6903 Rebid Hitachi Response.pdf

Corporate Profile

Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Leaders in Digital System Solutions

UHF/VHF/FM

MPEG-2 / H.264 / HEVC/IP

ATSC / DVB-T2 / ISDB-T/HD Radio

PARALLAX

EXACT Exciter

COMARK DIGITAL SERVICES

COMARK

Communications

HITACHI

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Contents

1.0 Bidder Identification and Financial Statements 3

2.0 History with the State of Nebraska and NETC 3

3.0 Contract Performance 3

4.0 Bidders Corporate Experience - Background and Profile 3

5.0 Similar Project Experience and Subcontractor Information 4

6.0 Core Competencies 5

7.0 Technical Approach 5

8.0 Personnel and Management Approach 6

9.0 Awards 8

10. Significant Accomplishments 8

11. The Facility 14

12. Manufacturing 16

13. Quality Assurance 18

14. Customer Service 21

A. 6903 Z1 Attachment A 22

B. 6903 Z1 RPF Sections 11 through VI 23

C. Certificate of Good Standing 48

D. Site Map 49

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1.0 Bidder Identification and Financial Statements

Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC, dba Comark Communications Comark is located at 104 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick MA 01077 and is incorporated in the state of Delaware, a Incorporation document, a W-9 and financial statements are included at the end of the Technical Proposal. Comark was incorporated in 1972 and has been providing similar services for more than 50 years.

2.0 History with the State of Nebraska and NETC

Corporate and Employee relationships with the State Business between Comark and the State started in 1994 when Comark installed an analog IOT transmitter at KHNE. This unit was converted to digital in 2002 when Comark supplied KPNE, KYNE, KLNE, KMNE, KRNE, KUON and KTNE with new digital IOT transmitters. We have continuously participated in bids for equipment and services over that time, the most recent being the VideoFlow bid #6832.

3.0 Contract Performance

Comark has no employees that have been associated with NETV and we have never had a contract terminated due to default.

4.0 Bidders Corporate Experience - Background and Profile

About Comark Communications For over 50 years Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark (hereinafter COMARK®) has been synonymous with broadcast expertise and innovation. A trusted partner to the world’s leading broadcasters, COMARK has pioneered many developments that have shaped the industry, leading innovation in IOT & MSDC-IOT technology, transistorized solid-state technology, Digital Adaptive Pre-correction (DAP), and also winning multiple Emmy® Awards; and gaining numerous patents in technologies that have become fundamental to broadcasting. COMARK is now building on this great heritage with the release of an entire new range of transmission products for terrestrial television broadcasting, and state-of-the-art products for scientific/industrial RF applications. With thousands of active COMARK transmission systems deployed worldwide and a global support presence, COMARK plans to continue to develop technologies for the future, with efficiency and performance initiatives for improving coverage and saving power.

Corporate History Comark Industries was started in 1972 in Westfield MA by Richard E. Fiore Sr. where it specialized in RF components and RF systems for the TV and radio broadcast market. These products were sold directly to broadcasters and also through UHF Television transmitter manufacturers including Townsend, CCA Electronics, and Harris.

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The original Comark Communications was formed in 1978 specifically to design and manufacture UHF television transmitters (analog). At the time, Comark Communications was competing directly with RCA, Townsend, Harris, and Pye TVT (a division of Marconi). Incidentally, the Pye TVT transmitter line was sold to Varian and eventually to Harris Broadcast. Comark Communications and Comark Industries were merged in 1980 and were relocated to the current facility at 104 Feeding Hills Rd., Southwick, MA.

Comark Communications Inc. was acquired by Thomson-CSF in 1986, and then Thomson-CSF (later renamed Thales) sold the broadcast transmitter group to Thomson/Technicolor at the end of 2005. Parter Equity a German Investment Bank purchased the Thomson business from Technicolor in the 2nd quarter of 2011 as part of the wholesale divestiture of Thomson/Technicolor’s broadcast and media businesses in Europe and the US. In late 2012, Richard Fiore led a management buyout of the company. In 2014 and again in 2015, Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. invested into Comark Communications LLC. In early 2018, Comark became a fully owned entity of Hitachi. The company has conducted business under several brand names including COMARK, Thomcast, Thales Broadcast & Multimedia, Grass Valley and most recently Thomson Broadcast.

5.0 Similar Project Experience and Subcontractor Information

1. Iowa Public television (IPTV) – As the prime contractor, Design, Install, Test and Maintain a nine (9) site Hub and Spoke IP delivery system between the Des Moines Hub and the nine (9) transmitter sites. Responsibilities included the design of an IPTV bi-directional 100Mbps fiber feeds to deliver ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 MPTS streams to the IPTV transmitter sites, all IP subnet definitions, total IP address plan/matrix for each piece of equipment on the network, firewall incorporation, and return path test and monitoring and SLA management.

Documentation included as-built drawings, floor plans, wiring diagrams, performance tests, IP address matrix, all subnet and firewall definitions and storage of appliance/software configurations for disaster recovery. The project took about 1 year and started in December of 2022. The main contact is Mike Stover (stover@iowapbs.org, 515-725-9776).

Subcontractors included Ateme, Enensys and Whalley’s Computer.

2. Inyo Broadcast Holdings – 14 television station network installed from 2016 through 2019.

Responsibilities included manufacturing, OEM procurement and integration, total project management and FCC proof of performance testing. Documentation included as-built drawings, equipment interconnect drawings, and FCC paperwork. The main contact is Shea Clark (sclark@inyotv.com, 727-403-5353)

3. Georgia Public Broadcasting - operates a state-wide PBS TV network using nine full-power DTV stations and a handful of low-power translators. Five of the state’s seven VHF stations were repacked and therefore required new transmitters. Two of our stations that operated on UHF channels opted to sell their spectrum and switch to VHF low-band (WJSP and WNGH).

We ordered a 12kW air-cooled unit from Hitachi-Comark for this station on VHF Channel 5.

We also looked at the remainder of our station’s requirements for repack, most of which were in the later phases of the process. Upon further discussions with Hitachi-Comark, we chose the company’s Parallax liquid-cooled DTV transmitters to satisfy our remaining requirements.

Field deployments went very smoothly. Hitachi-Comark assigned a program manager who

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Page 5 Corporate Profile CP 110218 oversaw our entire project from start to finish. First, they performed comprehensive site surveys at all our transmitter facilities to ensure all details were documented prior to actual on-site work.

New transmitter equipment and associated accessories were deployed systematically to each repack transmitter site directly from the vendor’s facility. Hitachi-Comark’s installation crews were highly professional and extremely efficient with their on-site work.

4. Most of the work will be done by direct Comark employees, Kessler and Gehman Associates will be used for the spectral analysis at Broken Bow and McCook.

6.0 Core Competencies

COMARK has developed a long and impressive list of core competencies necessary to thrive in both the TV broadcast and scientific / research markets. These core competencies allow the company to bring unique and innovative technologies to market as well as provide real-world US based service and support. COMARK’s core competencies include:

• RF and IP Engineering o Common amplification and signal correction IP o RF components, systems, filtering and optimization o IP system planning and integration

• High power tube experience

• Solid state amplifier experience – UHF, VHF, FM

• System Integration

• Modulation and correction technology

• Remote monitoring / control

• Manufacturing and test

• Full scope of customer service and support, SLA management

• Sales and Marketing

7.0 Technical Approach

COMARK clearly understands the scope of the project and has a great deal of experience with similar projects with equal scope and complexities. Greater detail can be provided after an award.

a) Understanding the project requirements – This proposal includes all aspects of the project management, installation, testing and reporting so as to complete the three FM site installation prior to the Constriction Permit expirations. Comark is providing all project management, the services to supervise all tower related work, installation services for all indoor equipment and their interface with the IP feeds from NETC.

b) Proposed development approach – Pre purchased equipment lists will be reviewed to ensure all interface equipment has been purchased and will be on site for a smooth and uninterrupted installation. This will include matching connector inputs and outputs, properly power rated materials, all IP addresses made available, checking that all networks are sufficiently bandwidth capable, and ensuring that all vendor contacts are current and accurate.

c) Technical considerations – Technical considerations also include safety considerations. Most of the technical considerations have already been discussed in the proposal. Tower crews will be asked to submit a climbing plan before any installation begins. Also, any existing broadcast

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Page 6 Corporate Profile CP 110218 equipment that may cause harm to a climber will have to be itemized and their power reduced per regulations. Most specifically, any work on an AM tower will have to be approved by the tower crew, NETC personnel and any Nebraska regulation body that may have to be notified.

d) Detailed project work plan – Comark will use a GANTT chart and excel files to plan, chart and report on progress and timeliness. Milestones will be created and managed with the vendors (tower crew(s), electrician, OEM suppliers (transmitters/radios, antennas, tx lines, etc.) and reported to NETC. Activities on the plan will include shipping dates, equipment arrival dates, offloading crew coordination, electrician completed dates, tower crew arrival and departure dates, IP headend completion dates (from NETC), radio equipment installing and testing dates (roughly 1 week per site estimated), and performance testing activity.

e) Deliverables and due dates – Deliverables as provided by others include antennas, transmission lines and associated installation hardware, FM radio transmitters, equipment racks, interfacing cables (coaxial and IP), electrical circuits breakers and panels, surge suppression equipment, grounding and bonding, and miscellaneous hardware. Comark will provide all necessary test equipment and tools for the transmitter installation.

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8.0 Personnel and Management Approach

A description of the various tasks and the Comark approach is provided in 6903 Z1 Attachment A which is included later in the Technical Proposal. There are a few unknowns that can affect the approach and the time to complete all three sites. Firstly, if one tower crew is used then the delivery, off-loading and tower related installations must happen linearly. If multiple tower crews are used, then some activity can happen in parallel. The Comark project manager will oversee all activity, but multiple Comark people can be used to supervise off-loading and tower activity. Secondly, if the equipment for all 3 sites is ready for delivery, then activity can begin right away (within a week or two of the award). This is preferable as weather will become a factor as we get later into the year. At some point, all tower activity could be brought to a halt due to weather. If transmitters have a later delivery, that is fine. Indoor work can typically commence anytime, but it is critical to get the antenna and lines installed and tested as early in the year as possible so as to meet the CP expirations.

The sites are reasonably close together, so we don’t anticipate any delays due to travel. Comark has reached out to the RF supplier to see if all 3 sites equipment will be delivered on the same truck, or multiple trucks. If they are on one truck, Comark will have an offloading crew follow delivery to each site and store the equipment safely. If multiple trucks are used, we will have the tower crew unload the equipment and commence with installation immediately. Further detail is provided in Attachment A.

Tom Barbeau - Vice President of Engineering Tom Barbeau joined the Comark Communications organization as an Embedded Systems Engineer back in 1999. He worked for the organization until his group was spun off into Thomson Video Networks in 2010, where he functioned as a Senior Systems Engineer until 2016. He rejoined Comark in February of 2017 as the Vice President of Engineering. In his current role as Vice President of Engineering, he oversees the design and development of Comark’s high power RF amplification and transmission products that are used for broadcast, scientific and industrial applications. Tom is also responsible for overseeing the coordination and integration of third party equipment into Comark products, and for long term strategic product planning and focus.

Prior to joining Comark originally, Tom worked in the Defense, Aerospace, and Commercial business sectors where he worked in developing guidance system components and in creating embedded controls systems for ultrasonic imaging and high speed OCR scanning systems.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Western New England College, Springfield, MA. Tom also retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army Reserves, where he had a career spanning 28.5 years that included multiple company and battalion command positions, and two mobilizations, including one combat tour in Iraq.

Joseph Turbolski - VP of Sales & Marketing Joe Turbolski has been with Comark organization since 1991.

In his current role as VP of Sales & Marketing, he oversees the sales, proposal and marketing departments for the organization including preparation/maintenance of customer specific collateral, COMARK

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Page 8 Corporate Profile CP 110218 forecast prep/analysis, customer database administration, and management of the proposal development group.

Previous positions held at the company include Business Development Manager where he was focused on market analysis and development of business strategies for two-way wireless communications systems as well as product line definitions and strategic partnership opportunities.

Other positions included Sales Engineer, Field/Systems Engineer, and Systems Engineering Manager.

Education includes an associate’s degree in specialized technology at Lincoln Technology Institute, Allentown, PA and various other specialized courses and seminars.

Joe is an avid car guy. He attends Mustang and other car shows and he even re-builds them!

Michael Roosa – Sales Manager Mike has been with Comark since 1987.

In his role as Sales Manager, he is responsible for the direct sales to all broadcast stations and groups in a 28 state region West of the line from Michigan to Louisiana. As a 42 year veteran of the broadcast industry he has held roles in applications engineering, domestic and international sales and sales management and business development.

Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Moravian University and was a TA working towards his Master’s in physics at Scranton University. He did his business training and education at Kings University. Mike was a wrestling coach for more than 30 years and now lives on a family Angus ranch with his wife in Danville Pennsylvania.

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9.0 Awards

COMARK has been presented with numerous awards and industry accolades throughout the years for our innovations and successful products. COMARK is the only transmitter vendor to win three technical Emmy® Awards, including an award for pioneering development of Digital Modular Adaptive Precorrection (DAP™) for ATSC 8VSB Digital Transmitter Systems. Here are a few examples of the awards presented to COMARK.

10.0 Significant Accomplishments

Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC has a long-standing presence in the industry highlighted by the following accomplishments:

2024:

• COMARK’s EC600HP-BB3 Transmitter Series Wins Best of Show Award, Presented by TV Technology

• Comark Announces Cost Effective LEX-2000 ATSC 3.0 Upgrade Solution

• Comark Releases PARALLAX Compact Transmitter for SFN and NextGenTV

2023:

• KUAT Deploys a 55kW PARALLAX UHF DTV Transmitter

• NEW E-Compact VHF High-Powered Air-Cooled DTV Transmitters

• Iowa PBS Upgrades Hub and Spoke Encoding Solution from CDS

2022:

• WLII is On-Air with a New COMARK 19.2kW PARALLAX VHF Band 3 Transmitter

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark’s EC700HP-BB3 Transmitter Series Wins Best of Show Award, Presented by TV Technology

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark and Vislink Announce Reseller Agreement

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Announces Improved E-Compact High-Power Air-Cooled

Transmitters at NAB-2022

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• Television Jamaica (TVJ) goes “LIVE” with an end-to-end ATSC 3.0 Solution from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

2021:

• Christian Television Network Orders Multiple PARALLAX® UHF DTV Transmitters for Non-Repack Requirements

• WGBH Upgrades PARALLAX® VHF DTV Band 1 Transmitter System to 47.8kW

• ARK Multicasting, Inc. Orders Multiple E-Compact Transmitters for LPTV Repack from Hitachi

Kokusai Electric Comark

• WQPT is On-Air with a 27.5kW PARALLAX UHF DTV Transmitter from Hitachi Kokusai Electric

Comark

2020:

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark and Airwavs Announce Reseller Agreement

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark and VideoFlow have partnered to provide ATSC 1.0 / 3.0 Solutions

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Announces the EC700LP-AT1 and EC700MP-BB3 Air-Cooled

Transmitters for LPTV

• WHRO Orders a 68kW PARALLAX® UHF DTV Transmitter from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Releases PARALLAX® All-In-One

Transmitter for Non-Repack and NextGen TV

• Edge Networks Inc. Goes "LIVE" with a full ATSC 3.0 solution from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• WSBE adds OTT Origin Server to Existing ATSC Encoding System

2019:

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark’s EC710MP-BB Air Cooled Transmitter Wins Future’s Best of Show Award, Presented by TV Technology

• Phoenix Model Market Single Frequency Network Transmissions to begin with an ATSC 3.0 SFN System from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Introduces Outdoor Tower Mount SFN ATSC 3.0 Transmitter

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark and Triveni Digital Announce Reseller Agreement for ATSC 1.0 and

3.0 Solutions

2018:

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Wins NewBay’s Best of Show Award, Presented by TV Technology

• WGBH / WBGY orders VHF transmitters for repack from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• Maryland Public Television orders 75kW PARALLAX UHF DTV Transmitter from Hitachi Kokusai

Electric Comark

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Releases PARALLAX VHF band 1 Transmitter for Spectrum

Repack and ATSC 3.0

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• Bahakel Communications, Ltd. Signs Repack Master Purchase Agreement with Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark and Ateme Announce Partnership Agreement for ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 Encoding Solutions

2017:

• WCTE Orders New PARALLAX DTV Transmitter from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• Meredith Orders Repack Transmitters from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Announces the “Repack Optimized” E‐Compact Air Cooled

Transmitter Family at NAB‐2017

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Releases EXACT-V2 IP Optimized DTV Exciter

• Comark Transmitter with TeamCast exciter ready for ATSC 3.0 Field-tests in Cleveland

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Announces a Live Glass-to-Glass ATSC 3.0 Demonstration at NAB

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Releases PARALLAX™ Doherty VHF Transmitter for Spectrum

Repack and ATSC 3.0

2016:

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Releases PARALLAX™ Doherty VHF Transmitter for Spectrum

Repack and ATSC 3.0; transmitter now supports VHF Band 3 (174-216MHz)

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Releases EXACT-V2 “IP Optimized” DTV Exciter, these next generation DTV exciters supports both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.

• Comark’s DTV Transmitter and TeamCast based exciter in use for ATSC 3.0 Field-tests in Cleveland;

testing by NAB and CTA

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark Announces the “Repack Optimized” E‐Compact Air Cooled

Transmitter Family at NAB‐2017

2015:

• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., COMARK and TeamCast demonstrate the world’s first Terrestrial

Broadcast of full ATSC 3.0 technology at CES 2015, showing over the air reception of MPEG-H HEVC Ultra HD video and MPEG-H 3D audio content

• NAB-2015: COMARK introduces PARALLAX™—the industry’s next generation medium and high power, liquid cooled, high efficiency solid state transmitter. It delivers an industry best of up to 27.5kW, stacked in a single rack cabinet

• NAB-2015: COMARK introduces the E-Compact series of high efficiency air cooled solid state UHF DTV transmitters. The E-Compact is available to support most worldwide DTV standards including ATSC, DVB, and ISDB-T

• ONE Media, COMARK and TeamCast join efforts for an end-to-end live demonstration of ATSC 3.0 technology at the NAB Show 2015

2014:

• Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. invests into Comark Communications LLC accelerating efforts to increase its global market share of broadcasting equipment, aiming to be one of the world's leading providers of video and wireless network solutions

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• COMARK introduces QoS-1000; a cost effective solution for Quality of Service monitoring of any transmitter RF output

2013:

• COMARK received an order from MNC Group (PT. Media Nusantara Citra Tbk) for a new DCX

Paragon MSDC-IOT digital TV transmission system used to launch new DVB-T2 service for Global TV’s free-to-air channel in Surabaya, Indonesia

• COMARK introduces the MPTV-8000 Medium Power TV series of solid state DTV transmitters. The MPTV-8000 solid state transmitters utilize DOHERTY amplifier technology along with the latest 50VDC LDMOS devices

• COMARK introduces the CMX-5000 MPEG-2 digital TV encoder and multiplexer. The CMX-5000 is an integrated platform but is also very flexible. The unit can be configured to accommodate several different encoding needs.

2012:

• Management buyout of the company and name changed from Thomson Broadcast, LLC to Comark

Communications LLC

• COMARK launches the all new LPTV-8000 low power product line and ATSC-8000 advanced high performance digital TV exciter at the NAB show

• KQED Public Television, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations during primetime purchases a DCX Paragon two-tube 38kW DTV transmitter for its transmitter facility on Mt. Sutro, CA

2011:

• Indosiar, one of Indonesia’s top three broadcasters, ordered six new Thomson Inductive Output Tube

(IOT) high-power transmission systems for its national television network

• WMBC-TV successfully deployed an ATSC single-frequency network (SFN) from Thomson to improve its coverage in New Jersey and New York City

• Brookhaven National Laboratory selected Thomson to supply technology for its NSLS-II Project in

Long Island, N.Y.

• Thomson Supplies ATSC Mobile DTV System to WGCL-TV in Atlanta

2010:

• Boston’s WGBH Broadcasts Region’s First ATSC Mobile Video Service with Thomson Platform

• Thomson Supplies Transmission System FOX Charlotte - WCCB for Mobile DTV Broadcasting

• Arqiva Selects Thomson to Support New DVB-T2 Network in the U.K.

2009:

• Thomson completes factory acceptance testing and begins delivery of first DCX Paragon transmitters for the digital switch-over in UK

2008:

• US Broadcaster Trinity Upgrades Networks with Thomson's DCX Millennium Digital Transmitters

2007:

• Thomson Delivers Transmitters for MediaFLO USA Mobile DTV Rollout

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• Thomson selected for Modeo’s DVB-H headend system for mobility deployment at their Pittsburgh, PA Network Operations Center (NOC)

• Thomson in Multi-Million Dollar Deal to Supply Transmitters for UK Digital Switchover, Arqiva(UK Reseller) orders 39 DCX Paragon 1+1 DVB-T transmitter systems

2006:

• Lockheed Martin orders 2nd 400 MHz UHF IOT based SIIA from Thomson

2005:

• WGBH upgrades existing IOT DTV Tx with Thomson DCX Paragon high efficiency IOT

• Crown Castle Orders Thomson’s DVB-H Transmitter Systems for Mobile TV Deployment

• Cornell University orders 1.3GHz IOT based Scientific Industrial IOT Amplifier (SIIA) from Thomson

• Thomson supplies UHF IOT SIIA to Danfysik, Denmark for the Australian Synchrotron Project

2004:

• Thomson unveils ADAPT-IV, Latest Generation Exciter for Digital Transmitters

• World on Wireless Limited Selects Thomson for Pay-TV Deployment in Bermuda, includes AFFINITY

200-watt average power digital solid-state UHF transmitters with integrated DVB-T modulators in a 19:1 active reserve configuration including all necessary RF combining and switching systems.

• Lockheed Martin orders 400 MHz UHF IOT based Scientific Industrial IOT Amplifiers (SIIA) from Thomson for high power RF component testing

• Thomson supplies UHF IOT SIIA to Diamond Light Source, UK’s national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, England

2003:

• Thomson wins 3rd Emmy Award for the pioneering development of Digital Modular Adaptive

Precorrection (DAP™) for ATSC 8VSB Digital Transmitter Systems

• Thomson awarded patent for oil cooling of MSDC-IOT amplifier. Patent # 6,601,641

• Thomson awarded patent for a method to protect an IOT amplifier from stored energy in a linear High

Voltage Power Supply (HVPS) without the use of a crowbar circuit. This patent covers the company’s SoftArc Technology (SAT), which is incorporated in the DCX Paragon. Patent # 6,724,153

• Brookhaven National Labs orders UHF IOT based Scientific Industrial IOT Amplifier (SIIA) from Thomson, marking first major endeavor in the Scientific based applications

2002:

• Thomson debuts the DCX PARAGON™ MSDC IOT transmitter, Revolutionary MSDC IOT technology premiers at NAB 2002

2001:

• New York Public Broadcasting Stations sign with Thomson for digital rollout. Products included in the sale are Thomson DCX MILLENNIUM, ULTIMATE, and IOX transmitters

• Thomson introduces AFFINITY digital low power transmitter, Unit offers proven design and cost savings

2000:

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• Raycom Media selects Thomson for digital transmission, purchase includes ULTIMATE solid-state transmission system

• The DCX Millennium transmitter debuts at NAB 2000

1999:

• Thomson wins a 2nd Emmy Award for technical achievement for MPEG analysis system

1998:

• WKOW-DT is the first station in the US to go “on-air” with full power DTV “N+1” configuration with transmitters supplied by Thomson

• Thomson, LIN Television’s KXAS, and NBC work together to air live HDTV content in the form of a

Texas Rangers baseball game, made possible by Thomson’s digital transmitter

1997:

• Fox Television Group and Thomson sign DTV agreement

• Thomson Signs DTV agreement with PBS station WGBH

• Thomson and LIN Television sign DTV agreement

1996:

• COMARK launches the first IOT transmitter specifically designed for digital at NAB ‘96

• COMARK and Ion Media (formerly Paxson Broadcasting) reach strategic DTV agreement

• COMARK and NBC sign strategic agreement to provide HDTV services to NBC owned and operated stations

• Thomson is selected to supply IOX digital transmitter for WHD-TV, the nation’s model HDTV station project

1995:

• Successful completion of North Carolina field test project with COMARK IOT transmitters

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) granted matching funds to support a joint venture led by the David Sarnoff Research Center which included COMARK to develop critical technologies needed to enable production and delivery of HDTV

1994:

• First COMARK domestic IOX transmitter “on-air” at WABU-TV 68 in Boston, MA

1993:

• COMARK introduced the 3rd generation “IOX” transmitter line at NAB ’93 supporting both NTSC and future HDTV for “DUAL USE”

• Delivered the first COMARK IOX transmitter with dual carrier NICAM sound in common amplification to the Finnish Broadcasting Company

• U.S. patent awarded to COMARK for aural carrier corrector. Patent # 5,198,904

1992:

• WETA-TV 26 in Washington, D.C. transmitted the first all-digital broadcast of HDTV in the world using a COMARK transmitter

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• FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service selects COMARK’s “DUAL USE” 60kW IOT transmitter for the North Carolina field test project

• NBC owned and operated WRC-TV made the first simulcast transmission of both HDTV and NTSC in Washington, DC utilizing a COMARK “DUAL USE” IOT transmitter. This represented the 1st commercial TV broadcast and reception of over the air HDTV signals

1991:

• COMARK awarded the “Excellence in Engineering Award” from Television Broadcast magazine for the development of the 60kw UHF air-cooled transmitter

1990:

• COMARK receives an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

(NATAS) for the development of the Klystrode tube and transmitter

1988:

• First COMARK Klystrode IOT transmitter placed into full time broadcast service at WCES-TV

1987:

• COMARK launched production of the Klystrode IOT based transmitter

1986:

• COMARK introduced the 2nd generation “S” series Klystrode IOT based amplifier at NAB ‘86, significantly increasing UHF tube based amplifier efficiency over klystrons

1981:

• Comark Communications delivers first klystron transmitter system designed around 55kW wide band klystron from E2V, fully broadband amplifier for UHF television

1978:

• Comark Communications based in Westfield, MA established first High Power UHF transmitter designed around E2V external cavity klystron yielding the highest efficiency of any UHF transmitter system to date

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11.0 The Facility

The facility is located at 104 Feeding Hills Road in Southwick, Massachusetts, 8 miles due west of Springfield, MA. The facility is within the following distances of other metropolitan areas and airports:

Hartford, Connecticut 25 miles (south) Bradley Int’l Airport (BDL) 12 miles (southeast) Boston, Massachusetts 104 miles (east)

Interstate 91, a major north-south route, is 8 miles from the plant and provides easy access to the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90, a major east-west route) in Springfield, and Interstate 84, another major east-west route, with a junction in Hartford, CT.

104 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick MA 01077, USA

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The facility and land on which it is located (4.33 acres) encompasses the original building (18,050 square feet, and now about 31 years old) and an addition that added 18,554 square feet, for a total of 36,604 square feet. Subsequently, another addition was constructed that comprised 12,000 square feet, resulting in a “footprint” on the property of 48,604 square feet. The last addition consists of a mezzanine area of 5,050 square feet, resulting in a total usable space of 53,654 square feet.

The entire facility, including production areas, is air-conditioned and protected by sprinklers. An alarm system provides monitored 24-hour security for the building perimeter along with monitoring for sprinkler flow (to lessen water damage in case of a malfunction) and over-temperature conditions in the server room (to prevent damage to computer assets). Alarms are monitored off-site and are responded to by either local police or fire departments, depending on the type of alarm. A fire hydrant is located within 100 feet of the facility, and is hydrostatically tested annually by the town of Southwick.

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12.0 Manufacturing

Manufacturing includes several individual departments as highlighted below:

Transmitter Assembly encompasses cabinet assembly and integration, sub-assembly operations, electro-mechanical assembly, minor manual PCBA assembly, touch-up and repair, and customer service support where needed.

Machine Shop is responsible for the fabrication of broadcast specific parts and assemblies, as well as being the “go-to” department for repair of components involved in “off-air” emergencies (lightning strikes, ice damage, power surges, etc.).

Weld Shop works in concert with the Machine Shop, and is also involved with repairs in support of Customer Service. Almost all metal joining operations can be accomplished, including welding (MIG & TIG), soldering, silver soldering, and brazing.

RF Assembly is responsible for the integration and test of active and passive RF systems and components. Also works with Production Test when workload allows.

Assembly Line

Communications

Page 19 Corporate Profile CP 110218

Production Test is responsible for board level, module, chassis sub-assembly and cabinet testing, as well as troubleshooting & repair in support of Customer Service.

Production Test

Machine Shop

Communications lnspire the Nexl:

Page 20 Corporate Profile CP 110218

13. Quality Assurance

1.0 Purpose: To establish a system for informing appropriate personnel of instances of nonconformance to the quality system requirements, or product defects, and to initiate corrective actions. The intent is to address specific discrepancies where the quality system has been breached or where procedures or instructions need to be added or modified to satisfy the criteria towards elimination of the root cause of the nonconformance. In addition, to describe the methods used towards preventative actions.

2.0 Scope: This system encompasses the activities of all departments in the company as they relate to the quality of the product or quality system. Corrective and Preventative actions are taken to avoid recurrence of, or potential for, problems on the manufacturing floor, customer reported issues, and any operational function which affects the quality of the products or system.

3.0 Definitions:

CAR - A Corrective Action Request can be initiated due to quality system audits, Material Review Reports, Return Authorization Material Reports, Product Work Orders, Routings, direct observations, customer complaints, or to address a potential problem; i.e., Preventative Action.

Corrective Action - An action taken to eliminate the causes of an existing nonconformity, defect or other undesirable situation in order to prevent reoccurrence.

Corrective Action Review Team (CART) – A group of personnel who meet periodically to review C.A.R.’s, and the respective corrective actions taken to resolve and eliminate the occurrence of the nonconformance.

Nonconformance - Any instance where a procedure, instruction, process, or policy has not been followed, fails to meet known requirements, or may be in conflict with an existing approved document and/or the Quality system.

Preventative Action - An action taken to eliminate the cause, or causes, of a potential nonconformity, defect, or other undesirable situation in order to prevent occurrence.

SCAR - Supplier Corrective Action Request.

4.0 Association Materials:

Internal Corrective Action Form

Supplier Corrective Action Form

Customer Corrective Action Form (Syteline)

Page 21 Corporate Profile CP 110218

5.0 Responsibility

5.1 Every employee has the responsibility for initiating a CAR where a nonconformance or inadequacies are discovered, or known, and corrective actions appear warranted.

5.2 The QA Manager has the responsibility for the overall corrective action system, which includes verifying the implementation and evaluating the effectiveness of the corrective action taken.

5.3 The CART is responsible to provide an organized systematic evaluation of all CAR’s towards meeting established quality system requirements. In addition, the CART shall arbitrate to conclusion any unresolved conflict with the effectiveness of, or the type of, corrective actions taken.

5.4 This procedure is the responsibility of the Quality Assurance Manager and is approved by Senior Management.

6.0 Procedure

6.1 Initiating a corrective action is taken as part of a structured approach towards identifying and eliminating the root cause of nonconformity's, to avoid the recurrence of the discrepancy, or to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformance.

6.1.1 Corrective actions shall be documented in one of four ways;

Formal Corrective Action Request – Issued for internal problems (systemic product quality issues, QMS documentation, and internal audits) and controlled using the associated form and instructions.

Formal Supplier Corrective Action Request – Issued for supplier related product quality issues normally, but not limited to, recurring or serious problems.

Material Review Report – Within the Control of Nonconforming Material Procedure, meetings and actions to be taken shall be documented and reported on.

Return Authorization Report – Depending on the cause for a customer return, corrective actions may be determined and the actions stated on the completed RA.

6.2 All CAR’s shall be submitted to the QA Manager and directed at the individual and/or appropriate department manager, who is most responsible for that function involving the discrepancy.

6.3 Once the QA Manager reviews the request, by assigning the control number, the CAR is forwarded to the designated individual where an investigation is done to detect the cause of the discrepancy and action needed to be taken to prevent recurrence.

Page 22 Corporate Profile CP 110218

6.4 The responsible department manager shall review and approve the recommended corrective action, prior to submitting to the QA Manager for final approval. This shall be done prior to implementation of the stated actions wherever possible

6.5 The QA Manager shall coordinate the appropriate teams to review past due CAR’s on an as needed basis, to review all CAR’s on a periodic basis, and to oversee the corrective action system in general.

6.5.1 The CART members shall consist of the managers of Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering and the President. Other individuals may be requested to attend. Where SCAR’s are being evaluated the Purchasing Manager shall be included.

6.6 The QA Manager, or the CART, shall determine the appropriate follow up action required to ensure the actions taken are effective. This shall be based on the critical nature of the complaint or nonconformance, evidence of the root cause analysis, and the stated implementation steps to be taken.

6.7 The methods for determining the effectiveness, as appropriate, shall be stated in the Corrective Action Report. Corrective actions are closed when evidence of the effectiveness is available.

6.8 The QA Manager shall present for management review on a quarterly basis at minimum, relevant information on actions taken and the effectiveness for CAR’s and SCAR’s.

6.9 The QA Manager, as needed, shall submit a SCAR directly to the supplier for identified nonconforming material errors. As with an internal CAR, the CART. shall evaluate and analyze each SCAR. for effective implementation, evidence of root cause analysis and appropriate follow up action.

6.10 An open CAR log shall be maintained by the QA Manager, evaluated routinely, and made available, electronically or by hard copy, to concerned parties.

6.11 Preventative Action Request, i.e., proactive actions not tied into a direct failure event, are taken following reviews, trend analysis, customer complaint reports, annual procedure reviews, manufacturing related reviews, etc. The extent of documentation varies by actions taken, but typically is tied into procedural or work instruction revisions and/or department operational changes. A CAR form may be used to document the PAR.

6.12 During the evaluation of PAR’s, the effects of the potential problem as well as requirements for determining the effectiveness of the actions to be taken shall be considered.

6.13 When responses to a CAR exceed thirty days or the implementation actions to be taken exceed the stated due date, the QA Manager shall inform and/or request approval by the President. If needed the individual requesting the extended due date shall supply supportive information to the President and QA Manager to substantiate the extended time request.

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7.0 Document, Data, and Record Control

Document Control: All forms and documents within this procedure are controlled through the Quality Management System and will be maintained on the Share Drive.

14. Customer Service

The Hitachi-Comark Customer Service Group in Southwick MA is comprised of two groups working together. The first group is traditionally thought of as the Customer Service Group which answers customers’ technical questions. The second group is traditionally thought of as the Field Services Group.

These functions comprise the Operations Group within Hitachi-Comark. The goal of the group is to ensure customer satisfaction is fully met from initial contract signature through the life of the product. This must be accomplished while keeping the project on schedule and within budget.

The transmission equipment is specialized requiring support services in a variety of engineering disciplines. The Customer Service Group provides customers support through:

• 24 x 7 Call Center @ 800-345-9295

• Spare Parts

• Repair Services

• Field Services

• Custom tailored Service Level Agreements

• Field and Factory Training Programs

• Factory Training

To reserve your seat for any of these training sessions, or to request further information, please contact our Training Coordinator.

RFP Boilerplate | 03292023

II. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Bidders should complete Sections II thru VI as part of their proposal. Bidder is expected to read the Terms and Conditions and should initial either accept, reject, or reject and provide alternative language for each clause. The bidder should also provide an explanation of why the bidder rejected the clause or rejected the clause and provided alternate language. By signing the Request for Proposal, bidder is agreeing to be legally bound by all the accepted terms and conditions, and any proposed alternative terms and conditions submitted with the proposal. The State reserves the right to negotiate rejected or proposed alternative language. If the State and bidder fail to agree on the final Terms and Conditions, the State reserves the right to reject the proposal. The State of Nebraska is soliciting proposals in response to this Request for Proposal. The State of Nebraska reserves the right to reject proposals that attempt to substitute the bidder’s commercial contracts and/or documents for this Request for Proposal.

The bidders should submit with their proposal any license, user agreement, service level agreement, or similar documents that the bidder wants incorporated in the Contract. The State will not consider incorporation of any document not submitted with the bidder’s proposal as the document will not have been included in the evaluation process. These documents shall be subject to negotiation and will be incorporated as addendums if agreed to by the Parties.

If a conflict or ambiguity arises after the Addendum to Contract Award have been negotiated and agreed to, the Addendum to Contract Award shall be interpreted as follows:

1. If only one Party has a particular clause then that clause shall control,

2. If both Parties have a similar clause, but the clauses do not conflict, the clauses shall be read together,

3. If both Parties have a similar clause, but the clauses conflict, the State’s clause shall control.

A. GENERAL

Accept (Initial)

Reject (Initial)

Reject & Provide Alternative within

RFP Response (Initial)

NOTES/COMMENTS:

1. The contract resulting from this Request for Proposal shall incorporate the following documents:

a. Request for Proposal, including any attachments and addenda,

b. Amendments to the Request for Proposal,

c. Questions and Answers,

d. Bidder’s properly submitted proposal, including any terms and conditions or agreements submitted by the bidder; and

e. Amendments and Addendums to the Contract.

These documents constitute the entirety of the contract.

Unless otherwise specifically stated in a future contract amendment, in case of any conflict between the incorporated documents, the documents shall govern in the following order of preference with number one (1) receiving preference over all other documents and with each lower numbered document having preference over any higher numbered document: 1) Amendment or Addendum to the executed Contract with the most recent dated amendment or addendum having the highest priority, 2) Amendments to the Request for Proposal, 3) Questions and Answers, 4) the original Request for Proposal document and any Addenda or attachments, and 4) the Contractor’s submitted Proposal, including any terms and conditions or agreements submitted by the that are accepted by the State.

For the avoidance of doubt, unless otherwise explicitly and specifically agreed to in writing by the State, the State’s standard terms and conditions, as executed by the State and, shall always control over any terms and conditions or agreements submitted or included by the Contractor.

Any ambiguity or conflict in the contract discovered after its execution, not otherwise addressed herein, shall be resolved in accordance with the rules of contract interpretation as established in the State of Nebraska.

MR

B. NOTIFICATION

Accept (Initial)

Reject (Initial)

Reject & Provide Alternative within

RFP Response

Bidder and State shall identify the contract manager who shall serve as the point of contact for the executed contract.

Communications regarding the executed contract shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given if delivered personally; electronically, return receipt requested; or mailed, return receipt requested. All notices, requests, or communications shall be deemed effective upon receipt.

Either party may change its address for notification purposes by giving notice of the change and setting forth the new address and an effective date.

C. BUYER’S REPRESENTATIVE

The State reserves the right to appoint a Buyer's Representative to manage or assist the Buyer in managing the contract on behalf of the State. The Buyer's Representative will be appointed in writing, and the appointment document will specify the extent of the Buyer's Representative authority and responsibilities. If a Buyer's Representative is appointed, the bidder will be provided a copy of the appointment document and is expected to cooperate accordingly with the Buyer's Representative. The Buyer's Representative has no authority to bind the State to a contract, amendment, addendum, or other change or addition to the contract.

D. GOVERNING LAW (Nonnegotiable) Notwithstanding any other provision of this contract, or any amendment or addendum(s) entered into contemporaneously or at a later time, the parties understand and agree that, (1) the State of Nebraska is a sovereign state and its authority to contract is therefore subject to limitation by the State’s Constitution, statutes, common law, and regulation; (2) this contract will be interpreted and enforced under the laws of the State of Nebraska; (3) any action to enforce the provisions of this agreement must be brought in the State of Nebraska per state law; (4) the person signing this contract on behalf of the State of Nebraska does not have the authority to waive the State's sovereign immunity, statutes, common law, or regulations; (5) the indemnity, limitation of liability, remedy, and other similar provisions of the final contract, if any, are entered into subject to the State's Constitution, statutes, common law, regulations, and sovereign immunity; and, (6) all terms and conditions of the final contract, including but not limited to the clauses concerning third party use, licenses, warranties, limitations of liability, governing law and venue, usage verification, indemnity, liability, remedy or other similar provisions of the final contract are entered into specifically subject to the State's Constitution, statutes, common law, regulations, and sovereign immunity.

The Parties must comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, ordinances, rules, orders, and regulations.

E. DISCOUNTS

Accept (Initial)

Reject (Initial)

Reject & Provide Alternative within

RFP

Response (Initial)

Prices quoted shall be inclusive of ALL trade discounts. Cash discount terms of less than thirty (30) days will not be considered as part of the proposal. Cash discount periods will be computed from the date of receipt of a properly executed claim voucher or the date of completion of delivery of all items in a satisfactory condition, whichever is later.

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F. PRICES

Accept (Initial)

Reject (Initial)

Reject & Provide Alternative within

RFP

Prices quoted shall be net, including transportation and delivery charges fully prepaid by the bidder, F.O.B.

destination named in the Request for Proposal. No additional charges will be allowed for packing, packages, or partial delivery costs. When an arithmetic error has been made in the extended total, the unit price will govern.

All prices, costs,…