2-RFI-IT-25-15 Enterprise Telephony Unified Communications Solutions.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION:

ENTERPRISE TELEPHONY & UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS

#RFI-IT-26-15

Scope of Services

1.0 Introduction & Purpose

The City of Palm Coast (the "City") is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to gather information on modern, reliable, and scalable enterprise-grade telephony solutions. The City's current hybrid Mitel phone system will soon be unsupported, and the City is taking this opportunity to explore the market for a replacement.

The purpose of this RFI is to understand the capabilities, features, and budgetary pricing of solutions available in the marketplace. We are particularly interested in cloud-based/Hosted VoIP solutions and "cell phone-first" strategies that can provide full-featured mobility for our workforce while maintaining robust in-office desk phone capabilities.

Information gathered from this RFI will be used to assess available options, refine our requirements, and may serve as the foundation for a future formal procurement process, such as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP).

2.0 Current State & Environment

To provide context, our current environment is as follows:

• Total Endpoints: Approximately 421 total.

o Office-Based Users: 264 o Mobile/Field Users: 27 o Common Area Phones: 130 (e.g., lobbies, conference rooms, break rooms)

• Physical Locations: The system must serve 22 distinct City locations. A list of addresses is provided in Appendix A.

• Network: The City owns and internally manages a fiber optic network that connects all locations, with a 10Gbs internet connection. Vendors should assume a high-quality, high-bandwidth internal network (WAN/LAN) suitable for VoIP.

• Call Volume: We experience peak call volumes of approximately 90+ concurrent calls.

• High-Volume Departments: Key high-volume departments include Code Enforcement and the Building Department.

• Excluded Departments: The City's Utility Billing/Customer Service department utilizes a separate platform and is out of scope for this RFI.

• Phone Numbers: The City has approximately six (6) Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers. We do not utilize toll-free numbers.

3.0 Key Functional Requirements

The City is seeking a solution that meets the following functional and technical requirements.

Responders should describe in detail how their solution addresses each point.

3.1 Mobility Strategy

The City wishes to explore the option of having cell phones operate as primary phones for parts of its workforce. The purpose of this is to reduce costs, so that staff that are required to have a cell phone don’t have to also have a desk phone. The functionality should be a part of the native phone number built into the phone, and not an additional app (and cost) to the base cell service. If an app (an additional cost) is needed to access all the phones it would be no different than having a desk phone and therefore unnecessary

• Mobile Functionality: Using the mobile device must allow users to:

o Make and receive calls using their City-issued extension/number.

o Place calls on hold, transfer calls (warm and cold), and park calls.

o Initiate and participate in three-way or multi-line conference calls.

o Access a central company directory.

o Manage voicemail and call settings.

3.2 Desk Phone & In-Office Functionality

While mobility is key, the solution must also provide robust support for traditional desk-based users.

• Desk Phones: Describe your range of supported IP-based desk phones (e.g., basic, executive, receptionist console).

• Hardware Model: Does your solution require specific proprietary phones, or can it utilize standard SIP-compliant hardware (e.g., Poly, Yealink)?

• User Experience: Describe the standard features available to a desk phone user (e.g., caller ID, call waiting, directory, speakerphone).

3.3 Call Routing & Management

• Auto-Attendants: The system must support approximately 18 multi-level auto-attendants (i.e., menus that lead to sub-menus).

o Example: A call to our main Fire Station number provides a menu ("Press 1 for Station 21, Press 2 for Station 22...").

• Call Queues / Hunt Groups: The system must support approximately 41 call queues or hunt groups (e.g., "round-robin," "ring all").

o Example: Our Code Enforcement workgroup consists of 11 staff (agents and leads) who need to answer calls in a queue.

• IVR (Optional): Please describe any Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capabilities, such as data collection (e.g., "Please enter your 5-digit case number"), that are available as an add-on.

3.4 Voicemail

• Voicemail-to-Email: The system must be capable of delivering voicemail messages as audio files to a user's email inbox (Microsoft 365).

• Additional Features: Please describe other available voicemail features, such as voicemail transcription (voice-to-text).

3.5 Reporting & Analytics

The solution must provide a reporting and analytics module accessible to administrators. Please describe the system's ability to report on:

• Call volume (inbound/outbound)

• Call queue statistics (e.g., wait times, abandoned calls, agent performance)

• Call detail records (CDRs) for all users

3.6 Excluded Features

The following features are not required for this project:

• Call Recording

• Integrated video conferencing (e.g., Zoom/Teams-like functionality)

• Integrated team chat/messaging

4.0 Technical & Administrative Requirements

• E911 Compliance: The solution must be fully compliant with all federal E911 legislation, including Kari's Law and the RAY BAUM's Act. Responders must describe how their system ensures that a 911 call placed from any device (desk phone or mobile app on-campus) at any of the 22 City locations will transmit that specific building's physical address to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

• Administration Portal: The solution must provide a secure, web-based administrative portal for the City's IT staff. This portal must allow for self-service management of users (adds/moves/changes), call routing, auto-attendants, and other system settings.

• Integrations: While not a hard requirement, please describe any available pre-built integrations with other platforms, specifically Microsoft 365 / Outlook.

5.0 Implementation, Support, & Training

• Implementation: Describe your typical implementation and porting process. The City expects the chosen vendor to manage the entire transition, including the porting of all existing phone numbers from our current carrier.

• Training: Describe your training methodology for both end-users and IT administrators.

• Technical Support: Describe your technical support model. The City requires 24/7/365 support for critical, system-wide emergencies, with clear escalation paths.

6.0 Information Requested

Please provide the following in your response:

1. Company Overview: A brief overview of your company, its history, and its experience with public sector/municipal clients.

2. Solution Architecture: A description of your proposed solution (e.g., pure cloud, hybrid). Is it a proprietary platform or built on a third-party platform (e.g., BroadSoft, Microsoft Teams)?

3. Feature Confirmation: A detailed response, ideally point-by-point, confirming how your solution meets the requirements in Section 3.0 and 4.0.

4. Implementation & Support: Your response to the items in Section 5.0.

5. Budgetary Pricing: Please provide a sample budgetary pricing quote based on the user counts and requirements in this RFI. This is for informational and planning purposes only and is non-binding. Please itemize pricing as much as possible, including:

o One-time implementation/setup/training fees.

o Monthly recurring costs per user (please show different pricing for different user types, e.g., mobile-only user vs. full-featured desk phone user).

o Monthly recurring costs for common area phones.

o Costs for any recommended desk phone hardware.

o Any other ongoing licensing or support fees.

Appendix A: City of Palm Coast Facility List

1. A1A Tower : 5636 N Ocean Shore Blvd, Palm Coast, FL 32137

2. City Hall : 160 Lake Avenue, Palm Coast, FL 32164

3. Colo 2 : 975 Central Avenue, Palm Coast, FL 32164

4. Colo 1 : 4 Corporate Drive, Palm Coast, FL 32137

5. Palm Coast Aquatics Center : 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast, FL 32164

6. Fire Station 21 : 9 Corporate Drive, Palm Coast, FL 32137

7. Fire Station 22 : 307 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, FL 32137

8. Fire Station 23 : 5750 Belle Terre Pkwy, Palm Coast, FL 32137

9. Fire Station 24 : 1505 Palm Harbor Pkwy, Palm Coast, FL 32137

10. Fire Station 25 : 1250 Belle Terre Pkwy, Palm Coast, FL 32164

11. Linear Park : 31 Greenway Court, Palm Coast, FL 32137

12. Palm Harbor Golf : 20 Palm Harbor Dr, Palm Coast, FL 32137

13. Southern Recreation Center : 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy, Palm Coast, FL 32164

14. Stormwater : 22 Utility Dr, Palm Coast, FL 32137

15. Utility : 2 Utility Dr, Palm Coast, FL 32137

16. Public Works : 1 Wellfield Grade, Palm Coast, FL 32137

17. Community Center : 305 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, FL 32137

18. Water Treatment Plant 1 : 4 Corporate Dr, Palm Coast, FL 32137

19. Water Treatment Plant 2 : 50 Citation Blvd, Palm Coast, FL 32164

20. Water Treatment Plant 3 : 400 Peavey Grade, Palm Coast, FL 32164

21. Wastewater Treatment Plant 1 : 26 Utility Dr, Palm Coast, FL 32137

22. Wastewater Treatment Plant 2 : 400 Peavey Grade, Palm Coast, FL 32164

Submission Instructions

Responses should be submitted by Thursday, December 4th at 2PM to the Bonfire portal.

This RFI is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a commitment to procure services. However, the City may use the information provided to develop a formal solicitation.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. The City reserves the right to issue a Request for Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ) and/or a Request for Proposal (RFP) as a result of this RFI.

Interested consultants should submit their proposal electronically through the portal by Thursday, December 4th at 2PM.

Questions should be directed to Christinne Foschaar, 160 Lake Avenue, Palm Coast, FL 32164, or (386) 986-2337, or preferably cfoschaar@palmcoastgov.com.

For more information about Palm Coast, visit our website at https://www.palmcoast.gov/ https://www.palmcoast.gov/