interlata.

Model C - Dedicated Access (SIP) (100 Maximum Points Available)

Arrange for turnkey SIP based dedicated access Toll Free service, which will serve service call centers via 10 Megabit Ethernet connections in Olympia at the State Data Center and in Spokane at 1313 North Atlantic Street using the same Toll Free number. All calls to this Toll Free number originate within the state of Washington. Callers will be routed to the appropriate call center on the basis of the area code and exchange of the calling number. In the event of a service outage at either of the call centers, the ability must exist to reroute traffic within 30 minutes, based on a pre-designed plan, to the other call centers. Their hours are 8am to 5 pm; off-hour calls will be routed to a short announcement with office hours, and not capability for taking messages. The announcement will be a carrier network-based solution, and should be no more than 30 seconds. Anticipated traffic to the Toll Free Number is 1,450 hours per month, with 1,350 hours arriving during office hours, 50 hours of traffic between 5pm and 6pm, and 50 hours between 7am and 8am. Assume that intrastate usage will be 75% intralata, and 25% interlata.


8 APPENDICES

Reminder: By responding to this RFQQ, a Bidder acknowledges reading, understanding, and accepting all information contained within the entire RFQQ without modification.

Appendix A: Master Contract Terms and Conditions

Appendix B: Bidder Profile

Appendix C: Price Proposal

Appendix D: Non-Price Proposal

Appendix E: Mandatory Technical and Service Specifications

Appendix F: Sample Statewide Price List

Appendix G: Complaint, Debrief and Protest Procedures

Appendix H: Supplier Diversity

Appendix J: Definitions

Appendix K: Exceptions


9 CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSURANCES

We make the following Certifications and Assurances as a required element of submitting this bid, affirming the truthfulness of the facts declared here and acknowledging that the continuing compliance with these statements and all requirements of the RFQQ are conditions precedent to the award or continuation of the resulting contract.

1. We have read, understand, and agree to abide by all information contained in the RFQQ, all appendices, and incorporated documents.

2. The prices in this bid have been arrived at independently, without engaging in collusion, bid rigging, or any other illegal activity, and without for the purpose of restricting competition any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Bidder or competitor relating to (i) those prices, (ii) the intention to submit an offer, or (iii) the methods or factors used to calculate the prices offered. The prices in this bid have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the Bidder, directly or indirectly, to any other Bidder or competitor before contract award unless otherwise required by law. No attempt has been made or will be made by the Bidder to induce any other concern to submit or not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition. However, we may freely join with other persons or organizations for the purpose of presenting a bid.

3. The attached bid is a firm offer for a period of 90 days following the bid due date specified in the RFQQ, and it may be accepted by DES without further negotiation (except where obviously required by lack of certainty in key terms) at any time within the 90-day period. In the case of a protest, our bid will remain valid for 90 days or until the protest and any related court action is resolved, whichever is later.

4. In preparing this bid, we have not been assisted by any current or former employee of the state of Washington whose duties relate (or did relate) to the state's RFQQ, or prospective contract, and who was assisting in other than his or her official, public capacity. Neither does such a person nor any member of his or her immediate family have any financial interest in the outcome of this bid. (Any exceptions to these assurances are described in full detail on a separate page and attached to this document.)

5. We understand that the state will not reimburse us for any prices incurred in the preparation of this bid. All bids become the property of the state, and we claim no proprietary right to the ideas, writings, items or samples unless so stated in the bid. Submittal of the attached bid constitutes an acceptance of the evaluation criteria and an agreement to abide by the procedures and all other administrative requirements described in the RFQQ.

6. We understand that any contract awarded as a result of this bid will incorporate all RFQQ requirements. Submittal of a bid and execution of this Certifications and Assurances document certify our willingness to comply with the contract terms and conditions appearing in the RFQQ, all appendices, and incorporated documents if selected as a contractor. It is further understood that our standard contract will not be allowed as a replacement for the terms and conditions appearing in the RFQQ, all appendices, and incorporated documents of this RFQQ.

7. By submitting this bid, Bidder hereby offers to furnish materials, supplies, services and/or equipment in compliance with all terms, conditions, and specifications contained in this RFQQ.

8. Any exceptions will be submitted separately in Appendix K Exceptions.


10 BIDDER’S AUTHORIZED OFFER AND CONTRACT SIGNATURE PAGE

In submitting this bid, the authorized signatory below acknowledges having read and understood the entire RFQQ and amendments incorporated prior to the bid due date, and agrees to comply with its terms and conditions, as written, including the Certifications and Assurances. The authorized signatory also agrees to fulfill the offer made in this bid and any subsequently awarded contract.

In witness whereof, the parties hereto, having read this contract in its entirety, including all attachments, do agree in each and every particular and have thus set their hands hereunto.

This contract is effective as of date of last signature on this document.

APPROVED (MCC) APPROVED (BIDDER)Department of Enterprise ServicesMaster Contracts and Consulting1500 Jefferson Building1500 Jefferson Street SEOlympia, WA 98501Washington State Department of Enterprise Services Bidder’s Company Name & Address

Signature Date Signature Date

Neva Peckham, Procurement Coordinator Typed or Printed Name, Title Typed or Printed Name, Title

Manager Signature (if applicable) Date

Rebekah Riley, Acting IT Master Contracts ManagerManager’s Typed or Printed Name, Title

Contact Information Contact InformationContact: Contact:

Title: Procurement Coordinator Title:

Phone: (360) 407-9411 Phone:

Fax: 360-586-2426 Fax:

Email: [email protected] Email:

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

IFB - Washington · Web viewVendor: Contract Number: 06614 Description One Time Unit List Price Percent Discount Net to State Dedicated Access Toll free Service Calls routed to voice