50-U6940-24-CP309_Kajeet Sole Source.pdf.PDF

2021 Sole Source Form

STATE OF NEW MEXICO

SOLE SOURCE REQUEST AND DETERMINATION FORM

A sole source determination is not effective until the sole source request for determination has been posted for thirty (30) calendar days without challenge, and subsequently approved in writing by the State Purchasing Agent or, for Professional Services Agreements, the Secretary of the General Services Department. The foregoing requirement is regardless of whether the sole source request for determination has been signed by the Agency and/or the Contractor.

I. Name of Agency: Eastern New Mexico University.

Agency Chief Procurement Officer: Scott Davis

Telephone Number: 575-562-2425 Agency Contact for this request: Georgette Witherspoon Telephone Number & Email Address: 5756-624-7491, georgette.witherspoon@enmu.edu

II. Name of prospective Contractor: Kajeet

SHARE Vendor Number (must be active):

Address of prospective Contractor: 7901 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 350, McLean Virginia, 22102

Contact Name, Telephone Number and Email Address Amount of prospective contract before tax:. $54,862.39

Term of prospective contract: September 1, 2024 Through January 31, 2025

III. Agency is required to state purpose/need of purchase and thoroughly list the services

(scope of work), construction or items of tangible personal property of the prospective contract (if this is an amendment request to an existing contract, include current contract number issued by SPD):

Eastern New Mexico University – Roswell was awarded a federal grant named Project C- 3PO. The purpose of the grant is to increase computer literacy, create skilled Eastern New Mexico University Roswell (ENMUR) Informational Technology (IT) staff members, and provide students, community members, and MBEs with technology equipment and services such as hotspots, laptops, and broadband internet.

As part of the grant requirements, ENMU-Roswell selected Kajeet after obtaining quotes from multiple cell data providers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

IV. Provide a detailed explanation of the criteria developed and specified by the agency as necessary to perform and/or fulfill the contract and upon which the state agency reviewed available sources. (Do not use “technical jargon;” use plain English. Do not tailor the criteria simply to exclude other contractors if it is not rationally related to the purpose of the contract.)

The criteria for the selection of hotspot vendors are to provide broadband internet access via cellular data along with the hotspot hardware. Reporting, service management, service availability by geographic location and replacement procedures are considered as well.

V. Provide a detailed, sufficient explanation of the reasons, qualifications, proprietary rights or unique capabilities of the prospective contractor that makes the prospective contractor the one source capable of providing the required professional service, service, construction or item(s) of tangible personal property. (Please do not state the source is the “best” source or the “least costly” source. Those factors do not justify a “sole source.”)

Several key unique and patented features available only on the Kajeet Sentinel platform make us the ideal solution for addressing Digital Equity, which is part of the C-3PO grant intent and purpose:

Wireless Data Plans and Guarantee. Kajeet is the only education provider that operates on six (6) major North American cellular networks; so, we can ensure that the Education Broadband program receives the best connection in a service area. No other provider can offer this industry leading guarantee. If a student is experiencing consistently slow speeds or poor reception on a SmartSpot device, Kajeet will switch the network to one that will improve their experience.

Network-Based IP Traffic Management & Control. Sentinel allows schools and libraries to define specific policies for how patrons can use mobile broadband. Policies include content filter categories, time of day use controls, bandwidth limits, data consumption limits, protocols, white lists and black lists. This feature is used to eliminate data abuse of school and library funded provided access.

Aggregated Data Usage. Under the Kajeet Custom Data Plan, customers can purchase pooled data at the account-level, not on a per-user basis. This eliminates waste from over-buying data based on “worst-case” user behavior. A district or library can maintain a single balance of data and specifically govern how and when any individual user can draw from that balance. Unused data and services purchased for a school’s or library’s account roll over each month and only expire at the end of the contract. Pooled data can be shared across the various carrier networks on which Kajeet operates. By eliminating “monthly rate plans”, we have also eliminated the waste associated with an “unused” portion of a monthly allocation at the end of a month.

Sentinel Web-Based User Interface. A school or library account in Sentinel can be managed via a web browser and provides an unprecedented level of control. SmartSpot® and SmartBus™ policies can be changed in real-time at the individual or group level. Hierarchy support allows management and allocation of bandwidth, reporting and control administered at library, district, school, classroom or program levels. SmartSpots and SmartBus Routers can be suspended and unsuspended in real-time. Reporting and analytics in the Sentinel platform allows visibility into individual device activity, broad program trends, and accountability back to funding source intent. Reports can also be scheduled in advance to run on set dates or at set intervals (weekly checkups/status, for example).

Zero Cost Suspension. A SmartSpot or SmartBus router can be suspended. While suspended, devices cannot use data service from the school or district account. Devices suspended throughout a monthly cycle will incur zero costs. This allows schools and libraries to minimize the cost of SmartSpots held “on the shelf” for future student need.

Proactive Alerts. Sentinel account administrator(s) can receive alerts in multiple ways to important events. Through the web-based console or via email, alerts to a low account balance, user bandwidth limits, policy violations and more can be configured. These alerts give the school or library the ability to stay under budget.

Shared 3G/4G Access. Under the Kajeet Custom Data Plan, Kajeet’s SmartSpots allows up to ten simultaneous Wi-Fi clients to share a high speed broadband connection. Kajeet SmartBus Routers allow up to 100 simultaneous Wi-Fi clients to share a connection. With appropriate use enforcement via Sentinel’s policy management this enables a variety of “hotspot” options for fixed or mobile groups such as migrant centers, book mobiles, school buses, etc.

Program Management and Assistance. Kajeet provides a program manager(s) to assist customer personnel with all aspects of program management including, but not limited to, program training, deployment assistance, filter and data management controls, device suspension, policy violations, reporting and program analytics, and regular progress meetings.

VI. Provide a detailed, sufficient explanation of how the professional service, service, construction or item(s) of tangible personal property is/are unique and how this uniqueness is substantially related to the intended purpose of the contract.

The project C-3PO grant requirements include the distribution of hotspots to residents of Chaves County. Management of the project/grant, along with federal reporting requirements make the Kajeet platform uniquely suited for the intended purpose.

VII. Explain why other similar professional services, services, construction or item(s) of tangible personal property cannot meet the intended purpose of the contract.

There is no other provider that includes the level of service, low cost, and unique capabilities of the Kajeet platform. Some of the capabilities are not only unique, but patented by Kajeet.

VIII. Provide a narrative description of the agency’s due diligence in determining the basis for the procurement, including procedures used by the agency to conduct a review of available sources such as researching trade publications, industry newsletters and the internet;;

contacting similar service providers; and reviewing the State Purchasing Divisions’ Statewide Price Agreements. Include a list of businesses contacted (do not state that no other businesses were contacted), date of contact, method of contact (telephone, mail, e-mail, other), and documentation demonstrating an explanation of why those businesses could not or would not, under any circumstances, perform the contract; or an explanation of why the agency has determined that no businesses other than the prospective contractor can perform the contract.

The project C-3PO grant required hotspots to be procured to increase internet connectivity in the community and surrounding rural areas. Our agency contacted multiple service providers to request quotes for equipment as well as service for one year. We were unable to receive a quote that included an online platform to manage devices.

Kajeet was contacted 5/4/23 through a Microsoft teams meeting. Kajeet provided a quote showing cost per device at $94.00. For an unlimited student data plan cost showed $179.40 monthly. Pricing included a Sentinel dashboard which would allow online access for administrators to check out devices, manage usage, and run reports. The price per device was a one-time price and if equipment was lost or stolen it could be replaced at no charge.

Kajeet’ s service is also provided by a range of carriers. Since these hotspots are for the purpose of community use in rural areas, providing the best service for the area is vital.

Certified by: Date:____________________

Agency Chief Procurement Officer

Agency Approval by: Date: ____________________

Cabinet Secretary/Agency or Entity Head or Designee

APPROVED: Date:____________________

State Purchasing Agent

If this sole source is being submitted by a governmental agency or governmental entity not under the final authority of the State Purchasing Agent, the State Purchasing Agent’s signature is not required. The signature line may be removed from this form or marked as N/A. Hard Copy Documentation for Courtesy Postings do not need to be submitted to SPD for approval.

I. Name of Agency: Eastern New Mexico University.