Question and Answer Sheet - Dorm Wifi - Copy.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 15 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- FA330025Q0005
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document for a WiFi services solicitation (FA330025Q0005) at Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex dormitories. The service requirements include providing commercial internet service and WiFi coverage for Buildings 696, 697, and 1410, with Building 18 receiving service via an antenna/receiver from Building 696.
The technical specifications include 2 Gbps internet service per building (provided through Spectrum Cable currently), with a total of 18 access points serving up to 75 users per building. The current infrastructure uses Cambium Networks equipment (cnPilot e600 indoor APs and e505 outdoor APs), Cisco SG350 PoE+ switches, and Barracuda F183 CloudGen firewalls. The distribution of access points is: Maxwell 697 (4 interior APs), Maxwell 696 (3 interior, 1 exterior AP, plus repeater to Building 18), Building 18 (1 interior AP), and Gunter 1410 (4 interior, 4 exterior APs). Responses are due by January 27, 2025, at 12:00 PM CST.
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Sheet1
| Questions | Answers |
| is the current network connected via fiber or coax? | COAX |
| Can you please share the square footage of each floor or share floor plans since we cannot conduct a site survey prior to the closure of the RFQ? | SENT TO CONS (Pleaae see Attachments 3&4) |
| 2. Will the new vendor be responsible for the Internet circuit? If so could the government provide the full address and bldg. number of the demarc location where internet services are provided to the base? | Not sure what vendor is asking. Current service is provided via Spectrum Cable not a fiber circuit. Maxwell Bldg 696 181 E Maxwell Blvd Montgomery, AL 36112, Maxwell 697 121 E Maxwell Blvd. Montgomery, AL 36112, Gunter Bldg 1410 675 McDonald St Montgomery, AL 36115 |
| 3. Does the government own the current equipment installed? | the Spectrum modems that provide the service are not owned by the government. |
| 4. Can the government provide the maps of the (4) buildings where coverage is required? | To my knowledge there is no fiber as the system uses Spectrum coax cable to provide service. |
| 5. Will the vendor be able to utilize the existing cabling infrastructure to include fiber between the buildings for the Dorm Wi-Fi? | We do not have a list of the equipment used by previous vendor. Not sure that we were provided a list when install was done 4 years ago. All that I can share is that the equipment used is Cambium Networks brand of equipment. |
| 6. Can the government provide an equipment inventory of Wi-Fi system currently installed to include all access points, switches, and firewall. | Cambium enterprise class Wi-Fi hardware along with Cisco PoE+ Switches and Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls. Cambium cnPilot e600 802.11ac Wave 2 Access Points with MU/MIMO 4x4:4, ensuring extremely high throughput for dozens of concurrent users on each access point. Cambium cnPilot e505 outdoor access points at each location to provide coverage to the associated recreation areas. |
Cisco SG350 series Network switches with PoE+ to ensure the quality of the network and that it has enough power to run the APs.
Barracuda F183 CloudGen Firewall in each location to provide content filtering, log retention, and link balancing to provide redundancy, speed, and safety to the network. To the best of my accounting there are 4 Interior APs in Maxwell 697, 3 Interior APs and 1 Exterior AP. There is also one Exterior Repeater that sends signal from Maxwell 696 to Maxwell 18 where there is an "antenna" type receiver and 1 Interior AP. Gunter 1410 has 4 Interior APs and 4 Exterior APs.
| 1. Can you provide a site map with building numbers for both Maxwell AFB and Gunter Annex. | SENT TO CONS (Pleaae see Attachments 3&4) | ||
| 1. What is the anticipated number of users at each location? | Not to exceed 75 potential customers per building for Maxwell 696, Maxwell 697 and Gunter 1410. Maxwell 18 should not exceed 10 potential customers. | ||
| 1. Is the Internet Service already in place? Technical Solution 1.a. states "The offeror provided a descriptive solution for establishing commercial internet services to Buildings 696 and 697 located on Maxwell AFB and Building 1410 located on Gunter Annex" but does not provide any requirements other than those stated in the SOW of "75 users to a minimum of 2GB/second". Maximum available Internet Service is 100Gbps, which is reserved by providers for data centers and large installations. Please confirm that the Internet Speed is 2Gbps for at both Maxwell and Gunter. | Service is currently provided by a Small Business owner who utilizes Spectrum Coax Modems to provide 2 gigs per bldg to Max 696, 697 and Gunter 1410. Maxwell Bldg 18 service is provided by antenna/receiver and shares WiFi service from Maxwell 696. | ||
| 1. If service is not already established, Please provide exact street address of the buildings at both Maxwell AFB and Gunter Annex and the so that we can determine available Internet Service. | Service is currently operable as stated in question 11. | ||
| 1. 1.2 System Requirements: 1.2.1 states "There are currently 18 access points that can connect up to 75 users to a minimum of 2GB/second. The contractor will need to provide and install the 18 requested access points." . Is the request for an additional 18 access, if so please provide make and model of current equipment and if the current networking equipment can accommodate the additional 18 access points or if new switches are needed. | CONS did we find out from Aspire that the GOVT does not own the currently installed equipment? If we do not own the current Access Points and new vendor has to install new equipment, the cost will be exponentially higher that what was asked for on Form 9. Please let me know as I thought we would be able to use the existing infrastructure and not have to replace equipment and this would be service only. | ||
| 1. Is there a physical pathway between Buildings 696 and 697? | No physical pathway for existing system. Each bldg has it's own Spectrum Coax Cable modem. Exterior service (i.e. Courtyard/Basketball area is covered by Exterior AP's | ||
| 1. If there is an existing Wi-Fi network, can you provide the make and model of the Firewall. | Barracuda F183 CloudGen Firewall | ||
| Is internet service requested for all 3 buildings? What speed? | Yes for Maxwell 696, 697 (Max 18 is provided via antenna/receiver from Max 696), and Gunter 1410 | ||
| Is 18 wireless access points requested for each of the 3 buildings identified? | 18 is the total # of AP's currently installed | ||
| Are there floor plans available? Need to know where the AP’s will be installed and is the owner taking responsibility for dictating the location coverage map. | Floor Plan provided with approximate location of existing AP's | ||
| Does each building have fiber and where is the central POP for the fiber of each campus? | No Fiber | ||
| Is a firewall required at each building or at the POP? | That is a technical question that I can't fully answer. I would belive that it would be required at each bldg where service (Spectrum Cable Modem) is provided | ||
| . Please clarify the 2gig access requirement to the internet. Is that the speed required from the provider? | Yes and it is the requirement for Maxwell 696,697 and Gunter 1410 | ||
| How many common areas are in each building? | 3 Dayrooms (1 on each floor in center of Bldg) 1 for coverage in each Dorm Mgr office plus exterior AP's to provide for basketball courts, gazebos and patio areas. Plus 1 Exterior Antenna/Receiver to Bldg 18 with one AP in common office area. | ||
| What is the service address for each location? | Max 696 181 E. Maxwell Blvd 36112, Max 697 121 E. Maxwell Blvd 36112, Gunter 1410 675 McDonald St 36115 | ||
| Can you provide a description or floorplan of your current network (hardware and software)? | Provided | ||
| Can you provide a detailed map of the current network topology, including access point locations, closets, and cable/fiber paths? | Not available | ||
| Are there any preferred vendors Maxwell AFB would like to incorporate (management software, access points, etc.)? | Current equipment listed above | ||
| What level of centralized management and monitoring is expected for the network (e.g., cloud-based solutions, on-premises controllers)? | Cloud Based Solution | ||
| Can you provide clarification on section 1.1 of the description of service? We are unsure if “building 18” is a discrepancy and should refer to “building 1410”. | Maxwell Bldg 18 is provided WiFi service via an "Exterior Antenna" mounted on 696 with a receiver on Bldg 18 then 1 AP installed inside Bldg 18 | ||
| Do you wish to keep the current design for the 18 access point replacements? | Preference is to utilize existing infrastructure | ||
| What are your requested requirements and specifications needed for the proposed APs? | See answer in #6 above | ||
| What type of cabling is currently installed (e.g., Cat5e, Cat6, or fiber)? | Cat5 | ||
| Are there any dead zones or areas without cabling? | No | ||
| Are the cables run through walls, ceilings, or conduits? | Yes | ||
| Are there pathways or conduits available for additional cabling if needed? | No | ||
| What type of fiber optic cable is currently installed (e.g., single-mode or multi-mode)? | No fiber installed | ||
| What connectors are being used (e.g., LC, SC, or ST)? | No technical knowledge to answer this question | ||
| Are the cables routed through conduits, and is there sufficient protection from bending, crushing, or environmental factors? | No | ||
| What are the bandwidth and throughput requirements for each building and specific areas within the buildings (e.g., pavillions, patios)? | 2 Gigs per Bldg divided equally (exception Bldg 18 which shares service from Bldg 696) | ||
| Are there specific applications or services that the network must prioritize or optimize (e.g., video conferencing, VoIP, file sharing)? | No | ||
| Is guest WiFi access required, and if so, what type of authentication and management | |||
| will be implemented? | Currently Vendor providing service established 1 SSID with password for Maxwell 696, 697 & 18, with a serperate SSID and password for Gunter. | ||
| Who is the current internet service provider? | Spectrum | ||
| Is additional internet service required? If so, what are the required upload and download speeds? | 2 gigs per Bldg divided equally (exception Bldg 18 which shares service from Bldg 696) | Answers as of 27Jan 1537 | |
| Is there a drop ceiling or conduit available to facilitate the wiring installation? | No drop ceiling, however there are a limited number of access panels. Understand that there are existing AP's with cableing already present at each. | ||
| Will new cabling be required for this project? | Should not be necessary | ||
| Could you kindly provide the brand and model number of the current Wi-Fi system components (e.g., access points, routers, etc.)? | Cambium enterprise class Wi-Fi hardware along with Cisco PoE+ Switches and Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls. Cambium cnPilot e600 802.11ac Wave 2 Access Points with MU/MIMO 4x4:4, ensuring extremely high throughput for dozens of concurrent users on each access point. Cambium cnPilot e505 outdoor access points at each location to provide coverage to the associated recreation areas. |
Cisco SG350 series Network switches with PoE+ to ensure the quality of the network and that it has enough power to run the APs.
Barracuda F183 CloudGen Firewall in each location to provide content filtering, log retention, and link balancing to provide redundancy, speed, and safety to the network. To the best of my accounting there are 4 Interior APs in Maxwell 697. 3 Interior APs and 1 Exterior AP Maxwell 696. There is also one Exterior Repeater that sends signal from Maxwell 696 to Maxwell 18 where there is an "antenna" type receiver and 1 Interior AP. Gunter 1410 has 4 Interior APs and 4 Exterior APs.
| Does the new Wi-Fi system need to integrate with the existing Wi-Fi system? | Preference is to utilize existing equipment |
| if the Contracting Squadron (and requiring Activity) decide to continue with the solicitation: We request copies/PDFs of the floor plans for the three facilities (common areas) that need coverage for the WIFI service? | Maps/Floor plans already provided |
| We would need this to be able to provide a valid quote for the project and on-going service. | |
| “We request copies/PDFs of the floor plans for the three facilities (common areas) that need coverage for the WIFI service?” | These documents are in the process of being developed |
| We would need this to be able to provide a valid quote for the project and on-going service.” | Correct. The Government’s intent is to have a turn key solution along with it’s annual service. |
| “Also, is there a timeframe for cutover to a new provider if awarded? Estimating that there will be at least a couple months needed to coordinate replacement/new install and turn-up of service etc.” | The Government’s intent is to have services in place as soon as possible. |
| Will the ISP be provided by the contractor or the AFB? | Contractor |
| Who is the current ISP? | Spectrum |
| Can you provide the AP count per floor, per building? | To the best of my accounting there are 4 Interior APs in Maxwell 697. 3 Interior APs and 1 Exterior AP Maxwell 696. There is also one Exterior Repeater that sends signal from Maxwell 696 to Maxwell 18 where there is an "antenna" type receiver and 1 Interior AP. Gunter 1410 has 4 Interior APs and 4 Exterior APs. |
| Can you confirm the addresses for each building | Max 696 181 E. Maxwell Blvd 36112, Max 697 121 E. Maxwell Blvd 36112, Gunter 1410 675 McDonald St 36115 |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .