Infrastructure Technical Support Services
Request for Proposal
ISAAC reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, with or without cause, and accept proposals that it considers most favourable to ISAAC. Nothing in this Request for Proposals (“RFP”), the proposal submissions, nor ISAAC’s acceptance of proposal submissions shall obligate ISAAC to enter into or complete negotiations with respondents. ISAAC is not liable for any costs incurred by respondents in replying to this RFP or in connection with any interviews or negotiations relating to this RFP.
Table of Contents
1 Overview ... 1
2 Project Background ... 1
2.1 High Level Objectives of the RFP ... 1
3 RFP Process ... 2
4 General Information to Proponents ... 2
4.1 Questions ... 2
4.2 Intent to Respond Form ... 3
4.3 Amendments to this RFP ... 3
4.4 Proposal Submission Procedure ... 3
4.5 Withdrawal and Modification ... 3
4.6 Period of Submission Validity ... 3
5 Statement of Work ... 4
5.1 Objectives ... 4
5.2 Scope of Services and Requirements ... 4
5.2.1 High Level Helpdesk and Desktop Support Scope ... 4
5.2.2 High Level Core Infrastructure Scope ... 5
5.2.3 Organizational Requirements ... 5
5.3 Price ... 6
6 Submission Content and Proposal Format ... 7
6.1 Proposal Details ... 7
7 Evaluation Guidelines ... 9
7.1 Evaluation Criteria ... 9
8 Contract Guidelines ... 9
9 General Information and Conditions ... 10
1 Overview
The Interistrict School for Arts and Communications (ISAAC ) is a public charter school located in New London CT. I ISAAC is an experiential learning community where students are challenged to discover their talents and strengths, while valuing the diversity in others in their school, community and the world. When asked, ISAAC families highlight the social and cultural diversity, the foundational importance of music and the arts to the learning experience, and the focus on individual creative development of their children as the hallmarks of an ISAAC education.
The ISAAC IT infrastructure consists of a Apple Mac Pro Server with approx.. 2.5 TB of storage providing File Shares, DNS, Backup, VPN, Website hosts, Wiki, Image Server and Open Directory. This system and its applications are migrating to a Dell PowerEdge Server which will also be hosting ISAAC’s Surveillance and Security system on a separate subnet. A DATTO backup appliance will be purchased for backup/failover capabilities for both e Business and Security instance. Wireless coverage is available throughout the entire building.
Our IT requirements have exceeded our existing resources ability to keep pace with those demands and our security and availability have been significantly compromised by old technology and our inability to devote resources to manage the environment. In this context we are inviting IT Managed Service providers to submit proposals to manage, monitor and support our IT infrastructure.
2 Project Background
The ISAAC IT department is responsible for break/fix support, maintenance, and security of Servers, Network, Desktop, Printers, Storage and Surveillance system.
ISAAC’s current infrastructure, including physical servers, storage area network and Cisco appliances reside on location at ISAAC.
2.1 High Level Objectives of the RFP
This RFP is being issued to achieve the following high level objectives:
• Procurement and contracting of IT functions, infrastructure capacity, and services to enable a focus on ISAAC’s business, security and education functions.
• To partner with a vendor that offers flexible support options and models that will enable ISAAC to effectively cope with growth in its various programs.
• Reduce costs of current service issues.
• Partner with a vendor to enhance user productivity, knowledge and awareness, through the use of emerging technologies;
• Improve ISAAC’s ability to leverage virtual and cloud based computing technologies to improve business continuity, performance, and applications.
3 RFP Process
The deadline for all Milestones is 4:00 pm EST
*These dates may be subject to change at ISAAC’s sole discretion
4 General Information to Proponents
4.1 Questions
All communications - inquiries, questions, requests, etc. related to this RFP process or to specific proposal submissions should be submitted via email to Migdalia Salas:
[email protected]. Please enter ISAAC IT-RFP in the subject line of the email.
Verbal communication shall not be binding unless formally confirmed via email by the designated person responsible for receiving inquires pertaining to this RFP. In no case shall verbal communication govern over written communication.
ISAAC will make a good-faith effort to provide a written response to each question or request for clarification within two (2) business days.
ISAAC will not respond to any questions or requests for clarification received after 4:00 pm June 1, 2015.
With respect to questions asked during this process, ISAAC will determine whether a single response is appropriate (relating to a proponent’s specific approach) or a broader clarifying communication to all proponents may be necessary.
No contact with any ISAAC Board Members, or staff, shall be made throughout this entire process in relation to this RFP without express permission. Any unauthorized contact may result in immediate disqualification.
Milestone Date*
RFP date of issue May 18, 2015
Question period (open – close) May 19, 2015 – June 1, 2015 RFP “Intent to Respond” forms due (Appendix A) May 25, 2015 (required)
RFP responses due June 5, 2015
Presentations/ Interviews June 16 – June 18, 2015
4.2 Intent to Respond Form
Intent to Respond Form (Appendix A) MUST be completed, and submitted via email to
[email protected] on or before 4:00 pm MAY 25, 2015. Please include ISAAC IT-RFP” in the email subject line.
4.3 Amendments to this RFP
ISAAC may modify solicitation documents by issuing addenda at any time prior to the proposal submission due date, for any reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a prospective vendor.
All proponents are urged to carefully examine the RFP immediately and, if a proponent believes there are any items that require clarification, the proponent should contact ISAAC according to the milestone schedule above. Proponents are expected to be fully conversant with all clauses of the RFP document before responding to it. All clarifications deemed by ISAAC to be material, will be issued as written addenda and sent to all proponents. Only written addenda shall be effective to modify or clarify this RFP.
In the event of a conflict between the RFP and any addenda, later-issued addenda shall govern the extent of any such conflict. All addenda shall be deemed to form part of the proponent’s submission.
4.4 Proposal Submission Procedure
Proposals are to be completed and submitted, on or before 4:00 pm June 5, 2015, via email to
[email protected] . Proposals can be submitted in MS Word, MS Excel or PDF format. Please include “ISAAC IT-RFP” in the email subject line.
4.5 Withdrawal and Modification
Proponents may revise and resubmit their proposals prior to the proposal due date. Proponents may withdraw their submissions from consideration at any time prior to the proposal due date. Requests to do so must be submitted electronically to [email protected]
4.6 Period of Submission Validity
5 Statement of Work
5.1 Objectives
The following are the objectives of this procurement:
• To establish a partnership with a service provider for the delivery of information and technology services to support ISAAC’s business, education and security infrastructure.
• To define a contract with a partner that outlines SLA’s to ensure maximum system availability that supports technology growth while leveraging current technologies that provide agile low risk computing resources.
5.2 Scope of Services and Requirements
From an organizational perspective, outsourcing includes the following functional services:
1. Migration of ISAAC infrastructure where possible from MAC based to Windows based server utilizing Hyper-V Virtualization .
2. Helpdesk and Desktop Support
3. Core infrastructure, server and SAN hosting, network support ( VPN, Firewall, monitoring, provisioning) backup and recovery, security, monitoring and performance reporting; 5.2.1 High Level Helpdesk and Desktop Support Scope
The current inventory of Desktops and Peripherals includes the following: • Approximately 10 Windows Desktops/Laptops
• 200 Macbooks
5.2.1.1 Desktop Support Requirements:
• On-Site presence as required or requested
• Ticketing management (intake) system as single point of contact for all service providers • Receive incident reports from Users via telephone or email
• Perform incident classification, prioritization, correlation with other reported incidents and matching against known errors
• Record all required incident details on the incident management system
• First level support to attempt to resolve the incident, use remote control if necessary for incident resolution
• If the incident requires escalation, the helpdesk staff create a work order on Service Desk and assign it to the appropriate resource
• Track the incident until closure and keep the User up to date with the incident status • Functional escalation to ISAAC management, in cases where the incident resolution
• Preparation of new computers for deployment, including the unpacking, installation of the operating system, installation of applications as per ISAAC IT policy and guidelines. • Onsite installation of new computers and logically attached peripherals such as printers,
installation includes site readiness inspection to verify availability of proper desktop, power outlets, and network outlets.
• Upgrade of PC hardware as required such as increase of memory or hard disk size. • Facilitate the implementation/push security policies, software patches to desktop
resources.
• Troubleshooting of hardware and software for PCs and Peripherals. • Recovery (if possible) of lost user’s data caused by hardware /software
failures or user errors.
• Relocation of PCs and Peripherals as required by users.
• Configuration and tuning of existing applications on PCs such as internet browsers and office automation application settings.
5.2.2 High Level Core Infrastructure Scope
The current inventory of core infrastructure components includes the following: • 1 Dell PowerEdge Server running Hyper-V Virtualization
• 1 Mac Pro Server (to be phased out) • 1 DATTO Appliance
5.2.2.1 Core Infrastructure Requirements:
• Configuration, maintenance, and administration of ISAAC’s Virtual Machine environment
• Configuration, maintenance, and administration of ISAAC’s Network environment • SAN hosting, monitoring, maintenance and allocation
• Networking provisioning, dark fiber, and Ethernet, local area networks, wireless, internet and remote access
• Backup and recovery
• Monitoring and performance reporting • Other enterprise level software as required 5.2.3 Organizational Requirements
• That they accept responsibility for ensuring that all employees, sub-contractors, sub-suppliers, agents and representatives under its direction comply with all federal, provincial and municipal health, safety and environmental statutes, regulations, policies, and guidelines.
5.3 Price
ISAAC expects complete disclosure with respect to all related expenses for ongoing operation support and services that extend beyond contractual limits. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: • all costs, if applicable, for the migration of existing infrastructure required to establish the same
level of service or better;
• include costs for any additional licensing required to support a proposal
• any costs related to third (3rd) party vendors, including consulting, hardware, software purchases or licensing
• hourly costs for resources not covered as part of the monthly or annual proposed fixed rates. (i.e. if a proponent’s submission includes a monthly 30 hr. block of desktop support services, what is the hourly rate if the 30 hr. limit is exceeded - include hourly rate based on position); and
• any and all other costs that would be applicable for the services that ISAAC is seeking but have not been itemized here
6 Submission Content and Proposal Format
In their proposal submissions, proponents must demonstrate their knowledge of delivering the services outlined in this RFP, and must also provide examples supporting their experience in these areas. A description of the proposed approach and methodology for achieving the outcomes of the services should also be included, along with a project (transition) management plan.
6.1 Proposal Details
Proposals are to include the following details: • Company overview
o History
§ Legal Name of Respondent § Operating Company Name § Headquarters Location § Office Address
§ RFP Contact Person (Name, Title, Email, Phone No., Fax No., Website) § Type of services offered
§ Strategic alliances or partnerships
§ Related experience, number of local like sized engagements § Related experience, number of non-local like sized engagements o Resources
§ Staff compliment • Local • Remote
• Subject matter experts including certifications and number of FTE’s qualified to support ISAACs environment
• Implementation Plan
o Transition plan for migrating to Dell Server from MAC
o The transition plan should detail ordered phases, descriptions, duration, dependencies and outage durations.
• Potential Conflicts of Interest
o Identify the nature of any potential conflicts of interest among team members in
providing services to ISAAC under this RFP. Fully discuss possible conflicts of interest, actual and perceived, which could arise in connection with performance by team
members of the proposed contract. Describe how these conflicts will be resolved. • Budget Proposal
o A detailed financial statement detailing all expenses related to the proposal including migration costs to achieve operational steady state.
o All costs for the migration should be milestone based
o Any expenses related to additional hardware, software, licensing or third (3rd) party vendors required for migration efforts or operational support.
o Service Pricing:
§ Desktop IT Support Services: • Fixed rate per month
• Cost for additional hour falling outside of a block rate. § Engineering Services:
• Cost for Engineering Services
7 Evaluation Guidelines
ISAAC is seeking a proposal which provide(s) the best overall value and level of service to the organization. As the best interests of ISAAC will be determinative, the below criteria have been
developed to inform proponents of the primary areas of consideration for the first stage of the evaluation process. This will be a scored evaluation and as such pricing shall not be the sole determinative factor for award. The review team for this first stage will evaluate the information provided in the proponent’s proposal, and develop a “short list” of two to four (2-4) Proponents that will advance to the second stage of the evaluation. This second stage of the evaluation is a presentation/interview. These proponents will be invited to discuss their IT solutions, and to answer questions from ISAAC staff. ISAAC evaluators will have the opportunity to update their functional requirements scoring after the meeting, and then a final decision will be made on the winning vendor
It is anticipated that the Proposals will be evaluated by ISAAC June 5 – June 15, 2015. During this period ISAAC may contact proponents with any questions or requests for clarification regarding their submission. ISAAC will short-list proponents based on results of evaluation process, and short-listed proponents will provide a presentation and be interviewed during the period of June 16-June 18, 2015. During this interview, proponents will be asked to present their proposal, and answer outstanding questions from ISAAC. Presentations / Interviews may be conducted remotely.
7.1 Evaluation Criteria
Weighting for the RFP responses will be evaluated according to the following table:
Evaluation Criteria Weight
Understanding of the project's requirements. Proposed method to be approached in
providing the required services successfully. 20%
Vendor’s background and experience supporting and providing services to similar sized
customers 10%
Vendor’s market with respect to regional economic benefits. Availability of sufficient and capable personnel with the required qualifications, skills and experience dedicated to the project. Local content and resources.
10%
Pricing/Best Value: • Transition
• Operational support costs
50%
Project Management, Transition and project plan 10%
8 Contract Guidelines
The successful proponent shall be required to enter into a professional services agreement setting forth terms and conditions acceptable to ISAAC.
9 General Information and Conditions
This RFP is subject to the following terms and conditions: • This is an invitation for proposals and not a tender call.
• The successful proponent shall be required to enter into a professional services agreement setting forth terms and conditions acceptable to ISAAC.
• ISAAC at its sole discretion may reject any or all proposals submitted in response to this RFP. Further, ISAAC may cancel this RFP at any time and may modify the RFP including, without limitation, the Services, and/or scope of work.
• ISAAC may select any proposal considered by ISAAC, at its sole discretion, to be in its best interests or the most satisfactory.
• ISAAC shall be entitled at its sole discretion to waive any irregularity, informality, or any non- conformance with the requirements of this RFP whatsoever with respect to any proposal received by ISAAC, or to reject any proposal for any such irregularity, informality, or non-conformance. • ISAAC may enter into post-submission negotiations and discussions with any one or more
proponent(s) regarding price, scope of work, and/or any other term of a proponent’s
submission, and such other terms as ISAAC may require, at any time prior to any execution of an agreement. ISAAC may, at its sole election, enter into simultaneous, competitive negotiations with multiple proponents or negotiate with individual proponents. Negotiations with proponents may result in the enlargement or reduction of the scope of work, or changes in other terms that are material to the RFP and the submitted proposals. In such event, ISAAC shall have no obligation to inform other proponents of the changes, or to permit them to revise their proposals in light thereof, although ISAAC, at its sole discretion, may do so if ISAAC determines such is in ISAAC’s best interest.
• ISAAC may discontinue any negotiations at any time, enter into or continue negotiations with firms that did not respond to this RFP and/or solicit new proposals from firms that did not respond to this RFP, including but not limited to negotiations or proposals for components of the scope, if any, that are not included in any successful proposal or any executed contract.
• Proponents shall be solely and fully responsible for all costs associated with the development, preparation, transmittal, and submission of any proposal or material submitted in response to this RFP. ISAAC may, in its sole discretion, ask proponents to present their proposal in person to ISAAC representatives at ISAAC’s offices, and the costs of such presentations shall be solely the responsibility of the proponent. By submitting a proposal, a proponent agrees that there may be no claims whatsoever for reimbursement from ISAAC for any such costs. All costs incurred by the proponent during the selection process and during any negotiations will be solely the responsibility of the proponent.
• ISAAC assumes no contractual or other obligations as a result of the issuance of this RFP, the preparation or submission of a proposal by a proponent, the evaluation of proposals, the
• No proponent shall have any claim for any compensation of any kind whatsoever, as a result of participating in this RFP process, and by submitting a proposal each proponent shall be deemed to have agreed that it has no claim.
Appendix A – “Intent to Respond” form
Intent to Respond
The company named below intends to submit a response to ISAAC’s IT-RFP .
Company Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________ Contact Information: Contact Name: _______________________________ Contact Title: ________________________________ Telephone Number: ___________________________ Contact e-mail: _______________________________ Signature: ___________________________________ Date: _______________________________________
This Intent to Respond form must be received by ISAAC no later than 4:00 pm EST Time, May 25, 2015.
DO YOU WISH TO HAVE A RFP CLARIFICATION MEETING? YES ☐
• if “Yes” please submit any questions you may have in advance of the meeting along with this Intent to respond form
NO ☐
