9Q0TDBNS200 Sec C.pdf

RFP 9Q0TDBNS200 Local Services Acquisition (LSA) for the State of California

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SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/ SPECIFICATION/ WORK STATEMENT

C.1 Introduction

C.1.1 Background

The General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), Network

Services Division (NSD), Pacific Rim Region, will acquire local telecommunication services for

Federal Agencies located throughout the State of California.

The FAS NSD provides local dial tone service to Federal agencies via approximately 15,000

Centrex lines and trunking for about 20,000 PBX lines (approx. 40 PBXs). Local dial tone telecommunications services are currently provided under three LSA contracts for the State of

California and under existing non-competitive tariffed service orders. These vehicles often provide overlapping coverage.

The FAS NSD’s telecommunications program is market oriented. It is explicitly recognized that

(a) multiple contracts are required to most effectively meet Government requirements;

(b) the Government encourages competition through multiple contracts of the same or overlapping scope; and

(c) acquisitions will be initiated and contracts awarded that are in the best interest of the

Government.

Local service providers in the State of California have traditionally provided both flat rate and message unit rate calling plans that are accounted for in the monthly billings. Message unit rate billings coupled with Intra-LATA toll billings are labor intensive for the Government to review and process, so flat rate services are desired.

GSA FAS intends to establish one or more Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Fixed Price contracts for voice and data telecommunications services that are commercially available from local service providers. Service locations, as dictated by the dynamics of the Government, may be expanded or reduced over the contract period.

C.1.2 Objective

This Government’s principal objectives are to

(a) achieve a sustained price reduction for telecommunications services throughout the

State of California, especially in the metropolitan areas of San Diego, Los Angeles, San

Francisco, and Sacramento;

(b) maintain the status quo by offering measured Intra-LATA toll service while offering the alternative of unmeasured, flat-rate local calling for those customers who want it;

(c) provide a contractual vehicle to facilitate customer flexibility in choosing high quality services;

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(d) allow Federal agencies to order and stay abreast of technological enhancements with telecommunications products and services that offer technological and cost benefit options;

(e) allow Federal agencies to establish Direct Order Direct Bill authorization to utilize

GSA contracts for an established fee;

(f) provide technical refreshment with more options available for interagency aggregation and sharing of resources consistent with customer requirements and budgets.

C.1.3 Scope

The scope of this contract consists of all current and future NPA NXX’s and agency locations within the State of California.

The Contractor shall furnish all services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government and as needed, to perform under this contract and meet the requirements specified in this Statement of Work.

The Contractor shall be authorized by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) to provide telecommunications services within the State of California. The Contractor shall provide analog and digital telecommunications services with the capacity and capability to meet the

Federal Government’s current and future requirements. The Contractor shall be responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of service delivery, quality, interconnection, and maintenance. The Contractor shall support and transition, at a minimum, the systems and locations that are active Government facilities.

At a minimum, the Contractor shall serve locations within the State of California where the firm currently sells or resells local telecommunications services. However, given the rapid pace of communications technology, a number of services and applications are expected to emerge during the contract period. As the commercial infrastructure evolves and new services become available, the Government intends to add new services to this contract to maintain the technical adequacy of its communication systems.

C.2 Service and Performance Requirements

C.2.1 Services

The Contractor shall utilize advanced technology to provide adds, moves, and changes; the highest level of reliability; uninterrupted service for 24 hours a day 7-days per week; modular and expandable services; and hardware and software that are easily maintainable for end users.

The Contractor shall ensure the services provided under this contract do not require the end users to purchase common service premise equipment.

The Contractor shall provide the following types of services where they are commercially available.

Analog and Digital Business lines, Analog and Digital Centrex Services or Centrex-like services and a minimum set of bundled and unbundled features.

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Providers shall also provide Primary Rate Interface (PRI) (23B+1D), (24B), (23B

+back up D Channel) ISDN with Automatic Number Identification (ANI);

Basic Rate Interface (BRI) (2B+D);

T1 (1.544 Mbps);

DSO (56kpbs/64kbps);

DS1 (1.544 Mbps);

DS3 (47Mbps);

Direct In Dial (DID) number Blocks;

Direct Out Dial (DOD) Trunking, DID Trunking, and two-way trunking;

Interoperability to the FTS 2001/Networx long distance network (the Primary

Interchange Carrier (PIC) shall be the FTS2001/Networx long distance network);

Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System.

Access to Intra-Lata areas;

Operability with numerous multi-vendor key systems;

Capability to add and delete service locations and main lines;

Number portability;

Five or less digit dialing for intra system calling;

Access to 911 Emergency services;

Monthly billing information on magnetic or optical media itemized by pilot directory number, service types and area codes.

Access to directory number information, interoperability with Inter-Lata carriers, and

P.01 or better Grade of Service;

Hosted, managed, and subscriber rate service which includes unlimited long distance services capable of working on existing infrastructure and phone equipment;

Internet services;

Frame Relay

High-Speed Optical services;

High-speed Ethernet services;

Satellite/CATV services.

C.2.2 Service Reliability and Automatic Processor Reload

Services shall be based on technology that has critical component redundancy as well as automatic system re-initialization to the identical level of service prior to need for reload. Local access shall be maintained at P.01 Grade of Service. Classes of service, DTMF, MF, and DP signaling, required for system functionality, and multiple Dial Access Codes (DACs) are required on a per line basis.

C.2.3 Transport Facilities

Transport facilities shall include direct out dial (DOD) trunks, direct in dial (DID) trunks, two-way trunks, DS0, DS1, SuperTrunk, DS3, and ISDN BRI/PRI.

C.2.4 PBX Transport Requirements

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The Contractor shall provide transport and transport-related facilities for Government-owned

PBXs. Transport related facilities include blocks of DID numbers, calling line identification, and equal access to long distance networks.

C.2.5 Calling Line Identification (CLID)

The Contractor shall provide outgoing CLID of all lines, where it is commercially available.

CLID information shall be used for commercial toll calls, Government inter-city network usage, and public network accessed Emergency 911 correlation applications. The line number shall be identical to the listed public telephone number. CLID shall be furnished on a per line basis.

Where available, the Contractor shall provide caller-activated CLID suppression for outgoing calls.

C.2.6 Numbering Plans

All service offerings shall conform to the North American Numbering Plan. Numbering plans shall provide for 5 or less digit dialing for internal station to station calls and be compatible with existing feature access codes and the public switched network.

C.2.7 Minimum Set of Bundled Features

The following features shall be bundled with a basic analog or digital Centrex line.

Call Forwarding- Busy*, Ring No Answer* (Internal and External), and Variable*

(Internal, External, Unlimited)

Call Hold *

Call Pickup (Group and per Station)

Call Transfer *

Three (3) Way Conferencing *

Line Hunting (Circular and Sequential)

Message Waiting Indicator*

* Will be automatically included when any new single Centrex line is activated.

C.2.8 Unbundled Network Elements

The Contractor may provide the services listed in paragraph C.2.1 using unbundled network elements (UNEs) or unbundled network element – platform (UNE-P). Where service is to be provided by UNE or UNE-P, the Contractor must provide a description of its service and applicable prices in the price schedules.

C.2.9 Number Portability (Mandatory)

Number portability allows the customers to change local exchange service providers without changing phone numbers. The Contractor shall provide and maintain number portability in accordance with FCC, State and local rules and regulations.

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C.2.10 Voice Mail

The Contractor shall provide voice mail services using variable sizes for storage length and capacity. Voice mail service shall be capable of receiving, editing, forwarding and storing messages, including the capability for providing private and shared mailboxes, automated or personalized recording, and remote retrieval.

C.2.11 Teleconferencing

The Contractor shall provide the following, where available.

six (6)-party user-controlled teleconferencing capabilities minimum thirty (30)-party meet me conferencing bridge for each system

C.2.12 Hosted Centrex

This solution should offer the following, at a minimum:

Soft phone, IP fax, and secure Instant Messaging (IM)

Onscreen programming and missed calls

Unified messaging, i.e., voicemail integrated with web and e-mail

Direct dial from e-mail

Pop-up screen on the PC to show incoming calls

One converged network for all communication--voice, data, video and Internet

One network for all features - voicemail, call forwarding and others

One website to control and manage voice applications

Connection to multiple locations via reduced-digit interoffice dialing

Interoffice transfer, common voicemail, and common receptionist

Mobility and telecommuting

Disaster recovery and business continuance

The Hosted Centrex platform shall be capable of future improvements and enhancements to improve business performance and provide for interfaces that facilitate integration with other systems and databases within the organization.

C.2.13 Internet Service

Internet service includes, but is not limited to, the following high-bandwidth transportation methods:

(a) Coax or fiber - cable transport service typically ranging from 384 Kbs to more than 20

Mbs. or higher in the direction to the customer, depending on cable technology, line conditions, and service-level implementation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbit/s

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(b) Telephone lines - Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) throughput of consumer services ranging from 384 Kbs to 20 Mbs or higher in the direction to the customer, depending on DSL technology, line conditions, and service-level implementation.

C.2.14 Frame Relay

Frame Relay service shall provide high performance data connectivity and the following capabilities.

Bi-directional frame transfer

Frame order preservation

Transparent data transportation

Error detection

C.2.15 Ethernet Service

The Contractor shall provide either fiber or copper-based transport service to provision Ethernet service for transparently interconnecting multiple-customer Local Area Networks (LANs).

C.2.16 Optical Service

The Contractor shall deliver optical service over fiber facilities, allowing for multiple types of traffic, including voice, video, and data, over end-to-end service. The service shall be provided with no jitters or latency.

C.2.17 Satellite/CATV Service

The Contractor shall provide high definition television service via a satellite dish or direct line and include a recording device.

C.3 Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) Compatibility

Government-owned CPE, i.e., telephones, PBXs, key systems, facsimile (fax) machines, or other similar ancillary equipment, which is not compatible with the Contractor’s equipment or service, is the responsibility of the affected Government agency to convert to compatible equipment.

C.4 Availability of Government Space

The Government will provide space where available to house circuit terminating equipment such as channel service units and terminating blocks. The Contractor shall coordinate all equipment installations with and obtain approvals from GSA or other appropriate Government representative prior to installation.

C.5 Cable

Normally, large distribution cable additions or augmentations will be done under a different

C-7 contractual vehicle. In those cases where minor alterations or additions are required and pricing is available in the Section B price schedules, the Government may include cabling as part of the order.

The Contractor shall install and maintain properly rated riser cable, vertical and horizontal, to the

IDF(s) on each building floor having Government station line distribution. All cable plants shall be of minimum acceptable wire classification, i.e., plenum, CAT 5E or higher, CAT 6 or higher, as determined by the ordering agency.

C.5.1 Cable / Wire Installation And Maintenance

The Contractor shall provide all cable/wire, terminals, blocks, installation hardware, and miscellaneous materials required to provision service to the points of demarcation as described in paragraph C.5.3.

In addition, the Contractor shall provide all cross connections necessary to accomplish the complete installation. The Contractor shall ensure that all cable/wire systems continue to perform according to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications. When required as part of the order, the Contractor shall perform testing and provide test results to the Government.

C.5.2 Existing Government Cable/Wire

When required to use existing cabling or wiring, the Contractor shall verify the cabling or wiring is suitable for the intended purpose. It is the Government’s responsibility to provide cabling or wiring that is acceptable for reuse.

C.5.3 Demarcation Points For Service Delivery Via Cable / Wiring

The demarcation point for services (with the exception of proprietary CPE or orders specifying a different demarcation point) is the building minimum point of entry (MPOE). MPOEs will be defined as needed at transition/implementation. Any other demarcation point will be included on the individual service order, whether at the proprietary CPE station jack or other location as specified.

C.6 Protection from Voltage and Current Spikes

The Contractor shall ensure installed equipment is protected from damage due to voltage or current spikes from any source.

C.7 Transition Plan

The Contractor shall revise and update the proposed Transition Plan and milestone schedule for transitioning current services. The Plan shall provide the number of lines the Contractor can transition per day or week and the necessary steps, such as receipt of order, site reviews, and order processing, that need to be accomplished to ensure a successful transition. The Contractor may stipulate the number of lines by building address or city.

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C.8 Implementation Plans

For new service, the Contractor shall provide an implementation plan for each location and agency within 15 calendar days after receipt of order. The Government will provide the location, line count, agency phone numbers, and other information needed to facilitate the plan.

For each plan the Contractor shall identify and sequence major activities necessary to deliver service. The plan may include station surveys, site preparations, cutover, testing, installation, etc.

In addition the Contractor shall develop a milestone schedule that identifies all necessary steps to completing the order and the applicable completion dates.

C.9 Maintenance Services

The Contractor shall respond to and resolve all reported troubles within the required timeframes identified in Section F. The Contractor shall maintain service delivery to ensure that it meets the

Government’s requirements and appropriate industry standards.

Maintenance that is required to identify or correct a failure caused by Government-owned facilities or equipment shall be brought to the attention of the GSA or Agency COTR and include the following information: name and location of the end user, description of the problem, and associated costs, if any. If requested, the Contractor shall provide the GSA or Agency COTR access to the Contractor's trouble report as a means of documenting the trouble resolution.

The Contractor shall provide a toll free trouble reporting number that is available 24 hours per day and an escalation plan with names, titles, and contact information for appropriate individuals who may be contacted in the event of an emergency.

C.10 Federal Regional Emergency Support During Disasters

The Contractor shall support the National Security Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) Plan and employ processes, procedures, and network capabilities to provide network facility augmentation and restoration during NSEP events consistent with the National Telecommunications

Management Structure (NTMS) and the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System or any subsequent TSP replacement system for providing TSP restoration, TSP provisioning, and

TSP level change.

When required, the Contractor shall provide prioritized service provisioning and restoration to station lines designated as “critical” by the Government.

The applicable Government representative or Regional Emergency Communications Coordinator

(RECC) will establish liaison with the Contractor and develop procedures for utilization of communications resources prior to, during, and following an emergency or disaster.

In the event the Contractor cannot provide the required service within the time frame specified, the

Regional Emergency Communication Coordinator will obtain the required service from other

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C.11 Customer Administration Terminal Service (CATS)

The Contractor shall provide CATS, where available, for interfacing with Government-provided terminals to permit GSA and/or client agencies the ability to administer system changes and add features at no charge to the Government. These changes may include, but are not limited to, reassignment of features, moves, changes, and other actions inherent to the service without the need for hardware wiring. When providing CATS, the Contractor shall identify the features that can be changed or added This service requirement is anticipated at larger user Centrex-like locations. Administration access shall be separately partitioned by imposing client access restrictions. Each CATS user shall be controlled to ensure each user has private access to the facilities, share the facility, or be denied CATS facility access. CATS training shall be provided by the contractor at no cost to the Government.

C.12 Maintenance of Records

The Contractor shall maintain Centrex and transport facility records and convey to the

Government all current records and other pertinent documentation during the final week of this contract.

C.13 Operational Support

The following activities are considered part of operational support.

(a) Number inventory and administration

(b) Moves, adds, and changes

(c) Inventory management

(d) Work area management

(e) Telephone directories

(f) Directory listings

(g) Foreign directory listings

C.13.1 Number Inventory and Administration

The Contractor shall maintain an inventory of the NPA/NXXs for telephone numbers assigned or in service under this contract. The Contractor will provide an updated list of these NPA/NXXs on a semi-annual basis. The contract shall not assign NPA/NXXs that are not available for use under this contract. An NPA/NXX that becomes available during the contract period shall be priced at the same rate as existing NPA/NXXs within the same exchange pursuant to Section B, B.2. The Contractor shall ensure telephone numbers are available for use as either new or ported numbers.

C.13.2 Moves/Adds/Changes

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The Contractor shall process orders for moves, adds, changes, and disconnects of lines, services, and features through its service ordering process. At the Government’s request and when available, the Contractor shall provide GSA or Agency COTR with the ability to make internal software reconfigurations and software changes. All changes shall be processed within standard time provided to commercial customers.

C.13.3 Inventory Management

The Contractor shall provide and maintain an inventory management system to track by location and Agency the lines, equipment, services, and features provided under this contract. The

Contractor shall provide system inventory reports to the appropriate GSA or Agency COTR with the monthly invoices for recurring charges.

C.13.4 Work Area Management

The Contractor shall ensure equipment rooms, wire closets, and all other work areas at

Government locations are left in a clean, orderly, and neat state. The Contractor’s responsibility is limited to cleaning up disorder and trash created by its personnel.

For wiring/telephone closets, the Contractor shall clearly label wires and circuits used to provide services in order to provide the Government the ability to identify and trace the physical installation of a particular line or group of lines. The Contractor shall ensure these labels are legible and current at all times.

C.13.5 Telephone Directories

The Contractor shall provide updated local telephone directories (i.e., telephone books) on an annual basis. The telephone directories shall be the same as those provided to the public by the

Regional Bell Operating Companies (i.e., include white, blue, and yellow pages) for all areas within the State of California.

If no RBOC directory is published for the area, the Contractor shall provide a directory published by the local carrier. The Contractor shall provide one directory per telephone number at no charge, unless a lesser quantity is requested by the Government. The Contractor is solely responsible for determining the quantity of directories required and the delivery of the directories to each agency at each location to include room or suite number.

C.13.6 Directory Listings

If requested, the Contractor shall submit the Government's listings to the RBOC for publication in the RBOC's local telephone directory for the area. If the RBOC does not publish a telephone directory for the area, the Contractor shall submit the Government's listings to the local carrier for publication in the local telephone directory.

A typical listing will consist of agency name, address, and one phone number. Any additional information entry (e.g., additional line of text, cross reference, alternate number, etc.) will also be considered a listing.

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C.13.7 Foreign Directory Listings

If requested, the Contractor shall publish telephone numbers in another directory for a different geographic area (e.g., a number listed for a Los Angeles office in the San Francisco directory).

C.14 Management and Marketing Services

C.14.1 Organizational Management

The Contractor shall provide an efficient organization capable of managing all resources needed to carry out the requirements of this contract. The Contractor shall identify the individuals responsible by name, title, telephone numbers (during and after hours), facsimile numbers, and e-mail addresses for each location.

C.14.2 Key Personnel

The Contractor shall minimize turnover with respect to key personnel performing under this contract. The Contractor shall not change the key personnel performing under this contract without prior notification to the GSA Contracting Officer, although the Government recognizes that the Contractor cannot compel any individual to remain under its employment. Any replacement key personnel must be at least as qualified as the individual being replaced. The cost of any changes, replacements, or substitutions shall be the sole responsibility of the Contractor.

C.14.3 Marketing and Promotion Plan

The Contractor shall provide a Marketing and Promotion Plan within 30 days after award. In order to expand the Government customer base, the Contractor shall market and promote the services, system features, and capabilities provided in this contract. The focus will be to inform and market new and emerging technologies to all Federal agencies.

C.15 Industry Standards

The Contractor shall comply with the following industry standards. If these standards conflict with the Government’s specifications, the Governments specifications shall prevail.

Basic dial tone standards ISO/IEC 13714:1995.

All analog transmission parameters shall satisfy the values on the LEC Networks

(Standard: ANSI EIA/TIA-464 for PBX trunk service and SR-2275 for other services).

All digital transmission parameters shall satisfy the values and ranges set forth in the

High-Capacity Digital Special Access Service - Transmission Parameter Limits and

Interface Combinations TR-TSY-000754 or GR-342; and additionally, ANSI T1.503/510 for T1.

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Standard voicemail protocol known as Simplified Message Desk Interface (SMDI).

ISDN standard H.320 provides a foundation for audio, video, and data communications.

IP Communication H.323 standard provides a foundation for audio, video, and data communications across IP-based networks.

DSL compliance with ANSI T1.417.

ISDL compliance with ANSI T1.601.

Audio Processing standards G.711, G.723 or better.

ANSI/TIA/EIA – 568-B.1, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard

Part 1: General Requirements

ANSI/TIA/EIA – 568-B.2, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard

Part 2: Balanced Twisted-Pair Cabling Components

ANSI/TIA/EIA – 568-B.3, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard

Part 3: Optical Fiber Cabling Components

Frame Relay Service ANSI standards T.1.602, 606, 607, 617, 618.