Request for Proposal Colocation Hosting Services

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Request for Proposal

Colocation Hosting Services

Proposals Due: February 29, 2016

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Table of Contents ________________________________________________________________________ 2 Section 1 – Introduction _________________________________________________________________ 3 Section 2 – Evaluation ___________________________________________________________________ 4 Timeline _______________________________________________________________________________ 4 Submission of Proposals ______________________________________________________________ 4 Terms and Conditions _________________________________________________________________ 5 Section 3 – Proposal Content Requirements _____________________________________________ 6

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Section 1 – Introduction

Westchester Library System (WLS or “the Library System”) collaborates with its member libraries in Westchester County, New York to provide access to resources and services and to enhance and support library service for the more than 910,000 residents. WLS is one of New York State's 23 public library systems established in 1958 by State Education Law.

There are 38 member public libraries within WLS, four of which have branches, for a total of 44 library locations plus the WLS headquarters office.

The WLS datacenter is currently located in the headquarters office.

WLS, in its mission to ensure seamless access to excellent library service throughout Westchester County, seeks to maintain a strong infrastructure. Relocation of the

datacenter to a colocation facility will support the Library System and its membership in their goal of supporting and enhancing staff and public service activities.

WLS is seeking proposals from qualified vendors for colocation hosting services. --- Remaining space on this page intentionally blank ---

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Section 2 – Evaluation

Proposed solutions will be evaluated by three WLS staff: the Senior Systems Administrator, Network Manager and Director of IT. The evaluations will:

 Determine if the proposals meet the minimum requirements as defined in this request for proposal (RFP)

 Rank the proposals based on the amount of each cost schedule

Following evaluation of the proposals, vendors with submitted proposals may be asked to provide further information.

Timeline

RFP posted: Thursday, February 11, 2016 – 4PM EDT

Proposals due: Monday, February 29, 2016 – 4PM EDT

Following this period, the proposals will be presented to the WLS Administration for approval. A second negotiation period may be opened, should the Administration deem it necessary. However, vendors are encouraged to submit their best and final offer in response to this RFP.

Submission of Proposals

Proposals should be received as detailed in this document by Monday, February 29, 2016 at 4PM EDT. A electronic copy should be delivered via email to the address below. Electronic copy must be in PDF (Portable Document Format).

Send electronic copies to:

[email protected]

For reference, the physical address for WLS for all matters, including shipping is: Westchester Library System

540 White Plains Road, Suite 200 Tarrytown, New York 10591 (914) 674-3600

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Terms and Conditions

 This Request for Proposal does not obligate Westchester Library System to accept or contract for any expressed or implied products or services.

 Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.

 The Library System reserves the right to enter into discussions and/or

negotiations with the vendor or vendors determined to be reasonably possible for award selection. The Library System additionally reserves the right to enter into exclusive discussions and/or negotiations with the vendor whose proposal is deemed to be most advantageous.

 In the event exclusive negotiations are conducted and an agreement is not reached, the Library System reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the vendor of the next highest ranked proposal without notice to the other

participants and without a repeat of the formal RFP process.

 All prices quoted must be valid for a minimum of 90 days.

 Vendor must submit to WLS documentation of manufacturer warranties.

 All responses, questions and correspondence relating to this RFP and all reports, charts, displays, schedules, exhibits and documentation of any kind produced by the vendor that are submitted to the Library System, as part of a proposal or otherwise, shall become property of the Library System when received by the Library System and may be considered public information under applicable law. The Library System generally considers proposals and all accompanying material to be public and subject to disclosure. Any material considered by the vendor to be proprietary must be individually marked as such and accompanied by a

written claim of confidentiality and a concise written statement of reasons supporting the claim. Blanket claims that the entire RFP is confidential will be denied. The Library System cannot guarantee that any information will be held confidential. However, no information will be made public until after a formal contract has been awarded.

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Section 3 – Proposal Content Requirements

A successful proposal will include quotes for the following services:

 Rack space necessary to house 40 rack units (RU) of equipment.

 Internal facility fiber to bridge connections from Internet Service Provider (ISP) demarcation point (DMARC) to customer rack space.

 Primary electric service providing a 208volt, 30 amp service.

 Redundant electric service to match primary service.

 Rack-side power distribution for each circuit.

 A facility managed, burstable, Internet connection.

o Note increments and methods for billing burstable service.

 Outline any services/fees not listed that would be required to initiate services. A successful proposal will also address the following questions. All questions should be answered specific to the proposed facility:

 Where is the proposed hosting facility located?

 How many customers are currently located in the facility?

 How many racks are currently allocated to current customers?

 Please list all operational control certifications are currently in place. Use narrative descriptions if needed.

 Describe the process for WLS staff to access the facility, including any restrictions in terms of time, tools, etc.

 Describe the process for bringing new equipment into the facility.

 All pricing quoted must be valid for a minimum of 90 days. Please state how long the pricing in your company’s proposal is valid.

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Section 3 – Proposal Content Requirements (continued)

(“questions” from page 6, continued)

 What ISPs are currently present in the facility proposed? For each ISP, list the number of discrete entrance points into the proposed facility that exist.

 Describe the rack-side power distribution units (PDU)s implemented as part of the proposed solution. Include the outlet type(s) and quantities on the PDU(s) for each circuit.

 Describe facility power feeds from the utility provider, generator capacity and current average load.

 How many involuntary losses of utility power have been experienced in last three years? What were their durations? What was the impact to the customers?

 How many voluntary disconnects from utility power have been conducted in the last three years? What were their durations and causes? What was the impact to the customers?

 What is the lead time from inception of an agreement to being allocated space and ready to receive equipment and connectivity to an ISP, assuming the ISP already has presence at the facility?

 Describe the process and penalties, if any, for termination of hosting, before and at the end of a contract cycle.

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