PUBLIC NOTICE
Request for Proposals
Telecommunications and Computer Services
Proposals are due prior to 2:00PM (PST), Wednesday, December 6, 2010
The City of Ashland’s Ashland Fiber Network (AFN) division is seeking proposals from qualified companies interested in selling telecommunications and computer services to customers in the community through the telecommunications utility. This is a multi-award solicitation and awarded vendors will function as independent providers whose services are sold through AFN. AFN will set and manage service level requirements, help generate sales for vendors, and be compensated by vendors for business generated. Services will be rendered by awarded vendors under task orders issued by AFN. Four major service categories are defined for this solicitation:
Internet Connectivity—Service category for vendors interested in reselling AFN’s internet
connectivity products to local residences and businesses for a sales margin. Two options exist under this category:
o Vendor Partners opt to work closely with AFN to cooperatively market products, emphasize the relationship in sales and branding, and accept AFN incentives to generate new sales and overall customer growth. Vendors under this relationship share a mutual ownership of customers with AFN and are allowed direct access to additional AFN tools and staff resources in return.
o Resale Vendors opt to purchase AFN products and resell them under their own brands with no cooperative marketing, incentives, or required data sharing. They may move their customers to alternative products with sixty days notice to AFN.
Technology Support—Service category for vendors interested in offering computer and computer network support for local residents and businesses via telephone, online, and on-site access. Services types include network setup and troubleshooting, support of PC and printer issues, recovering from malware, computer security services, and smartphone setup and problem resolution.
Telephony—Service category for vendors interested in providing voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephone and unified communications services primarily to local businesses and residents. Services types include single- and multi-line office telephone solutions with quality of service and advanced features, home telephone service, long distance packages, and alarm systems for homes and offices. IT Solutions—Service category for vendors interested in offering for-fee online technology services
that Ashland citizens and businesses would be interested in purchasing. Services types for this broad category include the following:
o Energy Management—Home or business location energy utilization monitoring and management.
o Hosting/Backup/Storage—Companies providing website hosting, online backup, and/or online data storage.
o Business Solutions—Companies offering turnkey business application services such as software and website development, application and website hosting, online store development and hosting, and online marketing.
AFN’s physical plant has approximately 8,500 serviceable addresses in Ashland, Oregon. For over ten years, AFN has sold internet and television service to local residences and businesses, primarily through vendors.
This RFP aims at broadening the number and types of services the municipal telecommunications utility can offer, so as to grow the number of businesses and citizens benefiting from the utility’s operations.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the qualifications of vendors, acceptance of AFN’s minimum terms and conditions, and acceptance of the terms of the task order process and requirements. The City and its AFN division will issue task orders for the services described exclusively to the awarded vendors of this RFP. At their election, awarded vendors may submit responses to task orders issued.
AFN will assign task orders to awarded vendors on the basis of how offerings proposed match the description of services, schedule, and statement of work issued, including the vendor’s proposed pricing, support
capacity, and revenue sharing. Proposers are also free to also suggest additional and alternative services AFN should consider issuing a task order for that would meet emerging customer demand.
For any new service rendered by successful proposers and not offered by AFN at the time of inception, AFN will warrant that it will not create a competing service to sell directly to customers for no less than twelve (12) months from the service start date noted on the respective AFN task order.
The City of Ashland’s intent is to award contracts for five years. Maintaining a valid City of Ashland business license will be a mandatory requirement throughout the term of the contract.
This Request for Proposals is intended to provide interested companies with sufficient information to prepare and submit a complete proposal in response to this RFP.
SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS:
Categories Internet Connectivity--Vendor Partner
Internet Connectivity--Resale Vendor Qualifications Vendor must have appropriate
insurance for services rendered.
Vendor must have appropriate insurance for services rendered. Capacity to receive customer requests
and respond via online and telephone mediums.
Capacity to receive customer requests and respond via online and telephone mediums.
Staff with adequate expertise in Windows and Macintosh networking to support connecting users to the Internet via AFN.
Staff with adequate expertise in Windows and Macintosh networking to support connecting users to the Internet via AFN.
If offering email to customers, must have the expertise and infrastructure to provide secure email with spam and malware prevention.
If offering email to customers, must have the expertise and infrastructure to provide secure email with spam and malware prevention.
Ability to market and sell telecommunications services.
Ability to market and sell telecommunications services. Ability to accurately service and bill
customer accounts.
Ability to accurately service and bill customer accounts.
Must have adequate financial reserves to pay bills on-time-- equivalent to at least three months average payments to AFN.
Must have adequate financial reserves to pay bills on-time-- equivalent to at least three months average payments to AFN.
Performance To ensure positive customer experience, vendor must only sell and/or distribute cable modems that are authorized for use on the AFN
network.
To ensure positive customer experience, vendor must only sell and/or distribute cable modems that are authorized for use on the AFN network.
Vendor must provide customer information to AFN regarding non-paying customers for use by other vendor partners.
Vendor must provide customer information to AFN regarding non-paying customers for use by other vendor partners.
AFN services are billed monthly. Vendors must ensure payment for services are received by the City within thirty days of the close of a month.
AFN services are billed monthly. Vendors must ensure payment for services are received by the City within thirty days of the close of a month.
Access to phone and online support must meet required thresholds of Monday through Sunday, from at least 8 AM until 8 PM, minus State of Oregon holidays and other dates approved by AFN.
Access to staff via phone and online support must meet required thresholds of Monday through Sunday, from at least 8 AM until 8 PM, minus State of Oregon holidays and other dates approved by AFN.
In periodic customer service surveys, vendors must achieve a level of >75% of customers rating the vendor's services as "Good" to "Excellent"
In periodic customer service surveys, vendors must achieve a level of >75% of customers rating the vendor's services as "Good" to "Excellent" Vendor accepts all liability for the
work they perform and the
employment status of their employees.
Vendor accepts all liability for the work they perform and the
employment status of their employees.
Categories Technology Support Telephony IT Solutions Qualifications Vendor must have
appropriate insurance for services rendered.
Vendor must have appropriate insurance for services rendered.
Vendor must have appropriate insurance for services rendered. Expertise in Windows
and/or Macintosh operating systems, networking, and malware software. Certifications are desired, but not required.
Vendor must have appropriate insurance for services rendered.
Vendor must have appropriate insurance for services rendered.
Specific expertise in popular productivity software. Certifications are desired, but not required.
Vendor must possess a telephone switch with capacity and functionality to offer services that meet stated performance requirements.
Vendor must possess a means of offering hosting and/or development services that meet stated performance requirements. Vendor must maintain a
staff with the expertise to maintain and support telephone services.
Vendor must maintain a staff with the expertise to maintain and support business systems services. Performance Payment for business
generated by AFN shall be paid monthly and are due within thirty days of the close of the month.
Payment for business generated by AFN shall be paid monthly and are due within thirty days of the close of the month.
Payment for business generated by AFN shall be paid monthly and are due within thirty days of the close of the month. Regular access to staff via
phone, online, and on-site support should meet thresholds of Monday through Friday, from at least 8 AM until 5 PM, minus State of Oregon holidays and other dates approved by AFN. Other schedules may be proposed and approved.
Telephone system uptime and redundancy must meet or exceed 99.90%
availability.
Business solution uptime and redundancy must meet or exceed 99.90%
Emergency access to staff via phone, online, and on-site support should meet thresholds of Monday through Sunday, from at least 8 AM until 8 PM, minus State of Oregon holidays and other dates approved by AFN. Other schedules may be proposed and approved.
Voicemail loss rate must not exceed .5% of all voicemails per annum.
Access to phone and/or online support must meet required thresholds set by task order.
In periodic customer service surveys, vendors must achieve a level of >75% of customers rating the vendor's services as "Good" to "Excellent"
In periodic customer service surveys, vendors must achieve a level of >75% of customers rating the vendor's services as "Good" to "Excellent"
In periodic customer service surveys, vendors must achieve a level of >75% of customers rating the vendor's services as "Good" to "Excellent" Vendor accepts all liability
for the work they perform and the employment status of their employees.
Vendor accepts all liability for the work they perform and the employment status of their employees.
Vendor accepts all liability for the work they perform and the employment status of their employees. MANDATORY MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND TERMS
Proposers will be required to acknowledge understanding and acceptance of the Mandatory Minimum Qualifications and Terms as detailed in Section 3 (Page 16) of the RFP.
VOLUNTARY PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE
All potential proposers are invited, but not required to attend the Voluntary Pre-Proposal Conference. The Voluntary Pre-Proposal Conference will consist of a walk-through of the AFN facility, presentation of historical customer counts and network maps attached as Exhibit &&, a discussion of how the multi-award master contract and task order process will work, and an opportunity for potential proposers to ask questions. Verbal statements made by the City of Ashland representatives at the Voluntary Pre-Proposal Conference do not change the RFP document unless the City of Ashland confirms such changes with a written addendum to the RFP document.
The Voluntary Pre-Proposal Conference is scheduled for the following date and time. Day & Date November ##, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: City of Ashland, Service Center, 90 N. Mountain Ave RESPONDING TO THE PROPOSAL:
The Request for Proposals may be reviewed at the City of Ashland Purchasing Office, located at 90 N. Mountain Avenue, Ashland, OR 97520. For a copy of the Request for Proposals and requirements, please contact the Purchasing Representative at (541) 488-5354. All questions and inquiries regarding this RFP must be directed to the Purchasing Representative, Kari Olson.
Sealed Proposals must be received prior to 2:00PM (PST), Wednesday, December ##, 2010by Kari Olson, Purchasing Representative of the City of Ashland. Proposals must be delivered to the City of Ashland Purchasing Office, located at 90 N. Mountain Avenue, Ashland, OR 97520. The proposals will be opened at 2:00PM (PST), Wednesday, December 6, 2010 and only the identity of each proposer will be released at that time.
Kari Olson
Purchasing Representative City of Ashland
