Addendum 1 - Question and Answers, Vendor Sign-in Sheet and Other Revisions.pdf

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Form Revised 02/26/08 Page 1 of 2

Date: 11-22-13 Subject: Questions and Answers, Vendor Sign-in Sheet and Other Revisions

Solicitation Number: RFP Inmate Telephone Services 2013-90 Opening Date/Time: 12-16-13/2:00PM Addendum Number: 1

To All Suppliers:

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania defines a solicitation “Addendum”” as an addition to or amendment of the original terms, conditions, specifications, or instructions of a procurement solicitation (e.g., Invitation for Bids or Request for Proposals).

List any and all changes:

Attached are the following:

Vendor Sign-in Sheet Questions and Answers 1 through 92 Part II Proposal Requirements - Revised Section II-10 Cost Submittal Revised Appendix C - Cost Submittal

Appendix C should read: Appendix C – Cost Submittal in the following sections:

Table Contents Part IV-3 Requirements - page 29 (8.) Call Rate Responsibility Part IV-3 Requirements - page 30 (9.) Commissions

VENDORS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS IN WRITNG NO LATER THAN 11-26-13 3:00PM (EST). SUBMIT YOUR FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL TO: rilgenfrit@pa.gov

For electronic solicitation responses via the SRM portal:

• Attach this Addendum to your solicitation response. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

• To attach the Addendum, download the Addendum and save to your computer. Move to ‘My Notes”, use the

“Browse” button to find the document you just saved and press “Add” to upload the document.

• Review the Attributes section of your solicitation response to ensure you have responded, as required, to any questions relevant to solicitation addenda issued subsequent to the initial advertisement of the solicitation opportunity.

For solicitations where a “hard copy” (vs. electronic) response is requested:

• Attach this Addendum to your solicitation response. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

• If you have already submitted a response to the original solicitation, you may either submit a new response, or return this Addendum with a statement that your original response remains firm, by the due date to the following address:

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Form Revised 02/26/08 Page 2 of 2

PA Department of Corrections Attn: Russ Ilgenfritz 1920 Technology Parkway Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Except as clarified and amended by this Addendum, the terms, conditions, specifications, and instructions of the solicitation and any previous solicitation addenda, remain as originally written.

Very truly yours, Name: Russ Ilgenfritz Title: Administrative Officer Phone: 717-728-3919 Email: rilgenfrit@pa.gov

RFP Inmate Telephone Services 2013-90

Questions and Answers

1. Page 13 II-10. Cost Submittal. A. Direct Costs:

Since this RFP is clear that the Commonwealth will pay no costs to the winning vendor and the vendor will pay a commission the Commonwealth, will it be necessary to provide the cost information requested in this section of the RFP? Yes, per the revised wording for this provision in Question #20.

2. Page 13 II-10. Cost Submittal. F. Other Direct Costs:

How will Commissions that are paid to the Commonwealth be classified in this section?

Commissions paid to the PADOC are based on gross billed revenue. Please confirm that Commissions paid to the Commonwealth are not to be considered as monies available to be paid to a Small Diverse Business. Commissions paid to the Commonwealth has nothing to do with Small Diverse Business. Small Diverse Business (SDB) commitments are to be based on “Total Minute Cost to Compare”,from Cost Sheet 1.

3. Page 13 II-10. Cost Submittal. G. Fee or Profit:

Is it acceptable to estimate gross revenues by using historical inmate call volumes to establish profit calculation? Yes

4. Page 15 III-4 C Small Diverse Business Participation:

Typically when a commission is paid, the value of the contract is total contract revenue after the commission payment is made because the commission payment has no value to the vendor. How will the value of the contract to the vendor be calculated? Refer to Question #2 for answer.

5. Page 27 IV-3 Requirements 6. Prepay Service c:

This requirement excludes ability to charge a Universal service fund administrative fee which is different than a Universal Service Fund Fee. Will the Commonwealth allow for the charging of a Universal Service Fund Fee as established by the FCC?

This fee would only be applicable to state to state calling. No

6. Page 28 & 29 IV-3 Requirements 7. Collect Call Service d:

This requirement excludes ability to charge a Universal service fee. Will the Commonwealth allow for the charging of a Universal Service Fund Fee as established by the FCC? This fee would only be applicable to state to state calling. No

7. Page 29 IV-3 Requirements 8. Call Rate Responsibility a:

This requirement states that the rates offered must be lower than the current rates.

Will the Commonwealth please provide the current rates that are being charged?

Yes, please see attached spreadsheet for current rate information.

The Commonwealth states that it wants a single blended rate, inclusive of all surcharge/connect fees and it wants that rate to be lower than the rates charged for inmate calls. Would the Commonwealth please provide the equivalent blended rate for current rate structure? If not how will the blended rates be measured against the traditional rates to determine if it is in fact lower than the current rates?

Yes, the blended rates are as follows:

Local/IntraLata/InterLata Calls - .23/minute Local/IntraLata/InterLata/InterState Calls - .25/minute Blended rate was calculated by taking the total revenue divided by total minutes.

8. Page 30 IV-3 Requirements 8. Call Rate Responsibility f: Offeror shall charge the called party the agreed upon per minute rates and per call surcharges (subject to any applicable Pennsylvania Utility Commission approvals and/or rate filing requests).

Does this requirement also apply to interstate rates and commissions under the jurisdiction of the FCC? Pennsylvania Utility Commission (PUC) approval of interstate rates is not required. However, offeror shall only charge the called party the agreed upon per minute rate for interstate calls.

9. Page 30 IV-3 Requirements 9. Commissions b:

The pending FCC Order looks to eliminate commissions associated with interstate calling revenues. Will interstate revenues be eliminated from total gross revenue generated calculation if the FCC Order is implemented as written? Because the FCC ruling is not finalized no determination has been made to the elimination of interstate revenues.

10. Page 37 IV-3 Requirements 16. Investigative and Intelligence a:

Capability included is for Cellular telephone control/detection. Is the Commonwealth referring to control and detection of inmate contraband cellular telephones or control and detection of the called party cellular telephone?

Commonwealth is referring to Control and Detection of inmate contraband cellular telephones.

11. Page 38 & 39 IV-3 Requirements18. Maintenance and Support Requirements b:

This requirement mandates the hiring of as many as 27 System Administrators (one SA at each SCI). With a Hosted system and improved automation tools, much of the SA work can be accomplished in a centralized location with fewer SA’s. Most State DOC’s allow for centralized SA support with daily or weekly service visits. Will the Commonwealth revise the requirements of this section to allow for this type of service approach?

The Commonwealth will allow SA’s to support multiple institutions due to the close proximity of some institutions i.e. SCI Huntingdon/Smithfield. Currently nineteen

(19) SA’s provide support to 26 locations.

12. Appendix C – Cost Proposal:

The last sentence of second paragraph says, “Interstate and International call rates are to be provided separately”. The rate chart to be filled in (below) has lines A, B, C and D. Line D includes cost for a 15 minute International call. The rate chart does not include ability to price a 15 minute Interstate call. Will the Commonwealth add a line item to price Interstate calls? If so, how will the Commonwealth determine the percentage of cost associated with intrastate calling vs. interstate calling (if rates are different)? Because of the FCC ruling PADOC will be providing two different cost sheets (1 and 2).

13. Appendix C – Cost Proposal:

The Cost Proposal includes reference to Tariff and Regulatory Fees. “PADOC understands that the rates shown below are exclusive of Federal, State, Local Taxes, Tariff’s and Regulatory Fees. It is understood that these taxes/fees will be charged as a pass-through from the taxing/regulating agency to the called party and that no commission will be paid on these items.” What is a “Tariff” Fee? What Regulatory Fee is allowed to be added to bill? Tarriff Fee is the approved maximum rates allowed to be charged as approved by the Pennsylvania Utility Commission (PUC). No Regulatory fees are allowed to be charged.

14. General

Will the Commonwealth conduct facility tours or permit interested vendors to conduct site surveys of the existing inmate telephone infrastructure at each of the existing institutions?

Commonwealth will not be conducting facility tours to conduct site surveys at each PADOC facility.

15. It is very important for all vendors to understand the rates and fees being charged by the current vendor, so that bidders can estimate the impact to calling patterns that may occur as a result of implementing proposed rates. The current provider has a significant competitive advantage in being the only bidder with this information. Please provide a listing of all surcharges and per-minute costs that is currently associated with collect, prepaid collect, and inmate debit calling. This listing should be broken down by tariff band of Local, IntraLATA, Intrastate, Interstate, and International. Refer to Question #7 for answer.

16. Is the revenue information provided in Appendix N exclusive of any fees? Yes. Are any fees currently being charged and, if so, please list all fees and their amounts. Also, please identify if these fees are being charged by the current vendor or some other 3rd party.

No additional fees are currently being charged.

17. The RFP contains references to connect fees and/or per-call surcharges (e.g., Appendix C –

Cost Proposal and RFP p. 30, paragraph 8.g). However, RFP p. 29, paragraph 8.a requires Offerors to “establish a single, blended rate per minute, inclusive of all surcharge/connect fees…..” Will the DOC please clarify whether per-call surcharges or connect fees will be allowed? Surcharges/connect fees will not be allowed. Commonwealth is looking for blended per-minute rate.

18. Are the required manual cutoff switches (described on RFP p. 31, paragraph 11.a) currently installed at all PADOC facilities? Yes

19. RFP p. 16, section C, references “five percent (5%) of the total contract value” as the value used to assess a “significant subcontracting commitment” using SDB subcontractors. How will the PADOC determine the total contract value? For example, total commissions received in the previous 12 months, multiplied by five years (base contract term)? To ensure that all bidders’ SDB subcontract commitment percentages can be accurately compared against one another, as described in the evaluation formula, please state the exact dollar amount the PADOC will use as the “total contract value,” or describe in detail how the PADOC will calculate this amount. Refer to Question #2 for answer.

20. The RFP Work Statement, in section IV-2, states that the “contract resulting from this RFP will be a no cost contract.” Therefore, please confirm that none of the costs described in Proposal Requirements section II-10 apply to this RFP, and therefore that Offerors do not need to break down proposed costs into the components described in II-10. This section has been modified. Section II 10 is being replaced with the following: II-10 Cost Submittal.

The information requested in this Part II, Section II-10 shall constitute the Cost Submittal. The Cost Submittal shall be detailed on Appendix C – Cost Submittal and placed in a separate sealed envelope within the sealed proposal, separated from the technical submittal. PADOC is not paying any cost or fees for the provided service(s). Offerors should not include any assumptions in their cost submittals. If the Offeror includes assumptions in its cost submittal, the Issuing Office may reject the proposal. Offerors should direct in writing to the Issuing Office pursuant to Part I, Section I-9, of this RFP any questions about whether a cost or other component is included or applies. All Offerors will then have the benefit of the Issuing Office’s written answer so that all proposals are submitted on the same basis.

The total proposed cost shall be broken down into the following components:

• Blended per Minute Rate for all Intrastate Calls

• Interstate Call per Minute Rate

• Commission percentage

• International Call Rate – not included in scoring

21. RFP p. 24, paragraph 3.b.8 requires that “inmate’s family and friends utilizing the

Pennsylvania Relay Service to receive calls from inmates are charged the same rates as those family and friends receiving calls from inmates not utilizing the PA relay service.”

Calls to relay centers are free calls and typically no charges can be assessed. Therefore, will the PADOC waive this requirement? Yes Also, please confirm that the Pennsylvania relay Service is an independent entity and the Offerors have no control over what charges (if any) they may assess to the called party. PADOC confirms the PA Relay Service is an independent entity and Offerors have no control over what charges (if any) they may assess to the called party.

22. RFP p. 29, paragraph 7.g requires that “cellular collect calls are billed to the BNA originally provided by the inmate’s family or friend.” Currently cellular telephone carriers to not allow collect calling to cell phones and will not process and bill these calls to cell phone users. Instead, cell phone users set up prepaid collect accounts directly with the inmate telephone service provider, who can then ensure that only the BNA provided may receive inmate calls using that prepaid collect account. Is this acceptable to the PADOC, and will the PADOC waive or revise the requirement in paragraph 7.g? This is correct. Collect calls cannot be made to cellular telephones. Inmate calls to cellular numbers must be made using Prepaid (inmate purchase) or Prepay (end user prepaid). Calls to prepay accounts should only go to the telephone number provided on the account.

23. Please specify the number of laptops that will be required under RFP p. 34, paragraph 13.a.

Currently there are three (3) laptops provided. However, the Commonwealth reserves the right to ask for as many as we feel are necessary.

24. RFP p. 44, paragraph 22.a requires the selected Offeror to transfer existing “recorded calls,” among other data, to the proposed solution. Please state how many months or years of call recordings and related data that will need to be transferred. A minimum of 12 months.

Additionally, please confirm that the current vendor will provide this data in a readable\importable and will cooperate with this transfer of data. Current vendor is required to provide this information as per contract.

25. As per the RFP Work Statement, section IV-3.A.1, please confirm that the requirement for all new telephones and associated equipment also applies to the current vendor, should that vendor be selected in this procurement. Yes, Commonwealth requires all new equipment to be installed.

26. How will the PADOC evaluate each additional technology component offered in response to the “Investigative and Intelligence” section on RFP p. 37, paragraph 16? Some of the suggested technologies, such as cellular telephone control, can be costly to implement and would negatively affect the bidder’s financial offer. Therefore, it is important to define how points will be added for these benefits when evaluating the Technology Submittal.

The Commonwealth does not provide detailed evaluation methodology as part of the RFP process.

27. RFP p. 27, paragraph 5.a requires interfaces with the PADOC commissary and jail management systems. Please identify the current commissary and jail management systems, and provide contact information for the companies who deliver and support these systems.

Also, if the PADOC is planning to change either of these systems during the course of the upcoming Inmate Telephone Services contract, please provide the same information for the incoming systems and vendors. It is critically important that Offerors may contact these vendors to identify any costs that may be associated with such integrations. (JMS) is handled in house by PADOC IT and the (Commissary) system is handled by the SAP Project Manager. All inquiries regarding this as well as any items related to the RFP are to go through the Issuing Officer.

28. Will the DOC please provide the RFP and all associated attachments in Microsoft Word/Excel so that all forms and the RFP as a whole can be responded to with more conformity? No

29. On page iv the calendar of events indicates that all questions must be submitted on or before 11/6/2013. Further on, Page 1, Section I-8, indicates that questions can be asked at the Prebid. Please clarify if questions are permitted at the Prebid or if all questions must be submitted on 11/6/2013? Yes, additional questions can be asked at the pre-proposal conference. In addition, will the DOC please permit supplemental questions to be submitted after the pre-bid as information released/discussed at the pre-bid may spawn further questions? Yes, supplemental questions may be submitted after the pre-proposal conference.

30. On page 2, Section I-12 requires that proposals be submitted via CD or Flash drive in

Microsoft Office-compatible format. Will the DOC accept submission in PDF as well?

No, PADOC will not accept submittals in PDF format.

31. On page 4, Section I-15 – Alternate Proposals. Provided our technical proposal does not change, will the DOC permit more than one financial proposal to be submitted? No

32. On page 3, Section I-12, the DOC request two copies of the proposal on electronic media.

Can each copy contain the Technical Submittal, Cost Submittal, and Small Diverse Business (SDB) participation (2 media total) or does the DOC wish each section on its own media (6 media total)? Each CD or jump drive (a total of 2), should include a full and complete searchable copy of the following documents: Technical, Cost, SDB.

33. On page 10, Section II-3, states "Describe in narrative form your technical plan for accomplishing the work. Use the task descriptions in Part IV of this RFP as your reference point." Please confirm that including a point-by-point response to Part IV is acceptable. If not please provide additional detail on how to construct the response for this section.

Point-by-Point response to PART IV is acceptable and is preferred.

34. On page 10, Section II-3, states "Indicate the number of person hours allocated to each task." Please confirm that this information centering around hours allocated is in reference to the implementation of the proposed solution and not Part IV in totality. Number of person hours would be any time related to the Design, Planning, Infrastructure, implementation, support and services.

35. On page 11, Section II-4, the state outlines its requirements for vendor references. The DOC requires ”for three (3) projects of similar scope and size implemented within the last five (5) years”. To ensure that the prime contractor ultimately responsible for the performance of this contract truly is qualified, we respectfully request that the DOC amend its reference requirement and require that the three (3) references be for State DOCs where the responding vendor is the prime contractor. This will provide further protection for the Commonwealth and the DOC. Suggestion considered but will not change at this time.

36. On page 11, Section II-7, the DOC asks for a Dun & Bradstreet report. Would the DOC accept a Standard and Poor’s or Moody’s report instead of a Dun and Bradstreet since either of these two provide a more in-depth financial picture of a company? Yes, also include requested financials.

37. On page 13, Section II-10. The elements of the Cost Submittal (A-H) are not consistent with the Appendix C Cost Proposal. How are the elements of Appendix C evaluated in context with II-10? Since this is a no cost contract to COPA, shouldn’t elements A-H be removed in their entirety? If not, please explain how these are used and evaluated for this procurement.

Refer to Question #20 for answer.

38. On page 15, Section III-4. This discussion of the Evaluation Criteria tells the percentage

Technical, Cost and SDB will receive. Please provide the actual number of points each area will have. In addition please provide the number of available points achievable via the Domestic Workforce Utilization bonus. This information will not be provided.

39. On page 16, Section III-4.B, the evaluation formula stated in the referenced webpage (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/rfp_scoring_formulas_overview/2 0124) appears to be based on Cost to the Commonwealth. Offerors will be submitting proposals for Inmate Telephone Service at NO COST to the Commonwealth. Please clarify the evaluation scoring for NO COST proposals including how rates and commissions will be evaluated. Correct, no cost to the Commonwealth. Cost per minute and the commission revenue’s to the Commonwealth will be evaluated.

40. On page 20, Section IV-1A General. In the industry “Hosted” solution generally means a solution where the data and recordings reside on a server “Hosted” at the vendor’s data center which may be out of the State. Please confirm that this is the intent of this requirement. Yes, the Commonwealth requires this type of system.

41. On page 27, Section IV-3, Item A.4.R. The requirement for BNA is outlined and the need for BNA to exist prior to the completion of a call. Since Debit calling is initiated by the inmate, we assume that this requirement is for collect and prepaid calling only. Please confirm that this is accurate. If it is not accurate please confirm the method that the DOC wishes the vendor to utilize to ensure BNA exists for debit calling as well. The BNA requirement is for collect and prepay (end user prepaid) calling only.

42. On page 28, Section IV-3, Item 6.C discusses the fees that are not permitted to be charged to the called party. Several questions have arisen around this section:

a. Certain vendors have adopted a process of allowing an initial call to be completed to a non-billable number such as a cell phone by allowing the called party to pay for that call at the time of its attempt without having to setup a pre-paid account. These calls usually have a high transaction fee and a low call cost and when combined total $14.99 with no refunds or credits for unused minutes. This in turn will gouge the called party. Please confirm that this practice is not permitted. This type of call is not permitted. However, the PADOC does have Booking telephones that allow inmates to contact (at no cost) Family and Friends to let them know where they are and how they are doing.

b. Please confirm that the successful vendor can charge USF for InterState calls since this is a governmental fee. Vendor cannot charge for this Fee.

c. Please confirm that the permitted taxes are only to be charged at the time of the call and not at the time the called party places a deposit on their prepaid account.

Permitted taxes are only to be charged at the time a call is made and not at the time the end user places a deposit on their prepay account(s).

d. Please confirm that the outlined permissible taxes and non-permitted fees also apply to the inmates and their use of debit calling as well. This applies to all call types.

43. On page 29, Section IV-3, Item 7.G makes mention of cellular collect calling. This calling is always associated with a high surcharge ($8 or more in some cases). Please confirm that the only way to connect a call to a cellular phone is through prepaid calling or debit calling and that additional fees are not permitted when calling a cellular phone including, but not limited to, location detection fees, etc. Calls to cellular telephones must be completed using prepaid (inmate account) or prepay (end user prepaid account). No fees are to be charged for any type of call except for (Gross Receipts Surcharge and Statutory Gross Receipt Tax) for IntraState calling and (Statutory Gross Receipt Tax) for InterState Calling.

44. Various places in the RFP the DOC makes mention of applicable per minute rates and surcharge. Please confirm that the DOC is looking for a per minute rate for all call types without a surcharge. The PADOC is looking for a blended per minute rate for all calls.

See answer to Question #7.

45. On page 37, Section IV-3, Item 16.A makes mention of Cellular telephone control/detection.

These types of solutions can be managed access solutions, CelleBrite (type) Solutions, CellSense (type) Solutions, etc. These types of solutions can be very costly in nature and in some cases can exceed one million dollars per facility. Is this the type of solution that the DOC is looking for? If so please provide the solution that the DOC is seeking along with quantities in the event that we are only permitted to submit one financial response. If this is not what the DOC is seeking, please provide the business issue that you are trying to solve and the requested functionality. As part of the Offeror’s proposal to enhance the Investigative and Intelligence, it is at the Offeror’s discretion as to what they can provide.

46. On page 37, Section IV-3, Item 16.A makes mention of Inmate to inmate call detection. Is the DOC attempting to prohibit calling to the same number at the same time? Is the DOC looking for a product that detects multiple inmate voices on the same call such as the JLG product? Once again, if we are only permitted to submit one financial offer, we will need to know the product and approach that the DOC is requesting so that we can craft an accurate financial offer. It’s up to the Offeror’s discretion to provide a mechanisms that detects inmate voices on the same call and same number at the same time.

47. On page 40, Section IV-3, Item 18.I and Page 38, Section IV-3, Item 18.B the DOC makes mention of local technicians and system administrators. To ensure that the DOC receives the service level they expect we respectfully request that the DOC specify the number of System Administrators and Technicians. Otherwise vendors may be compelled to respond with an undersized workforce thus impacting DOC operations. As per Section IV-3-18-b, the PADOC is requesting a System Administrator (SA) be provided at each SCI.

However, the PADOC will allow for System Administrators to provide support to multiple PADOC institutions that are in close proximity to each other i.e.

Huntingdon/Smithfield. PADOC will not specify the number of technicians.

48. On page 48, Section IV-5 Are we required to include the reports and plans in IV-5 with our RFP response or at an appropriate time post contract award? Yes, include reports and plans with your technical submittal.

49. Appendix C. The DOC states “It is the intention of PADOC that all intrastate and interstate calls (collect, prepay, or prepaid/debit) have one flat fee rate.” The new FCC order that has recently been released outlines InterState calling rates and the fact that commissions are not permissible on InterState calling. With this in mind it may be necessary to have two rates and commission offers, one for InterState calling and one for IntraState calling. Is the DOC planning on revising this form to accommodate the order? If the DOC is revising the form how will it then evaluate the two rates and commission offers? Refer to Question #20 for answer and depending on the finalized FCC ruling this section is subject to change.

50. Appendix C Page 33 of the RFP stated “Offeror shall establish a single, blended rate per minute, inclusive of all surcharge/connect fees, for all inmate telephone calls to include all local, IntraLata, InterLata and Interstate calls while keeping rates lower than the current rates charged for inmate telephone calls.” However, Appendix C requires us to state what our proposed surcharge which would appear to be in conflict with the requirements on page

33. Please clarify the correct methodology for submitting our cost proposal. Refer to Question #44 for answer.

51. With the complexity of a proposal for inmate telephones at a DOC, the answers to submitted questions often times lead to follow-up questions that will need to be asked. For this reason we request that all vendors be permitted to ask additional questions after all initial questions are answered by the DOC. This will help to ensure a comprehensive and well architected response to meet and exceed your requirements. All vendors will be given the opportunity to ask additional/supplemental questions after the pre-proposal conference.

52. Appendix C, Please clarify the intent of the last sentence of the second paragraph “Interstate and International call rates are to be provided separately.” Are we to populate Appendix C with Intrastate rates only? Please clarify the correct methodology for submitting our cost proposal. Refer to Question #20 for answer.

53. Appendix C. Please verify that the completed Appendix C - COST PROPOSAL is to be packaged with the Cost Submittal. If not, how should it be provided in the RFP? Appendix C – Cost Proposal is the Cost Submittal. Submit cost submittal (Appendix C) in a separate sealed envelope.

54. Appendix G. The form states that it is to be maintained "at the Sally Port/Gate, after approval." Does that mean the form is included for example only and is not to be included in the RFP response? Form is being included as an example only.

55. With which Submittal shall all Appendices that require an “Offeror’s response”, that have not been specifically mentioned in Part II, be packaged? All appendices except for Appendix C, Cost Proposal, and Appendix W, Small Diverse Business Letter of Intent must be submitted with your technical submittal response.

56. Would the PADOC provide a copy of the RFP in Word format to allow the Offerors to more easily respond to the RFP, especially the Appendices? No

57. Are digital cameras allowed at the site survey to take pictures of the demarc/phone room, enclosures, pedestals, phones, etc? It is understood that we cannot have any incarcerated individuals in the picture. Cameras are not permitted within any PADOC facility without prior approval from the Superintendent and/or Deputy Secretary. At this time, the PADOC will not be conducting facility tours to conduct site surveys at each PADOC facility.

58. Would the PADOC provide the telephone number for Mr. Ilgenfritz to place on the UPS/FedEx shipping label? 717-728-3919 and this information can also be found on the solicitation advertisement posted on emarketplace website:

www.emarketplace.state.pa.us

59. Page 4: I-18 Proposal Content This section discusses confidential information, and requires the Offeror to provide a redacted version of the proposal. For clarification, would the PADOC want one redacted paper copy and one redacted electronic copy? Yes

60. Page 10: II – Proposal Requirements Typically the Offerors will submit their Technical Submittal in a binder. For ease of administration, would it be acceptable to send a single box with the Technical Proposal paper copies in unsealed binders, but with the SDB Proposal, Cost Submittal, and (if desired) Cost Proposal in Appendix C in separate sealed envelopes? Yes, all submittals (technical, cost and small diverse business) must be separately sealed and can be sent as one package.

61. Page 10: II- Proposal Requirements The RFP requires three separately sealed submittals, including the Technical Response, SDB Participation Proposal, and Cost Submittal. Should vendors also separately submit sealed copies of the Cost Proposal in Appendix C? Refer to Question #60 for answer.

62. Page 10: II-3 Work Plan Typically the Offerors for Inmate Telephone Services provide their responses to RFPs in a “requirement and response” format, where the task description is stated in its entirety, followed by the Offeror’s response. Does the PADOC desire that the task descriptions in Part IV be answered in this format in II-3, or as a true narrative (without the task descriptions) in II-3? PADOC would like the task description stated in its entirety followed by the Offeror’s response.

http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/

63. Page 13: II-10 Cost Submittal, and Appendix C Although this is a no-cost contract, we understand the Cost Submittal to be a requirement for setting the “base amount” of expense against which to calculate SDB spending commitments. Because much of the infrastructure for hosted inmate telephone systems are shared across multiple accounts, the allocation of those costs can be manipulated in order to maximize calculated SDB spending commitments. Would the PADOC provide additional guidance on how shared costs must be allocated in calculations, or alternatively how it will validate reported costs in these calculations?

Certain itemized costs are subject to commercial agreements with other parties and subject to a non-disclosure agreement.

May these certain types of costs be redacted so they cannot be seen or otherwise calculated by a third party? We recognize that most costs, as well as the total cost, may not be redacted. Confidential cost information should not be provided with the submittal. If necessary to provide confidential information, this should be noted in Appendix I. No additional information will be provided.

64. Page 15: III.4 – Evaluation Criteria Subsection III.4.C provides point values for various SDB rankings, with a maximum of 150 points. Based on the SDB participation valued at 20% of the contract, would the PADOC confirm that the Technical weight of 50% be equivalent to 375 points, and the Cost weight of 30% be equivalent to 225 points, for a of 750 possible points? Percentages are the maximum of available points and no further information will be given.

65. Page 16: III.4.B - Cost Would the PADOC clarify that the Cost criterion is based on the Cost Submittal (II-10 on page 13) or on the Cost Proposal (Appendix C)? Refer to Question #20 for answer.

If it is on the Cost Proposal (Appendix C), given the combination of low rates and high commissions being scored in Appendix C, should the second sentence citing “lowest total cost” be modified? Refer to Question # 39 for answer.

66. Page 19: III-6.C. – Final Ranking and Award As this is a no cost contract to the PADOC, and is a commission-based contract, would the PADOC clarify the statement “…lowest technical score and had the lowest cost score…” If “cost” is eliminated in III.4.B and replaced by “commission”, should this read “…highest commission score…”? Yes, refer to Question # 39 for answer.

67. Page 24: IV-3.A.3.b.3 – Additional Equipment Requirements

This subsection requires a remote printer to produce a copy of the TDD conversation. If the Offeror can record the inmate conversation through the inmate telephone system, would a remote printer still be required? As long as the vendor can provide a way to produce a text copy of the conversation then the remote printer would not be needed.

68. Page 24: IV-3.A.3.b.8 – Additional Equipment Requirements This subsection requires that the successful Offeror utilize the Pennsylvania Relay Service, and that the users of this service be charged the same rates as inmates not using the service.

Will PADOC please consider modifying this requirement to state that calls to the Relay Service will not incur a charge from the ITS provider? The PA Relay Service is an independent entity and providers have no control over what charges (if any) they may assess to the called party. They are also accessed through the ITS using 800 numbers, and are free calls with no charges assessed by the ITS provider. Yes, we will modify this requirement to state calls through the PA Relay Service will not incur any charge from the ITS provider.

Page 27: IV-3.A.5.a – Prepaid Services

This Subsection requires that the successful Offeror interface with the JMS and commissary systems. Would PADOC provide the vendors of these systems, and also contact information to allow the Offerors to determine any costs for the interface? Refer to Question #27 for answer.

69. Page 34: IV-3.A.13.a – System Access Would PADOC provide the number of laptops that will be required?

Refer to question # 23 for answer.

70. Page 38: IV-3.A.18.b – Maintenance and Support Requirements This subsection states the “Offeror shall provide a System Administrator (SA) at each SCI”. The existing vendor utilizes a total of 19 System Administrators to service the account. Would the DOC consider changing this requirement to match the headcount used today or clarify the intent to increase the System Administrator headcount from 19 to 27 as part of this RFP? PADOC will allow for System Administrators to provide support to multiple PADOC institutions that are in close proximity to each other i.e. SCI Huntingdon/Smithfield.

71. Attachment C – Cost Proposal

A. Will the PADOC consider allowing vendors to bid ONLY a per-minute rate, and disallowing them to bid any per-call surcharge? Per-call surcharges can ‘artificially’ decrease reported blended rates by spreading the surcharge over the maximum call length, rather than actual call length. In addition: Refer to questions #44 and #7 for answer.

• A per-minute only restriction would ensure apples-to-apples comparison.

• The issue of refund disputes is eliminated – e.g. a disconnect if a family member accidentally hook-flashes during a call – because called parties pay only for the minutes they use.

• Inmates can make more frequent calls and connections with family members, since a short call is less expensive. Our experience in other States shows that this more frequent calling has the added benefit of providing more overall commission revenue.

B. Will the PADOC consider a two-part Cost Proposal process that does not score lowest rates and highest commissions at the same time? Our recommendation would be to use a two-step process: Refer to Questions #20 and #39 for answer.

• In the first round initial offer, allow Offerors to propose up to two separate

Cost Proposals with different combinations of calling rates and commissions.

• After reviewing the initial Cost Proposals, release a best and final offer with

PADOC-established calling rates, and requiring the Offerors to bid a commission rate based on those calling rates.

Practical experience in other states has shown simultaneous scoring of rates and commissions can cause issues - the reason is that the relationship between calling rates and the commissions vendors can offer is not a one-to-one correlation. Solving for the optimal mix of rates and commissions for PADOC requires us to make guesses on the correct starting points. Refer to Question #7 for answer.

72. Appendix O – DOC Inmate Telephone Inventory Do any of the facilities have pedestals or enclosures? If so, would PADOC confirm whether they are owned by the incumbent or the Commonwealth, and provide the numbers and types of pedestals and enclosures? No

73. Appendix O – DOC Inmate Telephone Inventory

• Are there currently any cordless phones? Yes, One (1)

• Would PADOC consider cordless phones in lieu of roll away phones in some areas?

Yes, but only for use in a specific area(s) as requested by each facility such as a unit housing terminally ill inmates.

74. Appendix O – DOC Inmate Telephone Inventory

Would PADOC provide the type of phones used? Wintel

• If a “mini” style, are they on a full backboard with an adapter? We have mini and full size inmate telephones that are mounted to a backboard and are hard wired.

• Are there any speaker phones? No

75. IV-3 Requirments – 16. Investigative and Intelligence

a) Offerors proposed solution shall provide the PADOC with creative solutions to enhance investigative and intelligence gathering capabilities such as:

• Speech and word recognition

• Inmate to inmate call detection

• Reverse look up capabilities

• Cellular telephone control/detection

With the advancement in continuous voice biometric identification technologies in significantly augmenting the ability of investigators to automatically be presented with the identify of all inmates on phone calls, would the PADOC consider including this technology as a requirement to greatly enhance their investigators’ ability to take phone call investigation to the next level of intelligence gathering? See section 16 and refer to Question #46 for answer.

Briefly, the technology provides the ability to identify inmates by voice. It allows: 1.)

searching calls by voice, 2.) providing enhanced link analysis, 3.) saving up to 80% of call player manpower, and 4.) providing pre-paid calling security. This technology works in conjunction with, and is installed as part of the inmate telephone system to identify each/every inmate on every phone call and would be provided by the phone system provider. The technology identifies each inmate by voice, and automatically and continuously monitors all calls for their full duration to ensure that the inmate(s) on the call is the same inmate who initiated the call with their PIN, and, in the event that other inmates get control of/get on the call, identify those inmates and alert investigators as to who they are by name. The technology is currently in daily use at over 160 state and county facilities in 26 states, including the NVDOC and NHDOCs.

Would the PADOC consider adding an optional requirement for continuous voice biometric identification in its RFP to para 16, Investigative and Intelligence, as a significant analysis tool for its investigators? There would be no cost to the State as the technology would be included and implemented as part of each vendor’s offering in its response to the Can be part of vendor’s proposal in response to Section 16 RFP. Vendor should propose any feature that would be considered advantages to the PADOC and are provided at no cost.

76. In RFP 16 Investigative and Intelligence, the state indicates it is looking for creative solutions for investigative and intelligence gathering capabilities. There are proven technologies available to help investigators that are additional to the four currently listed in this requirement. For the state to get the latest available technology, would it consider letting vendors submit technology options for this section? As these technologies can be expensive to the bidding vendors, and could possibly effect offered commissions, would the state allow vendors to offer options for these investigative technologies showing the impact on commissions, where the proposed technology would be a selectable option to the state without the vendor being penalized by the terms of the RFP as stated in RFP I-15. If vendors were allowed to offer technology options in this section, the state would be assured of receiving the most up to date investigative capabilities. Vendor should propose any feature that would be considered advantages to the PADOC and are provided at no cost.

77. Please confirm the surcharges and per-minute rates for all call types.

Refer to Question #7 for answer.

78. Please detail population for each facility. We currently have two (2) female and twenty-four (24) male institutions. See Appendix L for the inmate population by institution as of July 23, 2013.

79. Please provide us with the current commission %, and whether this is based on a percent of gross revenue, or other basis. Current commission percentage is 44.4% which is based on gross billed revenue.

80. Does the current inmate phone provider currently take any deductions from commission revenue, if so what are the deductions and how much? Current provider does not take any deductions from commission revenue.

81. What is the average size of a monthly commission check received by the Department?

$635,074.79 This amount is based on Fiscal Year 12-13 information.

82. What company is currently providing your jail (or offender) management system (JMS/OMS)? Refer to Question #27 for answer.

83. What is the historic call volume by month?

Month/Year Calls January 2012 412791 February 2012 456500 March 2012 456728 April 2012 471656 May 2012 448604 June 2012 438988 July 2012 416609 August 2012 443867 September 2012 429238 October 2012 420430 November 2012 473142 December 2012 480799

TOTAL 5349352

84. In past contracts, the Commonwealth’s commitment to diverse business participation has been 10%. In this Request for Proposal, the commitment has decreased to 5%. Can the Commonwealth address this decrease, and is it a change in policy? I believe the 10% is referring to the weight. At one point the weight was 10% but has been increased to 20%. The Commonwealth has never had a goal.

85. Section IV – 3(A) (18)(b): Maintenance and Support Requirements:

Will the Commonwealth consider modifying the requirements in this Request For Proposal to allow Site Administrators, Field Technicians & the Field Support Manager to be employed by a sub-contractor in keeping with the current practice with the existing contract. No need to modify RFP requirements. RFP does not exclude the use of sub-contractors to provide Site Administrators, Field Technicians and Field Support Managers.

86. Section IV – 3(A) (18)(i): Maintenance and Support Requirements:

In order to maintain the service levels required in this Request For Proposal and to continue to service the facilities with field personnel that are Commonwealth residents, would the Commonwealth consider the following paragraph language in place:

“Offeror shall provide in-state technicians employed by a sub-contractor to support the service level agreement (SLA) requirements to handle the on-site maintenance, repair or replacement of the inmate telephones and other Offeror-related equipment at each PA DOC-SCI”. The in-state technician(s) must be trained, certified and available for dispatch to the SCI anytime a system problem cannot be diagnosed or corrected remotely by the Offeror’s Technical Service and Support Center.” No change to section

87. Section IV – 3(A) (18)(k): Maintenance and Support Requirements:

Will the Commonwealth consider revising this paragraph to expand the reference to include services and/or personnel provided by a sub-contractor? A sub-contractor is considered under the auspice of the Offeror therefor this section applies to all sub-contractors.

The Commonwealth currently uses a duel-trouble ticketing process to track all system and equipment issues for the inmate call control system. This is not identified as a requirement in the bid. Can the Commonwealth clarify if this will be a requirement under this Request for Proposal? Offeror will need to provide a trouble ticketing process to track all system and equipment issues related to the inmate telephone system.

88. Section IV – 3(A)(27)(2c-2) Emergency Preparedness:

Will the Commonwealth consider revising this paragraph to expand this reference to include personnel provided by a sub-contractor? No

89. Please provide a list of all non-Commonwealth employees that attended the prebid meeting held on November 19th. The Vendor Sign-in Sheet will be posted as an addendum on the emarketplace website: www.emarketplace.state.pa.us

90. At the prebid meeting, the Commonwealth distributed a list of the questions that they have received so far. Due to the complexity of some of the questions, the volume of questions, the answers will more than likely generate the need for additional clarification. For these reasons, we respectfully request that you allow follow-up questions be asked for one week after the publication of the answers. Offeror’s will have an opportunity to submit follow-up questions. Please monitor the emarketplace website: www.emarketplace.state.pa.us for this information.

91. In the RFP on page 37, Item 16 states that you are looking for “Inmate to Inmate Call Detection”. These tools carry a substantial premium of additional costs to the consumer and/or commission reductions as they are beyond normal inmate telephone system functionality. These tools can be paid for through a per call fee normally of $0.25 or commission reductions of up to 7%. Additionally, these tools are but a smaller subset of the overall technology requirements in the RFP. Coupled with the fact that the current Safe Harbor rate for interstate calls is $0.14 per minute for collect and $0.12 per minute for prepaid/debit, please explain how we should factor these cost/commission premiums in our financial offer? It is the vendor’s responsibility to consider all requirements of the RFP including Inmate to Inmate calling in developing their pricing and commission structure.

92. With the volume of questions that the DOC has received thus far, the fact that a revised cost proposal model has not been released as indicated at the prebid meeting, the fact that the FCC order is just now going into effect and still being digested, analyzed and likely contested, the fact that the due date for questions has been extended, and the fact that responses to questions, at the time of the writing of the letter, were to be released by the Commonwealth on November 22, 2013, per the issued RFP we respectfully request that the bid opening date be extended for 30 days to January 16, 2014. This will also allow for ample time to prepare our response with the holiday season fast approaching. As of now the calendar of events will not change. Please monitor the emarketplace website:

www.emarketplace.state.pa.us for any updates including the calendar of events.

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PART II – PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Revised…