RFP_Questions_and_Answers_-Testbed.docx

N00173-15-R-TR02: 4G LTE Cellular Communications Testbed Request for Proposals Questions and Answers

Question:

Section 3.2.1 Is a full enodeb required to add an additional full Carrier Aggregate channel when an additional LTE radio module (Band B) will meet the requirement (when added to the existing 4G LTE Communications Test Bed)?

Answer: The intended requirement of section 3.2.1 is to add the necessary hardware needed to supply a Full Carrier Aggregate channel to the Base Requirements (Section 3.1.1 – 4G LTE 4G Communications Testbed).This testbed configuration would contain one “Band A” and one”Band B” channel. If thru the addition of a “Band B” LTE radio module this requirement can be met, then no, a second eNodeB is not required. The additional performance requirements of this configuration are given in section 3.4.15 and 3.4.16.

Question: Section 3.2.2 Is a full enodeb required to add an additional full Carrier Aggregate channel when an additional LTE radio module (Band A) will meet the requirement (when added to the existing 4G LTE Communications Test Bed)?

Answer: The intended requirement of section 3.2.2 is to add the necessary hardware needed to supply a second “Band A” channel to the 4G Communications Testbed supplied in section 3.2.1. This testbed configuration would contain two “Band A” channels and one “Band B” channel thus providing one full carrier aggregate channel and one non-CA channel. The additional performance requirements of this configuration are given in sections 3.4.17, 3.4.18, and 3.4.19. If the government chooses to purchase this option, option 3.2.1 will be purchased as well.

Question: Section 3.2.3 Is a full enodeb required to add an additional two Carrier Aggregate channels when an additional two LTE radio modules (BandB) will meet the requirement (when added to the existing 4G LTE Communications Test Bed)?

Can you clarify if this requirement is for one (1) or two (2) full Carrier Aggregate channels

Answer: The intended requirement of section 3.2.3 is to add the necessary hardware needed to supply a second “Band B” channel to the 4G Communications Testbed supplied in section 3.2.3. This testbed configuration would contain two “Band A” channels and two “Band B” channels thus providing two full carrier aggregate channels. The additional performance requirements of this configuration are given in sections 3.4.20, 3.4.21, and 3.4.22. If the government chooses to purchase this option, options 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 will be purchased as well.

Section 3.1.4 What multimedia applications are of interest to this RFP?

Answer: The contractor shall supply a suite of multimedia applications that support Video Call/Video Chat, Texting, Movie Player, and Music Player. See sections 3.4.3, 3.4.4, 3.4.5 for the performance requirements.

Question: Section 3.1.5 What multimedia applications are of interest to this RFP?

Answer: The contractor shall supply a suite of multimedia applications that support Video Call/Video Chat, Texting, Movie Player, and Music Player. See sections 3.4.3, 3.4.4, 3.4.5 for the performance requirements.

Question: Section 3.2.4 What is the purpose of the data server?

- Is it expected that this server will be used for HTTP/FTP data sessions/tests?

- Is there a requirement to use specific files for the data testing?

Is it expected that this server will be used for the Mobile to Fix Audio Quality measurements?

- Is there a requirement to use specific Audio/Video reference sentences/clips?

Answer: The purpose of the data server is to provide the 4G Communications Testbed a content source for multimedia applications and/or performance testing. The data server will be a replacement for the Internet as this system will be operated in a standalone mode and never connected to the internet.

Question: Section 3.2.5 Is it acceptable to use multiple PCs interfacing with the test UEs for the purposes of meeting the 50 device requirement?

Answer: The government is expecting a software solution that can be run from a single computer that would support at least 5 UE’s and scale to be a system controller that can control multiple embedded PCs within a hardware-based data collection system to meet the 50 device requirement. Having multiple standalone PCs is an unacceptable solution.

Question: Is Video Calling in this context CS Video or ViLTE?

Is it expected to get a parametric evaluation of the video quality using algorithms as VQMon?

In addition to the streaming server, referenced in 3.2.4 is it exected to use commercial video streaming services as YouTube?

Answer: Video calling can be either CS Video or ViLTE. We are looking to benchmark/evaluate video quality using PEVQ-S which is expected to be included in the suite of analysis tools that will be provided in 3.2.5. The government will NOT be using commercial video streaming services as this system will be operated standalone without a connection to the internet.

Question: Section 3.2.7 Is it acceptable to use multiple PCs interfacing with the test UEs for the purposes of meeting the 18 devices/8 mobile-to-land line requirement?

Answer: The government is expecting a hardware solution that includes multiple embedded PCs to meet the 18 devices/8 mobile-to-land line requirement. Re-use of the computers supplied in 3.2.6 is expected. Having multiple standalone PCs is an unacceptable solution. If the government chooses to purchase this option, the option in Section 3.2.6 will be purchased as well.

Question: List of Items, Schedule of Requirements, Scope of Work, Terms of Reference, Bill of Materials required.

Answer: Please download a copy of the full Request for Proposals from fbo.gov.

Question: Soft Copy of the Tender Document through email.

Answer: Please download a copy of the full Request for Proposals from fbo.gov.

Question: Names of countries that will be eligible to participate in this tender.

Answer: Foreign companies are eligible to participate in this RFP provided they have a US sales presence. I.e. a US distributer or a US sales office and the RFP is submitted via this US channel partner.

Question: Information about the Tendering Procedure and Guidelines

Answer: Please download a copy of the full Request for Proposals from fbo.gov.

Question: Estimated Budget for this Purchase

Answer: Budgets cannot be provided.

Question: Any Extension of Bidding Deadline?

Answer: Yes. Proposals shall be submitted by November 24, 2015, 12:00 pm EST

Question: Any Addendum or Pre Bid meeting Minutes?

Answer: No.

Question: Would the NRL accept a proposal for this RFP from a British (UK) company?

Answer: Foreign companies are eligible to participate in this RFP provided they have a US sales presence. I.e. a US distributer or a US sales office and the RFP is submitted via this US channel partner.

Question: Is the RFP complete? Are sections L and M missing?

Answer: Yes, the RFP is complete. No Sections are missing at this time.

Question: With respect to the Warranty requirement, a typical warranty covers only failures in equipment resulting from manufacturing defects and not damage or failure due to use or misuse. Does the Government want a warranty that covers only manufacturing defects or a service plan that covers other types of failures?

Answer: The government is seeking a warranty that covers manufacturing defects and software/firmware upgrades to the supplied equipment during the warranty period. As to failure due to usage – it is unacceptable to supply any piece of equipment that is not expected to last the entire warranty period under normal usage. If a piece of equipment has a short expected life time, this must be noted in the RFP response.

Question: With respect to the Warranty requirements, failures or problems resulting from usage or configuration of a system are not typically covered. Does the Government want the warranty service to provide a level of technical support beyond covering defects and software upgrades, to include assistance with operation and configuration of the system? If so, can the Government define a level of effort for this?

Answer: As specified in the SOW section 3.3.1 and 3.3.2, the contractor is expected to setup and provide training in the operation and configuration of the system. It is expected that at the conclusion of the supplied training the government shall be capable of configuring the system to operate in multiple modes. Based on the complexity of the EPC being delivered, the contractor must determine the optimum amount of training that would be required to operate their system and propose this level of effort in their RFP response.

Question: With respect to the preferred requirement that the LTE architecture approximate those common in non-US Tier 1 commercial deployments, are there particular non-US equipment sources that are preferred or excluded from consideration for this requirement?

Answer: The government does not have a preference as to which non-US equipment sources are used. The government’s preference is that the RF frequencies supplied for “Band A” and “Band B” are not typically used in the US.

Question: Are there any requirements or limitations for size, weight, and power for the complete LTE testbed system or any of its components?

Answer: The system is expected to be portable and operate off of 120VAC power. This requirement is stated at the end of Section 3.1.1.

Question: With respect to SOW options 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3, is each of these required to be an additional complete eNodeB, or can this requirement be met by adding additional radio channel modules to the eNodeB provided with the basic system defined in 3.1.1?

Answer: Additional radio channel modules can be added as long as the corresponding performance requirements specified in 3.4.15 thru 3.4.22 can be met.