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STATE OF MICHIGAN PROCUREMENT
| Department of Technology, Management, and Budget |
| 525 W. Allegan St. |
| P.O. Box 30026 |
| Lansing, MI 48909 |
Bidder Questions & Answers
RFP # 190000001433
Central Signal Control System Bidders who have questions for the above Solicitation must fill the sections below and attach the document in an email to the Solicitation Manager, as described in the Instruction to Bidders.
| Q # |
| Document and Section |
| Page # |
| Bidder Question |
| Answer (to be completed by the State) |
| 1 |
| Exhibit A |
| 18 - Implementation |
| Does MDOT have any restrictions to when the controllers and field equipment can be installed in the field to help avoid impact it may have during the AM and PM peak traffic hours? |
| The Bidder will be responsible for contacting MDOT seven working days prior to controller and field equipment installation. Installation restrictions are dependent on the type of work being performed, as defined below: |
1. Controller unit and hardware installations that require putting the signal into flash shall be performed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. A MDOT electrician will be required to be on site while the signal controller is installed and the intersection is temporarily placed into flash. One MDOT electrician will be made available all weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Installations outside of allowable hours can be requested and approved by MDOT.
2. All other hardware installations that do not require an operational change can be performed between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week. Installations outside of allowable hours can be requested and approved by MDOT.
No installations shall occur during holidays and major area events. The Bidder’s implementation plan will be reviewed and approved by MDOT following Bidder selection and contract award.
| 2 |
| Exhibit A - Scope |
| 6 - Specific standards |
| The note below the IT PSPs states "Controlled PSPs applicable to the RFP available after signing and returning to the State the required Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) agreement." In reviewing the provided link, the NDA document was not located. Will the controlled PSPs be released during the RFP process or to the selected vendor? If during RFP, can you please provide the NDA document. |
| NDA form to be provided upon request to contract administrator (see RFP cover sheet for contact information). |
| 3 |
| Exhibit A - Scope |
| 23- Transition Services |
| Does the proposal need to include a Transition In/Out Plan as part of the proposal? |
| A high-level Transition Plan should be provided within the Bidder’s proposal. A detailed plan will be required to be prepared, submitted and approved following Bidder selection and contract award. |
| 4 |
| Exhibit E |
| Item: 4.A |
| A. Provide modem-mountable omnidirectional external antennas rated for outdoor usage as defined in subsection b.7 of this special provision to be mounted inside the cabinet. Specific antenna type to be used at each site is to be determined by the Contractor to provide required throughput and maximize received signal level. Antenna for each site must be approved by the Engineer. If Site Survey as defined in subsection c.1.A of this special provision indicates that required throughput or received signal strength cannot be achieved with antennas mounted inside the cabinet, furnish to MDOT antennas and surge protection rated for outdoor usage as defined in subsection b.7 of this special provision, suitable for pole mounting, and approved by the Engineer. |
For locations that require external cell antennas, will contractor be responsible for the labor/equipment required for installation external to control cabinet or will others?
The RFP has been revised to exclude furnishing and installing external antennas and ancillary devices.
Bidder should assume all cellular modem installations will include a site survey and modem-mountable omnidirectional external antenna mounted inside the cabinet, as defined in Exhibit E.
| 5 |
| Exhibit E |
| Item: 2.1.1.A |
| A. Furnish, install, integrate and test all equipment and required components, including mounting hardware, power supply, cables, patch cords, antennas, and antenna cables necessary to provide full and complete functionality in all respects, without additional expense to the Department. |
Some cabinets might not have adequate facilities to plug in switches/modems. will contract be responsible for wiring outlets, power strips, or "others"?
Bidder is not responsible for installing additional electrical outlets. Contractor is responsible to provide a power strip, if required to plug in cellular modem.
| 6 |
| Exhibit C - Price |
| Item # 10 |
| 1. Bidder must include unit pricing for the following items that may be authorized by MDOT/DTMB at a future date. Pricing will be valid for the overall contract term. Vendor will not include these additional items in the bid price. |
"Controller, Install" as defined in In Exhibit D - CU Requirements "Cellular Modem", 4G, 2-port as defined in Exhibit E - Cellular Modem Requirements.
Cellular Modem, 4G, 4-port" as defined in Exhibit E - Cellular Modem Requirements "TS, Managed Field Ethernet Switch, Layer 2, Copper" as defined in Exhibit F - Managed Field Ethernet Switch Requirements.
<<Implementation Services - Table>> <<Hardware Table>> "Signalized Intersection Implementation" as defined in Exhibit D - CU Requirements.
There does not appear to have a line item to furnish to MDOT Antennas and surge protection rate for outdoor usage. should it be assumed that each cell modem (both 4 port and 2 port) should be bid with an external antenna and surge protection rated for outdoor usage? Should an additional line item for external antennas be included in the "Hardware" tables?
See response to question #4.
| 7 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 30 |
| 30.0 The GUI map must display the state of Michigan in a single view (i.e. map can zoom out to show the entire state). |
Does MDOT expect to see the real-time status for every signalized intersection when zoomed out to the whole state? This will become cluttered, and may cause issues with the operators (if zoomed area is entire state).
It is acceptable for the GUI to show different information at different zoom levels. For example, when zoomed in to a specific corridor, real-time status should be shown, but when zoomed out to show the entire state, selective status information can be shown. In your submittal, please describe your software's capabilities.
| 8 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 31 |
| 31.0 The GUI must display the real-time status of every signalized intersection within the viewable area shown on the map. |
Does MDOT expect to see the real-time status for every signalized intersection when zoomed out to the viewable area? This will become cluttered, and may cause issues with the operators (if zoomed area is large geographic area).
See response to question #7.
| 9 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 47 |
| 47.0 – the solution must provide the ability to query archived data from external sources. |
What are the external sources that the solution must query? What type of archived data is MDOT expecting the solution to query? How is the solution supposed to access this archived external data?
Solution must be able to query any information that it archives. Examples of this data include signal operations, system events, alerts, and user activity (per requirement #46.0). Location of external source for archive database will be included in the selected Bidder's System Architecture and Design Plan.
| 10 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 338 |
| 338.0 – the solution should communicate to and recognize mobile devices. Information sent to mobile phones should be reformatted to produce text that is useable and legible, etc… |
This statement is very unclear on what MDOT is wanting. Does the agency expect all reports to be available on mobile devices? IOS and Android? Which browsers should be compatible?
Accessing and viewing reports on mobile devices is an optional requirement. MDOT is not requiring all reports to be available on mobile devices. Bidder should describe mobile reporting capabilities, if any.
| 11 |
| title page |
| Cover page |
| For an RFP as complex as this and over 360 requirements, the turnaround time is very short. Is there a possibility to extend the date by 2 weeks? |
| Deadline to submit proposals has been extended to 5/31/19 at 3:00 p.m. ET. |
| In our experience, MDOT has performed all work inside the signal cabinet. Will MDOT or the contractor be responsible for installing the equipment in the signal cabinet? Who will put the signal into flash and who will take the signal out of flash? |
| Bidder will be responsible for installing hardware associated with the RFP. Bidder must adhere to controller cabinet access restrictions as defined in Exhibit D, Item: 1.H. MDOT reserves the right to oversee any hardware installations. See response to question #1 for additional clarification. |
| 13 |
| Contract Sections 22 & 28 |
| Section 22 & 28 of the CT includes indemnification that appears to be inconsistent with State Law, Section 691.991, Item (2). As such, we would respectfully request the State acknowledge our ability to submit revisions to address this inconsistency. |
| The cited statutory provision is not applicable to this contract. But even if it were applicable, the indemnification provisions in this contract would not be prohibited by the statute. |
| The RFP allows proposers to submit a solution that is hosted on premise at MDOT or externally hosted. Does MDOT have a preference for one option over the other? |
| No preference. A Bidder can provide proposals for internally and externally hosted options. |
| 15 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| Requirement 5, 92, 93 |
| Requirement 5.0, 92.0, and 93.0 all involve integration of GIS information or layers. Are all MDOT GIS layers ESRI based or are there other GIS formats that will need to be integrated? |
| All GIS information to be integrated is ESRI based. Support for DWG and DGN file types is preferred. Bidder should provide a listing of the supported layer types. |
| Based on our review of the RFP, it does not appear that cost will be a factor in the scoring of each proposal. How, if at all, will pricing information be used in the project selection and award process for this RFP? |
| As stated in Proposal Instructions, #11, “The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible Bidder who offers the best value to the State, as determined by the State. Best value will be determined by the Bidder meeting the minimum point threshold and offering the best combination of the factors stated in the Evaluation Process Section, and price, as demonstrated by the proposal.” |
| In the Business Specifications Worksheet, when responding to Preferred or Optional requirements that "Require Configuration", is it accurate to state that we are to provide a cost for the required software configuration in this document? |
| Preferred Requirements |
If Bidder requires configuration, customization, or future enhancement to meet a preferred requirement, cost should be identified in Column D and included in Exhibit C – Pricing (price proposal).
Optional Requirements Costs to meet optional requirements should be included in Column D, but not included in Exhibit C – Pricing (price proposal). Bidder to identify if optional requirement is provided at no additional cost.
| If future repairs/replacements are required during the warranty period, will MDOT or the Contractor be responsible for coordination of these repairs/replacements with manufacturer or vendor? |
| Hardware warranties should be transferrable to MDOT. MDOT will be responsible for coordination of manufacture warranties after project acceptance. |
| 19 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| Requirement 5, 92, 93 |
| Business Requirement 5.0, 92.0, and 93.0 all involve integration of GIS information or layers. Would it be possible to list the amount of GIS information and/or number of layers of GIS data MDOT anticipates integrating into the CSCT system? |
| See response to question #15. In addition, the quantity of layers is unknown at this time, the Bidder should identify any limitations (hardware or software) on the quantity of layers. |
Would it be possible to obtain a copy of the MIBs for each controller firmware? We are open to signing a NDA with the company in order to obtain this information. This information is needed to accurately price integration effort.
MIBs will be made available to the selected Bidder, following contract award.
| 21 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 39 |
| Requirement 39.0 requires the Solution operating systems, middleware, applications, and interfaces be scanned for vulnerabilities every 30 days. Is the vendor responsible for performing this scan and, if so, is there a preferred application/tool? |
| No, DTMB performs the scans. The vendor must remediate any issues identified by the scan. |
| 22 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 47 |
| Requirement 47.0 requires the Solution must provide the ability to query archived data from external sources. Can MDOT provide additional information on the type of data, data format, and external data source to be integrated? |
See response to question #9.
| Is MDOT also open to a hybrid solution that incorporates elements of both (e.g., a solution that includes components that are both hosted on premise at MDOT and externally hosted? |
| Yes. |
| The RFP appears to request the three reference projects be placed in two locations in the response - Exhibit B Vendor Questions as well as in the Company Team Qualifications section. Is this intentional or do you wish them to be input in only one? |
| Three reference projects only need to be listed once. Bidder should include three project references in Exhibit B. |
| Page 17 |
| User Type and Capacity Table on RFP page 17 - does the table imply that the system must support 200 total users and 100 concurrent users? Also, what does the term "least privileged" mean in the Access Type column? |
| Correct, the system must support 200 total users and 100 concurrent users. |
Least privileged means that Access Type is user-specific. Each user will be provided the minimum permissions needed to complete the user's work. Permissions will be based on pre-configured user access levels as defined in Exhibit A – Table 1, 232
| Is there something missing on the first page of Exhibit A, Table 1 instructions? The second bullet item ends simply with "Preferred". |
| The second bullet has a typo. The second sentence should state: “Preferred” items will be evaluated and scored upon per the State evaluation process. “Required” has been removed from the sentence. |
| Is the Disaster Recovery Plan needed for an on-premise solution? If so, what should be included in this plan? |
| A Disaster Recovery Plan is needed for either/all solutions. In the event of a disaster a full-backup of system and all documentation is required to be able to restore the system to 100%. Example DR Requirements: full system and application/documentation including server and o/s requirements, installation requirements, configuration requirements, backup/recovery, etc. |
| 28 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 145 |
| Business Specification 145 - What files need to be uploaded or exchanged between the controller and the central system? |
| This requirement is to upload files to the system and assign to a specific intersection. Files may include images (photographs), PDFs (timing plans), etc. The term “upload” within this requirement is from a user’s workstation to the solution (central system), not between the controller and central system. |
| 29 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 300 |
| Business Specification 300 -- What specific alerts are being referred to in this specification? |
| This requirement is to provide the ability for MDOT to assign specific alerts that would provide an immediate notification. Alerts may include going off-line, flash, etc. |
| 30 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 119 |
| Business Specification 119 - Please clarify this requirement. Other than reporting devices as "off-line", it is generally not possible to collect status data from off-line devices. |
| There is a typo in this requirement. |
Requirement 119.0 has been revised to the following: " The Solution must display NTCIP diagnostic messages associated with ITS or CV equipment."
| 31 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 235 |
| Business Specification 235 -- What are the DTMB-approved methods for password encryption? |
| All encryption must utilize Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant algorithms. |
| 32 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 96 |
| Business Specification 96 - What is meant by "higher priority communication"? |
| Requirement 96.0 has been revised to the following: "The GUI must display a message if feedback data are not received from the field because of communication failure." |
| Page 15 |
| Is there something missing on RFP page 15 at the end of paragraph 1? (after SaaS) |
| No, “SaaS” was a typo and has been removed within Exhibit A – Project Scope, Item #3 – Purpose, last sentence in first paragraph. |
| 34 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 41 |
| Business Specification 41 - Can this specification be clarified? It seems aimed at the field controller and it is not clear how this relates to a central ATMS solution. |
| Requirement 41 has been removed. |
| 35 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 35 |
| Business Specification 35 - Can the meaning of "any input" be clarified? Does this include inputs from the cabinet such as stop time or manual control? Or is it referring to inputs like detector inputs? |
| Input for control includes, but is not limited to, the following: phase calls, detector inputs, preempts, priority, manual plan selection, free selection, special functions, auxiliary functions, flash, stop time, manual advance, manual control. |
Input for monitoring includes, but is not limited to, the following: flash, stop time, manual advance, manual control.
Bidder to describe any exceptions.
| Due to the nature and size of this project, as well as the complex technical requirements can the proposal due date be extended by four weeks? Also, with questions perhaps not being answered until May 10, one week may not be enough time to respond. |
| See response to question #11. |
| 37 |
| Exhibit A - Table 1 |
| 230 |
| Business Specification 230 - What is the industry standard that is to be used for exporting data? |
| Requirement #230 has been revised to remove “industry”. Bidder to describe data export capabilities that provide for interoperability and portability. Describe the specific file or database types that the Solution supports. |
| Can you provide further insight on how pricing will be evaluated? |
| See response to question #16. This is a best value solicitation. Proposals will be reviewed and scored according to the Proposal Instructions. The technical score will be used in conjunction with the Bidder’s price, site visits, presentations, demonstrations, etc. to select a Bidder. Pricing does not have an assigned scoring weight. |
| The specifications include more than 300 "preferred" or "optional" specifications. Can the State provide some indication of the relative importance or priority of the individual specifications? |
| Preferred requirements 2 through 12 are high priority. |
| The modem installed at each intersection may require an externally mounted antenna. Should the unit price for each modem include an externally mounted antenna, antenna cables, and the labor required to mount it or should this be provided separately? |
| See responses to questions #4 and 6. |
| The cellular modem installed at each intersection may require an externally mounted antenna. Does MDOT have any defined procedures for drilling holes in cabinets and/or mounting the antenna? |
| See response to question #4. |
| Integrating each new controller will require placing the intersection in flash. Does MDOT have a standard procedure for putting a traffic signal into flash? Does this procedure vary based on the type and/or volume of the intersection? |
| See response to question #1. |
| The contractor will furnish, configure, install, integrate, and test cellular modems per Exhibit E. Are there non-GFI power receptacles available in each traffic signal cabinet to plug in the power supply for the cell modem? |
| See response to question #5. |
| Replacing a controller in a traffic signal cabinet will require placing the intersection in flash. Will MDOT require any additional traffic control for any of the intersections and, if so, who will be responsible for providing it? |
| See response to question #1. Additional traffic control is not anticipated. If MDOT determines the need for traffic control, it will be provided by others to the Bidder. |
| 45 |
| Anticipated Timeline |
| 1 |
| Will the Department consider giving a two week extension to the Submittal Deadline to allow bidders time to prepare a comprehensive response, four working days between when answers to questions are posted by the Department and submissions are due is tight. |
| See response to question #11. |
| 46 |
| Exhibit A- Table 1 |
| 2 |
| “…all functionality that is available locally at the controller must also be available remotely through the Software.” |
Can we clarify this statement as being limited to all functionality exposed by the controller through NTCIP 1201, 1202 and 1211 or was there a different intent with this statement?
This requirement is not limited to NTCIP data objects. The requirement includes remote access to all controller functionality whether open protocol (e.g., NTCIP) or vendor-specific protocols/data definitions.
| 47 |
| Exhibit E-Cellular Modem Requirements |
| Req 2.a General-B |
| ” All cellular data service will be provided by the MDOT statewide cellular data service provider agreement.” |
With regards to the provision of this cellular data service, are there data caps (volume/byte count) or bandwidth restrictions?
Bidder to identify anticipated bandwidth usage to meet preferred requirements.
Bidder to identify additional bandwidth usage to meet optional requirements.
| 48 |
| Contract Terms |
| Section 18 Source Code Escrow |
| Does the State have a preferred escrow agent? If so, would the State provide the escrow agent’s rates? |
| The State does not have a preferred escrow agent. Proposed escrow agent will need to be reviewed and approved by the State. |
| 49 |
| Section 15 |
| Integration |
| Is there a standard procedure the Department has as for as putting traffic Signals into and out of Flash? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 50 |
| Section 15 |
| Integration |
| “ Contractor is responsible to furnish, configure, install, integrate, and test cellular modems…” |
Are there non-GFI power receptacles available in the traffic signal cabinets to plug in the power supplies for the cell modems?
See response to question #5.
| 51 |
| Section 15 |
| Integration |
| “ Contractor is responsible to furnish, configure, install, integrate, and test cellular modems…” |
Cellular modems require antennas, are there any defined MIDOT procedures as far as drilling holes in the roof of the cabinets for installation?
See response to question #4.
| 52 |
| Section 15 |
| Integration |
| “ Contractor is responsible to furnish, configure, install, integrate, and test cellular modems…” |
Since some of the Cellular modem locations will be rural areas has there been or will there be a site Survey performed prior to installation of the modems and antennas for adequate Signal RSSI, or is this on the contractor?
A site survey has not been conducted. This will be the responsibility of the Bidder, as defined in Exhibit E, 2.c.1.A. See response to question #4 for additional clarification.
| 53 |
| Schedule B Maintenance and Support |
| 4.1 Service Credit Amounts |
| Are these in addition to the Liquidated Damage reference in the contract? |
| DTMB does not intend to assess liquidated damages and apply service credits for the same occurrence/failure to meet a specified time requirement. |
| 54 |
| Schedule B Maintenance and Support |
| 4.3 Insurance Service Credits |
| Are these in addition to the Liquidated Damage reference in the contract? |
| See response to question #53. |
| 55 |
| Section 11 |
| End User Operating Environment |
| There is mention of Oracle; would the Department be open to other Database vendors or does the supplied solution required to run on Oracle? |
| Not required to run on Oracle. |
| 56 |
| Section 13 |
| Hardware |
| “… Solution managed field ethernet switch (may be authorized at a future date), and any other Hardware provided to operate the Solution. Contractor’s services and the Hardware ability to be configured and deployed must meet the State’s requirements.” |
Where can one find the “State’s requirements” for field ethernet switch?
Exhibit F provides the managed field ethernet switch requirements.
| 57 |
| Section 30 |
| Milestones and Deliverables |
| In the table there is reference to 90, 180, 270, 300, days etc. Are these to be interpreted as “calendar days” or “working days”? |
| Calendar days. |
| 58 |
| Anticipated Timeline |
| 1 |
| Will the Department consider giving a two week extension to the Submittal Deadline to allow bidders time to prepare a comprehensive response, four working days between when answers to questions are posted by the Department and submissions are due is tight. |
| See response to question #11. |
| The RFP release date and proposal due date only allow for a total of 28 calendar days to prepare the proposal. Due to the complexity of the RFP, would it be possible to provide at least a week extension to the proposal due date? |
| See response to question #11. |
| As part of the installation and integration process for each traffic signal controller, will the D option board also need to be replaced? |
| To be determined for each intersection. If required, will be furnished and installed by others. |
| 61 |
| Exhibit A, Table 1 |
| 15 |
| Business Specification 15 -- What are the 35,000 IP addressable devices? |
MDOT is requesting network capacity for approximately 10 IP addressable devices at each signalized intersection. Implementation of this contract anticipates the connection of one IP addressable device (controller unit) at each signalized intersection. Bidder to provide system architecture that allows for the expandability of up to 35,000 IP addressable devices.
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