ESBD_376027_1725909944156_RFP #957 - Dark Fiber Lease Bid Document.pdf

RFP #957 – Dark Fiber Lease

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP # 957

DARK FIBER LEASE

Bid Responses due:

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 @ 3:00PM

Issued By:

Lone Star College

5000 Research Forest Drive The Woodlands, Texas 77381

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RFP #957

DARK FIBER WAN INTERNET SERVICES

• BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• LSC SERVICE AREA

• CALENDAR OF EVENTS

• WEBEX INFORMATION

• CONTRACT TERMS

• SCOPE OF SERVICES

• EVALUATION CRITERIA PROCESS

• CERTIFIED HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESS (HUB) AND M/WBE

• CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES FORM 1295

• PROVISIONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

• INTERPRETATION OR CORRECTION

• SUBMITTAL FORMAT

• IMPORTANT iSTAR VENDOR PORTAL NOTES

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 credit students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is also training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success.

LSC consists of 23 locations, including eight colleges, seven centers, and eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, all located in the greater Houston area.

Fully accredited, Lone Star College offers industry-specific certifications, associates and workforce bachelor’s degrees and it’s 7,300 employees are committed to supporting students both in and outside the classroom.

Lone Star College serves an area of more than 2,700 square miles with a total population of 2.7 million residents, provides an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion and is a major and growing contributor to the local economy.

Mario K. Castillo, J.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2023 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™.

Visit LoneStar.edu to learn more.

http://www.lonestar.edu/

LONE STAR COLLEGE SERVICE AREA

• 80,000+ credit students each semester, total enrollment of 90,000+ (credit and non-credit)

• One of the top 3 largest colleges in the nation

• One of the fastest growing college systems in the U.S.

• 11 school districts, 2,700 square miles, population of 2.7 million

• 7,300+ employees (part-time and full-time)

Sources: Top 3 Largest: http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/E8748821/10-Biggest-Community- Colleges/fastest Growing: http://ccweek.com/article-4972-fastest-growing-community-colleges-2015-rankings.html http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/E8748821/10-Biggest http://ccweek.com/article-4972-fastest-growing-community-colleges-2015-rankings.html

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Listed below are the dates and times by which stated actions need to be completed. If LSC determines, in its sole discretion, that it is necessary to change any of the dates and times, LSC will issue a written Addendum to this RFP. All listed times are Central Standard Time.

DATE / TIME ACTION

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 1st Legal advertising & release of RFP

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 2nd Legal advertising

Thursday, September 19, 2024 @

10:00AM

Web-Ex – Vendor Portal Bid Submission Demo (non-mandatory) *See WebEx details on next page.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 @

10:00AM

Pre-Bid Meeting – Non-Mandatory In-Person at LSC-System Office Building WLB, Room 243

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 @ 5:00PM

Last day and time for Respondents to submit email communication and inquiries.

Please address all inquiries to:

Pamela.Johnson@lonestar.edu

Friday, October 4, 2024 Addenda, if any, responding to written communications/inquiries will be emailed to Respondents

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 @ 3:00PM Deadline for proposal submission

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 Evaluation of Proposals

February 6, 2025 Recommendation of Selected Respondent(s) to the Board of Trustees mailto:Pamela.Johnson@lonestar.edu

WEBEX INFORMATION – BID SUBMISSION DEMO

WebEx Pre-Proposal Conference agenda:

1. How to register as a supplier,

2. Where to locate the bid documents, and

3. How to successfully submit a bid proposal.

It is strongly recommended that the individual responsible for uploading the bid proposal submission attend this online meeting.

PRE-BID MEETING – IN-PERSON

**Please check in with the receptionist on the first floor of the Woodlands Leadership Building.

Where: Lone Star College – System Office

5000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381 Woodlands Leadership Building, Room 243

When: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 @ 10:00AM Who: Lone Star College SME’s (from Technical Services and Procurement) and potential bidders

Thursday, September 19, 2024 10:00 AM | (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada) | 30 mins

Join from the meeting link https://lonestar.webex.com/lonestar/j.php?MTID=mb7de0a95e18d23cfb7b693521bbc7263

Join by meeting number Meeting number (access code): 2632 317 7409 Meeting password: e7BwatJiJ45

Join by phone 1-408-792-6300 Call-in toll number (US/Canada) https://lonestar.webex.com/lonestar/j.php?MTID=mb7de0a95e18d23cfb7b693521bbc7263

CONTRACT TERMS

This Request for Proposal (“RFP”), and the information contained within, is an invitation to respond and is provided to assist qualified respondents in formulating submissions.

This RFP document is not a contract nor an offer to contract. No contractual obligations shall arise until a formal contract is executed between LSC and the successful respondent.

The term of the award will be for an initial period of three (3) years, with additional two

(2) one-year options— by mutual consent—not to exceed a total contract time period of five years inclusive of the initial three -year term.

Per Lone Star College Policy Manual, Section III.D.1.4 and III.D.1.7, all vendors are responsible for verifying an individual’s or organization’s authority before any purchase, contract, or debt is incurred. Persons making unauthorized purchases are fully responsible for such debts. Therefore, vendors are not to render any services or provide goods to Lone Star College until an executed contract is in place.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Section 1: Introduction

Lone Star College, hereafter referred to as LSC, is requesting proposals for leased lit fiber and leased dark fiber services for delivery of wide area network (WAN) services to the district as well as backup/redundant services to the district. Service is expected to originate at a site designated by the district and be delivered to the eligible service locations. All current locations with addresses are listed below. The selected vendor will also have the opportunity to be utilized for future growth and needs as needed. The sites that we are requesting pricing for in this RFP are as listed on the Pricing Worksheet attached separately to the bid event in the vendor portal.

Section 2: Service Requests

1. LSC is seeking bids for two services. Respondents may offer one, all, or any combination of options. See Section 3 for requirements of each solution.

a. The first service is a fully managed, leased lit fiber solution.

b. The second service is a leased dark fiber solution that includes fiber maintenance as part of the monthly lease cost.

2. Network Design and Construction Routes

a. LSC will consider traditional network designs (such as hub and spoke) or alternative proposals as stated. Decision criteria (outlined in the RFP) will be used to determine if an award is made because of this RFP.

b. Due to current and future bandwidth needs, respondents are encouraged to provide dedicated infrastructure to LSC. Designs are encouraged to utilize the private fiber approach, where there exists no other aggregation or third-party equipment on fiber strands between sites and modulating equipment at each site is dedicated to LSC and not shared in any way with other customers. If this is not possible, then designs should limit the use of shared infrastructure as much as possible.

c. Respondents should clearly illustrate proposed network design and construction routes.

d. LSC is not advocating or mandating any preconceived network design or construction route and leaves this decision up to the vendor to present their best solution while recognizing the cited termination locations and future locations within the LSC’s service area.

3. Special Construction

a. Special construction refers to the upfront, non-recurring costs associated with the installation of new fiber to or between sites.

b. Special construction charges normally consist of three components (if there are others please specify):

i. construction of network facilities

ii. design and engineering & project management

c. If no new fiber is being installed, then any installation costs are considered standard non-recurring costs (NRC).

i. For leased lit fiber solutions requiring special construction, this means that the costs associated with building the fiber are considered special construction and the costs associated with the equipment required to activate the service are a standard NRC.

ii. For leased dark fiber solutions, equipment required by LSC to light the fiber are not considered special construction.

d. Excess fiber strands for special construction projects

i. To the extent that the winning service provider installs additional strands of fiber for future business ventures, the winning service provider assumes full responsibility to ensure those incremental costs are allocated out of the special construction charges to the district in accordance with FCC rules and orders.

ii. If, after the issuance of the award determines that the winning service provider did not cost allocate those charges associated with the additional strands, LSC will not be responsible for reimbursing the winning vendor and the winning vendor will assume all responsibilities for such charges.

Section 3: Solution Specifications

1. Leased Lit Fiber

a. LSC must have dedicated symmetrical transport bandwidth of options from 2Mbps - 40 Gbps, between the designated endpoints. Vendor may provide all options available.

b. The solution must be scalable to 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, and 40 Gbps; 100Gbps.

Vendor may provide all options available.

c. Contract options are requested for 12-month, 24-month, 36-month, 48 month and 60-month terms of service.

d. Each respondent is required to provide a pricing sheet with this RFP that includes: Special construction costs, monthly recurring cost, and any additional non-recurring costs are required to be broken out and listed separately.

i. Respondents are free to propose alternate pricing terms provided they have also included pricing in the requested format.

ii. No increased pricing will be allowed during the term of the quoted special construction cost, non-recurring cost, and monthly recurring cost rate.

e. If an increase in bandwidth is requested during the contract period, the contract does not renew.

f. All solutions must adhere to the following Service Level Agreement (SLA) terms and the terms found in Section 4:

i. The provider will make all reasonable efforts to ensure 99.999% network availability of each circuit. If this is not possible, explain the level of availability of each circuit.

ii. 25% frame/packet loss commitment

iii. 3ms network latency commitment

iv. 4ms network jitter commitment

v. There is no right of provider to limit or throttle the capacity of the circuit at any time for any reason

vi. Vendor stated commitment is to respond to any outage within two (2) hours and a four (4) hour restoration of service.

2. Leased Dark Fiber

a. LSC must have TWELVE (12) strands or three of single mode fiber from the service address to corresponding service location.

b. There should also be an option to increase the number of strands up to 48 strands, equaling 24 pair to the main campus sites.

c. Contract options are requested for 12-month, 24-month, 36-month, 48 month and 60-month terms of service.

d. Each respondent is required to provide a pricing sheet with this RFP that includes Special construction cost, monthly recurring cost, and any additional non-recurring costs and are required to be broken out and listed separately.

i. Respondents are free to propose alternate pricing terms provided they have also included pricing in the requested format.

ii. No increased pricing will be allowed during the term of the quoted special construction cost, non-recurring cost, and monthly recurring cost rate.

e. If an increase in bandwidth is requested during the contract period, the contract does not renew.

f. All solutions must adhere to the following Service Level Agreement (SLA) terms and the terms found in Section 4:

i. The provider will make all reasonable efforts to ensure 99.999% network availability of each circuit. If this is not possible, explain the level of availability of each circuit.

ii. .25% frame/packet loss commitment

iii. 3ms network latency commitment

iv. 4ms network jitter commitment

v. There is no right of provider to limit or throttle the capacity of the circuit at any time for any reason

vi. Vendor stated commitment is to respond to any outage within two (2) hours and a four (4) hour restoration of service.

g. All solutions require maintenance as part of the MRC subject to the following terms and the terms found in Section 4:

i. Respondent shall maintain the applicable fiber seven days per week, twenty-four hours per day.

ii. In the case, that maintenance is subcontracted out to a third party;

the respondent must hold and manage the subcontract and is ultimately responsible for the SLA.

iii. It is assumed that the dark fiber network is part of a more comprehensive fiber infrastructure of the service provider. The respondent will include only the portion of maintenance that is required to support the LSC fiber segments versus overall network maintenance.

iv. Vendor stated commitment is to respond to any outage within two (2) hours and thereafter proceed to correct the malfunction with reasonable diligence.

v. The respondent should include an overview of maintenance practices including:

1. Routine maintenance and inspection

2. Scheduled maintenance windows and scheduling practices for planned outages

3. Marker and hand hole inspection and repair

4. Handling of unscheduled outages and customer problem reports

5. What service level agreement is included and what alternative service levels may be available at additional cost

6. What agreements are in place with applicable utilities and utility contractors for emergency restoration

7. Repair of fiber breaks and mean time to repair

8. Replacement of damaged fiber and fiber that no longer meets specifications

9. Post repair testing

10. Policies for customer notification regarding maintenance

11. Process for changing procedures, including customer notification practices

12. Process for moves, adds, and changes

13. Process for responding to locate requests

Section 4: Service Level Agreement

1. Network operations center: Solution will provide customer support functions including problem tracking, resolution and escalation support management on a 24x7x365 basis. Customer has the right and is encouraged to call concerning any problems that may arise relative to its connection with vendor provided services.

2. Provider will provide 24X7X365 monitoring of service and act proactively to mitigate risks associated to outages as necessary.

3. Trouble reporting and response: Upon interruption, degradation or loss of service, Customer may contact Vendor by defined method with a response based on trouble level. Upon contact from the Customer, the Vendor support team will initiate an immediate response to resolve any Customer issue. Customer will receive rapid feedback on trouble resolution, including potential resolution time.

4. Escalation: In the event that service has not been restored in a timely manner, or the Customer does not feel that adequate attention has been allocated, the Customer can escalate the trouble resolution by request. A list of escalation contacts will be provided when implementation schedule is completed.

5. Resolution: The Customer will be notified immediately once the problem is resolved and will be asked for verbal closure of the incident.

6. Trouble reporting, escalation and resolution: A detailed trouble reporting, escalation and resolution plan will be provided to the district.

7. Measurement: Time starts from the time the Customer contacts vendor and identifies the problem. Credits for outages of a certain duration or longer will be identified.

8. Reports: Upon request, an incident report will be made available to the Customer within five (5) working days of resolution of the trouble.

9. Link performance per segment: The service will maintain the proposed link performance throughout the term of the contract.

10. Historical uptime: Provide aggregate uptime statistics for your proposed service in the geographic area encompassing LSC.

EVALUATION CRITERIA PROCESS

All Requests for Proposals shall be evaluated based on the criteria listed below by members of an evaluation committee. The committee consists of individuals who are well-versed in the subject matter and those that will be the beneficiaries or users of said RFP.

Weighted scoring criteria for the review of the submitted proposals in accordance with Texas Government Code §2254 Subchapter A will be:

CRITERIA POINTS

1. The purchase price 10%

2. The reputation of the vendor and of the vendor’s goods or services 20%

3. The quality of the vendor’s goods or services 15%

4. The extent to which the goods or services meet the College’s (LSC’s) needs 15%

5. The vendor’s past relationship with the College (LSC) 5%

6. The impact on the ability of the college to comply with laws and rules relating to historically underutilized businesses (HUB) 5%

7. The total long-term cost to the College (LSC) to acquire the vendor’s goods or services 10%

8.

The vendor’s ultimate parent company or majority owner has its principal place of business in Texas or employs at least 500 persons in Texas

5%

9.

Any other relevant factor specifically listed in this request for bids or proposals

- The Respondent’s reliance upon other vendor’s infrastructure.

15%

TOTAL 100%

1. The purchase price.

a. The vendor will include all applicable costs in their RFP response including, but not limited to, future costs that may apply and that are not resulting from additional services requested by the college. Additional costs more than the total amount bid will be the responsibility of the awarded vendor.

b. Respondent must agree to hold firm all pricing for the term of the agreement.

Any changes to this must be submitted and approved in writing by a duly authorized representative of the College.

c. Lone Star College reserves the right to refuse any rate increase it may deem unreasonable. Respondent shall not consider a “no response” as an approval to proceed.

d. Prices shall be indicated by unit price and total (sum) item price. In case of discrepancy, the unit price shall govern. If the sum of the item is not included, the bid will be considered non-responsive. The unit price shall include all items required, including training, installation, shipping, and delivery charges.

e. Respondents shall complete the PRICING WORKSHEET (attached separately in the vendor portal).

2. The reputation of the vendor and of the vendor’s goods or services

a. Provide previous experience and references with providing similar goods and services for similar scopes of work (maximum of three (3) pages for submittal).

b. Provide a list of three (3) completed scopes of work with the goods and services relevant under this RFP in accordance with the format included in this RFP.

3. The quality of the vendor’s goods or services

a. Provide the quality control plan your company will follow to ensure the College will receive the best quality of service requested under this RFP

b. Provide a brief summary of quality features included in the services proposed and why these features make these services better than other similar services.

4. The extent to which the goods or services meet the college’s needs

a. Provide company name, address, telephone number, date the company was established under this proposal and the proposed account executive.

b. Describe availability, delivery, and methodology used for software updates, upgrades, and maintenance.

c. Provide detailed product specifications for any equivalents offered

d. Provide a project timeline

5. The vendor’s past relationship with the college

a. Previous contract award and vendor’s track record.

b. This is an opportunity to evaluate how the vendor has performed on a previous contract award with LSC. New firms with no past history with the College will receive three (3) points. No vendor response is needed here.

6. The impact on the ability of the college to comply with laws and rules relating to historically underutilized businesses (HUB), Certified HUB, Minority and/or Veteran and Women-Owned Businesses Participation:

a. If applicable, provide a copy of Certified HUB, Minority and/or Veteran and Women-Owned Businesses certification.

b. If applicable, indicate the percentage Certified HUB, Minority and/or Veteran and Women-Owned Businesses participation you wish to achieve.

c. Provide procedures to achieve established plan.

d. Provide an example of tools your Firm uses to report to Owners on actual use of Certified HUB, Minority and/or Veteran and Women-Owned Businesses.

7. The total long-term cost to the college to acquire the vendor’s goods or services

a. Provide any other components that may add cost to the bid price.

8. The vendor’s ultimate parent company or majority owner has its principal place of business in Texas or employs at least 500 persons in Texas

a. Does your parent company or majority owner have its principal place of business in Texas?

b. Does your parent company or majority owner employees at least 500 persons in Texas?

9. Any other relevant factor specifically listed in this request for bids or proposals

a. The Respondent’s reliance upon other vendor’s infrastructure.

b. Provide any recommendations or enhanced services that your company can provide, which is relevant to the RFP.

c. This bid factor will evaluate the comprehensiveness of your company’s response to the proposal including all attachments and required information provided to assess your company’s capacity, experience, staffing and quality control measures.

d. Attach a copy of your standard service level agreement (SLA) template.

CERTIFIED HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESS (HUB) and MINORITY, WOMEN, AND VETERAN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (M/WVBE)

Lone Star College (LSC) promotes and encourages contracting and subcontracting opportunities for Certified HUB and Minority, Women, and Veteran Business Enterprises (M/WVBE) in all proposals/contracts. Respondents are encouraged to include Certified HUB and Minority, Women, and Veteran Business Enterprises whenever feasible which may include subcontracts for products and services. For non-HUB and non-M/WVBE firms, Respondents selected for an on-site interview will be asked to present a HUB/MWBE subcontractor plan as part of its presentation.

Noncompliance of Commitment Participation Utilization Goal:

A Respondent will propose a participation commitment utilization percentage (or goal), which will be tracked by a progress assessment report based on data provided monthly.

The monthly submittal of the Progress Assessment Report is mandatory, failure to meet the utilization goal will subject the Respondent to penalties based on the amount of the goal not achieved. Attached will be the mandated LSC Prime Contractor Progress Assessment Report form.

Utilization Goal and Penalty:

If a Respondent utilization goal is not met, there will be a penalty assessed on the amount not achieved using the following sliding scale.

Utilization Goal

Penalty Applied to

Amount not Achieved

0-20% 5% 21-40% 4% 41-60% 3% 61-80% 2.75% 81-100% 2.50%

A Respondent must recommend and receive approved written consent from LSC Supplier Diversity Department for any substitutions of Certified HUB and Minority, Women, and Veteran Business Enterprises related to maintaining the participation commitment or goal.

A Respondent who intentionally and/or knowingly misrepresents facts may be suspended from participating in work for not less than one (1) year.

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES FORM 1295

Certificate of Interested Parties (Form 1295 – must be filled out electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission’s online filing application, printed out, signed, and included in the RFP, RFQ, RFX response)

Lone Star College is required to comply with House Bill 1295, which amended the Texas Government Code by adding Section 2252.908, Disclosure of Interested Parties. Section

2252.908 prohibits Lone Star College from entering into a contract resulting from this procurement process (RFP, CSP, RFQ, etc.) with a business entity unless the business entity submits a Certificate of Interested Parties (Form 1295) to Lone Star College at the time business entity submits the signed contract. The Texas Ethics Commission has adopted rules requiring the business entity to file Form 1295 electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission. The following definitions apply:

(1) “Business Entity” means an entity recognized by law through which business is conducted, including a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. TEX.

GOV’T CODE § 2252.908(1).

(2) “Interested Party” means a person:

a) who has a controlling interest in a business entity with whom Lone Star College contracts; or

b) who actively participates in facilitating the contract or negotiating the terms of the contract, including a broker, intermediary, adviser, or attorney for the business entity. TEX. GOV’T CODE § 2252.908(3).

(3) “Controlling interest” means:

a) an ownership interest or participating interest in a business entity by virtue of units, percentage, shares, stock, or otherwise that exceeds 10 percent;

b) membership on the board of directors or other governing body of a business entity of which the board or other governing body is composed of not more than 10 members; or

c) service as an officer of a business entity that has four or fewer officers, or service as one of the four officers most highly compensated by a business entity that has more than four officers. TEX. ETHICS COMM.

RULE 46.3(c).

(4) “Intermediary” means a person who actively participates in the facilitation of the contract or negotiating the contract, including a broker, adviser, attorney, or representative of or agent for the business entity who:

a) receives compensation from the business entity for the person’s participation:

b) communicates directly with the governmental entity or state agency on behalf of the business entity regarding the contract; and

c) is not an employee of the business entity. TEX. ETHICS COMM. RULE

46.3(e).

Proposers must file Form 1295 electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission using the online filing application, which can be found at https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm.

Proposers must use the filing application on the Texas Ethics Commission’s website to enter the required information on Form 1295. Proposers must print a copy of the completed form, which will include a certification of filing containing a unique certification number. The Form 1295 must be signed by an authorized agent of the business entity. The completed Form 1295 with the certification of filing certificate number and signatures must be filed with Lone Star College by including the from in the RFP, CSP, or RFQ response.

Lone Star College must acknowledge the receipt of the filed Form 1295 by notifying the Texas Ethics Commission of the receipt of the filed Form 1295 no later than the 30th day after the date the contract binds all parties to the contract. After Lone Star College acknowledges the Form 1295, the Texas Ethics Commission will post the completed Form 1295 to its website within seven business days after receiving notice from Lone Star College.

Note: Form 1295 is required when a contract is valued at $1 million or more, contracts that require board action, and for any contract for services that requires registration as a lobbyist under Chapter 305 of the Government Code. Publicly traded business entities are exempt from filing a Form 1295.

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm.

PROVISIONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

LSC reserves the right to:

1. Reject any and/or all Proposals.

2. Revise the RFP and/or issue addenda to the RFP in the event it becomes necessary. Addenda will be provided to all those who received the RFP notice.

3. Accept any Proposals or portion thereof that, in the opinion of LSC, are the most advantageous to LSC.

4. Cancel this RFP in partial or total; to make a partial award, or to make no award if it determines that such action is in the best interest of the College.

5. Request additional references when deemed necessary.

6. Conduct a post-award meeting with the successful Respondent as deemed necessary.

7. Request additional information or clarifications from the Respondent(s), if needed.

8. Award of this RFP will be made to the vendor or vendors providing the best value for goods or services.

INTERPRETATION OR CORRECTION

LSC is not liable for interpretations/misinterpretations or other errors, or omissions made by the respondent in responding to this RFP. Any required addendum to the RFP will be made in writing by the LSC purchasing department. Any person, firm, or corporation submitting a proposal is deemed to have read, understood, and agreed to all terms, conditions, and requirements set forth in the RFP. The respondent agrees to conform in general to the terms of the RFP, details of which will be set forth in a signed agreement between LSC and the respondent.

From the date of issuance of the RFP until a contract is fully executed, the respondent must not discuss the proposals or any part thereof with any employee, agent, or representative of LSC except as expressly requested by LSC in writing. Violation of this restriction will result in the rejection of the respondent’s proposal.

All inquiries, requests for clarification, or additional information must be submitted in writing to the commodity manager. In the written request, the respondent must identify him/herself and provide the page number, section, and paragraph in question. All written inquiries must be received by LSC no later than the scheduled date shown in the Calendar of Events outlined in this document.

All LSC responses will be provided to all prospective respondents. All addenda issued by LSC shall become a part of the RFP, and respondents shall acknowledge receipt of each addendum by corresponding number and date in its response.

Inquiries concerning this RFP should be addressed to LSC as follows:

Pam Johnson, Commodity Manager Email: Pamela.Johnson@lonestar.edu

Phone: (832) 813-6782

SUBMITTAL FORMAT

Responses to this RFP shall be submitted electronically through the iStar Vendor Portal in the order outlined in the Table of Contents.

You will need to register and log on to submit a bid proposal or view online documents at http://wwwappsdstc.lonestar.edu/istar/supplier.htm.

For assistance with the online registration process, contact MC-Vendors@lonestar.edu

IMPORTANT iSTAR VENDOR PORTAL NOTES:

It is the vendor’s responsibility to successfully submit bid proposals before the bid close date and time specified in the Calendar of Events. Once your proposal has been submitted successfully in the iStar Vendor Portal, the email address that is associated with the registration will receive an automated confirmation email.

If you believe that you have successfully submitted your bid proposal and did not receive a confirmation email and you have confirmed that it did not go to your SPAM, then contact the Commodity Manager.

Please upload as one PDF attachment on line 1 in iStar the following required information in your proposal in the order of the Table of Contents.

Please name your PDF file as such: RFP 957 - YourCompanyName.pdf

(Note: File name cannot exceed 19 characters).

Please include in your bid submittal the documents listed on the attached Table of Contents.

mailto:Pamela.Johnson@lonestar.edu http://wwwappsdstc.lonestar.edu/istar/supplier.htm mailto:MC-Vendors@lonestar.edu

(1) TABLE OF CONTENTS CHECKLIST

Your Company Name:

☐ 1. Table of Contents Checklist

☐ 2. Pricing Worksheet Cost Proposal with Locations

☐ 3. Primary Contact

☐ 4. Company Profile

☐ 5. References

☐ 6. Quality Plan

☐ 7. Other Relevant Factors

☐ 8. Respondent’s Service Level Agreement (SLU) template

☐ 9. Exclusions and/or Substitutions to Proposal

☐ 10. Certified HUB, Minority and/or Veteran and Women-Owned Business

☐ 11. LSC-HSP PAR SDD 2017 7.10.17

☐ 12. Felony Conviction/Debarment Notice Clean Air & Water Act Notice

☐ 13. Federal Provisions Questionnaire

☐ 14. Abortion Providers

☐ 15. Boycott of Certain Energy Companies

☐ 16. Certification Regarding Boycott of Israel

☐ 17. Certification Regarding Covered Telecommunications

☐ 18. Certification Regarding Firearm Entity/Trade Association Nondiscrimination

☐ 19. Certification Regarding Terrorist Organizations

☐ 20. Civil Rights/Discrimination

☐ 21. Public Information Act

☐ 22. Criminal Background Check

☐ 23. Federal Procurements

☐ 24. Forced Majeure

☐ 25. Certification Regarding Certain Foreign-Owned Companies in Connection with Critical Infrastructure

☐ 26. Interlocal Agreement

☐ 27. Notice of Delays

☐ 28. Antitrust Certification Statement (Texas government Code 2155.005)

☐ 29. False Statements

☐ 30. Governing Law and Venue

☐ 31. Conflict of Interest Questionnaire: Provide a SIGNED copy of the CIQ (State Required Form, provided in the iStar Vendor Portal)

☐ 32. Certificate of Interested Parties Form 1295

☐ 33. Certificate of Insurance

☐ 34. Addenda, if any

(2) PRICING WORKSHEET COST PROPOSAL

Please see/utilize the pricing worksheet attached separately in the vendor portal.

Insert your pricing/cost proposal here.

(3) PRIMARY CONTACT

dba (if applicable):

Address:

Phone Number:

Primary Contact for Bid Clarification for this RFP (please print):

Primary Contact’s Phone Number: (if different from the above phone number):

Primary Contact’s email address required (please print):

Primary Contact’s Title:

(4) COMPANY PROFILE

Phone Number:

Web Page (if available):

Years of experience providing services equivalent to those requested in this proposal:

Number of employees:

Date company established under name stated in this proposal:

Company Principals:

Name: Title:

(5) REFERENCES

Reference # 1:

Is this reference one of your most current and relevant contracts similar in size and scope to this LSC RFP? ☐YES ☐NO

Company Name:

Contact Name:

Phone:

Email:

Brief description of services:

Term of Contract:

Comments:

Reference # 2:

Reference # 3:

(6) QUALITY PLAN

Insert your quality control plan here.

(7) OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS

Insert any other relevant factors here, including but not limited to any recommendations or enhanced goods or services that your company can provide.

(8) SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

Insert your company’s Service Level Agreement here.

(9) EXCLUSIONS AND/OR SUBSTITUTIONS TO PROPOSAL

☐ We DO have exclusions and/or substitutions included for this Event (See details listed below)

☐ We DO NOT have any exclusions and/or substitutions included for this Event

Details: (Please list all exclusions and/or substitutions or attach a separate sheet)

(10) CERTIFIED HUB, MINORITY AND/OR VETERAN

AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS

1. Complete Section I to indicate what kind of certifications you have as a HUB. (If you are not a HUB, continue to Section II.)

2. Complete Section II if your company is not planning to utilize HUB or minority sub-contractor(s) and explain the reasons. (Do not fill out Sections III and IV, and then continue to Section V and VI.)

3. Complete Section III if your company plans to utilize HUB or minority sub-contractor(s). List the subcontractors and attach the certification with each sub-contractor in a separate attachment.

4. Complete Section IV to describe your sub-contracting plan.

5. Complete Section V to provide information about your supplier diversity practices.

6. Complete Section VI to do your self-assessment.

Section I: Certifications for HUB Please check the appropriate group and attach your Certification(s) behind this form in your proposal submittal. Upon the receipt of valid certification, HUBs will obtain 5 points on the HUB evaluation.

☐ City of Austin ☐ Southwest Minority Supplier

Development Council ☐ City of Houston ☐ State of Texas HUB ☐ Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council

☐ Texas Department of Transportation

☐ El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

☐ Women’s Business Council Southwest

☐ Golden Triangle Minority Business Council

☐ Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance

☐ Houston Minority Supplier Development Council

☐ U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

☐ South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency

☐ National Minority Supplier Development Council

☐ Women’s Business Enterprise National Council

Please state your business utilization goal with your own workforce that you wish to achieve. % of our business utilization goal is with our own workforce.

Section II: Not Presenting a Subcontracting Plan

Section III – Sub-contracting Plan If you are going to utilize HUB or minority businesses, fill out the percentage of utilization goal and the list of subcontractors.

% of our business utilization goal with other Certified HUB or minority businesses.

Sub-Contractors In the table below write the company name, the service they will provide, the contact information, and the estimated of the utilization goal.

Insert certification(s) for each Company after this page (Verify all certifications are valid and not expired) If additional space is required, please attach information in the below format behind this form in your proposal.

Company Name

Services Address Company Contact

Phone # Subcontracting

Total estimated utilization goal for proposal:

Section IV: Description of the Sub-contracting Plan Please provide information about the subcontracting plan. Presenting a strong and coherent sub-contracting plan will allow you to get 2.75 points on the HUB evaluation.

Please provide an explanation of why you will not be presenting a sub-contracting plan.

a) Describe the principal types of supplies and services to be subcontracted.

b) Describe your efforts to make sure that minority businesses have an equitable opportunity to compete for subcontracts, and how you identify potential subcontractors.

c) Do you commit to submitting monthly reports so that Lone Star College can determine the extent of compliance with the subcontracting plan?

☐ YES ☐ NO

Section V: Diversity Practices Please provide information about the diversity practices implemented in your business.

Presenting strong supplier diversity initiatives will allow you to get 2 points on the HUB evaluation.

a) Describe the initiatives performed by the company in supplier diversity and outreach efforts to contact business development organizations, trade associations, conferences, and trade fairs to locate HUB or minority businesses.

b) Share data regarding expenditures made to certified minority businesses or HUBs and has established goals based upon subcontracting activities in the past. (Write N/A if this information is not available).

c) Do you have a mentor-protégé program?

YES _____ NO _____

d) If the “c” is yes, please describe how your program works.

e) If you have a link with more information about your supplier diversity strategies on your website, please share the link here:

Section VI: Self-Assessment Write an “X” according to the evaluation you give yourself for the criteria listed.

Presenting the self-assessment coherent to the information provided in the other sections will allow you to get 0.25 points on the HUB evaluation.

Description Strong Moderate Minimum None

The methods to calculate and develop a subcontracting goal are…

The system for identifying potential subcontractors for the several projects is…

The efforts to make sure that minority businesses have an equitable opportunity to compete for subcontracts are…

The system for controlling the compliance of the subcontracting plan is…

The initiatives performed by the company in supplier diversity and outreach efforts to contact business development organizations, trade associations, conferences, and trade fairs to locate minority or HUB businesses are…

The system to obtain data regarding expenditures made to certified minority businesses or HUBs is…

The mentor-protégé program is…

The program to promote the use of minority businesses is…

Date: Printed Name:

Title: Signature:

(11) LSC-HSP PAR FORM

Do not complete or fill in this form at this time; simply include a copy of this form in your proposal after the Certified HUB section. Including this form will be your acknowledgement and agreement your firm will utilize this progress assessment form after award of this project.

(12) FELONY CONVICTION / DEBARMENT NOTICE

CLEAN AIR & WATER ACT NOTICE

Texas Education Code Section 44.034, Notification of Criminal History, Subsection (a) states “a person or business entity that enters into a contract with a school district must give advance notice to the district if the person or an owner or operator of the business entity has been convicted of a felony. The notice must include a general description of the conduct resulting in the conviction of a felony.”

Subsection (b) states “a school district may terminate a contract with a person or business entity if the district determines that the person or business entity failed to give notice as required by Subsection (a) or misrepresented the conduct resulting in the conviction. The district must compensate the person or business entity for services performed before the termination of the contract.” This notice is not required of a publicly held corporation. (Please CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX below and

COMPLETE ALL SIGNATURE BLOCKS.)

Company’s Name:

Authorized Company Official’s Name (printed):

☐ My firm is a publicly held corporation; therefore, this reporting requirement is not applicable ☐ My firm is not owned nor operated by anyone who has been convicted of a felony ☐ My firm is owned or operated by the following individual(s) who has/have been convicted of a felony:

Name of Felon(s):

Details of Conviction(s):

Signature of Company Official:

I hereby further certify that my company has not been debarred, suspended, or otherwise made ineligible for participation in Federal Assistance programs under Executive Order 12549, “Debarment and Suspension,” as described in the Federal Register and Rules and Regulations.

Signature of Company Official:

I, the vendor, am in compliance with all applicable standards, orders or regulations issued pursuant to the Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended (42 U.S.C.

7606), Section 508 of the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1368), Executive

Order 11738 and Environmental Protection Agency Regulation, 40 CFR Part 31 and as required under OMB Circular A-102, the grantor agency and to the United States Environment Protection Agency Assistant Administrator for the Enforcement.

(13) FEDERAL PROVISIONS QUESTIONNAIRE

(This form must be completed in its entirety and attached to your completed proposal)

Representative’s Name:

Title:

FEDERAL PROVISIONS

The following provisions are required and apply when federal funds are expended by Lone Star College for any contract resulting from this procurement process. Please acknowledge that you have read the provisions and will comply accordingly: (See terms and conditions for definition) ☐ Yes ☐ No Equal Employment Opportunity

☐ Yes ☐ No Copeland “Anti-Kickback” Act (18 U.S.C. 874 and 40 U.S.C.

276c)

☐ Yes ☐ No Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards act (40 U.S.C. 3701- 3708)

☐ Yes ☐ No Rights to Inventions Made Under a Contract or Agreement (37

CFR PT 401)

☐ Yes ☐ No Davis-Bacon Act as amended (40 U.S.C. 3141-3148)

☐ Yes ☐ No Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401-7671 q.)

☐ Yes ☐ No Debarment and Suspension (Executive Orders 12549 and 12689)

☐ Yes ☐ No Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment (31 U.S.C. 1352)

☐ Yes ☐ No Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 10a-10d)

☐ Yes ☐ No Sherman Antitrust Act (15 U.S.C. 1-7)

Signature: Date:

(14) ABORTION PROVIDERS

Pursuant to Texas Government Code Ann. Chapter 2273, by submitting a bid or proposal and entering a contract with the COLLEGE on such bid or proposal, the VENDOR verifies by its signature below that it is not an abortion provider or an affiliate of abortion providers, whereby the provider or affiliate receives something of value derived from state or local tax revenue. Any contract entered into by the COLLEGE is void if the VENDOR has such a prohibited affiliation or contractual relationship.

Vendor Verifies They Are Not A Provider https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2273.htm

(15) BOYCOTT OF CERTAIN ENERGY COMPANIES

If (a) company is not a sole proprietorship; (b) company has ten (10) or more full-time employees; and (c) this contract has a value of $100,000 or more that is to be paid wholly or partly from public funds, the following certification shall apply; otherwise, this certification is not required. Pursuant to Tex. Gov’t Code Chapter 2274 of SB13 (87th session), the company hereby certifies and verifies that the company, or any wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, parent company, or affiliate of these entities or business associations, if any, does not boycott energy companies and will not boycott energy companies during the term of the contract. For purposes of this contract, the term “company” shall mean an organization, association, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, or limited liability company, that exists to make a profit. The term “boycott energy company” shall mean “without an ordinary business purpose, refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with a company because the company (a) engages in the exploration, production, utilization, transportation, sale, or manufacturing of fossil fuel-based energy and does not commit or pledge to meet environmental standards beyond applicable federal and state law, or (b) does business with a company described by paragraph (a).” See Tex. Gov’t Code § 809.001(1).

I certify my company DOES comply.

My company is exempt as a sole proprietorship.

My company does not meet the necessary criteria.

I certify my company DOES NOT comply.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2274.v2.htm

(16) CERTIFICATION REGARDING BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

If (a) Vendor is not a sole proprietorship; (b) has ten (10) or more full-time employees;

and (c) this Agreement has a value of $100,000 or more, the following certification shall apply; otherwise, this certification is not required.

Pursuant to Chapter 2270 of the Texas Government Code, the Vendor hereby certifies and verifies that neither the Vendor, nor any affiliate, subsidiary, or parent company of the Vendor, if any (the “Vendor Companies”), boycotts Israel, and the Vendor agrees that the Vendor and Vendor Companies will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “boycott” shall mean and include refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel, or with a person or entity doing business in Israel or in an Israeli- controlled territory, but does not include an action made for ordinary business purposes.

I certify my company DOES comply.

My company is exempt as a sole proprietorship.

My company does not meet the necessary criteria.

I certify my company DOES NOT comply.

(17) CERTIFICATION REGARDING COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Federal grant funds may not be used to purchase equipment, services or systems that uses “Covered Telecommunications” equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

As described in Public Law 115-232, section 889, “Covered Telecommunications” means:

Purchases from Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities) Video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).

I certify Covered Telecommunications are NOT used.

I certify Covered Telecommunications ARE used.

(18) CERTIFICATION REGARDING FIREARM ENTITY/TRADE ASSOCIATION

NONDISCRIMINATION

PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTS WITH COMPANIES THAT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST

FIREARM AND AMMUNITION INDUSTRIES:

If VENDOR is not a sole proprietorship, has ten (10) or more employees, and the value of VENDOR’s bid or proposal has a value of $100,000 or more, VENDOR certifies by submitting VENDOR’s bid or proposal that it does not have a practice, policy, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association, as defined by Texas Government Code Ann. Chapter 2274, and will not during the term of any contract with the COLLEGE, unless excepted from that law.

Yes Vendor Certifies Compliance No Vendor Is Not Compliant https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2274.v3.htm

(19) CERTIFICATION REGARDING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

Contractor hereby certifies that it is not a company identified on the Texas Comptroller’s list of companies known to have contracts with, or provide supplies or services to, a foreign organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Secretary of State under federal law. (Tex. Gov’t Code §§ 2252.151-.154 or §§ 2270)

I certify my company complies I certify my company DOES NOT comply https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2252.htm#F https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2270.htm

(20) CIVIL RIGHTS/DISCRIMINATION

The program applicant hereby agrees that it will comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.§2000d et seq.), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C.