Addendum Memo No_ 2_RFP_CORP_DAIM_2401_124019.pdf

CITY OF ATLANTA

DEPARTMENT OF PROCUREMENT

SUITE 1900

55 TRINITY AVENUE, SW

ATLANTA, GA 30303

(404) 546-1000

Excellence in VALUE CREATION through Partnership, Collaboration, and Innovation

Rev. 8.24.23

Andre Dickens Mayor

Jaideep Majumdar Chief Procurement Officer

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Potential Proponents / Bidders

FROM: Verneicher Favors, Category Lead

CC: Brandi Stanley, Category Manager Tapika Howard, Category Deputy Director Jean-Paul Courville, Category Director Kevin Floyd, Deputy Chief Procurement Officer

RE: Notice of Addendum Memo for – RFP/CORP/DAIM/2401-1240192, 2/Voice, Data, and Network Services

DATE: 2/26/2024

Dear Potential Proponents / Bidders:

Attached is one (1) copy of Addendum Number No. 2 which is hereby made a part of the above referenced project.

ADDENDUM NO. 2

This Addendum No. 2 form is a part of the Request for Proposals (“RFP”) and modifies the original solicitation package as noted below and is issued to incorporate the following:

• Responded to thirty-one (31) questions and responses.

• Extended Bid Closing date to Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 2:00PM (EST).

DocuSign Envelope ID: C9DBEA6B-3011-47B3-A071-FBDC8228738C

Rev. 8.24.23

Addendum Memo

The Bid/Proposal due date HAS been modified and Proposals are due on 3/6/2024 and should be time stamped into the system no later than 2:00 P.M. EST.

**All other pertinent information is to remain unchanged**

All questions and inquiries concerning this project should be directed to Category Lead, Verneicher Favors; via e-mail: vfavors@atlantaga.gov.

Attachment(s):

• Questions and Responses mailto:vfavors@atlantaga.gov

ATTACHMENT 1

THIRTY-ONE QUESTIONS/RESPONSES SUBMITTED BY USER AGENCY

CITY OF ATLANTA

DEPARTMENT OF PROCUREMENT

SUITE 1900

55 TRINITY AVENUE, SW

ATLANTA, GA 30303

(404) 546-1000

Excellence in VALUE CREATION through Partnership, Collaboration, and Innovation

Rev. 9.25.23

Andre Dickens Mayor

Jaideep Majumdar Chief Procurement Officer

Project Number & Title: RFP/PS/DAIM/2401-1240192, 2 Voice, Data & Network Svcs Date: 2/26/2024

Questions and Responses The following questions and /or clarifications were requested by various proponents:

1. Question I am following up in reference to the pre-bid online conference I attended.

Due to the complexity of this project and the time required to screen and vet disadvantage and minority firms, and the time required to meet all the Office of Contract Compliance requirements, it will take additional time to prepare resources, draft the response, collaborate with certified businesses, and consolidate all the required documents. With this in mind, we are asking you and the City to please extend the due date for the RFP response.

Will you please consider allowing us additional time to prepare a full response to this RFP that will meet all contract compliance and the technical requirements cited in the document.

Response Bid will be extended until Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 2:00PM EST.

2. Question Will the City consider a two-week extension to the due date after Q&A responses have been received in order to allow for sufficient time for all to respond?

Response Bid will be extended until Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 2:00PM EST

3. Question Is the City expecting fixed local access rates where network services are being requested?

Response Yes – during the tenure of the agreement.

Questions and Responses

Rev. 9.25.23

4. Question The scope is broadly defined as the delivery of network and telecommunications services. Does this encompass network-based security services in addition to DDoS mitigation? An example would be SASE or SSE, which are closely tied to SD-WAN.

Response Yes.

5. Question Can the City provide a complete site list? i.e., addresses

Response No.

6. Question Can vendor propose ICB (Individual Case Basis) pricing for custom products? Meaning, pricing will be proposed at the time of Task Order.

Response Please submit your most responsive and responsible submission to the City.

7. Question On Form 3, the Financial Responsibility Overview, there is a request for a letter to be signed by executive leadership confirming the financial viability of the company, however usually there is an exception for public entities when audited financials are public knowledge. Is there any kind of exception for large public companies?

Explanation/Suggestion: As a large corporate entity, obtaining this level of signatures is difficult. Would the City consider accepting the signatures of authorized representatives of both our Sales and Financial organizations on behalf of our executive leadership? This has proven to be sufficient with other public sector entities.

Response The City will consider accepting signatures of authorized representatives on behalf of the executive leadership. This would need to be clearly stated in the letter.

8. Question Is the Vendor obligated to bid on all Task Orders issued by the City?

Response No.

9. Question Will the City conduct secondary competition among the awarded vendors for all Task Orders?

Response Please submit your most responsive and responsible submission to the City.

Rev. 9.25.23

10. Question Can we request an extension of the RFP due date response?

Response Bid will be extended until Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 2:00PM EST

11. Question Can a site list be provided for all locations?

Response The major locations are: City Hall, Police Headquarters, Watershed at 72 Marietta, ATL Airport, 911 center, and DPW trucks mechanical shop.

12. Question Based on the network requirements checklist, would the bidder be excluded, if they decided to not bid the service listed with priority “mandatory”?

Response All bidders should comply with the table requirement for each service listed.

13. Question Will the city of Atlanta pay construction costs for services?

Response No.

14. Question On the network requirements checklist there are several vendor specific technologies, can we answer yes if my company provides a suitable replacement?

Response Yes, however we would like to delve into the replacement or modernization technology the company offers.

15. Question Where can we find the complete documentation that we reviewed on Zoom yesterday? The information does not appear on the Atlanta Procurement portal

Response Please check the website ATLSuppliers.com for updates from the Pre- Proposal Conference.

16. Question Must an offer be submitted for the entire bid, or can there be partial proposals for services?

Response The check list entails what is mandatory and what is optional.

Rev. 9.25.23

17. Question Vendor would like to confirm that the City expects vendors to submit all redlines/exceptions to the RFP terms and conditions during the Q&A process.

Response Award of Agreement; Execution: If the City makes an award pursuant to this RFP, the City will prepare and forward to the successful Proponent an Agreement for execution substantially and materially in the form of Agreement included in this RFP. Execution of the Agreement within 5 business days after notification of award is a requirement of this RFP. Note that the City does not intend to modify any language contained in the Agreement as the terms and the conditions are standard, required by law and align with City practices. Any proposed revisions to the terms or language of the Agreement must be submitted in writing with the Proponent’s response to the RFP. If no exceptions are submitted, it is assumed that the Proponent fully agrees to the provisions contained in the Agreement in its entirety. Any significant exceptions proposed could render the Proponent ineligible for award under this RFP.

18. Question Will the City consider a two-week extension to the due date after Q&A responses have been received in order to allow for sufficient time for all to respond?

Response Bid will be extended until Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 2:00PM EST

19. Question Does the City plan technical interviews pre-award?

Response According to Section 14.1 Instructions to Proponents: The City may elect to hold discussions with any Short-Listed Proponent for the sole purpose of gaining clarification to ensure the City’s full understanding of the Proponent’s responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. In the event the City elects to hold discussions with Short-Listed Proponents for this purpose, the City will notify such Short-Listed Proponent(s) of the date, time, and location of such discussions in advance of such discussions. To be clear, discussions solely for proposal clarification purposes shall not serve as an opportunity for additional evaluation of any Short-Listed Proponent under this RFP, but rather shall be for the purpose of ensuring the City is obtaining the best and final offers. If following these discussions revisions to the proposal are requested by the City, a fully revised proposal shall be submitted no more than five business days following the conclusion of discussions.

20. Question Can you provide a network diagram of all sites in the Cities network, including make, model, and release of all data equipment per site?

Response Sensitive information cannot be shared. We expect vendor to bid based on experience with similar sized organization in providing services.

Rev. 9.25.23

21. Question Can you provide current network circuit speeds, and type of circuit at each location?

Response The City of Atlanta uses voice and data circuits throughout its facilities with speeds ranging from T1 to 20 gig bandwidths. There are also copper and private optical circuits provisioned to produced speeds of up-to 40 gigs currently. SIP/PRI voice grade circuits are also in use.

22. Question Can you provide a current list of all applications supported on the data network, and the flow chart for each application’s ultimate destination? IE server traffic, Internet hosted services, City managed Data Center, Voice, video?

Response Sensitive information cannot be shared. We expect vendor to bid based on experience with similar sized organization in providing services.

23. Question Can you provide a detailed design of the current voice network and what voice services are being used at each location?

Response Sensitive information cannot be shared. We expect vendor to bid based on experience with similar sized organization in providing services.

24 Question Can you provide a current list of all Voice equipment, including make, model, and release?

Response N/A - voice services are only required for this RFP and not phone infrastructure.

25 Question Please define what voice services Mega link is referring to?

Response Mega link services referred to a range of data networking services; services typically included high-speed internet access, dedicated point-to-point connections, virtual private networking (VPN), and other data transmission solutions. However, we are open to modernization of these legacy services.

26 Question Would the customer be open to alternate upgrade paths in the event more bandwidth is needed?

Response Yes.

27 Question What is meant by “managed services for dedicated Internet”?

Rev. 9.25.23

Response Managed services for dedicated Internet" refers to a type of service where an organization or individual leases a dedicated Internet connection from a service provider, and the provider manages various aspects of that connection on behalf of the client.

28 Question Please define what voice services NAR is referring to?

Response Communication services that involve voice transmission over networks.

29 Question Upon award, will you please provide a network diagram?

Response Upon award we will provide a detailed network diagram and technology, application list after a Non-Disclosure Agreement is signed.

30 Question Can you elaborate on any discounts on multiples for the following services listed in section 2- Scope of Services?

Response The City would like to view information on any bundle discounts for multiple services. (e.g., internet, cable, phone, voice)., special offers or package deals that may be available as a part of the Proponent’s product catalog or offering.

31 Question What is the city’s current SD WAN platform and is it ubiquitous throughout the network?

Response The City is not privy to provide this type of information due to security reasons. Vendor product and service catalog should list the vendor’s platform options and pricing.