HSCECR-15-R-00001_2nd_Round_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

DHS ICE DTS-VI

Solicitation No. HSCECR-15-R-00001

Questions & Answers

Amendment 2

Second Round of Questions and Answers

Solicitation HSCECR-15-R-00001

No.

Page

Section, Paragraph, or

Attachment

Question/Comment/Clarification Response

1 General

Question

All vendors, to properly size the circuits that they need for each primary and tertiary site, will need the number of phones at each site - individually. A total number of phones deployed through the primary and tertiary sites will not aid in the sizing of each facilities circuits. Please provide the number of phones at each site, by site, so that all have a fair and level playing field. Currently only the incumbent has this information.

Each site should be within the DTS standard goal of 10 detainees per phone. There also is fluctuation in detainee population and the population is not guaranteed. The vendor can add or delete phone as long as the 10 detainees per phone is current. Each vendor will determine the size and scope of any circuit needed to operate their system.

2 General

Question

The agency has deemed that certain aspects of the existing contract are proprietary to the existing contract. These items include the current gross billed revenue, the current fees charged by the existing contractor, the current calling rates charged by the current contractor and the current rates charge for the acceptance of credit card deposits at the deployed kiosks. Since this information must be known by any and all end users who use these services, we are struggling with the reason that the agency will not disclose these current charges. Not disclosing these charges will lead to the incumbent having an unfair advantage over all other responders. For this reason we again respectfully request that you release the above as this information is standard and customary in phone solicitations that are released on a daily basis across the nation and is non-proprietary in nature.

While the government is not releasing the current vendors gross billed revenue, current fees charged, current calling rates and the current rates charge for the acceptance of credit card deposits at the deployed kiosks, the government has provided calling volume for each calling category and average number of minutes per call.

3 General

Question

In the supplied question and answer document, question number 13, the answer states that there are approximately 2400 enclosures in place at 21 sites and they vary in make and model. Please confirm who owns these current enclosures, the agency / facility or the current vendor? If the current vendor owns them will they be required to replace the enclosures like all other vendors will so that a fair and level playing field is established? If the agency owns the current enclosures please confirm that the newly selected vendor will be permitted to use said enclosures.

ICE owns the enclosures, but the vendor is responsible for maintenance and replacements, relocations and additions for each

ICE facility in accordance with the

SOO.

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Question/Comment/Clarification Response

4 4 Att. C SOO Please confirm that the existing vendor will also need to replace all existing phones so that they do not have an unfair advantage to all other vendors responding to this opportunity.

All phones must conform to the specifications outlined in the SOO.

See Section C.4.1 on page 4 of the

SOO.

5 Att. B In the supplied question and answer document, question number 16, we asked for the E911 address. This is not to facilitate the use of 911 from the proposed system. This address is mandatory for all vendors so that we can request pricing for the circuits necessary to operate the proposed system. Circuit providers will not quote circuits without this address. Without these addresses no vendor can obtain the circuit costs necessary to respond to this solicitation. US Postal

Address (No PO BOX’s) will be acceptable if 911 official address are not available. Can you please add this information to existing agency supply sheets?

ICE does not have the E911 available for this solicitation. E911 addresses, if applicable, are the responsibility of the RFP responder.

The physical addresses of the primary and tertiary locations are listed in Amendment 2 to

Attachment B.

6 General

Question

In the supplied question and answer document, question number 57 and 58 seem to be at conflict with each other. The questions appear to identical but the answers are completely different. We are not sure if this was accidental or if one of the questions was to be different. Help in resolving this conflict would be greatly appreciated.

The answer to question #57 is the correct answer for question #58.

The answer to #58 should read as follows: Yes, local calls should be included in the IntraState rate.

Yes, local call volume is included in the IntraState provided traffic.

7 Att. B Attachment B in Amendment 1 ADP shows many locations with zero population. Is this correct?

Yes, that is correct.

8 General

Question

Please confirm that for a responder to be awarded this opportunity they must be a SBE and be acting as the prime contractor. If this is correct, please provide the percentage of work that the “SBE

Prime” must perform to be considered for the award. If responding prime contractor does not need to be an SBE, please provide the percentage of SBE subcontracting that must be met for the prime to be considered for an award.

The offeror must be a Small

Business and be the Prime for this requirement and perform at least 50 percent of the cost of the contract incurred for personnel with its own employees.

9 13

Att. C –

SOO C.4.2-

In the supplied question and answer document, question number 19 the questions states

”Please provide a list of all secondary sites over the last 12 months that required Pay Per Call

Compensation and the amount required.” The

That information is not available.

See item C.4.2-14 on page 13 of

SOO for explanation.

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Question/Comment/Clarification Response

Agency answered “That information is not available. See item C.4.2-14 on page 13 of SOO for explanation.” It is imperative to understand what “Pay Per Call Compensation” vendors maybe exposed to as it potential represents a significant cost to the vendor. We respectfully request that your agency request this information from the current provider and it be released to all vendors to enable a fair and level playing field.

10 4 Att. C –

SOO C.4.1

In specification C.4.1 Detainee Telephone Service, Hardware, and Security Features; Universal Access statement. Please clarify in detail what the intent and meaning of this paragraph in detail. It appears to imply that ICE plans to capture Secondary site detainee collect calling off of this new solicitation.

Please clarify.

ICE is always considering telephone services that detainees use, including consistency in service and fair and reasonable rates. The term, Universal Access is a term that ICE uses when referencing fair and reasonable rates for all ICE detainees outside the

Primary and Tertiary sites. ICE is requiring a response to this, to consider when, or if, during the course of this contract, a deployment is policy.

11 56 RFP Section

L

Amendment 1, 36, 5-56, RFP- Section L: We respectfully resubmit this request for an extension to the due date of this RFP to July 21, 2015 due to the complexity of the solicitation. This would allow your agency time enough to address the outstanding vendor questions, clarifications and supply the requested necessary data while adjusting for upcoming holiday(s), and national industry conferences.

The Government will not grant an extension past June 16, 2015.

12 RFP L.3-3 Background: There are 10 Tabs described, but only 8 numbers assigned – there are two Tab #4s and two Tab #5s. Section I includes Tabs 1 to 4.

Section II includes Tabs 4 to 7 (with Tab 5 listed twice). Section III includes Tab 8.

Question: Can the Government amend the Section

II Tabs to include Tabs 5 to 9, respectively, and

Section III to include Tab 10?

See Amendment 2 to RFP Section L on page 57.

13 SOO C.4.1 Background: Section I General Statin Equipment

Requirements, #3.g allows the offeror to include

The offeror may submit diagrams, and/or photographs of station

Page

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Question/Comment/Clarification Response diagrams, brochures, and/or photographs of the equipment to be used.

Question: Can the offerer provide Diagrams, Brochures, and Photographs as an attachment, excluded from the page count?

equipment (telephone equipment and enclosures) only. These additional pages will be excluded from the 60-page limit.

14 How many dedicated full-time and part-time personnel are in place to support these sites under the existing contract? Are there any minimum field staffing levels required by ICE to support the primary si tes?

The number of existing personnel is unique to the vendor proposed solution. There are not any minimum field staffing levels required at the Primary facilities.

15 Thank you for the average daily population by primary and tertiary locations.

Unfortunately, in the revised Amendment 1 , Attachment B, the ADP column is displayed on a separate page from the site information. Please reformat so that the ADP is accurately displayed with the appropriate site on each row.

The corrected format version of

Attachment B was uploaded to FBO on Tuesday, May 26, 2015.

16 In Amendment 1, Attachment B, the ADP column shows many with zero population, including what appears to be some primary sites. Is this accurate?

Yes, that is accurate. The numbers fluctuate based on the needs of ICE.

17 Please confirm that all approximately 2500 phones and all approximately 2400 enclosures are required to be replaced by a newly selected vendor. Will the incumbent vendor also be required to replace all the phones and enclosures if awarded the contract?

ICE owns the enclosures, but the vendor is responsible for maintenance and replacements, relocations and additions for each

ICE facility in accordance with the

SOO.

18 In Vendor Question 11, the answer given is that

Pro-Bono revenue is proprietary.

Please confirm there is no revenue generated by

Pro-Bono calls.

There is no revenue generated by pro bono calls.

19 Please reconsider the answer on Vendor Question

19 that the amount of Per-Call Compensation is not available. This cost has a significant impact to calling rates. This information should be readily available from the incumbent vendor. Withholding the Per-Call Compensation requirements, which are regulated fees, gives the incumbent vendor an inherent advantage.

That information is not available.

See item C.4.2-14 on page 13 of

SOO for explanation.

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20 Other than equipment and system installation, DTS training and on-going DTS maintenance, are there any other on-site duties at primary and tertiary locations that the vendor is required to perform for

ICE?

The on-site duties are unique to the vendor proposed solution.

21 How are detainee records added/changed/removed from the DTS today?

The vendor proposed solution should include how detainee records are added/changed/removed within the proposed system.

22 23 RFP Section

H.8

In the QASP metrics, are all trouble tickets prioritized the same? For example, is a trouble ticket for a handset issue on one phone equivalent to a facility system failure? Are required response times the same for every trouble ticket regardless of severity?

See Amendment 2 to RFP.

23 16 Att. C

Section 4.5

“For each installation, the Contractor shall submit an implementation plan that shall include an installation schedule. This implementation plan will become a part of the Contract and must be followed.” Please clarify the following: Is the awarded Contractor required to submit these implementation plans upon award, or is the Offeror required to submit implementation plans with the

Proposal? If the latter, what is meant by “for each installation”? Do the Primary Facilities constitute one installation (and therefore one installation plan) and the Pro Bono System constitutes another installation (and therefore a separate installation plan)?

The implementation plan should be submitted with the proposal. Each primary facility (21) constitutes an installation. Each tertiary facility (62) constitutes an installation. The pro bono network is considered on installation.

Does this answer mean that a total of 84 separate plans are required? Or are three plans sufficient – one that shows the timeline for installing all primary sites, one showing the timeline for installing all tertiary sites, and one for pro bono?

Implementation plans need to be included in the proposal. Primary

Facilities constitutes one plan, but needs to include 21 components for the respective facilities. Similar for the Tertiary facilities. The pro bono system is considered another installation in its entirety. See

Amendment 2 to Attachment C.

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Question/Comment/Clarification Response

24 58 RFP Section

L.3-2

My RFP writer noticed that on the instructions for the CD on page 57 that you do not want graphics and it also states that the CD should be the same as the RFP. Does that mean we cannot use graphics and charts in the RFP response?

Reference Question #13.