Attachment A-Statement of Work_v3.docx

MyFloridaNet-3 –Core Services ITN No: DMS-24/25-260 Attachment A Statement of Work v3

Introduction and Definitions

Introduction This Attachment A contains the Statement of Work (SOW) under any resulting Contract from this ITN for MFN-3 Core Services. The SOW includes the Scope of Work, Performance Measures, Financial Consequences for Non-Performance, and Migration and Transition Plan requirements.

The overall deliverable to be received by MFN-3 Customers is a highly available, highly reliable, robust core network able to support a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) that will support voice, video, and data, integrated with vendors awarded separately for Transport Services. Collectively, these MFN-3 Core Services and Transport Services will be referred to as MyFloridaNet-3 Services. The specific deliverables for Core Services are established throughout this SOW. Service Level Agreements (SLAs), in Statement of Work Section 3 and Attachment C, Service Level Agreements, define the required minimum level of service to be performed which includes criteria for evaluating successful service. The Core Services Provider shall satisfy all of the criteria the earlier of a. the dates defined in the SLAs, b. the expiration date of the Contract, or c. the expiration dates of any purchase orders for the Contract.

All services in the SOW must be provided directly by the Core Services Provider; meaning no subcontractors shall be used unless specifically stated by DMS. Any equipment, systems, and services supporting the MFN-3 shall be dedicated, owned, managed by the Core Services Provider and for the exclusive use of the State of Florida eligible users except where specifically stated otherwise. These requirements are non-negotiable (Table 1 below).

Table 1: Required Dedicated Core Services

This SOW is intended to reflect the requested service components DMS is seeking the Respondent to offer MFN-3 Core Services. The SOW includes references to service components that “must”, “shall”, or “will” be delivered; however, these SOW references to “must”, “shall”, “will” and “minimum requirements” will not affect DMS’s determination of a Respondent’s responsiveness. DMS intends for these SOW references to become mandatory at the time of Contract execution (as reflected in DMS’s Request for Best and Final Offer). However, these SOW references may be subject to negotiation during the procurement and will be resolved through the terms of DMS’s Request for Best and Final Offer. The Request for Best and Final Offer may also identify contractual requirements in place of previous requests for responses. For example, the word ‘should’ may be replaced by the word ‘must’ in the final SOW attached to the Request for Best and Final Offer.

“No response required. Respondent has read, understands, and will comply with the statements contained in this subsection.”

Definitions and Abbreviations

1. AMVT: Access to MFN-3 via VPN Tunnel: AMVT is the term used for creating a secure encrypted VPN tunnel from an end site to the MFN-3 centralized VPN Service. AMVT can be used as an end site’s primary connection to MFN-3 resources, or as a backup connection.

2. BEAR: Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement. Applicants file an FCC Form 472 (BEAR Form) to request reimbursement from USAC for the discounted cost of eligible equipment and services approved on the FCC Form 471, and which the applicant has received and paid in full to its service provider.

3. CLI: Command Line Interface. A mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks; instructing a system to perform a given task "entering" a command. After the user submits the text command and presses the "Enter" key the command-line interpreter receives, analyzes, and executes the requested command.

4. Client: Computer hardware or software that accesses a service made available by a server. For example, web browsers are clients that connect to web servers.

5. Contract: The legally enforceable agreement that results from a successful solicitation. The parties to the Contract will be the Department and Contractor.

6. Contractor: The Respondent that will be awarded a Contract pursuant to this solicitation. In this contract, the Contractor is typically referred to as the Core Services Provider.

7. COOP: A Continuity of Operations Plan to ensure that mission-essential functions continue in the event personnel and/or facilities are adversely impacted by a disaster in conjunction with the DMS COOP required by s. 252.365, F.S. Authorization form used by DMS’s eligible user community to order services under the Contract.

8. Core Node Infrastructure: Refers to the portion of the MFN-3 infrastructure provided by the Core Services Provider to facilitate interconnectivity between State agencies and other agency users, as well as the overall Internet for connections traversing the MFN-3 Core Network. This term excludes the portion of MFN-3 provided by Transport Services Providers.

9. Core Services: Services described in this ITN. Also referred to herein as MFN-3 Core Services.

10. Core Services Provider: The Vendor/Contractor selected to provide Core Services, pursuant to this solicitation. The Core Services Provider will be the ITN respondent that is awarded the services described in this contract.

11. Communications Service Authorization and Billing (CSAB) System: A centralized web application that SUNCOM customers use for Telecommunications services ordering.

12. Customer: The State agency or other entity identified as the party to receive commodities or contractual services from the Contractor under the Contract.

13. Department: The Department of Management Services as defined by section 20.22, Florida Statutes (F.S.). Also referred to herein as “DMS.”

14. DMZ: Demilitarized Zone. A physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization's external-facing services to a larger and untrusted network, usually the Internet. The purpose of a DMZ is to add an additional layer of security to an organization's local area network (LAN); an external attacker only has direct access to equipment in the DMZ, rather than any other part of the network.

15. DNS: Domain Name System. Hierarchical naming system that associates various types of information with domain names translating them into the numerical (binary) identifiers, mapping fully qualified domain names to IP addresses and vice versa.

16. DoS Attack: Denial-of-Services Attack. Any efforts of a person or a group to prevent a public or private site service from functioning efficiently or not at all, temporarily or indefinitely.

17. E911: Enhanced 911. System that automatically associates a physical address with the 911 caller’s telephone number and routes the call to the most appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for that address and provides both the caller’s location and calling party’s telephone number for emergency services.

18. EF: Expedited Forwarding. Type of class or Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value assigned in networks to prioritize voice traffic.

19. Enterprise: A large-scale, interconnected network with physical, virtual, and logical communication infrastructure that supports the daily operations of an organization.

20. E-rate: The Schools and Libraries Program of the Federal Universal Service Fund (USF). The program provides discounts to assist eligible K-12 schools and libraries in obtaining eligible telecommunication services, telecommunications, Internet access, internal connections, and internal connections maintenance as defined in the annually published Eligible Services List.

21. FIRN: Florida Information Resource Network.

22. HA/HR: High availability and high reliability, meaning 99.999% availability and uptime.

23. ICB: Individual Case Basis. Describes situations where DMS will make a determination on issues that require a resolution based on the unique circumstances of the issue.

24. IETF: Internet Engineering Task Force. The IETF is a large, open international community of network de signers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet.

25. IAG: Internet Access Gateway. A hardware or software network device or point that acts as the interface or bridge between a private network (Like MFN-3) and the Internet, allowing devices on the private network to access the broader Internet and vice versa. The device manages the flow of packets between the two and can also provide services such as routing and firewall filtering.

26. Internet: The Internet, with a capital I, is referencing the global collection of interconnected networks used to facilitate communications and commerce around the world.

27. Invitation to Negotiate: This competitive solicitation. Also referred to herein as “ITN” or “solicitation.”

28. IPFIX: Internet Protocol Flow Information Export. An IETF protocol, used to provide a standard for exporting for Internet Protocol flow information from routers, probes and other devices that are used by mediation systems, accounting/billing systems and network management systems to facilitate services such as measurement, accounting and billing.

29. Jitter: The time variation of a periodic signal often used as a measure of the variability over time of the packet latency across a network. It is abrupt and unwanted variations of one or more signal characteristics, such as the interval between successive pulses, the amplitude of successive cycles, or the frequency or phase of successive cycles.

30. LAN: Local Area Network. A computer network covering a small geographic area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport; LANs have higher data-transfer rates due to smaller geographic area.

31. Latency: The amount of time delay between the initiation of a service request for data transmission, or when data is initially received for retransmission, to the time when the data transmission service request is granted, or when the retransmission of data begins. Latency is measured either one-way (the time from the source sending a packet to the destination receiving it), or round-trip (the one-way latency from source to destination plus the one-way latency from the destination back to the source).

32. LEO Satellite: Low Earth Orbit satellites are equipment that orbit the Earth at lower altitudes than standard satellites, facilitating high-speed network connectivity. LEO satellites are often operated as a cluster to provide connectivity to a broad geographical area.

33. MAN: Metropolitan Area Network. A large data network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optic links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks and the Internet.

34. MFA: Multi-factor authentication. An authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource such as an application, online account, or VPN.

35. MFN-2: MyFloridaNet-2. The current telecommunications network used by Florida’s agencies and other eligible users. The statewide infrastructure is designed to be a highly available, highly reliable, robust core able to support inter-site connections and access the Internet.

36. MFN-3: MyFloridaNet-3. The follow-on telecommunications network which will replace MyFloridaNet-2.

37. MFN-3 Services Infrastructure: A specific term used to indicate the entirety of the statewide communications infrastructure. These components include but not limited to core backbone facilities, core and aggregate equipment, Internet Gateway equipment, enterprise firewalls, DDoS mitigation systems, staffing, NOC, NMS and security tools, SOC, SD-WAN and Centralized VPN, and licenses.

38. MPLS: Multi-Protocol Label Switching. Directs and carries data from one network node to the next; a data-carrying mechanism where data packets are assigned labels. Packet-forwarding decisions are made solely on the contents of this label, without the need to examine the packet itself allowing the creation of end-to-end circuits across any type of transport medium, using any protocol.

39. MTTR: Mean-time-to-repair. Basic measure of the maintainability of repairable items; the total corrective maintenance time divided by the total number of corrective maintenance actions during a given period of time.

40. NAT: Network Addressing Translation. The process of modifying network address information in datagram packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device, for the purpose of remapping a given address space into another; involves re-writing the source and/or destination IP addresses and usually the TCP/UDP (User Datagram Protocol) port numbers of IP packets as they pass through.

41. NMS: Network Management System. A combination of hardware and software used to monitor and administer a network.

42. NNI: Network-to Network Interface. The boundary or point of interaction between network service providers that serves as the technical boundary where protocol issues are resolved and as the point of division between the responsibilities of the individual service providers.

43. NOC: Network Operations Center. A collection of staff and support tools used to monitor and coordinate activities. Under this Statement of Work, the NOC provides 24x7x365 monitoring support for Florida’s statewide communications network, MyFloridaNet.

44. OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. A company that produces components or products sold to other companies to be integrated into their products.

45. On-Net: Access to MFN-3 via either Aggregate connections or VPN Tunnel.

46. Off-Net: DIA, Cellular, LEO and other services such as MAN and Point to Point that have no direct access to MFN-3.

47. Procurement Officer: The Department of Management Services’ sole point of contact for this solicitation identified on the cover of this ITN.

48. POP: Point of Presence. One of several locations at which the MFN-3 Core node infrastructure connects to the Internet. Refers to the location as well as the hardware necessary to facilitate the connection.

49. PSAP: Public Safety Answering Point. The public safety agency that receives incoming 911 requests for assistance and dispatches appropriate public safety agencies to respond to the requests in accordance with the State E911 plan.

50. QoS: Quality of Service. Resource reservation control mechanisms with the ability to provide different priority to different applications, users, or data flows, or to guarantee a certain level of performance to a data flow.

51. RHC - Rural Health Care

52. Reply: The formal response to an ITN.

53. Respondent: A Core Services Provider who submits a Reply to this ITN.

54. RO: Read-only. Grants the ability to view/access “show commands” without permission to modify.

55. RW: Read/Write. Grants the ability to change system parameters.

56. SASE: Secure Access Service Edge. A cloud architecture model that combines network and security-as-a-service functions together and delivers them as a single cloud service. Conceptually, SASE extends networking and security capabilities beyond where they're typically available.

57. SD-WAN: Software-Defined Wide Area Network. A virtual WAN architecture that allows the leveraging of any combination of transport services—including MPLS, LTE and DIA services—to securely connect users to applications.

58. Site Inventory: The list of locations with services installed under MyFloridaNet, and FIRN. The Site Inventory provides details such as the physical location, access technology, and bandwidth.

59. SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol. A UDP-based network protocol used mostly in network management systems to monitor network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention.

60. SOC: A centralized support unit on an organizational and technical level in the Contractor's organization to deal only with security issues.

61. SPI: Service Provider Invoice. Service providers file an FCC Form 474, (Service Provider Invoice (SPI) Form) to request reimbursement from USAC for the discounted portion of costs for eligible equipment and services provided to the applicant and approved on the FCC Form 471 and provided to the applicant. The service provider must provide the equipment and services and bill the applicant for their non-discounted share before submitting a SPI Form to USAC. The applicant is obligated to pay their share.

62. SSH: Secure Shell. A network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices; typically used to log into a remote machine and execute commands.

63. State: The State of Florida.

64. Subcontractor: A third-party entity that has executed an agreement with the Contractor, and has been approved by the Department, to perform services that contribute directly to the Contract's Statement of Work. This does not include vendors utilized by the Contractor for the provision, licensing and / or maintenance of commodities such as hardware, software, or off-the-shelf commercial products.

65. TLS: Transport Layer Security. A protocol that allows client/server applications to communicate across a network in a way designed to prevent eavesdropping, tampering, and message forgery; provides endpoint authentication and communications confidentiality over the Internet using practice of hiding information.

66. Transport Services Providers: Contracted vendors that provide last-mile and other connectivity services, connecting end-users to the MFN-3 Core Network. In some cases, Transport Services Providers may also provide direct connections to the public Internet that do not traverse the MFN-3 Core Network. Transport Services Providers will be contracted under a separate solicitation.

67. USAC: Universal Service Administrative Company.

68. USI: Unique Service Identifier is used as an intelligent name for NOC monitoring.

69. Vendor: An entity that is capable and in the business of providing a commodity or contractual service similar to those within this solicitation.

70. VLAN: Virtual Local Area Network. A computer network using inter-networks as data links that are transparent for users and do not have restrictions on protocols, so that the network has the characteristics/attributes of a physical local area network but allows end stations to be grouped together even if they are not located on the same network switch.

71. VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol. A family of transmission technologies for delivery of voice communications over IP networks such as the Internet or other packet-switched networks; communications services (voice, facsimile, and/or voice-messaging applications) that are transported via the Internet, rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

72. VPN: Virtual Private Network. A computer network implemented in an additional software layer (overlay) on top of an existing larger network for the purpose of creating a private scope of computer communications or a secure extension of a private network into an insecure network such as the Internet.

73. VRF: Virtual Routing and Forwarding. A technology that allows multiple instances of a routing table to co-exist within the same router at the same time. Because the routing instances are independent, the same or overlapping IP addresses can be used without conflicting with each other.

74. WAN: Wide Area Network. A data network that covers a broad area; used to connect Local Area Networks (LANs) and other types of networks together, so that users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations (i.e., any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, state or national boundaries).

SCOPE OF WORK (TECHNICAL SOLUTION)

Staffing Plans (Reply Tab 6) In addition to staff positions listed under these subsections, the Contractor shall provide sufficient, qualified personnel to oversee and carry out the services of this Contract.

The term “Contractor staff” includes all staff employed by the Contractor and by its subcontractors relevant to the Contract.

Overall Staffing Plan:

a. Project Staffing Plan Description and Worksheets: Provide a narrative description of the proposed Staffing Plan in-line below. The narrative response should describe how the proposed staffing plan will meet the needs for MFN-3. In addition to the narrative description, also complete Attachment H, Staffing Plan Worksheet, for key staff positions, including after-hours contacts. Resumes are not requested.

b. Job Descriptions for Key Staff Positions: Provide detailed job descriptions for key staff positions to support the proposed staffing plans for the MFN-3 Services Infrastructure Build-Out, the Migration from MFN-2 to MFN-3 and the Continuity of Operations Plan. Include in the job descriptions the number of years’ experience in providing services for other projects/activities similar to MFN-3 required for each staff position. Job descriptions required by this subsection should be submitted in the reply packet with Attachment H, Staffing Plan Worksheet.

Staffing - Local Service Availability:

At the discretion of DMS, contractors are required to make resources physically available in Tallahassee to provide timely responses to service needs. Include in the Attachment H, Staffing Plan Worksheet, the roles and responsibilities of the proposed team members and their availability to meet in Tallahassee as needed. Describe how these staff will interface with DMS to address technical and administrative support issues.

Contractor Staffing Responsibilities

1. The Contractor staff responsibilities include conducting all components of the Contract in a timely, efficient, productive, consistent, courteous and professional manner as representatives of the State.

2. The Contractor staff shall devote the time and resources necessary to successfully manage the State of Florida account, including being available for telephonic, email and on-site consultations.

3. The Contractor shall provide each Contractor staff member orientation and training on all components of the Contract prior to working on any component of the Contract. Documentation of this training shall be provided to DMS upon request.

4. The Contractor shall be required to employ the required key staff position described in this SOW.

5. It is understood and agreed that from time to time a vacancy may occur in required key staff positions. For purposes of this Contract, a vacant position is defined to occur when the position is not initially filled, the employee assigned to the position has resigned, been terminated, reassigned, or is filled with a person who does not possess the minimum qualifications required to perform the job duties. A vacancy does not occur when an employee is temporarily absent due to vacation, sick leave, or other temporary leave condition such as training. In the case of a vacancy, the Contractor may arrange for the job duties to be provided by another employee who meets the minimum job qualifications until this position is filled. However, a temporary assignment will not put the SLA clock on hold.

6. The Contractor agrees to fill all required key staff positions within ninety (90) days after the date upon which the position becomes vacant, and within thirty (30) days from Contract execution. The Contractor may request a waiver from DMS if it believes it has good cause to not fill a required key staff position within the ninety (90) days allowance. Contractor will submit waiver requests to the DMS Contract Manager. DMS will review the requests on a case-by-case basis and respond within a reasonable timeframe. DMS reserves the right for final determination on all waiver requests. Positions not filled within the ninety (90) day timeframe, or otherwise waived by DMS, will incur an SLA violation.

7. The Contractor shall notify DMS of any vacancy of a required key staff position within two (2) weeks of the vacancy occurring.

8. The Contractor will only fill required key staff positions with persons that fulfill the minimum job qualifications set forth in this SOW Section 2.

9. DMS reserves the right to review and approve candidates being considered by the Contractor for employment for a required key staff position described in this Contract.

10. DMS will have the right to request the replacement of any staff who serve in a required key staff position, as part of the Customer Support Team, or part of the Network Operations Center (NOC) or Security Operations Center (SOC) staff and Contractor will remove such staff within thirty (30) calendar days’ or earlier upon DMS’s notice to Contractor.

11. The Contractor must provide sufficient Contractor Staff to handle the workload projected for the start of the Contract and shall be scalable and flexible, so it can be adapted as needed.

12. The Contractor must develop and maintain a final Staffing Organizational Chart that includes all staff resources that will be assigned to all components of the Contract to be approved by DMS no later than thirty (30) calendar days from Contract execution. The final Staffing Organizational Chart must contain names, titles, and number of staff (full-time and part-time) proposed to support the State of Florida. The Contractor’s final Staffing Organizational Chart shall include a justification for the number of staff, the percentage of time each staff person will devote to the Contract.

13. In the event DMS determines the Contractor’s staff or staffing levels are not sufficient to properly complete the services specified in this Contract, it shall notify the Contractor in writing. The Contractor will have ninety (90) calendar days to remedy the identified staffing deficiencies.

Given the statements in this subsection, describe in detail the proposed offering for this subsection. Provide a detailed description of the following:

a. How Respondent will ensure the dedication of its proposed required key staff positions, including the proposed percent of time dedicated to DMS;

b. How Respondent will be prepared at all times to recruit credentialed, appropriately licensed and highly qualified staff;

c. Respondent’s orientation and training for Respondent’s staff assigned to this Contract;

d. How Respondent will ensure it employs all required positions and that there are sufficient staff to complete all requirements initially and throughout the duration of the Contract resulting from this ITN;

e. Respondent’s recruitment process for Respondent’s staff assigned to this Contract.

f. Drawing upon resources, including those of the subcontractors and other options for ad hoc staffing.

g. Reacting to manpower-intensive projects over the life of the contract.

h. Utilizing Contractor staffing resources beyond those required for day-to-day (standing) operational, customer-facing, and management activities.

i. Committing Contractor corporate resources to ensure sufficient and qualified staff as needed to react to projects such as end-of-life change out of CPE.

j. Developing updates to the staffing levels and applying new resources to MFN-3.

k. Recognizing expectations for evolving service needs over the life of the contract; the scope of these efforts are both large-scale involving teams, and small-scale involving one or more individuals for a period of weeks and months.

Ensuring Sufficient and Qualified Staff

2.1.4.1 Account Manager

Contractor shall assign a dedicated, but not necessarily exclusive, Account Manager as the primary contact for DMS, unless DMS determines an exclusive Account Manager is in DMS’s best interest. This is a required key staff position.

The Contractor is required to provide a full-time Account Manager for all contracted services. The Account Manager will be the senior manager and primary contact with responsibility for all MFN-3 issues, including, but not limited to, day-to-day coordination and resolution of all MFN-3 activities. The Account Manager will be a senior staff member able to carry DMS concerns to the Contractor’s management personnel. The Account Manager or designated backup(s) must be available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days of the year.

The Account Manager will be required to participate in all workgroups created by the Contractor or DMS related to MFN-3.

The Account Manager shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. Minimum five (5) years’ experience working with government clients in a government account management or sales role.

2. Knowledge of government business practices, which is inclusive of State of Florida practices and practices of authorized users.

3. Minimum of five (5) years’ work experience in the telecommunications industry.

4. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization.

2.1.4.2 Project Manager

Contractor shall assign a dedicated, but not necessarily exclusive, Project Manager unless DMS determines an exclusive Project Manager is in DMS’s best interest. This is a required key staff position.

The Project Manager shall oversee and take on the responsibility for the success of all projects. Projects include, but are not limited to, Contract Implementation and Migration, agency specific Implementation and Migration, and Post Migration Steady State. This individual will be the single point of contact to the State coordinating all work and communications with DMS. This individual will manage and direct the planning of the Contractor’s staff and resources.

The Project Manager will participate in various MFN-3 workgroups.

The Project Manager shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. Ability to be responsible for all aspects of any projects related to this Contract.

2. Ability to lead and direct teams to deliver projects within the constraints of schedule, budget and resources.

3. Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and experience to appropriately apply a project management methodology to projects.

4. Experience using Microsoft Project and the ability to keep all projects updated frequently and accurately.

5. Currently holds either Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute, a Certified Scrum Master from Scrum Alliance, CompTIA Project+ certification from CompTIA, a Lean Six Sigma certification, or other equivalent project management certification approved in writing by DMS.

2.1.4.3 Business Operations Manager

Contractor shall assign a dedicated, but not necessarily exclusive, Business Operations Manager unless DMS determines an exclusive Business Operations Manager is in DMS’s best interest. This is a required key staff position.

The Business Operations Manager shall oversee business operations including billing, ordering, and related business operational procedures. The Business Operations Manager, acting as the DMS advocate, will be a Contractor senior staff member able to carry DMS concerns to the Contractor’s management personnel. As the advocate, the individual must have the authority to direct the Contractor’s staff to effect business operational procedures and related outcomes.

The Business Operations Manager will participate in various MFN-3 workgroups.

The Business Operations Manager shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. Minimum five (5) years’ experience working with Government clients.

2. Knowledge of government business practices, which is inclusive of State of Florida practices and practices of authorized users.

3. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization.

2.1.4.4 Senior Engineering and Design Manager

Contractor shall assign a dedicated Senior Engineering and Design Manager. This is a required key staff position.

The Senior Engineering and Design Manager shall function as a single point of contact for all engineering and design issues. The individual will have responsibility to direct all aspects of engineering and design concerns for the service. The individual must have the authority to direct the Contractor’s staff and subcontractors. The individual or a designated backup(s) must be available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days of the year as required to manage and oversee restoration of the service and respond to State requests.

The Senior Engineering and Design Manager will participate in various MFN-3 workgroups.

The Senior Engineering and Design Manager shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. Minimum of five (5) years’ experience leading an engineering team responsible for services similar in size and scope to MFN-3 services

2. A Master’s degree or higher in an engineering discipline. Equivalent foreign degrees are also acceptable. Seven (7) years’ work experience in a relevant field can substitute this requirement.

3. Ten (10) years or more of engineering work experience.

2.1.4.5 Senior Operations and Security Managers

Contractor shall assign a dedicated, but not necessarily exclusive, Operations and Security Managers unless the Department determines an exclusive Operations or Security Manager is in DMS’s best interest. This is a required key staff position.

The Operations and Security Managers shall serve as the engineer capable of communicating with other engineers as needed to resolve day-to-day issues. The individual will function as a single point of contact for the day-to-day networking, service, and security issues, typically those involving real-time concerns. The individuals must have the authority to direct the Contractor’s staff. The Operations and Security Managers, or a designated backup(s), must be available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days of the year as required to manage the NOC and SOC concerns, and respond to State requests.

The Operations and Security Managers are two distinct positions that will participate in the various workgroups to accomplish MFN-3 services.

The Operations and Security Managers shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. A Masters degree or higher in an engineering discipline. Equivalent foreign degrees are also acceptable. Seven (7) years work experience in a relevant field can substitute this requirement.

2. Ten (10) years or more of work experience.

3. Experience with business continuity and disaster recovery, including experience in development of disaster recovery plans.

4. Experience with information security architecture and security tools.

5. Knowledge of telecommunications industry best practices for service performance and security, and applicable laws and regulations as they relate to security.

6. Knowledge of current technologies and processes used to establish and maintain networks with respect to security of MFN-3.

It’s preferred but not required that the Senior Operations & Security Managers hold Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, or other industry recognized security certification.

2.1.4.6 Customer Support Team

The Contractor shall provide a Customer Support Team, which is not required to be full-time or dedicated to this Contract. This team is not considered a key staff position or positions. The Customer Support Team shall be sufficiently qualified and trained to provide the following:

1. Timely Customer training by the Contractor’s team in reaction to changes in services and features offered.

2. Resolve service requests timely

3. Full staffing for projects to implement new technologies, related services, and equipment features that are supported by the industry

4. Timely closure for operational changes

5. Meet all service delivery due dates The Customer Support Team shall include at least one (1) named individual to act as the CSAB Administrator.

2.1.4.7 Network Operations Center & Security Operations Center Staffing The Contractor shall provide dedicated NOC and SOC staffing. This staffing is not considered a key staff position or positions. The NOC and SOC staffing shall be sufficiently staffed, qualified and trained to provide the requirements as detailed in SOW including but not limited to the following:

1. Staffing for the NOC and SOC twenty-four hours a day, 365 days of the year.

2. Proactive NOC and SOC monitoring including issue resolution.

3. Staffing for the NOC and SOC that are certified, experienced, well-trained, and well-equipped professionals.

4. NOC and SOC staff access to Contractor’s advanced research team that will assist in identifying threats and developing preventative counter measures based on information collected from monitoring events worldwide. The Contractor’s advanced research team will consist of cyber threat researchers that are assigned to the pursuit of existing and emerging global cyber threats. The advanced research team will research the global landscape, perform in-depth analysis of emerging threats, and develop counter measures to protect MFN-3 Customers.

Given the statements for staff positions in 2.1.4.1 through 2.1.4.7 for the following Key Positions:

a. Describe in detail the proposed offering for this section, addressing the minimum requirements listed above.

b. Provide resumes of the required key staff positions. Resumes for the Customer Support Team and NOC and SOC are not required;

c. Provide a detailed description of how the Contractor will staff the Customer Support Team, the NOC, and the SOC.

d. Provide a proposed Staffing Organizational Chart, including all staff resources that are anticipated to be assigned to the Contract, including names, titles, and number of staff (full-time and part-time) proposed to support the State of Florida.

e. Describe Respondent’s Proposed Customer Support Team model, including staffing levels, minimum qualifications, and average years of experience of the team.

f. Describe in detail how the DMS advocate (Business Operations Manager) will interface between DMS and the Contractor’s work groups.

2.1.5 Support Staffing

In addition to the above staff, the Contractor will be required to provide sufficient and qualified staff to meet the needs of the MFN-3 Contract. With the exception of field technicians, the staff below must be dedicated to MFN-3. At a minimum, propose detailed descriptions for the staff listed below. Describe Respondent’s proposed staffing levels, minimum qualifications, and average years of experience of the team.

· Network Management System and Security Tools Support

· Programming Support for CSAB and Contractor’s System

· Tier 1, 2, 3 Engineering Support

· Field Technicians

· Other

0. Staff Sub-contracting NOC, NMS, Tier 1, 2, and 3 Engineering, and Security staff may not be sub-contracted and must be dedicated to the State of Florida network. Field technicians that have been through DMS defined and approved background checks may be subcontracted.

Unless otherwise specified, other Core Services Provider staff not described in this section may not be sub-contracted without written DMS approval.

“No response required. Respondent has read, understands, and will comply with the statements contained in this subsection.”

Qualifications for Prime Respondent and Subcontractors The reply to this Section must be entered after each subsection below for both the Prime Respondent and all proposed subcontractors. Under each subsection below, provide a narrative response that addresses the criterion for both the Core Services Provider and if applicable, for each proposed subcontractor[s] if subcontractor[s] are proposed.

For select portions of the MFN-3 Core Services contract as described throughout this Scope of Work, subcontracting is permitted but is not required. If there are no subcontractors proposed, the Prime Respondent can omit the information on subcontractors related to this Section and provide an explicit statement that they do not plan to use subcontractors. It is the preference of DMS to limit the use of subcontractors to increase the efficiency of MFN-3 operations.

The information to be entered after each subsection listed below will supplement basic information provided in FORM 6 – BUSINESS QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE and information provided in FORM 3 – SUBCONTRACTING. As explained in Section 4.3 of the ITN, evaluators will receive completed copies of a Respondent’s FORM 6 and FORM 3 along with responses provided to the questions below provided in a Respondent’s Technical Reply.

This information is intended to provide details related to business qualifications related to the overall MFN-3 services and service delivery. Provide the following:

1. A concise summary that provides essential information about the Prime and if applicable, subcontractor business and if applicable, the relationship with subcontractors, subsidiaries, parent corporations, affiliates, and other related companies.

Organization charts and a description of the governance structure and details concerning any pre-existing facilities that serve the Florida market. If subcontractors are proposed, provide organizational charts and define the relationship between the subcontractor[s] and the Core Services Provider.

Information such as market position, market penetration, and other business fundamentals within the telecommunications industry.

Information demonstrating Respondent has provided services on an MPLS network with at least 1000 sites for at least 5 years.

If the Prime plans to use any subcontractors, describe historic experience as a prime contractor managing subcontractors.

Business Proposal:

Provide the following:

1. A description of how the Respondent’s MFN-3 business proposal will provide the best value to the State.

A description of the Respondent's understanding of MFN-3 needs, and the requirements of the State.

A description of any letters of intent, memoranda of understanding, subcontracts, or other agreements between the Respondent and subcontractor[s] relating to the potential and scope of work to be performed under the Contract.

If subcontractors are proposed for component areas explicitly permitted in this ITN, provide the following:

Information on the role, responsibilities, and duties, explaining the services to be performed by the subcontractor[s].

The percentage of the total estimated contract value that will be performed by each subcontractor.

Ability to Perform – Business Focus:

Provide:

1. Supporting detail demonstrating the ability to provide the services described in this solicitation based upon past professional experience and performance.

Details on the approach to customer service in terms of service establishment, trouble reporting and tracking, work ordering, and billing in contracts similar to MFN-3.

This information is not a duplicate of the market position/penetration information provided above under business qualifications; this information is expected to have a business focus.

Ability to Perform – Technical Focus:

Provide:

1. Supporting detail demonstrating the ability to provide the services described in this solicitation based upon their past professional experience and performance.

Provide details on the approach to customer service in terms of establishing a network, technical standardization, technical support, and technical competence in contracts similar to MFN-3.

This information is not a duplicate of the market position/penetration information provided above under business qualifications; this information is expected to have a technical focus.

Dispute History:

The term “contract disputes” means any circumstance involving the performance or non-performance of a contractual obligation that resulted in: (i) identification by the contract customer that either the Prime or any subcontractors were in default of a duty under the contract; (ii) the issuance of a notice of default or breach; (iii) the institution of any judicial or administrative action as a result of the alleged default or defect in performance; or (iv) the assessment of any fines or liquidated damages under such contracts.

1. Identify all contract disputes (including Prime, its affiliates, subcontractors, agents, etc.) with any government agency customer within the last five years related to contracts where Enterprise networking services were provided.

Indicate whether the disputes were resolved and, if so, explain how they were resolved.

Experience for Enterprise Service Contracts (Reply Tab 4):

Submit reference documentation as described below for similar contracts. In order to qualify as appropriate experience, services must be ongoing or must have been completed within the past ten (10) years preceding the issue date of this solicitation.

1. For each of the contract references use the Business/Corporate Reference, FORM 6 - QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE QUESTIONAIRE to provide contact information.

For each reference provided on FORM 6 - QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE, provide in this subsection, the name of the Contract including the name of the organization(s) contracted with, and the following:

1. Contact information enabling verbal confirmation of the customer reference.

1. A detailed description of the services provided to the identified customer.

The duration of such contracts.

The volume of services, and the quality of services provided.

The size and scope of each contract used as a reference.

Describe any important similarities or differences between the listed contracts and the services to be performed under MFN-3.

General Requirements Use of Manufacturer’s Descriptive Text:

Unless otherwise specified, any manufacturers’ names, trade names, brand names, information, and/or catalog numbers listed in a specification are descriptive, not restrictive.

“No response required. Respondent has read, understands, and will comply with the statements contained in this subsection.”

Flexibility to Quickly Modify Services:

The Core Services Provider must manage change in a timely fashion. The ability to tailor the MFN-3 Enterprise is a critical design consideration, and changes and modifications may need to be made quickly. These changes and modifications may be made to the contract if within the general scope of MFN-3 services.

Outline how administrative, technical, and component level flexibility will be provided for the items listed below and other aspects of MFN-3.

1. Administrative flexibility should provide simplicity when adopting new features and assessment of SLA credits.

Technical flexibility should permit DMS control over maintenance windows and activities such as code upgrades and OS patching.

The various technical implementations should facilitate SLA monitoring, measurement, and scrubbing. Implementations should permit flexibility to quickly update a variety of hardware and software components.

Tools should work at the Enterprise level and permit granularity down to the customer and individual site level for measurement and reporting.

DMS must have the ability to quickly modify core and backbone functionality in order to mitigate network performance concerns. Flexibility to make these modifications in real-time is required where practical.

DMS must have the ability to quickly modify security related functionality in order to make changes as needed to react to or investigate security events. Flexibility to make these modifications in real-time is required where practical.

Service Testing Requirements:

a. Vendor must test services and equipment before deployment to validate routing, switching, fail over, and all current SLAs are going to be met during production to ensure production readiness.

b. DMS requires the vendor to provide compute power and images (Network Operating Systems - NOS) throughout the duration of contract for testing purposes.

c. At no cost and at the request of DMS, the Core Services Provider shall provide DMS CPE (with any feature set) for testing purposes.

“No response required. Respondent has read, understands, and will comply with the statements contained in this subsection.”

Non-standards-based service:

DMS will contract directly with Transport Services, and ordering of services and related options from Transport Services Providers for individual circuits will be handled by…