19WZ6018Q0005_2nd_ISP_Provision_of_Internet_Services.pdf

U.S. Embassy Mbabane

Date: August 13, 2018

To: Prospective Quoters

Subject: Request for Quotations number 19WZ6018Q0005

Enclosed is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for internet service. If you would like to submit a quotation, follow the instructions in Section 3 of the solicitation, complete the required portions of the attached document, and submit it to the address shown on the Standard Form 1449 that follows this letter.

The U.S. Government intends to award a contract/purchase order to the responsible company submitting an acceptable quotation at the lowest price. We intend to award a contract/purchase order based on initial quotations, without holding discussions, although we may hold discussions with companies in the competitive range if there is a need to do so.

All contractors have to be registered in the SAM (System for Award Management) Database https://www.sam.gov prior to contract award pursuant to FAR provision 52.204-7. Therefore prospective offerors are encouraged to register prior to the submittal of quotations/proposals.

The guidelines for registration in SAM are also available at:

https://www.statebuy.state.gov/pd/Pages/AdditionalVendorReg.aspx

Quotations are due by September 12, 2018 at 12:00 hours

Sincerely, Marjorie Rapp

Contracting Officer https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.statebuy.state.gov/pd/Pages/AdditionalVendorReg.aspx

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 - The Schedule

SF 1449 cover sheet

Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number 19WZ6018Q0005, Prices, Block 23

Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number 19WZ6018Q0005, Schedule Of Supplies/Services, Block 20 Description/Specifications/Work Statement

Section 2 - Contract Clauses

Contract Clauses

Addendum to Contract Clauses - FAR and DOSAR Clauses not Prescribed in Part 12

Section 3 - Solicitation Provisions

Solicitation Provisions

Addendum to Solicitation Provisions - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not Prescribed in Part

Section 4 - Evaluation Factors

Evaluation Factors

Addendum to Evaluation Factors - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not Prescribed in Part 12

Section 5 - Offeror Representations and Certifications

Offeror Representations and Certifications

Addendum to Offeror Representations and Certifications - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not

Prescribed in Part 12

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449, RFQ NUMBER 19WZ6018Q0005, PRICES BLOCK 23

I. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Contractor shall complete all work, including furnishing all labor, material, equipment, and services, unless otherwise specified herein, required under this contract for stated services within the time specified herein. The price listed below shall include all labor, materials, overhead, and profit. In consideration of satisfactory performance of all scheduled services required under this contract, the Contractor shall be paid a firm fixed-price for all services.

II. BASE PERIOD

The contract will be for a one-year period from the date of the contract award and a notice to proceed with four (4) option years.

1. The Contractor shall furnish all engineering, labor, tools, equipment, materials, supplies and services to provide the required circuit as specified under Section 1, hereof:

2. Prices. In consideration of satisfactory performance of the services required under this contract, the Contractor shall be paid a firm fixed-price (FFP) per month as stated in the schedule below in U. S. dollars. Local companies, and those within the South African Customs Union

(SACU) zone, shall offer in Eswatini Lilangeni (E) or their local currency. Carrier shall be responsible for payment end-to-end circuit billing.

2.1 VALUE ADDED TAX

VALUE ADDED TAX. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not included in the CLIN rates. Instead, it will be priced as a separate Line Item in the contract and on Invoices. The VAT percentage to be charged is 14%. Local law dictates the portion of the contract price that is subject to VAT; this percentage is multiplied only against that portion. It is reflected for each performance period.

The portions of the solicitation subject to VAT are: All aspects of the contract.

2.2. The firm fixed-prices are in __________________________________ (Offeror to identify currency (see 2, Prices))

BASE YEAR:

Contract

Line

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price

Total Firm-Fixed Price

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 8Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

2 Initial Installation (once off) 1

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 17 Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

4 Initial Installation (once off) 1

SUB-TOTAL

PLUS VAT

GRAND TOTAL FOR BASE YEAR

OPTION YEAR 1:

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price

Total Firm-Fixed Price

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 8Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 17Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

GRAND TOTAL FOR OPTION YEAR 1

OPTION YEAR 2:

Line

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price

Total Firm-Fixed Price

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 8Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 17Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

GRAND TOTAL FOR OPTION YEAR 2

OPTION YEAR 3:

Line

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price

Total Firm-Fixed Price

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 8Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 17Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

GRAND TOTAL FOR OPTION YEAR 3

OPTION YEAR 4:

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price

Total Firm-Fixed Price

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 8Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

OpenNet - VPN OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S.

Embassy compound, Corner of MR 103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini. One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimum 17Mbps providing fault tolerance in the last mile. HSRP protocol is required. This service must not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom

(SPTC).

GRAND TOTAL FOR OPTION YEAR 4

GRAND TOTAL CONTRACT PRICE, INCLUDING ALL OPTION YEARS

Base Period Total Price

First Option Year Total Price

Second Option Year Total Price

Third Option Year Total Price

Fourth Option Year Total Price

GRAND TOTAL FIRM-FIXED PRICE

FOR BASE YEAR PLUS ALL OPTION YEARS

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449, RFQ NUMBER 19WZ6018Q0005

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES, BLOCK 20

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

I. SCOPE OF WORK

The purpose of this firm fixed price purchase order is to obtain VPN, Internet Services, and

Circuitry for the U.S. Embassy Mbabane.

The local Telecommunication’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) contracting firm must provide internet services and dedicated leased line channels and circuitry for connecting American Embassy Mbabane and remote U.S. Embassy/Consulate Annex locations data links as shown below in this technical paper.

THIS IS THE LIST OF REQUIRED SERVICES:

SERVICE: OpenNet-VPN

NAME: OpenNet Plus (VPN through the Internet) at the U.S. Embassy

Mbabane

DESCRIPTION: One (1) dedicated Internet channel at minimums 8 Mbps / 17 Mbps.

1. The new internet service shall be high-end, professional

(business) grade service that differs from the residential, best effort or dial up service. ENM requires dedicated (not shared or bundled) Internet Bandwidth, 24/7, “always-on” with unlimited usage. Fiber optic, terrestrial connectivity is preferred (but not required). In some cases, a cellular or wireless service may provide better diversity for Post.

2. A /28 subnet static Public IP addresses for VPN equipment, network mask, and default gateway IP address.

3. ISP interface connectors: LC fiber connector (MM-multimode)

– Gigabit interface

4. ISP availability: "Always on"

5. ISP connection: IPs shall NOT repeat NOT use Network

Address Translation (NAT).

6. ISP shall permit all IP protocols (including but not limited to

ICMP, UDP, TCP, and IPSEC) to transit without filters or proxies. Unfiltered access to the Internet is required without ISP firewall blocking or stateful inspection.

7. ISP shall permit installation of Customer VPN encryption devices on circuit.

8. ISP shall permit ping and trace route traffic from 169.252.0.0/16 and 169.253.0.0/16 to the ISP connection (LC fiber Gigabit MM router interface which terminates Customer VPN encryption device).

a. High quality performance, the following parameters in a vendor’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) should be used: Packet Loss <=.5% and Availability of 99.9%.

9. If multiple entry points and/or LEC providers are available to your facility, ensure that the new ISP circuit is diverse from the current ISP circuit.

10. This service shall not traverse any data links owned or operated by

Swaziland Post and Telecom (SPTC).

TYPE OF

SERVICE:

Dedicated Internet Channel

LOCATION: U.S. Embassy Mbabane, Cnr of MR103 & Cultural Drive, Ezulwini, Eswatini

THE PROVIDED INTERNET SERVICE SHALL COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING

REQUIREMENTS:

Internet Services Quality

Internet Service Provider (ISP) shall provide dedicated (not shared or bundled) leased channel high-speed access to the Internet; data transport media must be fiber optic, terrestrial connectivity. Twenty-four (24) hours uplink. Post Internet Service Provider (ISP) connection must be "always on" with unlimited usage, and must not require the installation of any custom software on the client side.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) digital bandwidth is the amount or volume of data that may be sent through the channel, measured in kilobits per second (Kbps), without distortion. Required

Bandwidth connection is defined in each service description.

For Internet Services the Internet Service Provider (ISP) must guarantee full contracted bandwidth availability 24X7X365 from the originator side to the ISP’s internet gateway.

Bandwidth sharing between other non-Embassy customers is not allowed. Connection Ratio must be 1/1.

Internet Service or data service transmission from the originating information server towards an end server is referred to as downstream; and a transmission from an end user towards the remote server is referred as upstream; Post Internet Service Provider (ISP) Contention Ratio

(downstream / upstream) must be 1:1 /1:1.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must provide excellent Quality of Service (QOS) for the connection, that represents the level of consistent download capacity provided, must be the higher QOS percentage possible but, at minimum, greater than 99.97% or the highest possible quality of service connection reaching 100%.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) connection must NOT, repeat, NOT use Network Address

Translation (NAT).

Internet Service Provider (ISP) Round Trip Time (RTT) reports the total time in milliseconds

(ms) time to send a small data packet and obtain a reply back; must be the faster than 100ms for the Round Trip Time (RTT) for internet service. Also, RTT must be faster than 7ms for local data services (for instance: point-to-point channels or web pages accessed through the Eswatini

Network Access Point (NAP).

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must permit the transit of all Internet Protocol (IP) protocols

(especially IPSec), including but not limited to, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Transmission

Control Protocol (TCP), and IPSEC to transit without filters or proxies. Unfiltered access to the

Internet is required without ISP firewall blocking. Filters or sniffers must not be established, connected, or introduced by the ISP for any Embassy channels. If there are any existing filters, sniffers, restrictions, or proxies, they must be identified, and removed prior lease line circuit installation.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must permit installation of Customer VPN encryption devices on circuit.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must provide detailed network topology map that shows all possible paths ISP use for the internet traffic between ISP hub in Mbabaneand the ISP hub in

United States of America (USA).

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must have redundancy in the Internet backbone between Eswatini and USA. For instance, If NAP of the host country’s backbone fail, NAP Americas, NAP Sprint, or any other alternate backbone paths shall be available.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must provide fault-tolerance Fiber Optic connectivity to the very end at the U.S. Embassy Mbabanecompound Telecommunications Service Entrance Facilities

(TSEF) Room.

Network Identification

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must provide a block of sixteen (16) public internet IP addresses on a single subnet for Internet services.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must provide IP addresses used to identify the single subnet address in Classless Inter-Domain Routing address specification (Network IP address / 28) or, equivalently, its subnet mask 255.255.255.240, and ISP Gateway IP addresses (virtual IP addresses).

Network Devices

The network devices shall comply with the following characteristics:

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must permit ping and trace route traffic from 169.252.0.0/16 and

169.253.0.0/16 to the ISP connection RJ45 10/100BaseT router interface which terminates

Customer VPN encryption device.

Services provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) must be delivered with RJ-45 interface connectors with a 10/100baseT interface.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) must provide routers and Data media converters or transmission devices in all cases.

Power standard sources must be dual voltage (110v/60hz and 220v/50hz)

Devices must be Rack mountable in a standard Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) rack.

One separate or individual physical interface connector is required per service.

II. GENERAL:

The Department of State has a requirement for one full period, full duplex, clear channels, and digital circuits capable of supporting synchronous traffic. 8Mbps / 17Mbps, between the Main

Distribution Frame [MDF] of The US Embassy Mbabane, located at the corner of MR103 and

Cultural Center Drive and the Main Distribution Frame (MDF) of the vendor. For clear channel circuits, they shall be completely transparent to 8Mbps / 17Mbps data, with no bits added to or deleted from the bit stream provided to the interface of the Department of State equipment. The circuit shall be supplied for the transmission of a multiplexed aggregate bit stream for telegraphic and data signals.

The Department of State reserves the right to increase or decrease this digital circuit bandwidth requirement from no less than 64 kbps and up to 15 Mb within 30 days written notice to the

Contractor. The desired intervals for circuit bandwidth are as follows: 64kbps, 256kbps, 512kbps, 1Mb, 2Mb, 4Mb, 6Mb, 8Mb, 10Mb, and 15Mb. The Contractor is to provide fractional

T-1 fixed cost pricing for this increase or decrease of digital service. The availability of this circuit shall not be less than 99.7 percent per month over the period of the contract.

A. This digital service shall be via whatever facilities are available to the Contractor.

NOTE: Double satellite hops are not acceptable. The service shall be for the exclusive use of the Department of State, 24-hours per day, 7 days per week, and 52 weeks per year. No on premise satellite ground station will be considered for this circuit.

B. The Contractor shall coordinate the service and shall be responsible for the technical sufficiency of the circuit, including services necessary to establish, operate, and restore the circuit. Except for modems and terminal equipment furnished by the Government, the

Contractor shall provide all equipment, materials, and supplies required to provide the service which includes the Data Service Unit (DSU) configured with Data Communications Equipment

(DCE) interface. If required, signal element timing shall be provided by the Contractor’s facility.

C. The Contractor shall provide sufficient technical support to ensure uninterrupted end-to-end service between such terminal points as are covered in this contract. The

Contractor shall provide, properly adjust, and maintain the circuit for continuous Department of

State use. The Contractor shall ensure that the circuit complies with service changes, additions, or deletions as required under this contract.

D. The circuit shall be completely transparent to the 8Mbps / 17Mbps data, with no bits added to or deleted from the bit stream provided to the interface of the Department of State equipment. The circuit shall be supplied for the transmission of a multiplexed aggregate bit stream for telegraphic and data signals. All other characteristics will be in accordance with

International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) specifications.

E. The Contractor shall supply a Data Service Unit(s) (DSUs) configured with a Data

Communications Equipment (DCE) interface. Signal element timing shall be provided as follows: (1) timing to the American Embassy will be provided by the Contractor’s facility.

NOTE: Where applicable for digital service and for information purposes:

F.

Services. This is a firm fixed-price contract for the lease of one full period, full duplex, clear channels, digital circuits and internet leased lines capable of supporting synchronous traffic.

For the clear channel circuits, they shall be completely transparent to 2,048 kbps data or different if specified on the service requirements, with no bits added to or deleted from the bit stream provided to the interface of the Department of State equipment.

G. Bit Error Rate Test (BERT) The bit error rate (BER) for the service shall not be greater than 1 in 10 to the 6 bits for 99.7% of the time, for all time.

H. Acceptable Level of Performance. The Standard of Performance (SP) for this contract is 99.7% percent availability per month (100 percent less 0.3 percent each month for corrective and preventive maintenance).

I. Inspection and Acceptance. Unless specified in the Contract, the Government shall require a period not to exceed 24 hours in order to perform testing to determine acceptance of the required circuit under Section C. The U.S. destination point or the U.S. foreign post shall conduct the testing.

J. Term of Contract: The required circuits shall be installed and delivered to the

Destination Point on or before 60 Days after Contract Award. Upon successful installation and acceptance by the Government of the required circuit under Section C, the Contractor shall be provided, in writing, notice to proceed and shall provide contractual services for a twelve (12) month period, commencing on the date specified in the notice to proceed.

K. The Contractor agrees that the work and services set forth in this contract shall be performed during the period commencing the effective date of this contract and shall continue through the end of the twelve month period of service (CLIN 1 through 8), excluding the exercise of any option.

L. An Invoice, suitable for payment, shall contain, but not limited to, the following information:

1. Name of Contractor;

2. Date of Invoice;

3. Original Invoice Number (Consecutive numbers);

4. Contract number;

5. Task or Delivery Order number, as applicable;

6. Government Specific Accounting and Appropriation Data (Funding Cite.)

(Example: 19X0113-2015-X75041-180100-5327-2332);

7. Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) of item or service provided;

8. Description of the item, or service actually provided;

9. Period of performance of service or date item is provided;

10. Block/Space reserved for COR acceptance signature and date;

11. Signature, Name and Phone number of Company representative authorized to sign invoices;

12. Remit to address

13. Name, phone number and Mailing address to whom any disputed invoices should be addressed;

14. Credits with explanation and period covered.

Failure to submit Invoices which do not identify this information shall be returned without payment to the Contractor for correction.

M. Authorized Instruction to Contractor

a. No person or agency other than the Contracting Officer (CO) is authorized to give instruction, orders or directions on behalf of the Government to the Contractor or his employees, unless such person or agency is authorized in writing by the CO to so act. The authority of such person or agency is strictly limited to the written authorization provided by the CO. The duty is upon the Contractor to determine the authority of such person or agency. Any questions regarding the authority of such person or agency should be directed to the CO in writing.

b. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): The CO may designate and authorize a representative(s) to act on his/her behalf under this contract. Such representative(s) as may be appointed shall be designated by a letter from the CO and a copy of the letter shall be given to the Contractor. The COR shall represent the CO as specified in his/her delegation of authority letter. The COR shall not be authorized to issue change orders or adjustments.

Changes in the Scope of Work/Specifications or any increase or decrease in the work called for by this contract shall be made by the CO by an executed modification to this contract.

N. Reserved.

O. Release of Information

1. The Contractor’s organization shall clear with the Information Office listed below any public release of information on this contract. This information includes news stories, articles, sales literature, advertisements, radio-TV spots, etc.

2. The request for public release of information should be addressed to Contracting Officer, U.S. Embassy Mbabane, Cnr of MR103 & Cultural Drive, P.O. Box D202, The Gables, H106, Eswatini.

3. Limited Use of Data and Information. Performance of this contract may require the Contractor to access and use data and information proprietary to the Government agency or agency personnel, or which is of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this contract would be adverse to the interests of the Government or others. The Contractor and Contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this contract, until made public by the Government, except to authorized Government personnel or upon written approval of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor will not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data which bears a restrictive legend, other than as required in the performance of this contract. Nothing herein shall preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the Contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no costs to the Government between the Contractor and the data owner provides for greater rights to the Contractor.

P. Circuit Downtime and Credits

Credits shall be assessed against the Contractor in those instances where the circuit during any given month or year that fail to achieve and sustain the minimum acceptance standards stated above.

1. Definitions:

Circuit Availability Acceptance Level: Yearly Circuit Availability Acceptance Level is computed by 365 calendar days times 24 (hours per day) times 99.7% acceptance level equals

8,716.20 hours annum. (365 x 24 = 8760 x 99.7% = 8,733.72). Monthly Circuit Availability is computed by the calendar days per month times 24 (hours per day) times 99.7% acceptance level

(example: 31 x 24 = 744 x 99.7% = 741.76).

Downtime: That period of time when the circuit becomes non-operational or unusable for communication or transfer of data or failures to meet the minimum acceptance standards. The maximum cumulative Annual downtime that shall be acceptable for corrective or preventative maintenance is 26.28 hours (8760 x .3%). The maximum cumulative Monthly downtime that shall be acceptable for corrective or preventative maintenance shall be .3% of the total available hours for the month (example: 31 x 24 = 744 x .3% = 2.23 hours).

Period of Downtime: Downtime shall commence at the time first attempt for contact is made by the Government (or its representative) to the Contractor’s Point of Contact and shall be annotated on the Remedy Ticket and shall continue until the circuit is returned into Service by the Government.

Downtime Credits: Monetary value returned to the Government for failure to meet the

Circuit availability requirements. Downtime Credits shall be assessed based on cumulative downtime time with the minimum assessment being one hour. Downtime credit shall be equal to the hourly or daily rate (as applicable) as identified in the schedule in Section B. There are two

(2) situations when circuit Downtime Credits can be accumulated:

1) Below Availability Level,

2) Extended Downtime.

2. Credit for Circuit Downtime by Situation

Below Availability Level: If the downtime accumulated for a circuit adds up to 26.28

(8760 x 0.3%) cumulative hours or more during any one contract year (365 calendar days) or depending on the number of hours for the month (example 744 x .3%) cumulative hours per month (example: 31 calendar day month) the Contractor shall grant a hourly credit to the

Government for each hour of downtime. Each additional one hour increment or portion thereof will be assessed as an additional hour.

Extended Downtime Credit(s): Cumulative time of more than 18 hours but not greater than 24 hours for any one outage shall be assessed at a daily rate. Any increment of 24 hours beyond the initial 24 hours of any one outage shall be assessed at the standards for the hourly rate up to 12 hours, however between 12 and 24 hours the credit shall be assessed at the daily rate.

3. Exceptions to Cumulating of Downtime

Cumulating of circuit downtime shall include all unscheduled downtime deemed to be the responsibility of the Contractor, with the following exceptions:

a. When the failure to perform arises out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor or Sub-contractor as defined in the Termination for Default clause in Section I of this contract.

b. Malfunction of equipment, frequency fading and interference, errors of commission and/or omission by the Contractor or Sub-contractor, and commercial power surges or failures are considered to be normal hazards of the industry and therefore do not qualify as causes beyond the control of the Contractor or Sub-contractor. The Contractor shall be charged with credits for all reported outages determined “no trouble found” or “came clear while testing” but which exceed 45 minutes.

The Contracting Officer shall make final determination as to whether downtime is the responsibility of the Contractor. If requested by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall provide documentation to support claims of excusable downtime. For downtime determined to be the Contractor’s responsibility, the Contracting Officer may elect to assess a credit for each instance of non-performance.

4. Payment Reduction for Downtime Credits

When Circuit Downtime credit(s) is owed to the Government, the total number of creditable hours shall be accumulated for the month and will be deducted from the payment due the Contractor in the month they accrued.

5. Trouble Escalation Procedure

a. The Government shall refer the problem to the carrier after performing tests as prescribed in the Trouble Analysis procedure. Obtain the name of the carrier test person and a carrier ticket number; record this information on the Government’s Remedy Ticket.

b. After the trouble has been referred to the carrier for two (2) hours, recall the carrier for an update on the current trouble. Record the carrier’s response, the name of the individual you talked with, and the carrier ticket number on the Remedy Ticket.

c. After the trouble has been referred to the carrier for four (4) hours, recall the carrier for an update on the current trouble. If the carrier’s response is not satisfactory escalate the trouble to the carrier’s management. Record the carrier’s response, the name of the individual you talked with, and the carrier ticket number on the Remedy Ticket.

d. After the trouble has been referred to the Contractor for six (6) hours the COR shall escalate the trouble to the Contractor’s manager; also notify IRM/IMO and the Contracting Officer and the STATE IRM/ISC Office. Record the contractor’s response, the name of the individual you talked with, the Contractor ticket number, and the names of the IRM managers that were notified on the Remedy Ticket.

e. Continue to status the Contractor for the remainder of the outage or until you have received a problem resolved status.

6. Technological Refreshment

After contract award, the Government may; pursuant to FAR clause 52.212-4 - Contract Terms and Conditions –Commercial Items, paragraph (c), Changes; request changes within the scope of the contract. These changes may be required to improve performance or react to changes in technology.

The Contractor may propose for the Government’s technological refreshment, substitutions or additions for any provided products or services that may become available as a result of technological improvements. The Government may, at any time during the term of this contract or any extensions thereof, modify the contract to acquire products which are similar to those under the contract and that the Contractor has, or has not, formally announced for marketing purposes. This action is considered to be within the scope of the contract. At the option of the

Government, a demonstration of the substitute product may be required. The Government is under no obligation to modify the contract in response to the proposed additions or substitutions.

Such substitutions or additions may include any part of, or all of, a given product(s) provided that the following conditions are met and substantiated by documentation in the technological refreshment proposal:

a. The proposed product(s) shall meet all of the technical specifications of this document and conform to the terms and conditions cited in the contract.

b. The proposed product(s) shall have the capacity, performance, or functional characteristics equal to or greater than, the current product(s).

c. The proposal shall discuss the impact on hardware, services, and delivery schedules. The cost of the changes not specifically addressed in the proposal shall be borne entirely by the

Contractor.

d. Contractor has the right to withdraw, in whole or in part, any technological refreshment proposal prior to acceptance by the Government. Contractor will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that prices for substitutions or additions are comparable to replaced or discontinued products. If a technological refreshment proposal is accepted and made a part of this contract, an equitable adjustment, increasing or decreasing the contract price, may be required and any other affected provisions of this contract shall be made in accordance with FAR clause 52.212-4, paragraph (c), Changes, and other applicable clauses of the contract.

7. QUALITY ASSURANCE AND SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

This plan provides an effective method to promote satisfactory contractor performance. The QASP provides a method for the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to monitor Contractor performance, advise the Contractor of unsatisfactory performance, and notify the Contracting Officer of continued unsatisfactory performance. The Contractor, not the Government, is responsible for management and quality control to meet the terms of the contract.

The role of the Government is to monitor quality to ensure that contract standards are achieved.

Performance Objective Scope of Work Para Performance Threshold

Services.

Performs all internet services set forth in the scope of work.

1. thru 6.

All required services are performed and no more than one

(1) customer complaint is received per month.

SECTION 2 - CONTRACT CLAUSES

FAR 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS – COMMERICAL ITEMS

(JAN 2017), is incorporated by reference (see SF-1449, Block 27A)

52.212-5 -- Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders

-- Commercial Items (JUL 2018)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or

Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or

Statements (Jan 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and

Further Continuing Appropriations Act 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(2) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Nov

2015)

(3) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(4) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Public Laws

108-77, 108-78 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the contracting officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

_X__ (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 2402).

___ (2) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Oct 2015) (41

U.S.C. 3509).

___ (3) 52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections under the American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Jun 2010) (Section 1553 of Pub L. 111-5) (Applies to contracts funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).

_X__ (4) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive compensation and First-Tier Subcontract

Awards (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

___ (5) [Reserved]

___ (6) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-

117, section 743 of Div. C).

___ (7) 52.204-15, Service Contract Reporting Requirements for Indefinite-Delivery

Contracts (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

_X__ (8) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with

Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Oct 2015) (31 U.S.C.

6101 note).

___ (9) 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility

Matters (Jul 2013) (41 U.S.C. 2313).

___ (10) [Reserved]

___ (11) (i) 52.219-3, Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole-Source Award (Nov 2011)

(15 U.S.C. 657a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011) of 52.219-3.

___ (12) (i) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small

Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer)(15 U.S.C. 657a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2011) of 52.219-4.

___ (13) [Reserved]

___ (14) (i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011).

___ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2011).

___ (15) (i) 52.219-7, Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003) (15 U.S.C.

644).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 1995) of 52.219-7.

___ (iii) Alternate II (Mar 2004) of 52.219-7.

___ (16) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C.

637(d)(2) and (3)).

___ (17) (i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Jan 2017) (15 U.S.C. 637

(d)(4)).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (iv) Alternate III (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (v) Alternate IV (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (18) 52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644(r)).

___ (19) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Jan 2017) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)).

___ (20) 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages—Subcontracting Plan (Jan 1999) (15 U.S.C.

637(d)(4)(F)(i)).

___ (21) 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-

Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657f).

___ (22) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Jul 2013) (15

U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

___ (23) 52.219-29, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Economically

Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (Dec 2015) (15 U.S.C.

637(m)).

___ (24) 52.219-30, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Women-Owned

Small Business Concerns Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program

(Dec 2015) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

___ (25) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755).

_X__ (26) 52.222-19, Child Labor—Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Jan

2018) (E.O. 13126).

___ (27) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

___ (28) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016) (E.O. 11246).

___ (29) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

___ (30) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29

U.S.C. 793).

___ (31) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

___ (32) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations

Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496).

_X__ (33) (i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C.

chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50, (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

___ (34) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015). (E. O. 12989). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items or certain other types of commercial items as prescribed in 22.1803.)

___ (35) (i) 52.223-9, Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA-

Designated Items (May 2008) (42 U.S.C. 6962(c)(3)(A)(ii)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

___ (ii) Alternate I (May 2008) of 52.223-9 (42 U.S.C. 6962(i)(2)(C)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

___ (36) 52.223-11, Ozone-Depleting Substances and High Global Warming Potential

Hydrofluorocarbons (Jun 2016) (E.O.13693).

___ (37) 52.223-12, Maintenance, Service, Repair, or Disposal of Refrigeration

Equipment and Air Conditioners (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

___ (38) (i) 52.223-13, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Imaging Equipment (Jun

2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514

___ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 2015) of 52.223-13.

___ (39) (i) 52.223-14, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Television (Jun 2014)

(E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-14.

___ (40) 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products (Dec 2007) (42

U.S.C. 8259b).

___ (41) (i) 52.223-16, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Personal Computer Products

(Oct 2015) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-16.

_X__ (42) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging while

Driving (Aug 2011) (E.O. 13513).

___ (43) 52.223-20, Aerosols (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

___ (44) 52.223-21, Foams (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13696).

___ (45) (i) 52.224-3, Privacy Training (Jan 2017) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2017) of 52.224-3.

___ (46) 52.225-1, Buy American--Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83).

___ (47) (i) 52.225-3, Buy American--Free Trade Agreements--Israeli Trade Act (May

2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83, 19 U.S.C. 3301 note, 19 U.S.C. 2112 note, 19 U.S.C. 3805 note, 19 U.S.C. 4001 note, Pub. L. 103-182, 108-77, 108-78, 108-286, 108-302, 109-53, 109-169, 109-283, 110-138, 112-41, 112-42, and 112-43).

___ (ii) Alternate I (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (iii) Alternate II (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (iv) Alternate III (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (48) 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Oct 2016) (19 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., 19 U.S.C.

3301 note).

_X__ (49) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008) (E.O.’s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the

Department of the Treasury).

___ (50) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the

United States (Oct 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

___ (51) 52.226-4, Notice of Disaster or Emergency Area Set-Aside (Nov 2007) (42

U.S.C. 5150).

___ (52) 52.226-5, Restrictions on Subcontracting Outside Disaster or Emergency Area

(Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

_X__ (53) 52.232-29, Terms for Financing of Purchases of Commercial Items (Feb 2002)

(41 U.S.C. 4505), 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

___ (54) 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items (Jan 2017) (41 U.S.C.

4505, 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

_X__ (55) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer— System for Award

Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (56) 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—Other Than System for

Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (57) 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party (May 2014) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (58) 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

___ (59) 52.242-5, Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Jan 2017) (15 U.S.C.

637(d)(12)).

___ (60) (i) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels

(Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Apr 2003) of 52.247-64.

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

___ (1) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495)

___ (2) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter

67.).

___ (3) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) (29

U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (4) 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards --

Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (May 2014) (29 U.S.C.206 and

41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (5) 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards --

Price Adjustment (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (6) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment--

Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (7) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (8) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015) (E.O.

13658).

___ (9) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017) (E.O.

13706).

___ (10) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations. (May

2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792).

___ (11) 52.237-11, Accepting and Dispensing of $1 Coin (Sep 2008) (31 U.S.C.

5112(p)(1)).

(d) Comptroller General Examination of Record The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of this paragraph (d) if this contract was awarded using other than sealed bid, is in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, and does not contain the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records -- Negotiation.

(1) The Comptroller General of the United States, or an authorized representative of the

Comptroller General, shall have access to and right to examine any of the Contractor’s directly pertinent records involving transactions related to this contract.

(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or reproduction, until 3 years after final payment under this contract or for any shorter period specified in FAR Subpart 4.7, Contractor Records Retention, of the other clauses of this contract. If this contract is completely or partially terminated, the records relating to the work terminated shall be made available for 3 years after any resulting final termination settlement. Records relating to appeals under the disputes clause or to litigation or the settlement of claims arising under or relating to this contract shall be made available until such appeals, litigation, or claims are finally resolved.

(3) As used in this clause, records include books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and regardless of form. This does not require the Contractor to create or maintain any record that the Contractor does not maintain in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.

(e)(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of the clauses in paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d) of this clause, the Contractor is not required to flow down any FAR clause, other than those in this paragraph (e)(1) in a subcontract for commercial items. Unless otherwise indicated below, the extent of the flow down shall be as required by the clause—

(i) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Oct 2015) (41

U.S.C. 3509).

(ii) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality

Agreements or Statements (Jan 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(iii) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C.

637(d)(2) and (3)), in all subcontracts that offer further subcontracting opportunities. If the subcontract (except subcontracts to small business concerns) exceeds $700,000 ($1.5 million for construction of any public facility), the subcontractor must include 52.219-8 in lower tier subcontracts that offer subcontracting opportunities.

(iv) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495).

Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (1) of FAR clause 52.222-17.

(v) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

(vi) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016) (E.O. 11246).

(vii) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(viii) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29

U.S.C. 793).

(ix) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(x) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor

Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (f) of FAR clause 52.222-40.

(xi) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014), (41 U.S.C. chapter

67).

(xii) (A) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C.

chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

(B) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 E.O.

13627).

(xiii) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor

Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain

Equipment--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67.)

(xiv) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor

Standards to Contracts for Certain Services--Requirements (May 2014) (41

U.S.C. chapter 67)

(xv) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015) (E. O. 12989).

(xvi) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015).

(xvii) 52.222-62, Paid sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017)

(E.O. 13706).

(xviii) (A) 52.224-3, Privacy Training (Jan 2017) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

(B) Alternate I (Jan 2017) of 52.224-3.

(xix) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the

United States (Oct 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

(xx) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations.

(May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph

(e) of FAR clause 52.226-6.

(xxi) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately-Owned U.S. Flag Commercial Vessels

(Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631).