..
Request for Information (RFI)
Telephony and Fax Services Solution
for CSIR
RFI 194/04/03/2013
Date Of Issue: Monday, 18th Fenruary 2013
Closing Date and Time: Monday 04th March 2013 at 16:30 (by close of business day) Place: Via email to CSIR as indicated
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Background. 3
2 Request for Information. 3 3 Infrastructure Summary. 4 4 Current Telephony System Challenges 5 5 Business Requirements. 8
6 RFI Programme 11
7 Communication 11
8 General RFI Terms and Conditions 11 Appendix 1.Current Telephony Infrastructure 13 Appendix 2.Quantities Per Site 14 Appendix 3.Relevant Systems Currently In Use at the CSIR 15
3 1 Background.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is one of the leading scientific research and technology development organisations in Africa. In partnership with national and international research and technology institutions, the CSIR undertakes directed and multidisciplinary research on technology innovation that contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of South Africans. The CSIR’s head office is in Pretoria with regional offices in other provinces.
The existing telephony environment at the CSIR was designed to address the needs of a large distributed campus and has done so effectively for the last 12 to 15 years. The current system is made up out of an aggregation of 23 PABXs1 on the Pretoria campus2, and six distributed PABXs at regional offices. This infrastructure supports analogue, digital and VOIP3 technology.
Due to various factors the CSIR has been experiencing some challenges to maintain service levels, ensure stability and provide for growth on our current telephony solution. These have been expanded on in paragraph Error! Reference source not found.. To provide some context to paragraph Error! Reference source not found., a brief description of the current telephony solution has been provided in paragraph 3.
2 Request for Information.
Vendors and service providers are hereby invited to suggest potential solutions that will satisfy the CSIR’s telephony and faxing requirements. More than one solution may be proposed. The solution(s) proposed must eliminate at least the challenges and business requirements as detailed in paragraphs Error! Reference source not found. and 5 respectively. Please note that the CSIR also welcomes proposed solutions such as hosted or cloud based solutions that will eliminate the challenges and address the business requirements thereby largely removing the burden from the CSIR. Proposed solutions can therefore very from remaining with the same vendor, all the way through to a total cloud-based service. The purpose of this RFI is to explore all options.
1
PABX - Private Automatic Branch Exchanges
2
Due to the research and development nature of the CSIR's work, the size of the property with somewhere in the order of 50 individual buildings and for historical reasons CSIR offices in Pretoria is referred to as the Pretoria campus or main campus.
3
4 The information supplied shall also include the following:
• Clearly indicate the estimated TOTAL cost of ownership of the solution(s) being proposed over a five-year and 10 year period. Make a clear distinction between the cost estimates for the implementation and maintenance phases. The costs shall include, at least the applicable cost of, equipment, infrastructure, hosted services, professional services, commissioning, training, maintenance and other support costs, as well as costs of upgrades that will be required to maintain the relevance of the telephony solution proposed over a five-year and 10 year period.
• Indicate whether the implementation can be phased, and if so, what the logical steps and the associated total costs will be;
• Provide information as to the maturity or age of the technology proposed;
• Show how widely used such solutions are within South Africa and in the rest of the world;
• Indicate how many service providers of the technology/solution is available in South Africa;
• Indicate what levels of stock, if any, are available in South Africa; and,
• Indicate what the guaranteed turnaround time for new equipment will be, from time of order to time of delivery.
3 Infrastructure Summary.
The current infrastructure consists of a main control unit at the Pretoria campus and six distributed sites equipped with BCM4, Norstar and Nortel Option 11C Platforms. The PABX at the Pretoria campus has a TDM5 architecture with both active and standby processors connecting voice services to Telkom and alternate telecoms environments including the rest of the campus via various platforms deployed in the different buildings, which are connected in a hierarchical manner. Appendix 1 provides a graphical illustration of the infrastructure.
The Pretoria CSIR PABX system is currently licensed with 18 ACD6 users. These licenses are split between the switchboard (6 licenses) and ACD agents (12 licenses).
The Option 11C platforms deployed in the campus buildings aggregates digital and
4
BCM - Business Communication Manager
5
TDM - Time Division Multiplexing
6
5 Analogue telephone sets within buildings as well as between buildings that are in close proximity. The aggregation sites consist of Option 61C systems which are used for high capacity E1
aggregation of multiple buildings into the resilient system in the core. Connectivity between the campus systems is achieved by using media converters and routing of calls between users and the Telkom exchange lines is achieved by using CDP7 configurations in each of the systems on the campus. Appendix 2 is a high level graphical representation of the telephony system.
The regional branches equipped with BCM, Norstar and Nortel Option 11C platforms, were initially connected to the main campus via E&M8 tie-lines. The E&M interface cards subsequently became obsolete and the network providing the channelized signalling between the sites, was discontinued by the CSIR. Inter-branch communications is now fully reliant on the current Telkom infrastructure route.
4 Current Telephony System Challenges
4.1 Lack of Interoperability/integration with other CSIR Systems.
The telephony system cannot interface with other current CSIR systems for the purposes of integrated information exchange. For example telephone numbers of staff have to be manually captured in the CSIR directory services and other ERP9 systems.
4.2 Limited redundancy.
Whilst there is a resilient TDM architecture with both active and standby processors, there is currently only one signalling server which is the primary point of registration for the VOIP telephones.
Single fibre connections from building 9 to the respective buildings are a single point of failure.
4.3 Inaccessibility of spares.
The Norstar PABX's in Cottesloe and Durban as well as the BCM Option 11C PABX's, are end of life.
7
CDP - Centralised Dialling Plan
8
E&M - Ear and Mouth
9
6 The sourcing of spare parts/components for these units are highly problematic. Often the only option is to cannibalise already decommissioned PABXs of which the particular parts are still functional.
4.4 Limits to services and repairs that can be guaranteed as part of a SLA10.
The Norstar PABX's in Cottesloe and Durban are supported on a time and material basis by a single service provider.
There is no SLA option available for the end of life media convertors used to link distributed voice services. Services are restricted to repairs on a best effort basis.
The current option 11C systems are no longer covered by OEM11 support due to outdated software releases not being within two releases of the current version as is required for OEM support.
4.5 High cost of vendor enforced/dictated upgrade paths.
Due to the inaccessibility of spares, the CSIR is forced to replace or upgrade the current infrastructure at a pace dictated by the vendor.
Vendor lock-in and the exclusion of a hybrid solution as an option due to the current system’s proprietary nature, dictates to a large degree the replacement solution.
The cost associated with breaking out of the current proprietary solution, the lack of the option to consider a hybrid environment and the fact that there is a total lack of any competitive market forces in terms of service providers, guarantees that the cost of upgrades cannot be controlled.
4.6 Complex configuration and support.
Moves and changes as well as new extensions that have to be provisioned with the current digital or analogue system require wiring changes to the MDF12. This introduces avoidable technical and administrator complexities. The distributed location of the MDFs and the fact that a support
10
SLA - Service Level Agreement
11
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
12
7 technician has to be dispatched to make these changes, results in lost man hours, which
contributes to service delays.
The complexity of administration associated with the TDM frames can lead to the orphaning of numbers and ports on the analogue and digital cards. Digital and analogue cards are running at maximum port capacity, however not all numbers are in use. Freeing up ports and numbers is a complex resource intensive task. This affects the CSIR’s ability to accommodate requests for additional lines.
The current PABX infrastructure is supported by a very complex UPS13 and rectifier solution required to convert AC14 to 48 Volts DC15. Apart from not being readily available commercially, it has also reached end of life.
4.7 Poor lightning tolerance.
The CSIR Pretoria campus is susceptible to lightning strikes, and current surge protection is unable to successfully prevent damage to PABX cards, analogue and digital phones.
Copper outdoor extensions and multicore cables carrying analogue and digital is particularly susceptible to lightning. These connections are difficult to support and maintain due to polarity issues and colour coding which was not standardised over the life time of the infrastructure.
4.8 Lack of proactive alerting and monitoring capability.
The current PABX supports only a limited SNMP16 based monitoring functionality. Monitoring information is restricted to whether the major systems are available or not. Responses to system failures are therefore always reactive, resulting in service outages.
4.9 High total cost of ownership.
The current proprietary VoIP handsets are very costly, leading to an increase in demand for analogue and digital handsets, thus further increasing the risk of old technology exploitation. The
13
UPS - Uninterrupted Power Supply
14
AC - Alternating Current
15
DC - Direct Current
16
8 proprietary nature of the current solution prevents the CSIR from leveraging of low-cost SIP17 enabled devices and softphones while still being able to migrate to new technology.
Current SLA support costs are perceived to be extremely high. This may in part be due to the large distribution, age and complexity of the infrastructure deployed. However, the total lack of any competitive market forces in terms of service providers makes it near impossible to benchmark costs.
The current vendor’s support model is such that it does not enable the client to become self-sufficient. Even if support staff are fully trained and fully certified, only the service provider with which the CSIR has a service level agreement is given access to codes required to do upgrades and other functions.
4.10 Extremely long lead time when ordering new equipment.
Due to the fact that the current vendor does not keep local stock, sourcing of handsets, parts as well as new components required for expansion has a standing lead time of six weeks. However, lead times generally exceed the six week period resulting in service outages and delays in
providing additional services.
4.11 Lack of an integrated desktop fax solution.
The current desktop faxing solution software version (Tobit) has reached end of life and is currently dependent on old hardware that has also reached end of life. In the event of a hardware failure the CSIR runs the risk of having no further recovery possibilities.
At the time when the CSIR upgraded the telephony core in Pretoria to a VoIP solution one of the benefits was a desktop faxing solution that can be integrated with our current email/collaboration platform. However, the current solution could not be set up as an integrated solution and therefore could not be used to replace the current desktop fax solution.
5 Business Requirements.
The following summarises the business requirements for the proposed solution.
17
9
• An integrated technology solution that supports all currently known requirements as listed below;
• addresses the challenges as listed above; and is,
• Scalable and adaptable over time to cater for future requirements in line with the industry trends and the changing technology landscape.
The proposed solutions are not limited to the following specific requirements and may include alternatives, including external hosting and cloud solutions.
Ideally the solution shall be/have:
• Open standards based;
• Capable of integrating with all current CSIR systems as per Appendix 3, preferably via an enterprise service bus;
• Capable of extending the CSIR telephony service to CSIR user’s mobile devices in
particular smart phones and tablets via a dedicated mobile client or an application available for all four major mobile platforms (iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Microsoft);
• Complete system redundancy with no single point of failure to ensure high availability, but at the same time, be cost-effective by using the high availability infrastructure for load balancing;
• Hardware with a minimum supported life cycle of 10 years. This implies that new spares and replacement equipment will be available for at least 10 years;
• At least three fully accredited Service Providers that can provide the required support in Pretoria, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg;
• At least three fully accredited Service Providers that can be approached when negotiating a service level agreement or requesting quotations for equipment and handsets.
• Capable of centralised management, configuration and provisioning of new requests and changes to existing services. The need for support technicians to have to undertake activities away from their offices in such cases should be the exception and not the rule. Auto provisioning will be a highly desired capability;
• Capable of monitoring detail system status and performance from the core right up to the instrument from a centralised command and control centre;
• Capable of proactive alerting on system performance and/or other indicators that could indicate the possibility of a service disruption due to system or component failure;
10
• Capable of integrating with our current monitoring and notification systems;
• An integrated billing system capable of reporting usage per user and per Department, where user attributes are synchronised through integrations with other CSIR systems;
• An automated process for number allocation and re-allocation, thereby eliminating the possibility of orphaned and unallocated numbers;
• Intelligent systems that minimises the need and complexity of daily support;
• Vendors and accredited suppliers that shall support all software releases for at least 5 years;
• No dependency on any copper cabling or equipment that will make the solution susceptible to lightning damage;
• Standard, easy to support UPS solutions that forms part of the core telephony infrastructure;
• Scalable to such an extent that expansion of capacity at any level can be easily accomplished;
• Secure against any form of eavesdropping or interception when communicating using any compatible device;
• Impervious to denial of service attacks;
• A built-in capability to filter out spam over IP telephony;
• Service Level Agreements that is scalable to the extent that it makes provision for a variety of service levels, from basic to exhaustive;
• Cost effective with a significant decrease in the total cost of ownership and especially in the case of the handsets;
• A desktop faxing solution that can:
o Integrate with the CSIR’s current email and collaboration platform but is also capable of integrating with a Microsoft exchange email and collaboration system;
o Be integrated either directly or indirectly with our messaging archive solution;
o Be able to send, receive and access faxes from anywhere, without the need of a client being installed on the particular device being used;
o If the solution requires a client of any form to obtain full functionality, the client must be totally platform Independent. In other words the client must be capable of running on Microsoft Windows, all distributions of Linux, Apple Mac and the four major mobile operating systems;
o Be administered online via role based administration;
11
o Support number forwarding;
o Provide Itemised billing which is fully included/integrated in the telephony billing system described above;
• A third-party desktop faxing solution can be included in the proposal but, it has to be fully integrated with the proposed solution;
• Capable of accommodating analogue fax machines and even potentially to integrate them into the desktop fax solution
• Capable of providing segregated services to private tenants on the CSIR Pretoria campus. This capability must extend to private tenants that are not hosted on the CSIR primary network;
6 RFI Programme
The RFI programme, as currently envisaged, incorporates the following:
• Issue of Request for Information (RFI) documents: 18 February 2013
• Closing date and Time of submission Date: 04 March 2013 @ 16:30 (by close of business day)
• All RFI responses and submissions may be send electronically via email to –
tender@csir.co.za with “RFI No. 194/04/03/2013 – Telephony and Fax Service
Solution for CSIR” as a subject.
• Review of information by the CSIR Enterprise Solutions Architect
• Communication with potential solution providers 7 Communication
All documentation submitted in response to this RFI must be in English.
Contact details – tender@csir.co.za, Subject: Telephony and fax services solution for CSIR. 8 General RFI Terms and Conditions
Late submissions will not be considered. The CSIR will not be bound by any supplier on any information provided.
The Respondent shall be responsible for all costs incurred in the preparation and submission of information supplied.
12 This selection of tenderers and/or service providers with which the CSIR will engage off to this RFI is at the sole discretion of the CSIR.
13
14
Appendix 2. Quantities Per Site
Building
number 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 12 14 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 33 35 38 39 41 43 44 46
PRI 1 1 1 1 1
24 of which 7 is incoming
1 1 1 5 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 5 6 1 1 1 1 1
BRI 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 15 0 8 0 0
Analogue 178 84 27 99 47 17 106 71 191 8 36 23 94 74 37 41 78 47 24 40 15 202 220 110
Digital 51 25 2 23 8 0 50 16 35 1 4 3 42 7 39 15 31 31 0 1 3 57 55 10
IP 544
Carlow Road (also called Miningtek or CMI)
situated JHB PE Stellenbosch Plankenbrug situated in Stellenbosch Rosebank situated in Cape town Durban Cottesloe
PRI 1 1 1 1 1 1
BRI 0 4 0 6 2 2 2
Analogue 101 60 14 5
Digital 8 21 225 1 58 107 29
IP 36
Building 9 PE
PRI 7 1
PTA 012 841 -(2000-5499)
PTA 012 842 - (7000-7999)
STLN 021 888 - (2400-2699)
CMI 011 358- (0000-0599)
Regional offices
Number Ranges
Pretoria campus
Miningtek Stellenbosch Rosebank
Telkom ISDN
1
15 Appendix 3. Relevant Systems Currently In Use at the CSIR
System Product
Directory Services Novell e-Directory Email Novell GroupWise Collaboration Suite Novell Vibe Identity management Novell IDM
ERP PeopleSoft financials, human resources and customer relationship management as well as Oracle e-business Suite
Automated call distribution Symposium Message archiving GWAVA Retain
Open Standards API To be able to write custom code to integrate with 3rd party systems using Java, C or any major programming language.
