DMS-2324-092 RFI.pdf

4050 Esplanade Way Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950

850-488-2786

Ron DeSantis, Governor Pedro Allende, Secretary

THE STATE OF FLORIDA

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RADIO INTEROPERABILITY NETWORK

RFI No.: DMS-23/24-092

Begin Date: 3/26/2024 End Date: 4/23/2024

Refer ALL inquiries to:

Procurement Officer:

Lisa Baxter

Departmental Purchasing State of Florida, Department of Management Services

4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 260

Email: DMS.Purchasing@dms.fl.gov

The sole purpose of this RFI is to obtain information from the vendor community. The Department is not seeking bids or proposals, and no contract award will result from this RFI.

I. INTRODUCTION

The State of Florida (State), Department of Management Services (Department), seeks information regarding the replacement of the Department’s Florida Interoperability Network (FIN) contract from the vendor community through this Request for Information (RFI). The current FIN system allows disparate radio systems and dispatch centers to communicate using Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). Dispatch Console equipment connected to a FIN user’s radio system can patch talk groups with other FIN users connected to the network.

The Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) talkgroups and conventional Mutual Aid channels are also integrated with FIN. The information gathered from this RFI may be used to develop a future competitive solicitation.

II. PURPOSE OF THE RFI

Rule 60A-1.042, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), provides that an agency may request information by issuing a written RFI. Agencies are authorized to use a RFI for research to determine any or all of the following: whether to competitively procure particular commodities or contractual services; which solicitation process to use for a particular need;

or general, special, or technical specifications to be included in a solicitation.

A vendor’s response to a RFI is not an offer and the agency may not use the vendor’s submission to justify a contract with that vendor without otherwise complying with Chapter 287, F.S. Vendors submitting a response to an agency’s RFI are not prohibited from responding to any related subsequent solicitation.

III. DEFINITIONS

A. Division of Telecommunications (Division) – The Division within DMS responsible for establishing telecommunications standards and procuring telecommunications services for the State’s telecommunication enterprise.

B. Florida Interoperability Network (FIN) – A secured network of dispatch consoles that allow disparate radio systems to communicate using Voice Over Internet Protocol, through the State of Florida MyFloridaNet-2.

C. MyFloridaNet-2 (MFN-2) – The second and current iteration of Florida’s statewide IP network provided by the Department. MFN-2 is a Multi-Protocol Label Switching network with robust management tools used by Florida state agencies and other eligible users.

D. Dispatch Console – Dispatcher user interface for managing radio calls, paging users, and patching radio channels or talkgroups.

E. Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) – The Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System, which consists of over 200 tower sites including 700 and 800 MHz trunked radio and microwave transport systems.

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IV. BACKGROUND

The FIN was implemented post 9/11 through Department of Homeland Security grants to provide secure interoperable communications for Florida’s public safety community. The FIN currently supports federal, state, and local agencies across the State of Florida. The diagram below illustrates how FIN connects users through MFN-2.

The FIN contract is managed by the Bureau of Public Safety, within the Division, and uses the Motorola Motobridge Gateway equipment and 4-wire E&M to transmit radio traffic through the VOIP MFN-2. The current Motobridge Dispatch Consoles allow dispatchers to patch radio channels, conference call other Dispatch centers, and transmit to select repeaters in the network.

The FIN replacement contract is expected to be a multi-year contract to replace the existing FIN contract with a more modernized system with similar functionality, that can integrate into the SLERS and other Public Safety Radio systems.

V. GOALS

Through receiving industry information regarding a FIN Replacement System, the Department desires a solution that provides a reliable, efficient, user-friendly, and cost-effective model.

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The Department’s objectives in acquiring this industry information includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Identifying cost effective solutions for the FIN Replacement System.

Understanding of methods to provide a highly available and highly reliable network.

Identifying any console equipment capable of integrating with multiple radio systems universally, including SLERS, and L3Harris Two47 P25 base station equipment.

Identifying methods to cost-effectively migrate current FIN users to the FIN replacement system.

Identifying and understanding methods to secure the FIN replacement system from internal and external security threats.

Understanding of methods to reduce the current total cost for each FIN user.

Understanding of opportunities to enhance operational functionality to measure and monitor network performance.

Identifying Service Level Agreements that provide measurable standards to be used to monitor and measure the performance of the Contractor.

Identifying training and support options for all FIN users.

VI. RESPONSE

To potentially develop a new solicitation for a FIN Replacement System, the Department is requesting the following information:

A. Company Information:

1) Primary contact

2) Address

3) Phone Number

4) Email

B. Procurement Considerations:

1) Describe the equipment and technology used and how it would integrate with existing Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems and the new SLERS P25 network.

2) Describe the functionality and capabilities available to the Dispatch Console user.

3) Describe what bandwidth requirements are needed for the LMR transmissions to pass through VOIP network.

4) Describe the network architecture and equipment associated with this technology.

5) Describe potential models or methods for securing the FIN Replacement System from internal and external security threats.

6) Provide information on training and support options for users such as training classes, training documentation, and customer support.

7) Provide information on a general pricing structure, including:

i. How costs scale as users are migrated

ii. Implementation and installation services

iii. Support Services

iv. Other important considerations affecting cost

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C. Additional Information:

Please provide additional information for consideration. Where possible, use a question-and-answer format.

PLEASE NOTE: Any submitted material is subject to the Public Records Act, section 119.07, F.S.

VII. RESPONSE SUBMISSION

Responses must be submitted as a PDF file via email to the Procurement Officer identified in Section XV, Procurement Officer, by the required date and time in Section X, Timeline.

Additionally, a redacted copy should be submitted, if necessary (see Section XIII, Confidential, Proprietary or Trade Secret Information, for additional information).

VIII. PROCESS

Responses to this RFI will be reviewed by the Department for informational purposes only and will not result in the award of a contract.

Any request for cost information is for budgetary purposes only.

If necessary, the Department may ask to hold presentations with one or more of the responding vendors.

Responding to the RFI does not prevent a vendor from being eligible to contract with the Department pursuant to section 287.057, F.S.

IX. PRESENTATIONS

After the Department receives responses to this RFI, and at the sole discretion of the Department, one or more vendors may be selected to demonstrate to the Department the products and services related to the information submitted in the RFI response. The purpose is for the Department to learn about the most current solutions available.

Any presentation should be direct in nature and remain on topic. The presentation moderator will remind vendors that the meeting is for information gathering only and should not take on a sales tone.

Vendors are encouraged to bring technical and legal representatives to the presentations.

X. TIMELINE

Listed below are important dates and times when actions should be taken or completed. If the Department finds it necessary to update any of the dates and, or times noted, it will be accomplished by an addendum to the RFI. All times listed below are in Eastern Standard Time (EST) in Tallahassee, Florida.

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Date Time Event 3/26/2024 Release of RFI 4/2/2024 4:00 pm Questions due to the Procurement Officer

4/9/2024 Anticipated date that answers to vendor questions are posted to VIP 4/23/2024 4:00 pm Responses are due to the Procurement Officer

TBD TBD Presentations, if applicable

XI. CHANGES TO THE RFI

The Department will post addenda to the RFI on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP).

Vendors may view addenda by selecting “Department of Management Services” in the “Agency” drop down box. Each Vendor is responsible for monitoring the VIP for new or changing information.

XII. RFI QUESTIONS AND CONTACT WITH DMS

Vendors shall address all questions regarding this RFI in writing to the Procurement Officer identified in Section XV. The Department will post answers to questions on VIP as noted in Section X, Timeline.

XIII. CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY OR TRADE SECRET INFORMATION

Article 1, section 24, Florida Constitution, guarantees every person access to all public records, and section 119.011, F.S., provides a broad definition of “public record.” As such, the entirety of the responses are public records and are subject to disclosure unless exempt from disclosure by law. If the vendor considers any portion of its response to be Confidential Information, the vendor is to mark the document as “confidential” and simultaneously provide the Department with a separate, redacted copy of its response. For each portion redacted, the vendor is to briefly describe in writing the grounds for claiming exemption, including the specific statutory citation for such exemption. On the cover of the redacted copy, the vendor is to provide its name and the RFI name and number and clearly title it, “Redacted Copy.” Only portions of material that the vendor claims are Confidential Information are to be redacted.

In the event of a request for public records pursuant to Chapter 119, F.S., the Florida Constitution, or other authority, to which documents that are marked as “confidential” are responsive, the Department will provide the redacted copy to the requestor. If a requestor asserts a right to the redacted Confidential Information, the Department will notify the vendor such an assertion has been made. It is the vendor’s responsibility to take the appropriate legal action to assert that the information in question is exempt from disclosure under Chapter 119, F.S., or other applicable law.

If the Department becomes subject to a demand for discovery or disclosure of documents that are marked as “confidential” in a legal proceeding, the Department will give the vendor notice of the demand or request. It will be the vendor’s responsibility to take the appropriate legal action in response to the demand and to defend its claims of confidentiality. If the vendor fails to take appropriate and timely action to protect the materials it has designated

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By submitting a response, the vendor agrees to protect, defend, and indemnify the Department for all claims arising from or relating to the vendor’s determination that the redacted portions of its response are Confidential Information. If a vendor fails to submit a redacted copy in accordance with this section, of information it claims is Confidential Information, the Department is authorized to produce the entire material submitted to the Department in response to a public records request for, or demand for discovery or disclosure of, these records.

XIV. VENDOR COSTS

Vendors are responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, submission, and any potential meeting to discuss this RFI. The Department will not be responsible for any vendor-related costs associated with responding to this request.

XV. PROCUREMENT OFFICER

If you have administrative questions concerning this RFI, please contact:

Lisa Baxter, Procurement Officer Departmental Purchasing 4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 260

E-mail: DMS.Purchasing@dms.fl.gov

***ALL EMAILS TO THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER SHALL CONTAIN THE RFI

NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE EMAIL***