- Q: Will specific addresses be provided for all office locations? With estimate staffing at each site?
- A: Current Offices and staffing noted are here.
- Q: Would a Master Services Agreement with Amendments and/or Attachments with Services Purchased be acceptable?
- Q: Question on Length of Contract.
- A: This Request is for a Multi-Year Contract. The first period is for 15 months as stated in the proposal, with option to renew for two 12-month periods.
- Q: Request for bandwidth requirements for each remote office location.
- A: Each remote location should have sufficient bandwidth to accommodate one desktop computer and two phone lines. Currently, most remote office have subscribed internet and phone service at their locations. Some offices have internet and/or phone service provided as part of the lease for their locations.
- Q: Question on Managed Security Devices
- A: A managed security devices, such as a Meroki MX64, would provide remote management of routers and firewalls throughout the network.
- Q: Question on Rent or Purchase of Telephones.
- A: SER would prefer purchase of telephones.
- Q: Question on Service Level Agreements and Uptime Requirements.
- A: Please describe how your systems maximize uptime.
- A: Please describe any standard SLA agreement you provide to customers under contract.
- Q: Are Toll Free Services required?
- A: Yes, for the Main Office. One phone and One Fax line.
- Q: Will a new Phone System be required?
- Q: Will there be mobile device requirements?
- A: We estimate requiring 15 smartphones and 40 flip phones with a pool of minutes for use by staff when out of the office. Please include estimates for the cost of minutes.
- Q: Will electronic copies of the proposals be acceptable? Will there be an exception on the requirement of paper copies of the proposal due to the deadline for submission?
- A: The RFP requests three paper copies of the proposal and one electronic copy of the proposal via flash drive. Electronic delivery of the proposals are acceptable.
- Q: On the format of the submission, are the margin requirements exact?
- A: No, but we request that the format be a close as possible as requested in the RFP
- Q: Question on Length of the Proposal
- A: The response should be in 8 pages. This does not include the pages of the RFP or the inclusion of the response forms.
- Q: Will there be an opportunity to present the proposal in person?
- A: The top three scoring companies from the proposals submitted may be invited back to present their proposals in person.
- Q: Are the required documents in the RFP a part of the 8 page requirement?
- A: No, the 8 pages are for the proposal only.
- Q: Are the total number of phones noted in the proposal the total number of phones within the SER-National HQ office?
- A: No, the total should apply to all offices in total.
- Q: Is the internet bandwidth requirement noted in the proposal to replace the current system?
- A: SER is requesting an upgrade to their current internet bandwidth.
- Q: Will a bandwidth estimate be provided for each of the remote offices?
- A: SER requests 5 Mbps up/down for each of the remote site if available.
- Q: Why is SER advertising this RFP?
- A: The current phone system in place for SER-National is aged and is in need of replacement. Additionally, current internet is inadequate to sufficiently provide for the needs of the company. SER-National is required to procure services periodically due to Federal requirements.
- Q: Question on Period of Service
- A: April 1, 2017 is the beginning date for the Period of Service advertised in the RFP. However, proposals submitted should include the realistic estimated dates for implementation.
- Q: Will professional installation be required, or will this be self-installation?
- A: SER requests professional installation of all systems.
- Q: Will on-site training be required, or is a webinar or other forms of training preferred?
- A: Please include your company’s preferred method of delivery for any training.
