RFQ Document.pdf

Columbia County Board of Commissioners Procurement Department

RFQ # 2023028-RFQ1005

NEW CONSTRUCTION CABLING

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Qualification Packages are due Thursday, January 4, 2024 no later than 12:00 PM EST.

TO ENSURE RECEIPT OF ADDENDA, PLEASE VISIT https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com

**NOTE THE VENDOR IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING THEY HAVE RECEIVED ANY/ALL

ADDENDA PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE.**

https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com/

COLUMBIA COUNTY, GEORGIA

RFQ# 2023028-RFQ1005

Table of Contents

CONTENTS PAGE

GENERAL INFORMATION 3

PROJECT BACKGROUND 4

SCOPE OF SERVICES 4

SELECTION METHOD 10

INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN QUALIFICATION PACKAGE 10

SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATION PACKAGE 10

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 11

General Information

• Specifications / Requirements / Documentation can be obtained by registering on the

Columbia County E-Procurement website: https:/ / columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com

• Any inquiries should be directed to:

Chris Landers, CPPB, Procurement Supervisor Columbia County Board of Commissioners Procurement Department E-mail: clanders@columbiacountyga.gov

• Proposals will be received electronically at:

https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com

• Proposals are due Thursday, January 4, 2024 no later than 12:00:00 PM ET. Proposals received after this time will be marked “LATE” and will not be considered.

• Deadline for questions will be Wednesday, December 27, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET.

• No faxed or e-mailed proposals will be accepted.

• If a vendor becomes aware of alternate solutions or objections that do not meet the attached specifications, it is to the vendor’s advantage to notify the Procurement Department no later than 5 working days before the proposal opening date. Procurement, along with the requesting department, will determine if an addendum revising the specifications will be issued or postponement of the proposal opening is necessary.

• All requested information should be provided in order for a proposal to be considered responsive.

However, any vendor which submits in its proposal to the County any information which is determined to be substantially inaccurate, misleading, exaggerated, or incorrect, shall be disqualified from consideration.

• Addenda will be posted on the Columbia County E-Procurement web site (https:// columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com).

• Email Chris Landers at clanders@columbiacountyga.gov should any questions arise.

Glenn O’Steen, MBA Procurement Manager mailto:clanders@columbiacountyga.gov mailto:bbell@columbiacountyga.gov

Project Background

Columbia County is seeking to identify qualified vendors to provide Cabling services for new County construction projects. Selection does not necessarily guarantee a certain number of billable projects or hours in the course of a contract. Specifics will be provided and based on project plans as they are available.

Scope of Services

The following provides an outline of the key requirements to be addressed in this solicitation:

Scope of Project Standards and Description

A. The cabling and wiring placed for voice and data communications on this undertaking shall be “Unshielded Twisted Pair” type and conform to the requirements contained in the latest editions of the National Electric Code (NEC) and the latest editions of the following American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications:

a. ANSI/TIA 568-Commerical Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard

b. TIA 569-Commerical Building Standard for Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces

c. ANSI/TIA/EIA 606-Administration Standard for Commercial Telecommunications Infrastructure

d. ANSI/J-STD 607-Commerical Building Grounding (earthing) and Bonding

e. Addendums to TIA/EIA 568

B. Specifications for the Fiber Optic Backbone, jacks outlets, horizontal wiring, patch panel, and racks are provided in this specification section. Electronics are provided by Owner.

Guarantees

A. All communication outlets wired and serviceable must be tested and certified in compliance with ANSI/TIA 568-C.2-1 Category 6A cable and fiber specifications. Testing must be “end-to-end”. Test results shall be forwarded to Engineer a minimum of one week prior to final inspection.

Testing and Certification

A. Testing fiber optic and copper distribution systems are crucial in assuring the overall integrity and satisfactory performance of the network. Test results qualify system quality, identify system faults, and establish the baseline accountability performance of the system. Proper testing also maximizes the longevity of the system, minimizes downtime and maintenance, and facilitates system upgrades or reconfiguration.

B. The Contractor shall provide proof of communications wiring systems certification and testing certification.

C. Copper:

a. All data and voice terminations shall be tested and conform to ANSI/TIA/EIA-568.C.1 standard.

Testing shall be accomplished using a level IIe or higher fielder tester.

b. All testing shall meet or exceed the Manufacturer’s recommendation for a 25-year warranty program.

c. Test each pair and shield of cable for opens, shorts, grounds, and pair reversals.

d. If copper backbone cable contains more than one (1) percent bad pairs, remove and replace entire cable.

e. If horizontal cable contains bad conductors or shield, remove and replace cable.

f. All faults shall be corrected.

D. Fiber

a. Test optical cable with a light source and power meter utilizing procedures as stated in

ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-14a: OFSTP-14A Optical Power Loss Measurements of Installed Multimode Fiber Cable Plant and ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-7 Measurements of Optical Power submitted loss budget calculations. Correct improper splices and replace damaged cables at no charge to the Owner.

i. Cables shall be tested at 1310 and 1550 nm for single-mode optical fiber cables.

ii. Testing procedure shall utilize “Method B” – one jumper reference.

iii. Submit printout for each cable tested. The use of handwritten test results will not be acceptable.

E. All test results must be printed and show the following primary results:

a. Wire map

b. Length

c. Insertion Loss

d. Near-end crosstalk (NEXT)

e. Power sum near end crosstalk (PSNEXT)

f. Equal-level far-end crosstalk (ELFEXT)

g. Power sum equal-level far-end crosstalk (PSELFEXT)

h. Return Loss

i. Propagation delay

Fiber Optic Backbone

A. Fiber optic cable shall be provided for backbone inter-building and intra-building wiring. This includes all MDF to IDF and vertical rise applications.

Singlemode: All single mode fiber optic cable used shall be indoor/outdoor rated, 8.3/125 mircometers fiber. The single-mode fiber shall be dispersion unshielded optical fiber that meets ITU-T G.652D requirements.

B. Intra-builiding fiber optic cabling used to interconnect MC’s to IC’s shall be a tight buffered design composed of all dielectric materials and plenum rated or riser rated as required. Fiber optic cable installed underground shall be water blocked and rated for outdoor underground duct installation. Any fiber not installed in conduit, shall be installed in plenum rated innerduct or interlocking armored construction.

C. Fiber optic cable installed underground shall be water blocked with gel-free, dry water block components and rated for outdoor underground duct installation.

D. Fiber optic cables installed in conduits, with the possibility of additional cables installed in the future, shall have flexible fabric innerduct installed with the initial cable installation with discussion with Owner.

E. Acceptable Manufacturers: AFL, CommScope, Corning, and General Cable.

Uninterruptible Power Supply for Network Electronics

A. UPS shall be provided and installed by Owner.

Local Area Network (LAN) Jack and Outlet Specifications

A. Locations shown on drawing will be equipped with a consistent arrangement of LAN communications outlets.

B. Outlet faceplate shall be configured in the following fashion:

a. The jacks used shall fit properly in the outlet openings of the outlet faceplate. The jacks used shall conform to Category 6A parameters of ANSI/TIA 568-C.2-1. Jacks shall be specification grade, made in the USA, and furnished as part of an end-to-end channel solution with horizontal wiring manufacturers. Piece milled devices and parts to different manufacturers are not acceptable.

i. In a properly installed Category 6A UTP cabling system, the jacks used shall be capable of supporting LAN data rates of 10 Gbps.

ii. The wiring arrangement of the jack shall conform to the ANSI/TIA 568.

iii. The jack shall possess the following characteristics:

1. The eight (8) position/eight (8) conductor jack shall be capable of supporting the previously defined data rates as well as voice (including ISDN).

2. Utilization of 110 type or equivalent insulation displacement hardware for horizontal wire attachment and acceptance of 22 or 23 AWG conductors.

3. The jack wires shall consist of 50 micro-inch lubricated gold plating over 100 micro-inch nickel underplating.

4. Any vacant faceplate position shall be reserved for future growth and should have a dust cover/blank inserted.

C. Acceptable Manufacturers: CommScope, Molex, Hubbell, AMP, Belden (including REVConnect 10GX) and Ortronics.

D. Each jack shall have faceplate labeled on the front unless notified by Owner. Also, neatly label backside of faceplate with a permanent marker to note jack number.

E. Labeling of multiple drops in a common space shall be sequentially numbered. Numbers shall not be assigned randomly. Coordinate prior to terminating at racks, no exceptions.

Local Area Network (LAN) Horizontal Wiring Specifications

A. This section covers the cable from the communications outlet to the patch panel in the wiring closet.

These cables shall be Category 6A Unshielded Twisted Pair cable. Each cable shall be placed in a “point-to-point” fashion from the work area outlet to the wiring closet for each communications outlet needed. There shall be no intermediate splices or cross connects in these cables.

B. The characteristics of the horizontal cable are as follows:

a. Category 6A cable consisting of four pair of 23 AWG bare solid copper conductors insulated with a plenum rated material. The insulated conductors are tightly twisted into pairs and jacketed with plenum rated material. No type of shield is required in the sheath.

b. Each sheath shall contain four unshielded copper pairs. Each pair shall have a different twist per foot ratio ranging from 12 to 24 twists per foot. No more than ½” may be untwisted and the sheath may not be stripped back more than 1/2” at the jack during installation.

c. Cable shall have central crossweb to minimize crosstalk between pairs.

C. The cable component shall meet or exceed the following requirements:

a. ASNI/TIA 568-C.2 “Commercial Building Telecommunications Standard, Part 2: Balanced twisted-pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standard”.

b. ASNI/TIA 1152 Requirements for Field Test Instruments and Measurements for Balanced Twisted Pair Cabling.

c. Certified Category 6 Cable under Third Party Cable Certification Program.

d. ISO/IEC 11801Information Technology – Generic cabling for customer premises.

e. ICEA S-102-700

f. ANSI/ICEA S-102-732

g. UL Standard 444

h. National Electric Code – Article 800

D. Subject to compliance with specification requirements, the only acceptable Cat 6A cables approved for use are as follows:

a. Mohawk GigaLan 10

b. Hittachi Supra 10G UTP series

c. Belden 10GXS U/UTP

d. General Cable SPEED 10,000 6A UTP

e. Ber-Tek LANmark – 10G UTP

E. Plenum rated cable shall be used. The plenum cable shall be composed of four pair of 23 gauge bare solid copper conductors insulated with a plenum rated insulation that is the same material configuration on all four pairs, 3+1 or 2+2 designs are not allowed. The insulated conductors are tightly twisted into pairs and jacketed with low smoke plenum rated PVC. It shall conform to the NEC Type CMP for plenum and NEC Type CMR for riser applications.

F. Patch Panels/cords shall be specification grade, made in the USA, and furnished as part of the end-to-end solution with horizontal wiring manufacturers. Piece milled devices and parts of different manufacturers are not acceptable.

G. Service Loop: Provide a minimum of ten foot service loop on station end of cable located neatly above the ceiling at conduit stub up and supported accordingly.

H. See drawings for required jacket color on voice/data, WAP, and CCTV cable drops.

Local Area Network (LAN) Patch Panel Specifications

A. This section covers the termination hardware located in the MC and IC (wiring closet). The termination hardware shall provide the capability to be able to patch connections between ports on the LAN hardware (electronics) and the horizontal cables to the work area outlets.

B. The patch panels shall be Category 6A Modular Jack Panels. Provide 24 port or 48 port patch panels as required for number of drops.

C. The termination hardware will be co-located in 19” racks with the LAN electronics. The configuration of the patch panels shall be in an agreement that minimizes patch cord lengths.

D. Horizontal cables to the work area outlets will be directly connected to 110 insulation displacement hardware or equivalent associated with each jack on the patch panel. The jacks on the patch panel shall be wired in accordance with ANSI/TIA 568-C.2 standard.

E. Category 6A, factory built manufacturer tested patch cords shall be provided for each drop. Provide 7” patch cord at station end. Provide patch cord at rack end at a length required for electronics to properly lace cords. Provide Velcro patch cord wraps for cable management. Patch cords shall be non-booted.

F. Fiber Termination requirements:

a. Connector type LC to be confirmed by Owner.

b. Fiber optic connections should be terminated using a rack mountable interconnect patch panel or equivalent to ensure that the connections are protected. The enclosure should be locked and no fiber cable should be visible in the rack.

c. No Epoxy/No Polish connectors

i. Single-mode: All single-mode fiber optic field installable connector shall utilize OS2, 8.3/125 um fiber.

ii. The fiber optic field installable connector shall be color coded in accordance with TIA standards.

iii. The fiber optic field installable connector shall be pre-polished in the factory.

iv. LC type of field installable connectors shall be used for all fiber terminations.

d. Splice-on Connectors

i. The maximum insertion loss for single-mode splice on connectors shall not exceed 0.3 dB.

ii. The return loss for angle polished single-mode splice on connectors shall be less than or equal to -50 dB.

e. Spice Cassettes

i. The splice cassette shall have a clear cover to assist in troubleshooting.

ii. The splice cassette shall provide a space for splices to be held.

iii. The splice cassette shall fit inside of a patch panel or wall mount enclosure.

iv. The splice cassette shall be available with laser optimized OM3 or OM 4, 50/125 um fiber.

v. The splice cassette shall come with pre-terminated pigtails.

G. Acceptable Manufacturers: CommScope, Molex, Hubbell, Panduit, Hellerman Tyton, AMP, Belden, and Ortronics.

Local Area Network (LAN) Rack Specifications

A. Racks: Communications racks shall be UL listed 7N69. Four-post rack shall consist of: (4) vertical rails, (2) base angles, (1) assembly hardware kit, (2) top angles, and (20) #12-24 dog. Two-post rack shall consist of: (2) vertical rails, (2) base angles, (1) assembly hardware kit, (2) top angles, and (20) #12-24 dog. All rack design shall be a structural aluminum construction having 3” (76

mm) wide vertical rail channels. Rack to be 19” “NEXTFRAME” HPW series as manufactured by Hubbell-Premise Inc “C” Channel Vertical Cable Organizers and covers as scheduled and “Z” Channel Vertical Cable Organizers and covers.

B. Acceptable equal manufacturer are Mod_Tap, Ortronics, AT&T, AMP, Leviton, Interlink, Panduit, Siemon, and OCC.

Cable Support J Hooks

A. The cable support used must maintain complete horizontal and vertical 1” bend radius control and must manage up to 50 four pair UTP cables or 35 F/UTP Cat 6A cables. Do not exceed EIA/TIA standards or manufacturer's recommendation on number of cables installed on each cable support.

B. Contractor shall not install more than 50 cables in any single J-hook. J-hook tree may be utilized for more than 50 cables.

C. All J-hooks are to be placed every 4 – 5 feet apart.

D. Approved Products: Panduit, Mayer Electric (J-MOD or J-PRO), Caddy, and B-Line.

Grounding

A. Grounding shall conform to ANSI-J-STD607(A) Commercial Building Grounding and Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications, National Electrical Code, ANSI/NECA/BICSI-568 and manufacturers grounding requirements at a minimum.

B. Bond and ground equipment racks and frames to a single-point ground which is connected to building ground system via (minimum #6) green insulated copper grounding conductor.

System Documentation

A. As part of the wiring system installation, the Contractor shall provide detailed documentation of the distribution system to facilitate system administration, system maintenance, and future system changes. This requirement includes as-built drawings with all cables and terminations identified, a bill of materials of all installed equipment and wiring, rack and backboard equipment layouts showing placement of support equipment, and model and serial numbers of all installed equipment. A clear and consistent nomenclature scheme is to be defined an used on the documentation and cable labeling which facilitates locating and identifying each cable.

B. System verification and acceptance documentation signed and dated by the installer and the design professional shall also be provided. This documentation shall include test measurements and system calibrations performed for the entire system. Sample system operations shall also be performed with actual hardware or using contractor provided test equipment and documented to verify that the system is operational and ready for acceptance. This shall also establish the baseline performance of the system.

Training

A. Training of Owner personnel shall be provided. Training will cover the location nomenclature, documentation structure and content, documentation maintenance procedures, a “walk-through” for location and labeling orientation and system reconfiguration using the MDF and IDF facilities.

B. Provide record set plan noting drop locations and jack designations. As-built shall be a full size plan and shall be computer generated in AutoCAD format. Provide a CD to Owner with as-built on disc at project closeout.

Selection Method

Method of Communication Addenda will be posted on the Columbia County’s e-procurement site, Bonfire, at https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com . Please note all firms are ultimately responsible for verifying they have received any/all addenda prior to the due date of the qualification package. CCBOC reserves the right to communicate via electronic-mail with the Project Lead listed in the qualification packages. Other specific communications will be made as indicated in the remainder of this RFQ.

Selection Criteria – Criteria for Evaluation of Statements of Qualifications

A. General Company Information (20 pts.)

Business type, Location, Contact Info., etc.

B. General Requirements (50 pts.)

Licensing, Response time, etc.

C. Project Experience/References (30 pts.)

Experience, References, etc.

*Firms must achieve a score of 80 or above to qualify.

Information to be Included in Qualification Package

All qualification packages are to be submitted electronically via Columbia County’s electronic bid platform, Bonfire, at https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com. Please download all questionnaires, complete in their entirety, and upload them as part of your qualification package submission. If your response exceeds the character limit, provide, at a minimum, a summary of your response within the questionnaire, and then upload your complete response to the question within the ‘Additional Information’ area of Bonfire. This option should only be utilized in the event your firm’s response exceeds Bonfire’s character limit. Responding solely with “See Attached”, or “See Page…” is NOT recommended.

Submission of Qualification Package

All qualification packages must be submitted electronically via Bonfire at:

https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com

Terms and Conditions

1. Columbia County, GA (the County) reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

2. The County reserves the right to accept proposals deemed advantageous to the Board of Commissioners.

3. The County is NOT liable for any costs incurred by proposers prior to the issuance of a Notice to Proceed.

The County shall not be liable for any expense incurred in connection with preparation of a response to this document. Vendors should prepare a straightforward and concise description of their ability to meet the requirements of this document.

4. It is the intent of the County to award a contract for these products and/or services based on an evaluation of all proposals for a period of two (2) years with an option to renew for three (3) additional one-year terms.

5. Any objections to the specifications, scope of work, or requirements should be filed in writing prior to the proposal deadline. Procurement and the requesting department will determine if an addendum revising the solicitation documents will be issued or if postponement of the proposal opening is necessary. The County is interested in any and all details of other innovative and original ideas above and beyond those discussed in this Request for Proposal.

6. The County will evaluate all qualifying proposals that are submitted. All requirements in this RFP should be satisfied to ensure that the proposal would qualify for consideration. The County desires to receive only proposals from Vendors who can demonstrate the specified qualifications in this RFP.

7. All requested information should be provided in order for a proposal to be considered responsive.

However, any vendor which submits in its proposal to the County any information which is determined to be substantially inaccurate, misleading, exaggerated, or incorrect, shall be disqualified from consideration.

8. The contracted company will correct any and all errors and omissions that they make, at their own expense.

9. Responses will be retained as property of Columbia County, GA.

10. Columbia County does not guarantee quantities.

11. County staff MAY elect to hold presentations and/or interviews. All firms responding to this Request for Proposal should be available, if deemed necessary by the County, within two (2) weeks following the proposal's due date.

12. The selected company shall be required, before awarding the contract, to demonstrate to the complete satisfaction of the County that they have the necessary resources to execute the work in a satisfactory manner and within the time specified; they have had experience of a same or similar nature; they have a past history and references which will assure the company’s qualifications for executing the work.

13. Following award of contract, firm must coordinate all activities with County Information Technology Department.

14. The successful company shall not discriminate against any person in accordance with Federal Laws or Regulations.

Terms and Conditions (Cont.)

15. Columbia County reserves the right to use any and all concepts presented in any proposal to obtain the most beneficial and effective path to achieving its desired goals for the products and services requested.

Selection or rejection of proposal(s) will not affect this right. All proposals will be evaluated and, at Columbia County’s discretion, an award will be made to the Proposer who demonstrates the best ability to satisfy the scope of work in the most timely and cost-effective manner possible.

16. All rates shall be guaranteed through the initial term of the contract unless otherwise specified.

17. The term of the contract(s) issued as a result of this request for proposal shall be for not less than two years, subject to earlier termination as provided by law and by the terms of the contract. In addition, unless otherwise specified in the proposal, the award of this contract shall include the right at the option of the County, contingent upon the agreement by both parties to any change in rates/costs or services, to renew and extend this contract on a year-to-year basis as may be permitted by applicable law and County Policy, for up to three (3) additional one-year terms.

18. Columbia County reserves the right, if deemed necessary, to conduct discussions with any or all Proposers to clarify proposals.

19. Columbia County reserves the right to make such an investigation and solicit additional information or submittals as it deems necessary to determine the ability of any proposer to perform the Scope of Work stated in this Request for Proposal.

20. This RFP does not constitute an offer or a contract with the Proposer. A contract or agreement is not implied until a contract is approved and executed by the Columbia County Board of Commissioners.

21. Columbia County reserves the right to cancel the contract with a 30-day notice if it is determined by the Board of Commissioners to be in the County's best interest.

22. All proposals are to remain confidential until an award is made or RFQ is canceled. Any proposer distributing, publishing, or posting their proposal prior to this time may be subject to disqualification.

23. Companies must be willing to commit to specified performance levels for service and quality.

24. Any interpretation of the RFP will be made only via an addendum. The addenda will be prepared as quickly as possible for dissemination to all registered vendors for the specific commodity(ies).

25. Anyone making a proposal may withdraw their proposal up to the time specified as the closing time and date for acceptance of proposals. No proposer may withdraw, cancel, or modify their proposal except as requested by Columbia County, after being notified that the proposal has been accepted.

26. To inspect and/or receive records on previous solicitations, please visit http://www.columbiacountyga.gov/community/information-/county-information/open-records-request to submit your request through the Open Records Request Portal. By using this portal, you will have the ability to track and monitor your public records request. All Communication will be sent directly to your email account.

Terms and Conditions (Cont.)

27. Compliance with Applicable Law: The Contractor agrees to comply with all federal, state, county and local laws, ordinances, and regulations applicable to the work to be done under this Contract. The contractor specifically agrees to comply with all applicable requirements of federal and state civil rights and rehabilitation statutes, rules, and regulations. The contractor also shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) and all regulations and administrative rules established pursuant to those laws.

28. Independent Contractor Status: The service(s) to be rendered under this Contract are those of an independent contractor. The contractor is not to be considered an agent or employee of Columbia County for any purpose, and neither the Contractor nor any of the Contractor’s agents or employees is entitled to any of the benefits that Columbia County provides for its employees.

29. Severability If any term or provision of this Contract is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal or in conflict with any law, the validity of the remaining terms and provisions shall not be affected, and the rights and obligations of the parties shall be construed and enforced as if the Contract did not contain the particular term or provision held to be invalid.

30. All companies and their agents who intend to or have submitted Proposals to this solicitation are hereby placed on formal notice that lobbying of Columbia County Government employees or members of the Evaluation Panel with the intent to manipulate the Procurement process may result in the immediate disqualification of such company by the County from further consideration for this project.

31. Indemnity and Insurance: To the extent permitted by law, the Contractor shall indemnify and save Columbia County, its officers, agents, employees from and against all loss, cost, damages, expense and liability caused by an accident or other occurrence resulting in bodily injury, including death, sickness and disease to any person(s); or damage or destruction to property, real or personal, arising directly or indirectly from the work performed by the consultant, its subcontractors or employees.