Addendum 3 1998-25 Cloud Hosted VOIP System more questions UPDATED 10212026.pdf

Housing Authority of the City of Hartford, 180 John D Wardlaw Way, Hartford, CT 06106

1 of 4 Hartford Housing Authority Addendum Form 2-2020

ADDENDUM 3

RFQ # 1998-25 Cloud Hosted VoIP Phone System

Original Notice of RFP Issued on: Wednesday, September 24,2025

Response Due Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025 @ 2:00 pm

10/14/25

To All Prospective Respondents:

The purpose of this addendum is to provide answers to questions raised by a potential respondents.

Question 1 can you provide details about your existing LAN PoE switches make and model as well as what edge firewalls are in place at each site.

Answer 1: Switch: Cisco Firewall: SonicWALL

Question 1: The RFQ states “cost plus pricing is absolutely prohibited.” Could you clarify the Authority’s definition of cost plus pricing.

Answer 1: In accordance with 24 CFR 85.36(f)(4), the use of the following types of contracts is prohibited:

Cost-plus-percentage-of-cost. This type of contract is prohibited because it obligates the PHA to pay all costs incurred throughout the contract, plus a commission based on the percentage of future costs. In this type of pricing arrangement, the contractor’s profit increases in proportion to its costs incurred in the performance of the contract. The contractor has a clear incentive to increase costs Question 2. Could you provide more detail on the expectations for PSTN services?

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Answer 2:

Question 3. How many conference phones are required under this solicitation? 3

Answer 3:

All other terms and conditions of the RFP remain the same.

1. Where do we submit our response via email to?

2. kcotharin@hartfordhousing.org or bids@hartfordhousing.org or both? BOTH

3. Is the Housing Authority purchasing off any procurement contract? N/A

4. Is the Housing Authority tax-exempt? Yes, we are and have a certificate

5. Does the Housing Authority prefer to purchase migration, provisioning, and support upfront or amortized over the course of the contract?

6. Does the Housing Authority prefer to Purchase Upfront or Rent the Hardware? Rent, with upgrade and replacement if damage/malfunctioned

7. Does the Housing Authority have a preference on Hardware brand? i.e. Polycom, Yealink, Cisco? No

8. Does the Housing Authority have a paging system in place to integrate? No

9. The User/ Device/ Extension count in the RFP conflicts. Which is correct? 85

10. “Total in use physical extensions: 59" Yes

11. "Total physical devices: 74 (Digium D70, D50, D40, and Polycom IP-6000)"

12. "Hosting cost based on 85 extensions and 109 DIDs"

13. We will need to quote handsets, as the Digium sets are not supported on our solution.

The Poly IP-6000 is supported, so can be re-used.

14. How many of each model do you have/want -or- how many phones do you need (59, 74, 85?)?85, 59 Extension are currently in use. Requesting 85 based on future expansion needs.

15. What are the specs required?

16. "Migration of all - call recordings, call logs, voicemail, and other essential information"

17. What other essential information? call recordings, call logs, voicemail and contacts

18. Is it a showstopper if these items cannot be migrated into the new solution? call recordings, call logs, voicemail 1.) In the addendum (page 5 of 6) we saw a question & answer as follows:

“Will you need power bricks for any of the handsets? No. PoE or power adapters.”

2) Will the HACH IT staff be providing the PoE Switches for this project or is that on the vendors who are bidding the project? Currently available If it is on the vendors bidding, then is it to be assumed that HACH would also require these switches have 5 year extended warranty as well? Yes

1. Can you share details on your current VOIPs configuration?

2. Porting of existing numbers to cloud hosted provider’s infrastructure: Can you share a number/a few numbers on the service so we can validate portability?860-723-8400

3. Can you elaborate on what ongoing services with e911 you require? Support if/when lines a relocated to different location.

https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhello.mail.goto.com%2Fapi%2Fmailings%2Fclick%2FPMRGSZBCHIYTANBZGAZDMOBMEJ2XE3BCHIRG2YLJNR2G6OTLMNXXI2DBOJUW4QDIMFZHIZTPOJSGQ33VONUW4ZZON5ZGOIRMEJXXEZZCHIRDKMBWHA3TANLGFVSGIODCFU2DMNTBFU4DCY3DFU3TMNTEGRRDAMJVGA3DSIRMEJ3GK4TTNFXW4IR2EI2CELBCONUWOIR2EJ2DCYKXKJAWWZSQOJYS222MLBJV6SLDK5XUY53EO42USODRIE4DS53XNNKGKQLVOF3VITJ5EJ6Q%3D%3D%3D%3D&data=05%7C02%7Ckcotharin%40hartfordhousing.org%7Cd2b8bc0ad16c4e05ab8808de0b383f61%7C16d32a858eaa47f3ba8d5784aad86184%7C0%7C0%7C638960533431114028%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sCMXkUXKe%2Fvukw8LZkQG49WQ3K%2B%2B3mL7Z27izV02NIs%3D&reserved=0 https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhello.mail.goto.com%2Fapi%2Fmailings%2Fclick%2FPMRGSZBCHIYTANBZGAZDMOBMEJ2XE3BCHIRG2YLJNR2G6OTCNFSHGQDIMFZHIZTPOJSGQ33VONUW4ZZON5ZGOIRMEJXXEZZCHIRDKMBWHA3TANLGFVSGIODCFU2DMNTBFU4DCY3DFU3TMNTEGRRDAMJVGA3DSIRMEJ3GK4TTNFXW4IR2EI2CELBCONUWOIR2EI2VAULDPFUXAVBNNRXGY53SPFEGCTZTO5WFITTUG5AUURKMGVITGUDJJ4YUQ2KQGZJTOTJ5EJ6Q%3D%3D%3D%3D&data=05%7C02%7Ckcotharin%40hartfordhousing.org%7Cd2b8bc0ad16c4e05ab8808de0b383f61%7C16d32a858eaa47f3ba8d5784aad86184%7C0%7C0%7C638960533431147711%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=smmDPdwoMAUb40%2FlE3A1jqf4TgbYcX%2BiXT%2Bku4C43wk%3D&reserved=0

3 of 4 Hartford Housing Authority Addendum Form 2-2020

4. What call recording solution are you using today? Feature on the device to record active call

5. "Ensure data retention and archiving policies are met.”: Can you provide your policies for review?

6. What call recording solution are you using today?

1). How many total DID’s?

2)Also will you have any phones that are tied to a specific room rather than a user (hence common area phones)? Yes, to be determine

3) Lastly, how many total extension/users please? 85

1) can you provide details about your existing LAN PoE switches make and model as well as what edge firewalls are in place at each site.

User and License Requirements

1. How many employees will require access to the new phone system? 85

2. Are there any shared or common-area phones (e.g., front desks, conference rooms, or lobbies)?

yes

3. Will all extensions require a physical phone, or will some users utilize a web or mobile softphone client (app)? All extensions require a physical phone. However, only some users will use the softphone.

Current Environment and Infrastructure

4. What telephony or PBX system is currently in use at the Hartford Housing Authority?

5. Are there any existing telecom contracts in place, and if so, when do they expire?

6. What desk-phone models are currently deployed, and are these devices owned or leased?

7. What handset or mobile-device models are in use, and are these owned or leased?

8. How many physical phones are currently deployed across all sites?

9. What is the current voice and data-network infrastructure (e.g., network hardware, PoE switches, access points, and software)?

10. May vendors propose infrastructure upgrades if needed for performance or quality-of-service improvements (e.g., network, PoE switches, access points, software)? yes

11. Is there existing external paging such as horns or ceiling speakers at any or all locations?

12. Is faxing or e-faxing required at all locations? If not, please specify which locations require fax capability.

13. What type of internet circuits and speeds are currently available at each site?

14. Could the Authority consider adding SD-WAN or a similar solution to provide 100 percent network resiliency?

Timeline, Implementation, and Support

15. What is the target go-live date for the new telephony system? May 2026

16. What are the expected timelines for deployment, onboarding, and staff training? May 2026

17. What level of in-house technical support does the Authority currently maintain, and how will that support interact with the selected vendor? System Administrator will be the direct contact and be the administrator of the VOIP systems.

18. Are there any existing contracts, systems, or legacy environments that must be integrated with or phased out during implementation? no

Integrations and Technical Considerations

4 of 4 Hartford Housing Authority Addendum Form 2-2020

19. Are there any software systems (e.g., CRM, help-desk, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace) that should integrate with the new phone system? No

20. Do you require any custom integrations or APIs? No

21. Do you need Wi-Fi-based phones or remote user configurations? No, ethernet

Numbers, Lines, and Call Flows

22. Is the mainline number local or toll-free? Local, USA

23. How many phone numbers are currently marketed externally (please distinguish local vs. toll-free)?

24. How many total phone numbers are currently active? 59

25. Is SMS/text-messaging capability required for any users or departments? No

26. How many users should be in a single call group or hunt group? Based on department

27. Are there existing call queues, auto-attendants, or IVRs that must be replicated or redesigned?

Yes

28. Will multiple auto-attendants be needed for different locations or departments? Not Sure

Recording, Reporting, and Compliance

29. Is automatic call recording required for this project? No

30. If yes, should recording be always-on, on-demand, or user-controlled?

31. For how many users will recording be required? 85

32. Are there specific retention or storage requirements for recorded calls (e.g., duration, storage location, access controls)? 30 days

33. Where is call-recording data currently stored (on-site or with a third-party provider)? On-Site

34. Is there an expectation that the new provider will host call recordings and associated storage? Yes

35. Is reporting or analytics functionality required? If so, for how many users or supervisors? Yes, Department specific

36. Are there any compliance, privacy, or data-security requirements (e.g., HIPAA, HUD, or other standards) applicable to recordings or communications? HIPAA & HUD Budget, Procurement, and Evaluation

37. As this is a government entity with a defined budget, are you able to share the approximate budget range for this project?

38. Will all vendors’ submitted questions and responses be shared publicly with all participants?

39. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring the success of the UCaaS implementation?

40. Are there any additional features or functionalities the Authority desires in the UCaaS solution?

41. The RFQ references both bids@hartfordhousing.org and kcotharin@hartfordhousing.org for submissions in different sections. Please confirm which email address should be used for submission, or if both should be copied. BOTH

42. Please confirm if the Authority requires proposals to follow a specific format or order (e.g., cover letter, executive summary, company information, relevant experience, project plan, pricing), or if vendors may determine their own structure.

Kim Cotharin, Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Hartford bids@hartfordhousing.org mailto:bids@hartfordhousing.org mailto:kcotharin@hartfordhousing.org mailto:bids@hartfordhousing.org

Response Due Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025 @ 2:00 pm