RFR SP24-Video-U01.doc

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE

470 Worcester Road

Framingham, MA 01702

Request for Response (RFR) Document Title: Video Downlink Receiver and Antenna Systems, Web Streaming Services, and Related Parts and Services COMMBUYS Bid#: BD-24-1084-POLGH-GHQ-92359 Agency Document Number: SP24-VIDEO-U01 September 6, 2023 Federal funds may be utilized for this procurement.

Responses will not be considered if they appear on the federal government’s debarment list.

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This procurement is covered by The World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (WTO/GPA)

RFR INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION……………………………………………

ESTIMATED PROCUREMENT CALENDAR …………………………………………………………

SPECIFICATIONS ………….…………………………………………………………………

BIDDER QUALIFCATIONS …………………………………………………………………………….

COMPENSATION STRUCTURE/PRICING ……………………………………………………………

OTHER TERMS …………………………………………………………………………………………….

AUDIT ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

EVALUATION CRITERIA ………………………………………………………………………………….

HOW TO SUBMIT A BID RESPONSE (QUOTE) ……………………………………………………….

APPENDIX I – GENERAL PROCUREMENT INFORMATION ……………………………………….

APPENDIX 2 – RFR – REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS ……………………………………………….

APPENDIX 3 – RFR – REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY …

APPENDIX 4 – INSTRUCTIONS FOR VENDORS RESPONDING ELECTRONICALLY

THROUGH COMMBUYS …………………………………………………………………………………

APPENDIX 5 – OTHER DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE SPECIFICATIONS ………………..

APPENDIX 6 – GLOSSARY ……………………………………………………………………………..

RFR INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Massachusetts State Police Airwing Unit provides air support for law enforcement and public safety missions throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Video streaming from MSP aircraft is critical to the success of these missions.

Procurement Scope and Description

The Massachusetts Department of State Police (MSP) seeks qualified bidders who can provide video downlink receiver and antenna systems, web streaming services, and/or related commodities and services over the next six years, as needed.

The intent of this contract is to include maintenance, repairs, training, license subscriptions, and other related goods and services not covered by a statewide contract.

Please see additional specifications on page 5. Bids must be received in accordance with the requirements by October 6, 2023 Federal Funds may be utilized for this procurement. Respondents will not be considered if they appear on the Federal Government’s Debarment list.

Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

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Legal Services

MGL c. 30, § 51, § 52 and § 65; c. 7, § 22; and 801 CMR 21.01(2) (b)

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Number of Awards The Department may award one or more contracts resulting from this procurement. The intent of this contract is to establish and maintain a list of pre-qualified contractors from which POL, and any other authorized entity can select. No business is guaranteed as a result of a contract award.

Adding Vendors after initial Contract award

This is a Rolling Enrollment Contract. The Rolling Enrollment process allows new bidders to submit responses up until 6 months prior to the maximum end date of the contract.

Eligible Entities

Any contract resulting from this Bid will be open for use by the Department of State Police, as well as Executive Branch agencies that fall within the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).

EOPSS agencies interested in using this contract may submit a request to the issuing agency and will be responsible for executing their own contracts/purchase orders and paying their own invoices for goods and/or services acquired from this Contract.

Each eligible entity is responsible for executing its own purchase orders and paying its own invoices for goods and/or services acquired from this Contract. Contractors will be responsible for marketing their goods and/or services to Commonwealth Agencies and other eligible entities.

Acquisition Method(s) The acquisition method(s) to acquire goods and/or services from this Bid are Outright Purchase, and Fee for Service Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Continue Beyond Duration of the Contract.

All term leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services entered into during the duration of this contract and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of this contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes (limited to the time frame and services established per each written agreement). No new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the contract has expired. Any contract termination or suspension pursuant to this section shall not automatically terminate any leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services already in place unless the department also terminates said leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for service, which were executed pursuant to the main contract.

Contract Duration The expected duration of this contract is as follows:

Initial Duration

Up to 2 years

Total Maximum Contract Duration

6 years

No goods may be ordered and no new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the Contract has expired.

ESTIMATED PROCUREMENT CALENDAR

Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as displayed on the COMMBUYS system clock displayed to Bidders after logging in. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates in the Bid’s Header, the dates in the Bid’s Header on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Bidders are responsible for checking the Bid record, including Bid Q&A, on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers from the SST regarding this Bid. All Bidders’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted to the SST using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Bidders are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Bidder’s question has already been posted.

Bidders are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Bidders must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Bidder’s company or other companies. The SST reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Vendor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Vendor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Vendor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded Vendor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Locating Bid Q&A Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q&A page.

Amendment Deadline The SST reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The SST and the Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

SPECIFICATIONS

VIDEO DOWNLINK RECEIVER AND ANTENNA SYSTEMS

This procurement seeks to provide the Department of State Police with a system capable of receiving video from existing airborne transmitters installed on State Police aircraft and delivering it to authorized users via an IP network. The system should include field surveys, engineering, installation, configuration, setup, testing, acceptance and all related parts and equipment.

This project requires an Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Review. The winning bidder is expected to prepare the EHP review packet and understands that an EHP approval must be obtained prior to any procurement/project work being conducted. If the EHP approval is not obtained; there is no contractual obligation for the rest of the project. More information on FEMA’s EHP process can be found here: http://www.fema.gov/office-environmental-planning-and-historic-preservation Specifically, the scope includes, but is not limited to:

· Install receivers at locations around the state to provide near statewide reception capabilities

· Utilize existing microwave, fiber and commercial IP networks to backhaul the video from the receive sites to a central location

· Provide a video management system to distribute the video from the receivers to various endpoints (such as video decoders, multiviewers, and/or other VMS systems)

· Vendor shall stipulate both in scope of work and by network diagram the maximum air-miles required between receiver sites to provide coverage throughout Massachusetts.

· Equipment should be compatible with existing web streaming services, currently provided by CNC, Live.

Services needed include, but are not limited to:

· recommending installation locations

· providing coverage predictions

· providing space, power and cooling requirements

· conducting field surveys to determine installation specifics

· conducting tower loading analyses

· conducting environmental and historical studies

· securing permits and permission to install equipment at specified locations

· providing, installing, maintaining and repairing proposed equipment

· all installation and grounding shall be per Motorola’s R56 Standards and Guidelines for Communication Sites (available from Motorola Solutions), including any protection devices required by R56

· field technical support and training regarding the operation of the proposed equipment;

24/7 support is required

· recommendations for backhaul solution(s) and requirements between receiver sites and data center

· connection of proposed equipment to department provided backhaul solution(s)

Suggested receiver site equipment may include, but is not limited to:

· Receivers / BDCs capable of operating between 6.425 and 6.525 GHz

· Each receiver should be capable of six diversity inputs

· Self-contained six sector antenna with integrated BDCs. At sites where self-contained antennas cannot be used, individual panel antennas with external BDCs may be specified.

· Receivers must be compatible with existing Vislink HDX-1100 transmitters (DVB-T COFDM, 6-8 MHz bandwidth, QPSK-16QAM-64QAM) with Troll SkyLink MINI II antennas

· Intermediate frequencies utilized between the BDCs and receivers should avoid using frequencies from transmitters and/or receivers present at or within ¼ mile of the receiver site (i.e. nearby cellular and two-way radio transceivers)

· Receivers should have composite, SD/HD-SDI and IP outputs

· Receivers should support MPEG-4 SD and HD

· Receivers should support remote monitoring and control by IP, including a hard power reboot option (via an external device is acceptable)

· Receivers should support Bcrypt 128/256 bit encryption

· Managed network switches capable of fiber connections (SFPs) should be installed at each site

· If necessary, supply replacement equipment for existing receivers that are currently in use at Massport / Boston Logan International Airport (Vislink HDR-3000). Mobile Command Post 1 (Vislink HDR-3000) and other existing sites (Vislink HDR-5000) in order to maintain compatibility with the proposed system(s).

Existing sites include:

* These sites have two receivers each.

Proposed sites include:

Suggested video management system equipment may include, but is not limited to:

· Should be capable of handling connections from the existing sites listed above, plus additional proposed and future sites

· Server should be capable of providing feeds directly to existing hardware decoding devices.

· Server should be capable of providing feeds directly to an existing Genetech video system.

· Indicate if the feeds are capable of end-to-end encryption from the transmitter to the end user, and indicate the type of encryption used.

General Requirements:

· The Commonwealth will provide the appropriate antenna support structures, equipment shelters, power connections and backhaul system(s), except as noted above.

· Bidder should indicate the requirements for backhaul and feeds (i.e. CIR, latency, jitter, VLAN, QoS, etc.).

· Indicate if the combined systems are capable of end-to-end encryption, from the transmitter to the end user, and/or at what points the transmissions are encrypted / decrypted.

· Bidder should indicate the network requirements for the backhaul from receivers to server, and the feeds from server to users. Specifications should include, but are not limited to, specifying the minimum and maximum bandwidth requirements, committed information rate (CIR), latency, jitter, VLAN tagging capabilities, and QoS capabilities.

· Bidder should provide an end-to-end diagram that depicts all interconnects and transport parameters. The diagram should include, but is not limited to, depictions of data flow, IP ports and protocols.

· The scope of this contract includes related parts, equipment, repair, maintenance, outyear licenses, training and other related commodities and services.

Site Inspections:

Attendance at the site inspections is mandatory for proposed projects.

EHP Review:

Projects require an Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Review. The winning bidder is expected to prepare the EHP review packet with assistance from MSP and understands that an EHP approval must be obtained prior to any procurement/project work being conducted. If the EHP approval is not obtained; there is no contractual obligation for the rest of the project. More information on FEMA’s EHP process can be found here:http://www.fema.gov/office-environmental-planning-and-historic-preservation.

WEB STREAMING SERVICE

The Massachusetts Department of State Police (MSP) currently has web streaming service from an existing contract currently due to expire on 5/24/24.

When the existing contract expires, the MSP seeks to procure a secure, online web streaming service to provide access to aircraft video feeds via an Internet facing web interface. As part of its response to this RFR, bidders shall provide a detailed proposal to provide a web streaming service to commence on or after the existing contract expires on 5/24/24. The proposed service shall support up to 250 users. The service shall work via a web browser on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android computers, mobile devices and tablets, without requiring the installation of any specialized software, apps or plug-ins. The service shall support multiple variable bit rate streams. The service shall include 1 TB of outbound user data per month. The service shall be capable of providing multiple simultaneous streams from multiple receivers. The bidder shall include whatever hardware and software is necessary to connect the streams to the online web streaming service.

The bidder shall install all hardware and software related to the online web streaming service as necessary. MSP will provide Internet connectivity from the installed server hardware to the stream service. The bidder shall include warranty and support for three (3) years and include on-site training for up to five (5) persons. Documentation and shipping shall be provided for all equipment. Other related commodities and services not offered on a statewide contract are included.

The Department makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from the Web Streaming Service component of this RFR. The Department reserves the option to continue a web streaming service by exercising options to renew available on its existing contract, if it deems that alternative to be the “best value” option.

All existing warranties will remain in effect until the warranty expires.

BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

Company Qualifications

· Contractor(s) must have the ability to provide end-to-end field technical support, preventative maintenance, and On-Demand equipment support. Quote should reflect a range of services and pricing.

Company experience

Bid should provide business background, years in business, years in the industry of the Solicitation, organizational chart.

Where applicable the bidder should submit the following:

a.

Authorization letters from Manufacturers or Dealers relevant to this solicitation

b. Company affiliations relevant to this solicitation

c. Any additional certification(s) and/or license(s) held relevant to this solicitation Where applicable the bidder should demonstrate their past experience in the following:

· Installation of video transmit receiver/decoder systems for law enforcement agencies. This includes experience with various medium of backhaul networks, including microwave, broadband or leased circuits. The ability to scale the offering as needed based on changing end user/agency requirements.

· The ability to provide timely, local, maintenance, engineering and technical support services throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Bidders are required to propose a response plan associated with various degrees of outages.

Financial stability including bankruptcy, litigation and contract defaults

· Most current audited annual financial statements

· Gross annual revenue for most recently completed fiscal year

· Last bankruptcy and current/pending litigation

· Defaults on contracts

· Date of last order References and reference information and/or requirements Each Bidder must provide three (3) current client references consisting of two government services or public services agencies in which similar services and design have been furnished. A reference letter shall be submitted on client’s letterhead by the Bidder. The reference letter shall include the name, address, contact person, telephone number, months and years of service. Additionally references should include personal knowledge of the supplier’s contractual and technical performance turnaround time for deliveries and overall customer service. References must be for clients or customers to whom goods and services were provided within three (3) years prior to the RFR due date. It is required that the client references demonstrate the Bidder’s ability to perform a project of similar size, nature and complexity as that described in this RFR. If a Bidder receives an unfavorable reference recommendation it may result in a Bidder being disqualified from this RFR. Bidders responding to RFR may use a PDF file to post.

The Commonwealth reserves the right to disqualify any bidder unable to document its track record, or whose references indicate an unacceptable record, or if a reference is not obtainable from a listed reference after reasonable attempts.

Contractors and Subcontractors

Bidders must provide a list of all contractors and/or subcontractors who may provide installation, maintenance, repairs, support and/or services as a result of an award. The list should include the names and home locations of the corporations and/or technicians who may provide any of the above. Additional contractors and/or subcontractors may be added after award, subject to the approval of the Department.

Employee Qualifications

Each bidder is required to submit the following on behalf of each employee expected to be assigned to provide any level of technical service if awarded a contract as a result of this solicitation:

· Resumes

· Employee technical/business experience, certifications, licenses

In addition, each employee will be required to a full background/CORI check before being granted access to any State property.

Should any vendor have any agents, servants and/or employees that have been employed by the Massachusetts State Police within the last two years of the date of this RFR, the vendor shall provide to MSP an opinion letter provided by the State Ethics Commission that states that there are no ethical conflicts with the vendor’s agents, servants and/or employees entering into an agreement with MSP for providing a Connect Cloud Streaming Instance Update, and/or provides guidelines in order to ensure that no ethical conflicts develop.

Executive Order 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy

Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are considered to be products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products. Questions concerning the EO or the appropriate specifications may be directed to OSD’s EPP Procurement Program, www.mass.gov/epp. The Order can be seen at http://www.mass.gov/Agov3/docs/Executive%20Orders/executive_order_515.pdf.

COMPENSATION STRUCTURE/PRICING

General

Bidders must upload all price sheets to COMMBUYS. Please note that when preparing a Quote in response to this Bid, on the Items tab of the Quote, Bidders will be required to check the “No Charge” box in order to create a valid quote and then upload all the documentation sought in the Bid as attachments on the Attachments tab. The “No Charge” selection will not be construed by the SSST to mean an offer to provide services or products at no charge. In addition, bidder response sheets must be submitted electronically; please refer to the attachment “Instructions to Vendors Responding to Bid”. For the uploaded Bid Sheet, Business Hours are defined Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Non-Business Hours defined as hours not covered under Business Hours.

Request for Quotes

Any Bidder(s) awarded a contract as a result from this RFR will not charge for quotes or site inspections in preparation of a quote. The MSP will NOT be required to pay charges for quotes or site inspections.

Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD)

All Bidders must agree to offer discounts through participation in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments.

Surcharges/Fees

No transportation, delivery, commuting, fuel, energy, insurance, meals, lodging, incidental fees or any other surcharges will be allowed throughout the duration of the contract(s) unless agreed upon by both parties in advance.

Billing/Invoicing

The Awarded Vendor must agree to timely and correct billing for products and services. The MSP will not tolerate consistent and continual erroneous or untimely billing. Such behavior on the part of the Vendor may result in the removal of the Vendor from the existing contract for poor performance.

The Vendor must provide a contact person that will be knowledgeable and available to resolve outstanding billing issues and are trained in and familiar with the both the terms and conditions of this RFR’s procurement requirements.

The Bidder must agree that invoices to the MSP for products and services are delivered in the current fiscal year (July 1st to June 30th) and are reconciled by July 30th to ensure payment from appropriate budgets.

· The Vendor must not submit invoices for products and services that do not fall under this RFR.

· The Vendor must not submit for billing services prior to services

· The Vendor must submit invoices directly from the Vendor to MSP not through a third party payer.

· The Vendor must submit invoices for services performed. No services will be paid until after services are rendered, including monthly monitoring services.

· Invoices for all service must have a separate line item within the invoice for all elements Vendors may be required to provide additional detail history of invoice.

· The invoice must include the quantity of each item, a description of each item and the cost for each item in a simple report format understandable to the “lay person”. The use of “codes” in place of product description will not be acceptable in the Vendor’s invoice, although the Vendor may list associated billing codes for its own use.

Incorrect Invoices

The Bidder must agree that the MSP will use the following instructions when dealing with incorrect invoices:

· In compliance with the Office of the State Comptroller’s Expenditure Guidelines, MSP may apply reasonable standards of invoice verification.

· Incorrect invoices from Vendors, whether paper or electronic documents, should be returned to and corrected by the Vendor and not adjusted by the MSP Agency staff.

· A correct invoice must be received by the MSP within 60 days of the date of dispute to be paid.

· There must be evidence of a permanent solution of the error condition. Non-recurrence of the error condition will be considered an acceptable solution.

· If the error is found to be inherent in the Vendor’s billing system, a correct bill is still required.

· If these guidelines are not met, the Vendor will assume responsibility for the charges.

Payments to Vendors

It is required that payments received by the Vendor be appropriately posted to the specific MSP account for which the payment was received. The Vendor must not create a single “Commonwealth of Massachusetts” account to which it will post received payments.

The Vendor is required to provide, at the request of the MSP, written reports to demonstrate the Vendor’s account receivables procedures including a payment history of the MSP.

No Credit Rating

MSP will make no application for credit ratings related to term lease under this Vendor, nor may a Vendor seek such ratings from the MSP.

OTHER TERMS

Reporting

Contractors are responsible for compliance with all other contract reporting requirements including, but not limited to, Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) and other contract reports, as required by this contract.

Security and confidentiality The Contractor shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Agencies in performance of the Contract. The Contractor shall not divulge to third parties any confidential information obtained by the Contractor or its agents, distributors, resellers, subcontractors, officers or employees in the course of performing Contract work, including, but not limited to, security procedures, business operations information, personally identifiable information, or commercial proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency.

Orders

Effective July 1, 2014, all orders will be required to be placed through COMMBUYS.

Online/web capability

Prior to the Contract Start Date, the Contractor will establish and enable a COMMBUYS-compatible online catalog, which may be hosted in COMMBUYS or by the Contractor. The catalog must utilize the Commonwealth commodity codes based on the United Nations Uniform Product and Service Code (UNSPSC) and must provide Eligible Entities with the capability to order only those products and/or services authorized by the vendor’s contract with the Commonwealth from the Contractor using COMMBUYS. The Contractor is required to maintain the catalog for the duration of the contract and must receive prior approval from the SST before posting any updates or changes to the catalog, which must be consistent with the terms of the contract.

Failure to perform contractual obligations

Problems with service quality, documentation, customer service and/or failure to adhere to the any provisions of this RFR or an MSP’s standard operating procedures are grounds for any or all of the following actions.

The SST will inform the Vendor of non-compliance with the contract. A specific period of time will be provided for the Vendor to correct the situation. If the situation has not been corrected in the allotted time period or if the problem reoccurs, the SST may impose penalties including but not limited to the ones listed below:

· Requiring the Vendor to credit the MSP based on the period of time when the quality of service was unsatisfactory.

· Issuing penalties, including, but not limited to the estimated cost of any remedial action incurred by the MSP.

· Suspending the Vendor until the problem is resolved.

· Terminating the contract.

The SST will be the final decision-making body for the resolution of any conflicts between MSP and the Vendors.

Buy American Act If federal funding is used for this contract and if the Buy American Act applies, bidders should explain how compliance is achieved. Please see link below for the 41 USC Ch. 83 BUY AMERICAN ACT:

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title41/subtitle4/chapter83&edition=prelim “Allowable materials.—Only unmanufactured articles, materials, and supplies that have been mined or produced in the United States, and only manufactured articles, materials, and supplies that have been manufactured in the United States substantially all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States, shall be acquired for public use unless the head of the department or independent establishment concerned determines their acquisition to be inconsistent with the public interest or their cost to be unreasonable.”

AUDIT

During the term of this Agreement and for a period of five (5) years thereafter, Department of State Police, its auditors, the Operational Services Division, the Office of the Inspector General or other authorized representatives shall be afforded access at reasonable times to Vendor's accounting records, including sales information on any system, reports or files, in order to audit all records relating to goods sold or services performed pursuant to this Agreement. If such an audit indicates that Vendor has materially overcharged Department of State Police, then the Vendor shall remit the overcharged amount and be responsible for payment of any costs associated with the audit.

The Vendor agrees to allow State and Federal auditors and state agency staff access to all the records related to this contract, and the right to copy those records, for audit, inspection and monitoring of services. Such access will be during normal business hours or by appointment

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive technicalities and to make awards in the best interest of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject awarding a contract due to unacceptable past performance by a contractor.

Any awards resulting from this RFR will be based on compliance with specifications set forth in this RFR document and what is determined to be the best value for the Commonwealth. The SST reserves the right to award additional points to bidders who are able to offer value-added components that have not been addressed in this RFR.

Bidder scores will be used to rank Bidders and determine the best value for the MSP. Such Bidders will proceed to subsequent stages of the evaluation and/or enter into negotiations with the MSP to receive a Contract award.

Mandatory requirements

Mandatory Specifications must be met in order for a Bid to be evaluated and may be used to disqualify Bidders. In addition, certain mandatory specifications have desirable components to them that may be evaluated by the SST. The SST reserves the right, in its discretion, to determine if non-compliance with a Mandatory Specification is insignificant or can be easily corrected.

Bid sections that include terms such as: “must”, “shall”, “will” and “required” are “mandatory.” Failure to meet the requirements of a mandatory specification without providing an alternate that is acceptable to the evaluators may result in the disqualification of a Bidder's proposal.

Desirable specifications

Desirable specifications will be scored according to the Evaluation Criteria. RFR specifications prefaced with language such as: "desirable", "could," "can," "should," "preferably," "prefers," "suggested," and "requested" identify a desirable or discretionary item or factor that is considered by the issuer to be "desirable." The issuer has listed all desirable specifications which will receive points in the evaluation criteria.

Alternatives

A Quote which fails to meet any material term or condition of the Bid, including the submission of required attachments, may lose points or be deemed unresponsive and disqualified. Unless otherwise specified, Bidders may submit Quotes proposing alternatives which provide equivalent, better or more cost effective performance than achievable under the stated Bid specifications. These alternatives may include related commodities or services that may be available to enhance performance during the period of the Contract. The Quote should describe how any alternative achieves substantially equivalent or better performance to that of the Bid specifications.

The SST will determine if a proposed alternative method of performance achieves substantially equivalent or better performance. The goal of this Bid is to provide the best value of commodities and/or services to achieve the goals of the procurement.

Evaluation Components

The following components will be the criteria considered by the SST when evaluating each Quote:

Added Value:

Added Value is determined by the Strategic Sourcing Team (SST). Added Value is discretionary. Added Value could be anything in the proposal that the bidder includes, that in the view of the SST, is above and beyond the requirements of the RFR, and results in a “best value” to the Department and Commonwealth, which the SST determines to be an additional “plus”, and worthy of additional points. The SST determines the number of added value points, if any, on a case by case by basis.

Price

Please note that price will carry a significant weight in the evaluation process.

Pricing for all products MUST:

(1) Be indicated on the Cost Sheet for each product indicated, and

(2) Include all costs associated. No delivery charges will be permitted under this Contract.

Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD) – All Bidders must agree to offer discounts through participation in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments, unless the Bidder can provide compelling proof that it would be unduly burdensome. The SST will assign additional points to bidders offering discounts. Bidders must submit agreeable terms for Prompt Payment Discount unless otherwise specified by the SST. The SST will review, negotiate or reject the offering as deemed in the best interest of the Commonwealth. Please note that the Prompt Pay Discount is mandatory and Bidders who fail to submit their Prompt Pay Discount may be removed from further consideration.

Supplier Diversity Plan (minimum of 25% weight)

Bidders responding to this RFR are required to submit a Supplier Diversity Plan. Requirements for the Supplier Diversity Plan are included on Appendix 2 - RFR - Required Specifications

Company experience - Where applicable the bidder should demonstrate their past experience in the installation of video transmit receiver/decoder systems and streaming service for law enforcement agencies. Bidder should have the ability to scale the offering as needed based on changing end user/agency requirements, and be able to provide timely, local, maintenance, engineering and technical support services throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Product Support - Bidders responding to RFR may use a PDF file to post

Warranty – Bidders responding to RFR may use a PDF file to post Ability to meet specifications – Bidders responding to RFR may use a PDF file to post References and reference information and/or requirements – Three business reference letters must be uploaded to COMMBUYS and include at least two government services or public services agencies from law enforcement/public safety. Based upon the responses received the evaluator will score the reference as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

HOW TO SUBMIT A BID RESPONSE (QUOTE)

All bids will require the submission of electronic quotes. Consequently, all bids will be required to contain electronic quote submission instructions.

Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality contained in COMMBUYS. For additional instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see the YouTube video on “How to find bids (solicitations) and submit quotes (respond): Sellers” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhUTNokbhfY Any submission which fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

Assemble and upload in COMMBUYS the Bid Response Sheet with the attachments according to the Checklist. Response must contain any and all documentation & literature requested in this RFR. (PDF and Zipped files will be accepted)

Electronic Signatures: Quotes submitted via COMMBUYS must be signed electronically by the Bidder or the Bidder’s Agent by accepting the terms and conditions of the bid on the “Terms & Conditions” tab of the Bid in COMMBUYS. By selecting “Save & Continue” on the “Terms and Conditions” tab after accepting the terms and conditions of the bid, the submitter attests that s/he is an agent of the Bidder with authority to sign on the Bidder’s behalf, and that s/he has read and assented to each document’s terms.

Successful Bidders who agreed to the terms and conditions of these forms electronically via COMMBUYS online Quote submission tool must still submit the above forms with ink signatures within seven (7) calendar days of award notification or their contract may not be executed by the Commonwealth. Bidders who have previous contract(s) with the Commonwealth and have up-to-date, ink-signature versions of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions and Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form) on file with the Office of the State Comptroller may submit copies of the signed forms. However, a new Standard Contract Form and Vendor Authorized Signatory Listing with original ink signatures must be submitted for each new contract with the Commonwealth.

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

Online Questions (Bid Q&A) due by September 13, 2023 Written Questions must be entered by pressing the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Vendor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Vendor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Vendor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded Vendor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). (Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline October 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM EST

See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

Estimated Contract Start Date: November 1, 2023 This is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

Required Forms

Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents:

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

FORMCHECKBOX

The above documents are available as attachments as part of the Bid record on WWW.COMMBUYS.COM.

Bidders are encouraged to register in www.SAM.gov

APPENDIX 1 – GENERAL PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

Access to security-sensitive information

Bidders agree to adhere to this section in the event that an eligible entity provides a Contractor with security-sensitive information which, pursuant to MGL c. 4, § 7, cls. 26(n), is generally exempt from public disclosure under the Commonwealth’s public records laws and must, for public safety purposes, be safeguarded from widespread public disclosure. This security-sensitive information is in the form of blueprints, plans, policies, procedures, schematic drawings, which relate to internal layout and structural elements, security measures, emergency preparedness, threat or vulnerability assessments, and/or any other records relating to the security or safety of persons (pursuant to MGL c. 66A) or buildings, structures, facilities, utilities, transportation, information technology or other infrastructure located within the Commonwealth. Qualified prospective Bidders that are interested in accessing this information for the purpose of preparing a Quote must, before being allowed to access the information, sign a confidentiality agreement, thereby agreeing to:

· restrict the use of these sensitive records for any other purpose than as authorized and for the purpose of putting together a bid proposal;

· safeguard the information while it is in their possession (consistent with Section 6 of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions); and

· return such records and materials to the Commonwealth upon completion of the project.

Alterations

Bidders may not alter (manually or electronically) the Bid language or any Bid component files, except as directed in the RFR. Modifications to the body of the Bid, specifications, terms and conditions, or which change the intent of this Bid are prohibited and may disqualify a Quote.

Ownership of Submitted Quotes

The SST shall be under no obligation to return any Quotes or materials submitted by a Bidder in response to this Bid. All materials submitted by Bidders become the property of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will not be returned to the Bidder. The Commonwealth reserves the right to use any ideas, concepts, or configurations that are presented in a Bidder’s Quote, whether or not the Quote is selected for Contract award.

Quotes stored on COMMBUYS in the encrypted lock-box are the file of record. Bidders retain access to a read-only copy of this submission via COMMBUYS, as long as their account is active. Bidders may also retain a traditional paper copy or electronic copy on a separate computer or network drive or separate media, such as CD or DVD, as a backup.

Prohibitions

Bidders are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of the procuring Department or any member of the SST regarding this RFR except as specified in this RFR, and no other individual Commonwealth employee or representative is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this RFR. Bidders may contact the contact person using the contact information provided in the Header Information this Bid in the event that this RFR is incomplete or information is missing. Bidders experiencing technical problems accessing information or attachments stored on COMMBUYS should contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk (see the document cover page for contact information).

In addition to the certifications found in the Commonwealth’s Standard Contract Form, by submitting a Quote, the Bidder certifies that the Quote has been arrived at independently and has been submitted without any communication, collaboration, or without any agreement, understanding or planned common course or action with, any other Bidder of the commodities and/or services described in the RFR.

Commonwealth Tax Exemption

Invoices or invoices submitted to Massachusetts government entities must not include sales tax.

Contractor’s Contact Information

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to keep the Contractor’s Contract Manager information current. If this information changes, the Contractor must notify the Contract Manager by email immediately, using the address located in the Header Information of the Purchase Order or Master Blanket Purchase Order on COMMBUYS.

The Commonwealth assumes no responsibility if a Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP), cause e-mail communications between the Bidder and the SST to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Contractual Status of Orders and Service Contracts

Orders or service engagements placed under the Contract established as a result of…