REQUEST FOR QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS (RFQC)

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Georgia Technology Authority

REQUEST FOR QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS (RFQC)

Managed Network Services

RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 (Issue Date: May 1, 2014) Submit Response To:

Georgia Technology Authority Attn: Procurement Management

47 Trinity Avenue, 3rd_FL Atlanta, GA 30334

All available information concerning this Request for Qualified Contractors can be downloaded from the Georgia Procurement Registry website: www.procurement.state.ga.us

All spaces below are to be filled in and this sheet must be incorporated within as the first page of the response to this Request for Qualified Contractors (RFQC), as specified in section 3.2.1 of this RFQC.

Company Name: ___________________________________________________________ Contact Name: __________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________ Facsimile: ___________________________ E-mail: _________________________________________________________________

By my signature below, I certify that I am authorized to sign this RFQC response for the company named above. I further certify that this RFQC response is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any other company or person submitting a separate response for the same RFQC, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I further certify that the provisions of OCGA §§45-10-20 et seq. have not been violated and will not be violated in any respect. This offer shall remain open for acceptance for 90 days from the Amended Response Due/Closing Date. On behalf of the company named above, I further certify that such firm has and will abide by all conditions set forth in this RFQC.

Signature____________________________________ Name and Title _______________________________ Date________________________________________ Refer ALL Inquiries to: Deirdre Johnson, GTA Issuing Officer

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 1 of 25

The Georgia Technology Authority (hereinafter, “GTA”) is soliciting statements of qualifications from service providers interested in providing managed network services (MNS). This Request for Qualified Contractors (“RFQC”) is intended to identify one or more responsible service providers who meet or exceed the identified requirements contained herein. This RFQC will not result in a contract award. Instead, this RFQC will establish a list of one or more qualified service providers who will be eligible to participate to win future contracts from the State Entity.

GTA is working with its agency partners (Working Team) on evolving the service delivery model for the Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) program. The Working Team is moving forward to establish a platform for the integration of services that would include the procurement of an MNS who would assume the business of performing Wide Area Network (WAN) Management, Local Area Network (LAN) Management, and Managed Voice services in the GETS program. The WAN Tower includes the following elements in regard to this procurement:

1) Transport,

2) Customer Edge (CE) Router Management, 3) Managed Internet Access,

4) Site-to-Site VPN,

5) Network Cloud Based Security, 6) Premise Based Network Security, and 7) IPAM\DNS\DHCP Managed Services.

Because services 1-5 are so tightly coupled from a technical perspective in the States’ existing environment, it is best to keep them grouped together. Services 6 and 7 are currently provided by the incumbent WAN provider, so GTA is considering leaving these services under the WAN Tower; however, the services are also included under the LAN Tower and GTA will consider both options during this procurement process.

The LAN Tower includes the following elements in regard to this procurement: 1) Network Switching and Routing,

2) Wireless Networks,

3) Network Authentication Services, 4) Remote User VPN,

5) Premise Based Network Security, and 6) IPAM\DNS\DHCP Managed Services.

Because services 1-4 are so tightly coupled from a technical perspective in the States’ existing environment, it is best to keep them grouped together. Services 5 and 6 are currently provided by the incumbent WAN provider, so GTA is considering leaving these services under the WAN Tower; however, the services are also included under the LAN Tower and GTA will consider both options during this procurement process.

The Managed Voice Service Tower is organized by the voice services and technology commonly found within the State of Georgia’s Voice network. The arrangement of voice services with one service provider makes it suitable for better consistency of planning, designing, and implementing day to day support to the Agencies.

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 3 of 25 Additional information regarding the GETS program and the services integration initiative is located on GTA’s web site at

http://gta.georgia.gov/gets-services-integration-initiative. 1.2 RFQC Release

1.2.1 The release of this RFQC is formally communicated through the posting of this RFQC on the Georgia Procurement Registry (GPR), which is accessible online as follows: http://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRSapp/PR_index.jsp, and shall be governed by the terms and conditions contained herein and the GTA Procurement Manual located online at

http://gta.georgia.gov/procurement.

1.2.2 Potential Respondents are invited to submit a Prospective Service Provider Statement in accordance with these instructions. Prospective Service Provider Statements will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures and criteria set forth herein.

1.3 RFQC Contents

1.3.1 This RFQC consists solely of this Request For Qualified Contractors “RFQC Document”, appendices or other attachment documents to the RFQC contained herein, through provided links, or posted separately to the GPR, and any written addenda to this RFQC issued by the GTA Issuing Officer. Any difficulty accessing the RFQC, or opening provided links or documents, should be reported immediately to the GTA Issuing Officer (See Section 1.7).

1.3.2 Each Respondent, by submitting a Prospective Service Provider Statement, acknowledges and agrees to the foregoing and certifies that in responding to this RFQC or preparing its Prospective Service Provider Statement it has not relied upon any information other than that which is contained in this RFQC Document, the appendices hereto, and any written addendum to this RFQC issued by the GTA Issuing Officer.

1.4 RFQC Process

The following conditions apply to this RFQC process:

1.4.1 RFQC Process Overview - The objective of the RFQC is to identify one or more responsible Prospective Service Providers who meet GTA’s qualification requirements to provide the goods and/or services outlined in this RFQC to GTA. This RFQC process will be conducted to gather and evaluate responses from Prospective Service Providers. All Prospective Service Providers eligible for qualification are invited to participate in the RFQC process by submitting a PSP response as further defined herein and outlined as follows: (See Section 1.6 for the detailed RFQC Schedule of Events).

 Release RFQC on the Georgia Procurement Registry;

 Question and answer period for Prospective Service Providers. Answers will be posted to Georgia Procurement Registry;

 Prospective Service Providers written response submitted;

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 Post listing of RFQC Qualified Contractors to the Georgia Procurement Registry.

1.4.2 RFQC Notice of Results - After evaluating all Prospective Service Providers’ responses received prior to the closing date of this RFQC, the results of the RFQC process will be publicly announced on the Georgia Procurement Registry, including the names of those suppliers who were identified as qualified Prospective Service Providers, unsuccessful suppliers and the reason(s) why those unsuccessful suppliers were not determined to be qualified. Subject to the Notice of Intent to Award announcement period for selection of qualified contractors, as pursuant with the DOAS Georgia Procurement Manual, the finalized list of RFQC qualified Prospective Service Providers will be established. Only these qualified Prospective Service Providers will be eligible to participate in any future solicitation(s) posted by the GTA for the identified goods/services.

1.4.3 RFQC Qualification Period - Respondents identified as qualified Prospective Service Providers pursuant to this RFQC will be qualified for a period of one (1) year subject to the following limitations: (1) the GTA may require the supplier to submit additional information/materials from time to time to ensure the supplier continues to meet the qualification requirements and (2) no Respondent that is subsequently suspended or debarred by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (“DOAS”) will be eligible to submit bids to solicitations during the suspension/debarment period. The GTA reserves the right at its discretion to qualify additional service providers for the same goods/services by posting a new RFQC.

1.4.4 The process set forth in this RFQC will not result in any predetermination by GTA, nor shall this RFQC be construed as a determination of any kind that is binding on GTA. Further this RFQC shall not be construed to mean that Respondents are actually capable of performing the work that will be the subject of the RFP. Rather, the criteria set forth herein is intended only to identify Prospective Service Providers based on their prior experience in providing similar or related services to potentially undertake a project for the size and scope of the future RFP to be solicited by GTA.

1.4.5 GTA's ultimate determination regarding the capability of any prequalified Prospective Service Provider to perform the work shall be reserved solely and exclusively to GTA's evaluation of the responses to the RFP, in which GTA may reject any and all Offerors.

1.4.6 GTA may, in its sole discretion, waive any irregularities or defects in a Prospective Service Provider Statement. GTA reserves the right to seek clarification of a Prospective Service Provider Statement from the Prospective Service Provider or verification of information contained in a Prospective Service Provider Statement from any other source. The inability of GTA, using the information provided in the Prospective Service Provider Statement, to be able to verify a Prospective Service Provider's prior experience in relation to the qualification criteria set forth herein shall be grounds to reject such Prospective Service Provider Statement as unacceptable.

1.4.7 Joint Ventures Must Agree to JOINT and SEVERAL LIABILITY - Sole proposing suppliers or joint ventures interested in being selected as the Prime Contractor may respond to this RFQC. In the case of joint ventures, the individual companies that are forming a joint venture must agree to “joint and several liability” for their joint venture regardless of the legal structure of the newly created venture. GTA’s determination of the need for “joint and several liability” shall be conclusive. The Prime Contractor will be able to subcontract for portions of the scope of work and those sub-contractors will not have to agree to joint & several liability.

1.4.8 Respondents that are qualified under this RFQC shall be prequalified to submit a proposal as the prime contractor in response to the subsequent RFP. Respondent(s), who receives a contract award pursuant to the RFP, may subcontract to third party companies, portions of the work to be performed pursuant to the RFP. Failure or inability

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 5 of 25 to obtain prequalification under this RFQC does not disqualify any provider from offering its services as a subcontractor to qualified Respondents to provide needed services pursuant to this project.

1.4.9 RFQC Prequalified Contractor Limitation with Other GTA Related Solicitations – Respondents that are qualified under the Multisourcing Services Integrator RFQC, RFQC No. 98000-0000001084 shall not be allowed to provide services for the current service areas of Mainframe Services, Server Services, End User Services, Wide Area Network Management, Local Area Network Management, and Voice Services.

1.4.10 This RFQC does not obligate GTA to establish a list of prequalified Prospective Service Providers, issue any RFP, or award a contract to anyone, including any Respondent. GTA reserves the right to, amend, modify or cancel this RFQC without prior notice, at any time, at its sole discretion.

1.4.11 This RFQC and any activity pursuant to this RFQC by any party are governed by all applicable laws including, without limitation, State and Federal antitrust laws.

1.5 General Information and Instructions 1.5.1 Instructions to PSP Respondents

By submitting a response to the RFQC, the Respondent is acknowledging that the Prospective Service Provider (PSP): a. Has read the information and instructions,

b. Agrees to comply with the information and instructions contained herein. 1.5.2 Team Georgia Marketplace™ Registration System

Prospective Service Providers who are interested in doing business with GTA are encouraged to register online through the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) Team Georgia Marketplace™ for Suppliers web-based registration system to participate in GTA solicitations that may be posted to the Georgia Procurement Registry or the GTA website. Registration is free and enables the company to gain access to certain information, services and/or materials maintained in Team Georgia Marketplace™ at no charge to the registering company. All registering companies must agree to be bound by the applicable terms and conditions governing the company’s use of Team Georgia Marketplace™. Prospective Service Providers may register at https://saofn.state.ga.us/psp/sao/SUPPLIER/ERP/?cmd=login.

1.5.3 Restrictions on Communicating with Staff

From the issue date of this RFQC until the results are announced (or the RFQC is officially cancelled), Respondents are not allowed to communicate for any reason with any State staff except through the Issuing Officer named herein, or during the Offerors’ Conference (if any), or as defined in this RFQC or as provided by existing work agreement(s). Prohibited communication includes all contact or interaction, including but not limited to telephonic communications, emails, faxes, letters, or personal meetings, such as lunch, entertainment, or otherwise. The GTA reserves the right to reject the response of any supplier violating this provision.

1.5.4 Submitting Questions

All questions concerning this RFQC must be submitted in writing via email to the Issuing Officer identified in the “Issuing Officer” section of this RFQC (See Section 1.7). No questions other than written will be accepted. No response other than written will be binding upon the State. All Prospective Service Providers must submit questions by the deadline identified in

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 6 of 25 the Schedule of Events for submitting questions. Prospective Service Providers are cautioned that the GTA may or may not elect to entertain late questions or questions submitted by any other method than as directed by this section.

All questions about this RFQC must be submitted in the following format: Company Name

1. Citation of relevant section of the RFQC Question 1 2. Citation of relevant section of the RFQC Question 2

1.5.5 Responses to Questions

Answers will be provided as the questions are addressed and will be posted to the Georgia Procurement Registry. GTA will post the question with each answer and will not identify the PSP. PSP should not include any proprietary or confidential information in the question.

1.5.6 Attending Offerors’ Conference (if any)

The Offerors’ Conference or any other information session (if indicated in the schedule of events) will be held at the GTA offices or other location referred to in “Schedule of Events” section of this RFQC. Unless indicated otherwise, attendance is not mandatory; although Prospective Service Providers are strongly encouraged to attend. However, in the event the conference has been identified as mandatory, then a representative of the supplier must attend the conference in its entirety to be considered eligible for consideration. The supplier is strongly encouraged to allow ample travel time to ensure arrival in the conference meeting room prior to the beginning of any mandatory conference. The GTA reserves the right to consider any representative arriving late to be “not in attendance.” Therefore, all Prospective Service Providers are strongly encouraged to arrive early to allow for unexpected travel contingencies.

1.5.7 State’s Right to Request Additional Information - Prospective Service Provider Responsibility

Prior to finalizing the list of qualified Prospective Service Providers, the GTA may need to assure that the selected supplier has all of the resources to successfully perform under any future contract. This includes, but is not limited to, adequate number of personnel with required skills, availability of appropriate equipment in sufficient quantity to meet the on-going needs of the GTA, financial resources sufficient to complete performance under the contract, and experience in similar endeavors. If, during the evaluation process, the GTA is unable to assure itself of the supplier’s qualifications and resources, the GTA has the option of requesting from the supplier any information deemed necessary to determine the supplier’s responsibility. If such information is required, the supplier will be so notified and will be permitted approximately seven (7) business days to submit the information requested.

1.5.8 Failing to Comply with Submission Instructions

Responses received after the identified due date and time or submitted by any other means than those expressly permitted by the RFQC will not be considered. Responses must be complete in all respects, as required in each section of this RFQC. 1.5.9 Rejection of Supplier’s Response; State’s Right to Waive Immaterial Deviation

The GTA reserves the right to reject any or all responses, to waive any irregularity or informality in a supplier’s response, and to accept or reject any item or combination of items, when to do so would be to the advantage of the State of Georgia. It is also within the right of the GTA to reject responses that do not contain all elements and information requested in this RFQC. A response will be rejected if the response contains any defect or irregularity and such defect or irregularity

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 7 of 25 constitutes a material deviation from the RFQC requirements, which determination will be made by the GTA on a case-by-case basis.

1.5.10 State’s Right to Amend and/or Cancel the RFQC

The GTA reserves the right to amend this RFQC prior to the end date and time. Amendments will be made in writing and publicly posted as one or more addenda to the Georgia Procurement Registry. EACH SUPPLIER IS INDIVIDUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING ADDENDA AND ANY OTHER POSTED DOCUMENTS AND MAKING ANY NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE CHANGES AND/OR ADDITIONS TO THE SUPPLIER’S RESPONSE. ALL SUPPLIERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FREQUENTLY CHECK THE GPR FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. Finally, the GTA reserves the right to cancel this RFQC at any time.

1.5.11 Protest Process

Prospective Service Providers should familiarize themselves with the procedures set forth in the GTA Procurement Protest Procedures, available online at http://gta.georgia.gov/procurement.

1.5.12 Costs for Preparing Responses

Each supplier’s response should be prepared simply and economically, avoiding the use of elaborate promotional materials beyond those sufficient to provide a complete presentation. The cost for developing the response and participating in the procurement process (including the protest process) is the sole responsibility of the supplier. The State will not provide reimbursement for such costs.

1.5.13 ADA Guidelines

The State of Georgia adheres to the guidelines set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Suppliers should contact the Issuing Officer at least one day in advance if they require special arrangements when attending the Bidders/Offerors’ Conference (if any). The Georgia Relay Center at 1-800-255-0056 (TDD Only) or 1-800-255-0135 (Voice) will relay messages, in strict confidence, for the speech and hearing impaired.

1.5.14 Public Access to Procurement Records

Solicitation opportunities will be publicly advertised as required by law and the provisions of the Georgia Procurement Manual. The State Purchasing Act delays the release of certain procurement records in the event the public disclosure of those records prior to the GTA’s public announcements of the results of a solicitation would undermine the public purpose of obtaining the best value for the State such as cost estimates, proposals/bids, evaluation criteria, evaluations, negotiation documents, offers and counter-offers, and certain records revealing preparation for the procurement. The State Purchasing Act requires bids and proposals to be available for public inspection, upon request, within one business day of the GTA’s posting of the results of this RFQC. Audited financial statements not otherwise publicly available but required to be submitted in the bid, offer, or proposal shall not be subject to public disclosure. The GTA is allowed to assess a reasonable charge to defray the cost of reproducing documents. A state employee should be present during the time of onsite inspection of documents. PLEASE NOTE: Even though information (financial or other information) submitted by a supplier may be marked as "confidential", "proprietary", etc., the State will make its own determination regarding what information may or may not be withheld from disclosure.

1.5.15 Registered Lobbyists

By submitting a response to this RFQC, the supplier hereby certifies that the supplier and its lobbyists are in compliance with the Lobbyist Registration Requirements in accordance with the DOAS Georgia Procurement Manual.

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 8 of 25 1.6 Schedule of Events

The schedule of events set out herein represents GTA’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. However, delays to the procurement process may occur which may necessitate adjustments to the proposed schedule. If a component of this schedule, such as the RFQC response due/closing date, is delayed, the rest of the schedule may be adjusted as appropriate. Any changes to the dates up to the closing date of the RFQC will be publicly posted prior to the closing date of this RFQC. After the close of the RFQC, the GTA reserves the right to adjust the remainder of the proposed dates on an as needed basis with or without notice.

RFQC Schedule of Events

Description Date Time

Release of RFQC posted to the Georgia

Procurement Registry (GPR) As Published on the GPR (Anticipated Date: May 1, 2014) N/A Deadline for written questions sent via email to

the Issuing Officer referenced in Section 1.7. May 20, 2014 5:00 p.m. ET

Responses to Written Questions On or about May 23, 2014 5:00 p.m. ET

Prospective Service Providers’ Response

Due/Closing Date and Time As Published on the GPR (Anticipated Date: May 29, 2014) See GPR

Evaluation Completed On or about June 19, 2014 N/A

Prequalified Contractors posted to the GPR June 23, 2014 N/A

1.7 Issuing Officer (GTA Procurement Official) Deirdre Johnson, C.P.M., CPPO, CPPB GTA Outsourcing Unit Director

[email protected] (email address) 1.8 Definition of Terms

Please review the terms provided in Appendix A, Terms and Definitions of this RFQC. 2 PSP Response Instructions

GTA recognizes the amount of effort necessary to prepare a response to this RFQC and leaves it up to the Respondent to determine the exact level of detail necessary to demonstrate that it has the requisite prior experience and capabilities to perform up to GTA expectations.

Each Prospective Service Provider Statement shall be prepared simply and economically, providing straightforward, concise delineation of Respondent’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFQC. Fancy bindings, colored displays, and promotional materials are not required. Emphasis on each Prospective Service Provider Statement must be on completeness and clarity of content. To expedite the evaluation of Prospective Service Provider Statements, it is essential that Respondent follow the format and instructions contained herein.

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 9 of 25 Responses are due by the due date listed in the RFQC Schedule of Events (See Section 1.6). Any Prospective Service Provider Statement received after the due date and time WILL BE rejected.

2.1 Preparing a Response

When preparing a response, the supplier must consider the following instructions:

1. Use the provided Appendices worksheets to prepare your response. Enter your responses directly into the worksheet. Unless otherwise directed, do not insert “see attached file” (or similar statements) in the worksheet to reference separate documents.

2. Answer each question in sufficient detail for evaluation while using judgment with regards to the length of response.

3. Proofread your response and make sure it is accurate and readily understandable.

4. Label any and all files using the corresponding section numbers of the RFQC or any other logical name so that GTA can easily organize and navigate the supplier’s response.

2.1.1 “Hard Copy” and/or Electronic Copies Required

Supplier must provide the following number of copies of its complete response:

 two (2) hard copies, with one marked “Original” with original signatures; and

 six (6) CD-ROM copies.

Note: In the event of a discrepancy or conflict between a hard copy and a CD version, the CD version will govern. 2.1.2 Electronic Copies

1. Use caution in creating electronic files to be included on a CD. For the CD submission, each section of the Prospective Service Provider Statement must be clearly identified by title. If the GTA is unable to open an electronic file due to a virus or because the file has become corrupted, the supplier’s response may be considered incomplete and disqualified from further consideration.

2. Use commonly accepted software programs to create electronic files. The GTA has the capability of viewing documents submitted in the following format: Microsoft Word or WordPad, Microsoft Excel, portable document format file (PDF), and plain text files with the file extension noted in parentheses (.txt). Unless the RFQC specifically requests the use of another type of software or file format than those listed above, please contact the Issuing Officer prior to utilizing another type of software and/or file format. In the event the GTA is unable to open an electronic file because the GTA does not have ready access to the software utilized by the supplier, the supplier’s response may be considered incomplete and disqualified from further consideration.

2.2 Submitting the Response

Mark the outside of shipping package as follows:

Name of Company

Point of Contact for Company and Phone Number RFQC# 98000-0000001102

The Respondent’s complete response must be received on or before the due date and time (See RFQC Schedule of Events) at the following location:

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 10 of 25 Deirdre Johnson, Issuing Officer

Georgia Technology Authority 47 Trinity Ave., 3rd_{FL – Procurement} Atlanta, GA 30334

All Respondent responses will be time stamped by the GTA upon receipt. Responses received after the due date and time will not be evaluated.

3 RFQC Qualification Requirements 3.1 Overview

3.1.1 A Request for Qualified Contractors Evaluation Committee (“Evaluation Committee”) appointed by GTA will examine all Prospective Service Provider Statements that are properly submitted in accordance with the requirements of this RFQC. The Committee shall make the final determination of Respondents that are prequalified Prospective Service Providers in accordance with the criteria set forth herein. Prospective Service Provider Statements will be evaluated based on predefined evaluation criteria.

3.1.2 GTA will deem a Prospective Service Provider qualified, only if the Prospective Service Provider’s Prospective Service Provider Statement satisfactorily meets the selection requirements specified in section 5.3 Basis of Selections.

3.1.3 Each Prospective Service Provider Statement submission will be evaluated based on the processes defined in section 1.4 RFQC Process and section 5 Evaluation and Selections.

3.2 Prospective Service Provider Statement

All of the PSP statement requirements identified in this RFQC are qualification factors that the GTA will use to identify qualified Prospective Service Providers. Each supplier must indicate its willingness and ability to satisfy these requirements in the appropriate Appendices worksheets.

3.2.1 PSP Statement Requirements

Prospective Service Provider Statement response by a Prospective Service Provider is required to provide the following content and format:

a. Completed RFQC Cover Page – Prospective Service Providers are required to complete and submit the RFQC cover page to provide the primary company information.

b. PSP General Information (3 pages maximum) – Prospective Service Providers are required to provide a brief executive summary on company letterhead to include identifying the following general information:

1) Company name and address that will be the lead service provider including the primary contact information (person’s name, title, phone and email), as well as the company names and roles of any teaming companies.

2) Provide the name and background of the principal company in charge, firm name, home office address, telephone number, email address for the primary contact person.

3) Additional firm names (if any), and office address (if different from home office) for each firm which is part of the proposing team (if any). If a firm has branch offices, state which office will be performing the majority of the work.

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 11 of 25 c. Statement of Responsibility Form (Appendix B) – Prospective Service Provides must complete and submit the

Statement of Responsibility Form in Appendix B for review and determination of responsibility.

d. Prospective Service Provider Questionnaire (Appendix C) - Prospective Service Providers must submit responses for each question row with a “Y” (Yes) or “N” (No) response and a Client Reference Number from Appendix E.

e. Questionnaire Supporting Document (Appendix D) - Prospective Service Providers are required to submit the Appendix D, Questionnaire Supporting Document for each corresponding “Y” (Yes) response provided in Appendix C. Documentation examples should, as appropriate, provide summary information regarding type of services provided, geographic scale, complexity and diversity of the operating and business environment, references to specific technologies involved, approach and methods employed, timeframes to achieve results and implementation of or compliance with published standards. Prospective Service Providers may provide more than one example but all examples should fit within the page limits as noted in Appendix D.

f. Client References (Appendix E) - Prospective Service Providers are required to submit three client references using the Appendix E format for each client reference. The client references should include a Client Reference Number for use in the PSP responses to Appendix C and where appropriate in Appendix D.

g. Supporting Diagrams (Appendix F) - Prospective Service Providers may submit any supporting diagrams (or charts or drawings) for their response in Appendix F and reference those supporting diagrams from their other responses in Appendix D and Appendix E.

4 Cost/Pricing

The purpose of this RFQC is to prequalify Prospective Service Providers to participate in future solicitations. Therefore, NO PRICING is requested.

5 Evaluation and Selections

All timely responses will be evaluated in accordance with the following steps. The objective of the evaluation process is to identify qualified Prospective Service Providers based on the identified bid factors. The GTA will announce the results of the RFQC as described further in this section.

5.1 Administrative/Preliminary Review

Before going to the Evaluation Committee, the PSP responses will be first reviewed by the Issuing Officer to determine compliance with the following requirements:

1. Response was submitted by deadline in accordance with Section 1.6 Schedule of Events 2. Response is complete and contains all required documents

5.2 Evaluating Qualification Requirements

If the supplier’s response passes the Administrative/Preliminary Review, the supplier’s response to Section 3 RFQC Qualification Requirements will be evaluated.

5.3 Basis of Selections

Once PSPs have been evaluated based on their written responses, they will be ranked according to their scores. GTA will deem PSP qualified, only if the PSP’s Qualification Statement satisfactorily meets the following:

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 The requirements as stated in this RFQC,

 The reference checks are deemed satisfactorily passed, and

 The PSP’s score is within the top 3 - 5 scores of the PSP Qualification Statements received and scored. It is the intent of GTA to pre-qualify a manageable pool of no less than three (3) and no more than five (5) PSPs. GTA reserves the right to proceed with the procurement with a smaller or larger number of down-selected PSPs.

5.4 Criteria

Each PSP submission will be evaluated in accordance with the provisions contained in Section 1.4 RFQC Process a n d based on the process and criteria set forth in this Section 5. The following table will be used to evaluate the PSP’s responses:

Criteria Weight

Managed Network Service Delivery Capability and Experience 70% Maturity in Multi-Service Provider Environments 30%

5.5 PSP Statement Evaluation Evaluations will be based on:

1. PSP’s responses to the questions in Appendix C, 2. PSP’s responses to the requirements in Appendix D

3. Satisfactory Passing of Reference Checks in Appendix E, and 4. Satisfactory Passing of PSP Responsibility Review

PSP’s responses to the questions in Appendix B, along with each response to supporting documentation for Section 4, will be scored by the Evaluation Committee. The evaluation scores will be dependent on:

1. How Responsive the PSP’s information is to the criteria set forth in Section 5 of the RFQC, and

2. How Relevant the responses, stated experience and referenced project information are to GTA’s anticipated service needs.

The more responsive and more relevant the responses are to GTA’s needs; the higher the PSP’s responses are likely to score.

5.6 Fair and Unbiased Scoring Process

Each question is weighted and the Evaluation Committee’s score will be multiplied by the points assigned to each question. The process set forth in this RFQC will not result in any predetermination by GTA, nor shall this RFQC be construed as a determination of any kind that is binding on GTA. Further, this RFQC shall not be construed to mean that any PSP is actually capable of performing the work that will be the subject of the RFP. Rather, the criteria set forth herein is intended only to identify PSPs based on their prior experience in providing similar or related services to potentially undertake GTA’s project(s) scope of services.

5.7 Response Clarifications

GTA may request Clarifications from the PSPs during the evaluation and scoring phase. PSPs shall provide the requested information in writing by the date and time indicated in the request for clarification. If the requested information is not timely received, the PSP’s score may be adversely affected and/or the PSP Qualification Statement may be declared non-responsive and disqualified from further consideration.

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 13 of 25 5.8 Site Visits and Oral Presentations

The GTA reserves the right to conduct site visits or to invite Prospective Service Providers to present their proposed services/products to the Evaluation Committee.

5.9 Public Announcement – List of Qualified Prospective Service Providers

The preliminary results of the evaluation will be announced through the public posting of a List of Qualified Prospective Service Providers to the Georgia Procurement Registry. This list will identify the suppliers determined to be qualified, unsuccessful suppliers, and the reasons why any unsuccessful suppliers were not selected. The List of Qualified Prospective Service Providers is subject to revision based on the completion of the protest process. NO SUPPLIER SHOULD ASSUME PERSONAL NOTICE OF THE PUBLISHED LIST OF QUALIFIED PROSPECTIVE SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE GTA. INSTEAD, ALL SUPPLIERS SHOULD FREQUENTLY CHECK THE GEORGIA PROCUREMENT REGISTRY FOR NOTICE OF THIS LIST.

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Appendix A

Terms and Definitions

1. “Contract” means any agreement between two unrelated legal entities under which Prospective Service Provider, acting as a Prime Contractor, provided data center relocation services of the type and nature described in the relevant Question.

2. "GTA" means the Georgia Technology Authority.

3. IPAM/DHCP/DNS Managed Services - IP Address Management (IPAM), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and Domain Name System (DNS) - includes both internal and external naming services.

4. “IPSEC VPN” means a service providing secure Internet Protocol (IP) communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session.

5. “IT Infrastructure Outsourcing” or “IT Infrastructure Services” in this context, includes data center services and telecommunications services but does not include application sourcing or business process sourcing.

6. “ITIL”/“Information Technology Infrastructure Library” means the set of practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business.

7. “ITSM”/”Information Technology Service Management” means the implementation and management of quality information technology services.

8. “LAN Security” means security services such as Firewall, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDS/IPS), Access Lists, Site to Site VPN Tunneling, etc.

9. “MPLS”/”Multiprotocol Label Switching” means a technology used in telecommunications networks.

10. “MSI” means a Multisourcing Services Integrator that provides end-to-end process management in a multi-service provider environment.

11. “Network Authentication Services” means a service that provides Local Area Network port access control via an AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) service. IE> 802.1x, Radius, Active Directory, etc.

12. “Network Cloud Based Security Services” means security services such as Firewall, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDS/IPS), and Web Filtering that are delivered within the service providers’ network.

13. “Network Routing and Switching” means OSI layers 2 and 3 design, installation, configuration, management, and support services leveraging the core, distribution and access model.

14. “Offerors” means the prospective supplier or contractor seeking Prequalification under an RFP

15. “Prime Contractor” means the single legal entity of a group of legal entities that are legally associated for the purpose of delivering Services under a contract that executes the contract with GTA and that is the single point of contact with GTA with respect to the Services being delivered.

16. “Prospective Service Provider”/“PSP” means the contractor / firm seeking Prequalification under this RFQC. 17. “Prospective Service Provider Statement” has the meaning set forth in section 3.2 of this RFQC.

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 15 of 25 18. “Qualified Contractor” means the Prospective Service Provider(s) that has proved and is selected to be qualified to

perform the work set forth in this RFQC. Only “Qualified Contractors” will receive and be able to submit proposals to the Managed Network Services RFP.

19. “Respondent” means the prospective supplier or contractor seeking Prequalification under this RFQC. 20. "Request for Proposals" or RFP means the Request for Proposals to be developed and issued for the project

subsequent to this Request.

21. “Request for Qualified Contractors” or RFQC means this Request.

22. “Remote User VPN” means technology that provides users with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) remote access to the State’s private networks.

23. “Service Level Agreement” means a component of a service contract between a service provider and service recipient where the quality delivery of the service is formally defined.

24. "State" means the State of Georgia.

25. “Supplier” means a company desiring to do business with the State of Georgia.

26. “TDM”/”Time Division Multiplexing” means a method of transmitting and receiving several telephones conversations over a common signal path by means of synchronized switches at each end of the transmission line.

27. “VLAN”/”Virtual Local Area Network” means a group of end stations with a common set of requirements, independent of physical location. VLANs have the same attributes as a physical LAN but allow you to group end stations even if they are not located physically on the same LAN segment.

28. “VoIP”/”Voice over Internet Protocol” means a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional circuit transmissions of the PSTN.

29. “Wireless Networks” means Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) services including secure AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) LAN access and guest internet access.

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Appendix B

Statement of Responsibility Form

INSTRUCTIONS:

THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED, SIGNED, NOTARIZED AND SUBMITTED WITH YOUR RESPONSE/PROPOSAL.

Please complete this form, answering every question. A “Yes” answer to any of the subparts of QUESTION NO. 3 requires a written explanation attached to the completed form, submitted on your company letterhead and signed by an authorized representative of the company. A “Yes” answer to any of the subparts of Question No. 3 will not necessarily result in denial of award, but will be considered in determining Offeror responsibility in the event GTA undertakes an investigation into Offeror’s responsibility status. For any explanation, indicate to whom it applies; identify the initiating agency and the dates of action.

Offerors are responsible for updating any information submitted in their Statement of Responsibility Certification Form if a change occurs prior to the award of the contract.

QUESTIONS:

1. Does Offeror certify that it has, or has the ability to obtain, adequate financial resources to perform the Services and Deliverables identified in the Agreement? This includes, but is not limited to, the ability to obtain required bonds and insurance from sureties and insurance companies authorized to do business in Georgia.

YES NO

2. Does Offeror certify that it is their intent to comply with all contractual requirements and fulfill all of its contractual obligations if awarded the contract, considering Offeror’s other business obligations?

YES NO

3. Within the past three (3) years, has Offeror’s company or any principal of Offeror (e.g., any owner, partner, officer, or major stockholder with 10% or more shares) been the subject of any of the following:

(a) judgment or conviction for any conduct constituting a felony under local, state or federal law, including, but not limited to, fraud, extortion, bribery, racketeering, labor, anti-trust, price-fixing, or bid collusion?

YES NO

(b) a criminal investigation or indictment for any conduct constituting a felony under local, state or federal law, including, but not limited to, fraud, extortion, bribery, racketeering, price-fixing, or bid collusion (to the best of Offeror’s knowledge*)?

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(c) an unsatisfied judgment, injunction or lien obtained by a Georgia state government agency including, but not limited to, judgments based on taxes owed and fines and penalties assessed by any Georgia state government agency?

YES NO

(d) an investigation for a civil violation by any local, state or federal agency (to the best of Offeror’s knowledge*)?

YES NO

(e) a suspension, debarment or termination for cause from any local, state or federal government procurement process?

YES NO

(f) a suspension or termination for cause prior to the completion of the term of any local, state or federal government contract?

YES NO

(g) a denial of award for non-responsibility determination made by any local, state or federal government?

YES NO

(h) an agreement to a voluntary exclusion from bidding/contracting on any local, state or federal procurement?

YES NO

(i) an administrative proceeding or civil action seeking specific performance or restitution in connection with any local, state or federal procurement (to the best of Offeror’s knowledge*)?

YES NO

(j) any bankruptcy proceeding? YES NO

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 18 of 25 CERTIFICATION:

The undersigned: (i) recognizes that this questionnaire is submitted for the express purpose of assisting the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) to make a determination regarding the eligibility for award of a contract, or to approve a subcontract; (ii) acknowledges that the GTA, the State of Georgia, its agencies and political subdivisions may, in their sole discretion, by means which they may choose, verify the truth and accuracy of all statements made herein; (iii) acknowledges that submissions of false or misleading information may constitute fraud, may result in ineligibility for contract award, may be used as grounds for termination for default of any contract awarded in relation to this certification, may be considered by the GTA, the State of Georgia, its agencies and political subdivisions in making responsibility determinations in other procurements, and may subject the Offeror or its representatives to criminal liability; (iv) as the authorized representative of the Offeror, states that the information submitted on this certification form and any attached pages is true, accurate and complete.

The undersigned hereby attests that he/she is duly authorized by the Offeror to make the statements and representations contained herein and/or attached hereto, on behalf of such Offeror.

Legal Name of Offeror’s Company Signature of Offeror’s Authorized Representative

Address Printed Name of Offeror’s Authorized Representative

City, State, Zip Title

State of County of

Sworn to and subscribed before me on this day of 20 .

Notary Public My Commission Expires:

Note: *As used herein, the term “to the best of Offeror’s knowledge” shall refer to the current actual knowledge of Offeror and shall be construed, by imputation or otherwise, to refer to the knowledge of any agent, manager, representative or employee of Offeror but does not impose upon Offeror any duty of inquiry or investigation of the matter to which such actual knowledge, or the absence thereof, pertains. The fact that Offerors (or their principals) are under investigation will not necessarily result in a determination of non-responsibility; rather, GTA will determine if the information and circumstances regarding such investigation are of such a nature or magnitude as to cause the GTA to deem the bidder non-responsible in order to protect the interests of the GTA and/or the State.

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Appendix C

Prospective Service Provider Statement Questionnaire

PSP Company Name: No.

Question PSP Response “Y” or “N” Client Reference Appendix E Number Common Services And Experience With Integrator Related Questions

1. Has the Prospective Service Provider functioned as the Service Provider, involving _{services based on the ITIL framework for a single client under a Service Integrator?} 2. Has the Prospective Service Provider fully and successfully implemented operational _{processes aligned with ITIL/ITSM disciplines?}

3. Has the Prospective Service Provider implemented and managed end-to-end processes in a multi-provider environment, specifically those that require the compliance of other Service Providers?

4. Has the Prospective Service Provider, as part of their service responsibilities, interfaced to an integrated single point of contact service desk that consolidates tracks, and routes, service requests across multiple external and internal service providers?

5. Has the Prospective Service Provider delivered services under an incentive based Service Level Agreement framework that is shared amongst other independent Service Providers?

6.

Has Prospective Service Provider utilized common tools established by other

independent Service Providers for the consistent and seamless delivery of services to a common customer base (examples would include end-to-end monitoring, incident and problem management, obligation/SLA management, etc.)?

7. Has Prospective Service Provider utilized common ITSM and end-to-end reporting for _{services established by other independent Service Providers?}

8. Does the Prospective Service Provider have the experience of delivering simultaneously into an organization that consists of multiple independent priorities such as state government agencies?

9. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided services to enterprises requiring alignment with varying maturity levels associated with technology, processes and services?

10. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided services to enterprises requiring _{alignment with constantly changing service priority requirements?} 11. Has the Prospective Service Provider been successful in aligning client retained IT _{services to their operational processes and requirements?}

12. Has the Prospective Service Provider been successful in establishing clear roles and responsibilities for common processes that cut across multiple customers and other independent Service Providers?

13. Has the Prospective Service Provider effectively utilized continuous refinement of operating policy and procedure and service manuals to improve upon service delivery and client/provider relationship quality?

14. Has the Prospective Service Provider participated and provided structure to a client’s governance representing business units of diverse (and sometimes conflicting) program objectives?

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 20 of 25 PSP Company Name:

No.

Question PSP Response “Y” or “N” Client Reference Appendix E Number and process knowledge as part of their transition activities?

16. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided financial management for IT services that include budgeting, accounting and charging requirements associated with the delivery of the services?

Wide Area Network (WAN) Management Related Questions

1. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided WAN Management services addressing the reach and range of delivery requirements similar to the diverse businesses of state government and the geography of Georgia?

2. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided and managed a MPLS network with _{ubiquitous geographical coverage within the state of Georgia?} 3. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience with strategic partners to _{deliver ubiquitous network service within the state of Georgia?} 4. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided services working with the diverse set of _{Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers represented in the state of Georgia?}

5. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided MPLS access connectivity types including Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or other broadband products within the state of Georgia?

6. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided high speed Gbps Internet access _{offerings and coverage within the state of Georgia?} 7. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience providing Network Cloud _{Based Security Services for Internet and MPLS customers?} 8. Has the Prospective Service Provider delivered IPAM/DHCP/DNS Managed Services? 9. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience with emerging technologies for _{WAN services?}

10. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience with providing traffic encryption (IPSEC VPN) between various sites that can keep traffic logically separated so it can be dropped into specific Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN’s)?

11. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience and a high level methodology for transitioning WAN and Internet Services from an incumbent provider on a similar scale to that represented by the State of Georgia?

Local Area Network (LAN) Management Related Questions

1. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided LAN Management services addressing the reach and range of delivery requirements similar to the diverse businesses of state government and the geography of Georgia?

2.

Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience providing Managed LAN Services, including Network Switching and Routing, Wireless Networks, Network Authentication Services, IPAM/DHCP/DNS Managed Services, Remote User VPN, and LAN security?

3. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience with strategic partners to _{deliver Managed LAN Services within the state of Georgia?}

4. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience with Managed LAN Services equipment acquisition and transition processes from an incumbent provider on a similar scale?

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RFQC No. 98000-0000001102 Managed Network Services Page 21 of 25 PSP Company Name:

No.

Question PSP Response “Y” or “N” Client Reference Appendix E Number 5. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience with emerging technologies for _{LAN services?}

Managed Voice Services Related Questions

1. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided Voice services addressing the reach and range of delivery requirements similar to the diverse businesses of state government and the geography of Georgia?

2. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided services working with the diverse set of _{Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers represented in the state of Georgia?} 3. Has the Prospective Service Provider provided and Managed Voice Services, including _{VoIP and TDM services?}

4. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience and high level methodology for transitioning Managed Voice Services, including VoIP and TDM from an incumbent provider on a similar scale?

5. Does the Prospective Service Provider have experience implementing emerging _{technologies for Managed Voice Services?}

6. Has the Prospective Service Provider experience providing Unified Communications, including such features as voice mail, across a broad set of voice services and platforms such as used by GTA Customers?

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Appendix D

Questionnaire Supporting Document

Instructions: Using the following table format, Prospective Service Provider is required to submit examples, as supporting documentation, for each question provided in the Appendix C, PSP Statement Questionnaire.

PSP Company Name:

QUESTION # ___ Supporting Examples (Complete below)

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Appendix E

Client Reference Information

Instructions: Using the following format, Prospective Service Provider (PSP) is required to complete and provide three client references that correspond to information provided in the Appendices C and D.

PSP Name: _____________________________________________ Engagement # ____

Required Information Name and address of the client

Contact of the client:  Telephone number  E-mail (if available) Size of the engagement:  Dollars per year  Term of contract

 Complete list of Service Towers under management

Narrative Description (explain below) including:  Engagement dates

 Major engagement activities or milestones  Description of services provided

 Staffing model and number of staff required to provide services  Average industry experience of staff working on the engagement  Applicability to a State outsourced IT environment

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Appendix F

Supporting Diagrams for Appendix D Responses

Instructions: Prospective Service Provider may submit diagrams (or charts or drawings) in an Appendix F for their PSP Statement and reference those diagrams in the PSP response to Appendix D and Appendix E. Appendix F should be limited to ten (10) pages.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS (RFQC)