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Request for Proposals for Establishing Community WiFi Hotspots in Gateway Cities and the Outer Cape (RFP No. 2021-MBI-01) Bidders’ Questions
Deadline to Submit Questions: December 14, 2020
| 1. |
| Is there a targeted speed offering desired? |
| Response: The FCC defines broadband speed as 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. At a minimum, all users should be able to access the community WiFi hotspots at the FCC defined broadband speed. Higher speed offerings will be viewed favorably. |
| 2. |
| Are there opportunities to collocate on any municipal vertical assets (poles, towers, etc. near fire stations, police stations, schools, etc.)? |
| Response: There may be opportunities to collocate on or within municipally owned vertical assets. Respondents are encouraged to be creative and will be responsible for reaching out and working with municipal officials to determine if such opportunities exist. |
| 3. |
| What timeframe is decommissioning/removal required to be performed after the June termination of the project? |
| Response: Decommissioning of the hotspot shall take place no later than 30 days after the termination date. |
| 4. |
| Is there a specific contact for local site acquisition activity defined in the Scope of Services? |
| Response: No. Respondents are responsible to determine the appropriate contacts to secure site/building access for the potential hotspot site(s) and conduct appropriate outreach. |
| 5. |
| What are the options for backhaul connectivity? |
| Response: There are no restrictions for backhaul connectivity. The only requirement is that whatever backhaul connection that is chosen adequately support the maximum number of simultaneous users possible at the particular location. |
| 6. |
| Can an applicant for the RFP provide backhaul connectivity services only? |
| Response: No. MBI is not interested in proposals for just backhaul connectivity, but MBI will accept proposals from Respondents that have teamed up to provide all of the services being requested in this RFP. |
| 7. |
| Could the MTC provide more specificity on indoor vs. outdoor locations by market? |
| Response: MBI defines an indoor hotspot as a WiFi enabled hotspot available for use by the general public that is located within a temperature controlled structure (e.g. building, room, tent, gymnasium, dining area). MBI defines an outdoor hotspot as a WiFi enabled hotspot available for use by the general public that is in an open air environment (e.g. parking lot, grassy field). Through this RFP, MBI is willing to support up to three hotspots in an eligible municipality. There can be any combination of indoor and outdoor hotspots in a particular municipality. |
| 8. |
| What is the desired go-live date for these locations? Should the respondent build the full annual cost of an ISP circuit into a bid, despite the fact that these locations may close on 6/30/21? |
| Response: MBI would like to see hotspots go live as early as possible in 2021. Respondents should not build a full year’s ISP costs into their proposal. The price proposal should identify the monthly cost for the ISP circuit. Respondents are advised to expect that the hotspots use will terminate on 6/30/21. |
| 9. |
| Given the social distancing requirements and the need for cleaning, etc. is it safe to assume that the MTC views the indoor pop-ups as being staffed with COVID-19 protocols in place for social distancing? |
| Response: Yes. MBI understands that Respondents may include reasonable, out-of-pocket, incremental costs related to compliance with Massachusetts COVID-19 protocols, including covering wages for individuals tasked with enforcing compliance with social distancing protocols in indoor hotspots. |
| 10. |
| Hours of operation will drive staffing costs, could you please specify the exact desired hour of operation for indoor locations? |
| Response: MBI has not established a minimum number of hours of operation as circumstances may vary. MBI expects the Respondent to propose reasonable hours of operation and will view favorably proposals that include day time and night time hours of operation and weekday and weekend hours of operation. |
| 11. |
| Please confirm the MTC plans to transfer the ownership of the equipment. Does this include any furnishings? When will transfer this occur – upfront or at the end of the effort? Will the MTC also assume operation of these locations and step into any lease obligations? |
| Response: MBI shall be the owner of hotspot electronic equipment. MBI will not take ownership of any furnishings. Upon decommissioning the hotspot electronic equipment will be delivered to MBI. It is expected that MBI’s support for and involvement with the operation of the hotspot shall terminate on June 30, 2021. |
| 12. |
| Since the removal of all equipment and cabling is optional, should this quote be illustrated as optional as well? |
| Response: The price proposal should include the cost for removal of cabling and other hardware costs. The site should be restored to its original conditions as part of the decommissioning process. |
| 13. |
| Does the MTC require the Home/Splash Page have the ability to host advertising messages? |
| Response: MBI will not allow commercial advertising to be displayed. MBI may require acknowledgement that the hotspot is funded through this program. |
| 14. |
| Will the MTC require Acceptable User Policy? |
| Response: MBI does not have a standard Acceptable Use Policy for community hotspots. |
| 15. |
| Will the MTC require Known User tracking? |
| Response: No, MBI does not require tracking. |
| 16. |
| Will the MTC require Content Filtering? |
| Response: No, content filtering is not required. |
| 17. |
| Will the MTC require Content Blocking – e.g. no watching Netflix? |
| Response: No, content blocking is not required. |
| 18. |
| Will the MTC require Tier 1 customer support (remote or in-person)? |
| Response: Tier 1 customer support is not required. The Respondent must provide a phone number to report internet outages or other technical problems impacting hotspot operations. |
| 19. |
| Will the MTC require Signage with instructions for usage? |
| Response: MBI will require that appropriate instructions to connect to the internet will be posted at the hotspot. |
| 20. |
| Will the MTC require Cameras for remote monitoring/security? |
| Response: No cameras, CCTV, or video surveillance is required. |
| 21. |
| The RFP notes supporting 25 simultaneous users. What level of dedicated bandwidth is required? |
| Response: MBI will not stipulate the level of oversubscription for the backhaul connection. Rather MBI asks that Respondents plan to have a reasonable amount of dedicated bandwidth that is capable of support the maximum number of simultaneous users possible at the hotspot location. MBI also asks that Respondents identify the amount of dedicated bandwidth it has allotted for each hotspot’s backhaul connection. |
| 22. |
| What is the weighting of the scoring criterion? |
| Response: Evaluation criterion are not individually weighted, rather the criterion are looked at collectively and selection is based on the determination of the best overall value of the proposals submitted under this RFP. |
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