S000000307 Rural Health Switched Ethernet Connectivity Solicitation- 1st Revision.pdf

STATE OF ARKANSAS

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

501 Woodlane St., Ste. 220

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1023

INVITATION FOR BID

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

Revised All Revision in Red

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: S000000307 Solicitation Issued: February 14, 2024

Description: Rural Health Switched Ethernet Connectivity

Department: Division of Information Systems

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Bid Opening Date: March 13, 2024 Bid Opening Time: 2:00 p.m., Central Time

Bid responses for this Invitation for Bid must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system.

It can be accessed at arbuy.arkansas.gov. Bids received after the submission deadline may be rejected as untimely.

LIVE BID OPENING INFORMATION

Teams Meeting Link: Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 245 518 506 911 Passcode: rYgZtp Call in (audio only): +1 501-244-3310,,747567619# United States, Little Rock Phone conference ID: 747 567 619#

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Procurement Specialist:

Austin McClane Procurement Specialist’s Direct Phone Number:

501-371-6156

Email Address: Austin.McClane@arkansas.gov TSS OSP’s Main Number: 501-324-9316

TSS OSP Website: transform.ar.gov/procurement file://tss-file-p1/INDOSPADMIN$/#_GENERAL_%20PROCUREMENT_%20TEAM_#/BUYERS/Brandi%20Schroeder/Bid%20Folder%20Documents/#New%20Drafts/IFB/1%20OSP%20Use/arbuy.arkansas.gov/ https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Y2Y5ZDQ2YWQtYmNiZC00N2UzLTlhOWUtMzE4NDQxZDE3NTgy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%225ec1d8f0-cb62-4000-b327-8e63b0547048%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2276b67dc6-870d-48b1-861f-b3cbdd49eeb2%22%7d tel:+15012443310,,747567619 mailto:Austin.McClane@arkansas.gov https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/

SECTION 1 – INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Invitation for Bid (IFB) is issued by the TSS Office of State Procurement (TSS OSP) for the Division of Information Systems (DIS) to obtain pricing and contracts for telecommunications services. The services that are bid are designed to support the State network. Direct all questions, comments, or concerns you may have regarding this solicitation to the TSS Office of State Procurement, not DIS.

Direct all correspondence regarding this Solicitation to TSS OSP and not to the Division of Information Systems.

1.2 PROJECT SCOPE

Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) seeks to purchase additional bandwidth, and lower ADH’s cost per unit of bandwidth. With determination of award of this IFB, DIS will set rates that include the awarded Contractor’s site and aggregation costs plus a decimal portion of the existing State backbone costs. Once the rates have been established, the ADH CIO will make a determination of the bandwidth to be ordered by balancing the bandwidth needed for the health services rendered at each Rural Health Care site and the ADH budget available. DIS will then issue service orders to the awarded Contractors based on the ADH bandwidths requested. DIS will work with the Contractors to eliminate any ADH, DIS or State roadblocks. As the Contractor circuit installs are completed, DIS will dispatch a technician to work with the DIS Network Operations Center (NOC) to complete any site router changes and turn up the new service to ADH. All monitoring programs will be updated to now show the new network service. DIS will then issue a service order to the previous Contractor to disconnect the old service effective the day of order issuance.

1.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this IFB, TSS OSP intends to award a contract to multiple Contractor(s).

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract is July 1, 2024, except that the actual contract start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the State for up to three (3) calendar months. By submitting a signed bid in response to the IFB, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants that it will honor its bid as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

C. The initial term of a resulting contract will be for four (4) year. Upon mutual agreement by the Contractor and Department, the contract may be renewed by TSS OSP for up to three (3) additional one-year terms or portions thereof, not to exceed a total aggregate contract term of seven (7) consecutive years.

1.4 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same meaning herein.

B. The terms “Invitation for Bid,” “IFB,” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this document.

C. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsive and responsible bidder who submits a bid that meets the Requirements and criteria set forth in this Solicitation.

D. “Requirement” means a term, condition, provision, deliverable, Specification, or a combination thereof, that is obligated under the Solicitation, resulting contract, or both.

E. “Shall” and “must” mean the imperative and are used to identify Requirements and Specifications.

F. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a description of any Requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for delivery.

G. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any obligation of the State under a contract that results from this Solicitation, that obligation is limited to the Department using such a contract.

1.5 CONTRACTOR SELECTION

A. Award will be made by address to the responsive and responsible bidder determined to have submitted the lowest average cost per Mbps for that address over 48 months on the Official Bid Price Sheet submitted by the Prospective Contractor.

B. If the State so chooses, negotiations may be conducted with the lowest-bidding, responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor if:

1. All bids received from responsive and responsible bidders exceed available funding; or

2. It appears that additional savings to the state may result from negotiation.

C. If negotiations fail to result in a contract, the State may negotiate with the next lowest-bidding, responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor.

1. The negotiation process may be repeated until an acceptable lower bid price is negotiated, or until such time the State determines negotiations are no longer in the best interest of the state.

2. Negotiations are conducted at the sole discretion of the State.

D. Once the anticipated awardee has been determined, the anticipated award will be posted to ARBuy, generally for a period of fourteen (14) days prior to the issuance of a contract. The postings are anticipated awards only, subject to protest.

E. A contract is not effective prior to final award being made by the State; some contracts may be subject to Legislative review prior to final award.

1.6 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. Submit questions regarding this Solicitation via the Solicitation posting in ARBuy by midnight, Central

Time on or before February 21, 2024.

1. For each question submitted, Prospective Contractor should reference the specific Solicitation item number to which the question refers, as applicable.

2. Prospective Contractors’ written questions will be consolidated and answered by the State as deemed appropriate. The State’s consolidated written response is anticipated to be posted to the Solicitation posting in ARBuy by the close of business on February 26, 2024. If Prospective Contractor questions are unclear or non-substantive in nature, the State may request clarification of a question(s) or decline to answer.

B. The Prospective Contractor should notify the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist of any term, condition, etc., that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a Responsive Bid.

Prospective Contractors should note that it is the responsibility of the Prospective Contractor to seek resolution of all such issues, including those relating to the terms and conditions of the contract, prior to the submission of a bid.

C. Prospective Contractors may contact the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist with non-substantive questions at any time prior to the bid opening.

D. An oral statement by TSS OSP will not be part of any contract resulting from this Solicitation and may not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless it is reduced to writing and expressly adopted by TSS OSP.

1.7 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. All bids must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system. The system can be accessed at arbuy.arkansas.gov.

1. Prospective Contractors must be registered in ARBuy to submit bids.

B. Bid Response Packet

1. Prospective Contractors shall utilize the Bid Response Packet attached to the Solicitation in ARBuy to submit their bids.

2. In compliance with Healthcare Connect Fund Order, the Solicitation must be made available for bid for a minimum of 28 days.

3. The following are bid submission Requirements and must be submitted as part of a Prospective Contractor’s bid.

a. Signed Bid Signature Page; signature may be ink or digital.

b. Completed Bid Response Packet, which must be in English.

c. Completed Official Bid Price Sheet attached to Solicitation posting in ARBuy.

i. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

ii. Quantities stated are estimates only and are not guaranteed. Prospective Contractor must bid unit price on the estimated quantity and unit of measure specified.

• The State may order more or less than the estimated quantity on term contracts, and the Contractor shall sell to the Department quantities ordered at no more than the bid price.

iii. If pricing documents do not allow for accurate pricing, Prospective Contractor should notify the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist at least seventy-two (72) hours before the bid opening time.

iv. Prices must be firm offers and shall not be subject to escalation.

v. Discount from list bids pricing is not acceptable unless requested elsewhere in the Solicitation.

vi. State and local sales taxes should not be included in the bid price. Trade discounts should be deducted from the unit price and the net price should be shown in the bid.

d. Copy of Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy

i. Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-104, OSP requires a Prospective Contractor bidding on a state contract to submit a copy of the Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity (EO) Policy. Prospective Contractors not required by law to have an EO Policy must submit a written statement to that effect.

e. Proposed Subcontractors Form (see SRV-1)

4. The following items, which must be submitted prior to a contract award to the Prospective Contractor, may also be included with the Prospective Contractor’s bid response:

a. EO 98-04 Contract & Grant Disclosure Form (see SRV-1)

b. Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), if applicable

5. Prospective Contractors should not include any other documents or ancillary information, such as a cover letter or promotional marketing information.

https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/ https://www.transform.ar.gov/wp-content/uploads/Services-Contract-SRV-1-Fillable-Form-V.3.6.27.22.pdf https://www.transform.ar.gov/wp-content/uploads/Services-Contract-SRV-1-Fillable-Form-V.3.6.27.22.pdf https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat/

C. Prospective Contractors should not alter any language in Solicitation document(s) or Official Bid Price Sheet provided by the State.

D. Prospective Contractors’ bids cannot be altered or amended after the bid opening except as permitted by law or rule.

E. As requested, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification regarding Prospective Contractor’s bid response.

F. Prospective Contractors may submit multiple bids.

SECTION 2 – SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

2.1 INTRODUCTION

A. By Arkansas Code § 25-4-105 the Arkansas Division of Information Systems (DIS) is charged with:

1. Conceptualizing, designing, developing, building, and maintaining common information technology infrastructure elements used by State agencies and governmental entities.

2. Providing information technology services to state agencies, other governmental entities, nongovernmental first responder entities, and other quasi-governmental entities.

3. Entering into contracts with state agencies, other governmental entities, and nongovernmental first responder entities for the purpose of providing information technology services.

4. With respect to their technology functions and applications, all state departments, boards, commissions, and public institutions of higher education, consulting and cooperating with the division in the formation and implementation of security policies for the state core information technology infrastructure.

5. Developing a state information technology plan that shall establish a state-level mission, goals, and objectives for the use of information technology.

6. Identifying and establishing information technology solutions that can support more than one (1) agency in providing governmental services.

B. The State network, operated by DIS, is designed to reduce costs by sharing larger aggregation and backbone circuits with logical separation of various State user services. These circuits were bid, awarded and are E-rate eligible for the statewide network connecting public school districts and public charter schools, to administrative applications, to the internet, and to other educational material.

C. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), like other State agencies, is required to use DIS for their data networking needs. DIS operates a single Ethernet Statewide backbone network with two primary datacenters that also serve as internet points of presents. This network (including internet) serves all agencies and K12 school district and public charter schools.

D. By bidding a combined State network and purchasing bandwidth in quantity, DIS is seeking economies of scale to ensure a cost-effective strategy.

E. ADH operates ninety-four (94) county health sites in the 75 counties in Arkansas.

F. The ADH Network serving Rural Health Care sites has been in service since the early 1990s and has used various network transport technologies over the years as technologies have evolved. ADH’s current Wide Area Network (WAN) technology is all Ethernet on fiber.

G. The ADH delivers over 100 services through the main office in Little Rock and 94 local health units in each of the state’s 75 counties. These services include immunizations, WIC, outbreak response, vital records, chronic disease prevention, preparedness and emergency response, injury and violence prevention, and suicide prevention. The ADH also includes the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory, which tests for safe food and drinking water, detects inherited genetic disorders in newborns and provides early identification of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Local, state, and federal partnerships help the ADH to advance its mission and best serve the people of Arkansas.

H. The circuit bandwidths for all seventy-four (94) Rural Health Care Local Health Units (Price Sheet Table 2) will be aggregated by the awarded Contractor(s) into larger Contractor aggregation circuits (Price Sheet Table 4) with each site assigned a separate VLAN. The Contractor aggregation circuits will connect to one (1) of eight (8) State aggregation sites shown in Figure A below: State Aggregation Sites to form a cohesive network for transport to the ADH Central Office and to the internet. ADH, the Consortium, hopes to move to more cost-effective transport technology even in the most rural counties in the State.

I. The proposed network will also enhance communication and collaboration between ADH staff and other public health professionals across the state. This will allow ADH to respond more quickly and effectively to public health threats.

J. The proposed network will help ADH to better support its mission to protect and improve the health and well-being of all Arkansas. By providing access to critical information and resources, the network will help Arkansans to make healthy choices and live healthier lives.

K. ADH partners with other organizations to share network resources. The ADH will partner with other organizations, such as educational institutions like the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and government agencies, to share network resources.

2.2 PROJECT PLAN

A. Project Management Approach

1. The Project Manager has the overall authority and responsibility for managing and executing this project. The project team will consist of personnel from the DIS Network Services team along with the ADH Technology Services team. The project manager will work with all resources to perform project planning.

2. All project and subsidiary management plans will be reviewed and approved by the DIS project sponsor. All funding decisions will also be made by the project sponsor in concert with ADH Consortium lead. Any delegation of approval authority to the project manager should be done in writing and be signed by both the project sponsor and project manager.

3. The project team will be a matrix in that team members from each organization continue to report to their organizational management throughout the duration of the project. The project manager is responsible for communicating with organizational managers on the progress and performance of each project resource.

4. The DIS Network Project Manager and other DIS network personnel will work, as they have on the recent new K12 statewide network project.

5. The project stakeholders are listed below. Prior to any contract award, Prospective Contractor(s) should address all communication concerning this Bid Solicitation through the OSP buyer, Austin McClane, as listed of the first page of the IFB.

a. DIS Network Project Coordinator: Don McDaniel, Electrical Engineer, Registered Professional Engineer, Life Member of IEEE, DIS Division Network Director, 23 yrs.;

Phone: 501-682-5027 Email: don.mcdaniel@arkansas.gov

b. DIS Network Assistant Project Coordinator: Tap Pace

Phone: 501-683-1652 Email: tap.pace@arkansas.gov

c. DIS Project Sponsor: Jay Harton of DIS executive Leadership team or delegate experienced in K-12 and Rural Health projects.

Phone: 501-683-9990 Email: jay.harton@arkansas.gov mailto:tap.pace@arkansas.gov mailto:jay.harton@arkansas.gov

d. DIS Project Manager: Richard Stocks of DIS Project Management Section experienced in K- 12 and Rural health projects.

Phone: 501-683-9990 Email: richard.stocks@arkansas.gov

e. Network Operations Center (NOC) Liaison: Jason Black

Phone: 501-683-9990 Email: jason.black@arkansas.gov

f. ADH Consortium Lead: ADH CIO James Carter

Phone: 501-683-9990 Email: jim.carter@arkansas.gov

g. Secretary of Health Renee Mallory, RN, BSN, was named Arkansas Secretary of Health in August of 2023. She is a member of the Governor Sarah Sanders cabinet and provides senior executive leadership for the agency. Ms. Mallory began her career at the ADH in 1988 as a nurse surveyor for Health Facility Services. Throughout the years, she has served in various roles and most recently was the Deputy Director for Public Health Programs from 2018 to 2021 and the Chief of Staff from 2021 to 2022. She has previously served as a designee on the Tobacco Settlement Commission and the Arkansas State and Public-School Employees Life and Health Insurance Board. She currently serves as a member of the State Board of Health.

h. Since joining the ADH in 2001, the Director of ADH State Health Officer Jennifer Dillaha, MD, has served in a variety of roles. Most recently she was appointed Director of the ADH and the State Health Officer for Arkansas in April 2022. Before her appointment, she was the ADH Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director for Immunizations, and Medical Director for Outbreak Response. She also previously served as the State Epidemiologist from March 2020 to August 2021, Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Director from June 2010 to April 2013, and Director of the Center for Health Advancement from August 2005 to June 2010. As Director, Dr. Dillaha reports to the Secretary of Health and oversees the medical, clinical, and epidemiological aspects of the ADH’s activities. In addition, she provides leadership and guidance for addressing Arkansas’s most pressing health problems. She is uniquely prepared for this role as a physician with specialty training in internal medicine and subspecialty training in infectious diseases and in geriatric medicine.

i. Chief Science Officer Dr. Namvar Zohoori, MD, MPH, PhD oversees the functions of the Office of the Chief Science Officer, whose mission is to promote scientific excellence and integrity in all programmatic, educational, public health policy, and research activities of the ADH. As Chair of the Science Advisory Committee, the Chief Science Officer oversees the review and approval of all issues, requests, and publications related to data housed within the ADH. Dr. Zohoori is also responsible for scientific and educational programs for the Arkansas Board of Health members, County Health Officers, and the ADH’s scientific staff, as well as student experiences within the ADH. Dr. Zohoori is a Professor of Epidemiology at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH), where he participates in research projects, teaches courses for doctoral and masters students, and helps to lead the COPH/ADH Joint Advisory Committee to facilitate coordination between the ADH and the COPH in promoting their shared ideals of an academic health department.

j. Don Adams, MPH, RS, has served as the department's Chief of Staff (COS) since May 2022.

As Chief of Staff, Mr. Adams oversees the overall operations of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). This includes public health programs, services, and several administrative areas, such as finance, human resources, and information technology. Mr. Adams began his mailto:richard.stocks@arkansas.gov mailto:jason.black@arkansas.gov mailto:jim.carter@arkansas.gov career with ADH in 1990 as an Environmental Health Specialist in the Southwest area of the state. During his career with the Arkansas Department of Health, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Environmental Manager, Regional Director, and Center Director for Local Public Health. Mr. Adams graduated with honors in 2011, obtaining a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Biostatistics from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He is also an elected member of the Delta Omega Honorary Public Health Society.

6. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH consortium) has funds that are used for the payment of network services. These funds are made up from the general state revenues and grant money set aside for M&O (Maintenance Operations). ADH will use the funds to pay the 35% contribution for the ADH consortium members.

7. For more information, please see Attachment A: S000000307 Network Upgrade Project Plan.

2.3 BACKGROUND FOR ETHERNET SERVICE

A. Consistent with the State of Arkansas’ commitment to public-private partnerships, DIS seeks bids for

Ethernet or other compatible connectivity from state agency locations to Contractor aggregation locations and between Contractor aggregation locations ending at the State aggregation locations.

IFBs SP-20-0060, SP-21-0046, and S00000086 for High Bandwidth Transport and Internet serving K12 schools were issued and awarded in the spring of 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively and contain most of the shared network needed to serve state network. They include the vendor aggregation circuits to State aggregation sites, the backbone connecting State aggregation sites, and internet access. IFB SP-18-0098 and SP-18-0116 for agency locations were issued and awarded 5+ years ago. The circuits being bid here replace what was included in the SP-18-0116 solicitation for Rural Health Care. DIS intends to design the services that are bid here and awarded in the most cost-effective configuration utilizing any Ethernet connectivity awarded from the SP-20-0060 and SP-21- 0046 that includes Contractor aggregation circuits, contractor backbone circuits, and internet. If a Contractor does not have a current aggregation location awarded from either SP-20-0060, SP-21- 0046, and S00000086, Table 4 in the attached price sheet provides a place to bid that new connection.

B. DIS will utilize up to eight (8) State aggregation sites, geographically dispersed throughout Arkansas.

These State aggregation sites include two (2) State data centers and six (6) Arkansas Research & Education Optical Network (ARE-ON) huts. The ARE- ON huts are State assets with environmental controls, physical security, battery power, emergency generators, 24-hour access, and other elements needed for the latest technology and network designs. The eight (8) State aggregation sites are listed in Figure A below:

Figure A, State Aggregation Sites

Location Code

Locatio n Name

Ad dre ss

City Zip NPA/N

XX

ALMA ARE-ON

Alma

Alma Hwy

Van Buren

56 479/474

HOPE ARE-ON

Hope

#1 Hwy 174 N

Hope 718 01 870/777

LTRKAR

XZ

Little Rock Datacenter -West

(DIS)

Ander

Little Rock

12 501/225

C. Six (6) of the State aggregation sites are owned by the Arkansas Research & Education Optical

Network (ARE-ON). These locations were funded in part by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant program, and therefore are subject to the following program requirement:

“Recipients should allow colocation by interconnecting parties, on a first-come, first-served basis, in any equipment or facilities funded by BTOP, where and when possible. Recipients should expect customers to request a variety of colocation services, including secured space separated from the owner’s equipment, 24-hour access, escorted or unescorted access, and AC and/or DC.” The AREON sites can only provide -48volt DC power with an A and an B buss.

D. Prospective Contractors may find additional information regarding the BTOP program and applicable rules at the following link: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/fr_bbnofa_090709.pdf.

E. The Prospective Contractor may bid on any or all addresses and services in the Official Bid Price Sheet. For connectivity services in Table 3 the contractor must bid all bandwidths for each address bid, If the Prospective Contractor does not desire to bid service at an address, the Prospective Contractor may show “no bid” on the price sheet. Leaving a line blank on the price sheet will be interpreted as no bid.

2.4 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

A. The proposed telecommunications services must support the transport of the existing applications and related data currently being utilized by the Arkansas Department of Health.

B. The Contractor’s proposed solution(s) must allow the existing applications to function normally and perform properly, including but not limited to:

1. Internet access

2. High Volume Database transmission

3. Network Monitoring

4. Security Monitoring son Drive

LWLLAR

Arkansas State Police Datacenter

W Monr oe Aven ue

Lowell 727 45 479/751

MTHO

ARE-ON

Mountain Home

High Aven ue

Mounta in Home

53 870/425

NLRK

ARE-ON

North Little Rock

Eane s Road

North Little Rock

17 501/758

NWPT ARE-ON

Newport

Come t

Newpo rt

870/523

PNBL ARE-ON

Pine Bluff

W 18th Ave

Pine Bluff

870/534 http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/fr_bbnofa_090709.pdf

5. Content Filtering

6. Education applications currently supported by ADH

C. The Contractor’s proposed equipment must support virtual private network traffic between the health sites and the State aggregation sites for some of the above applications as determined by DIS.

D. The network handoff for all Ethernet connections must meet the following requirements:

1. 100Mbps and below must be 100BaseT (copper) connections unless specified differently by the customer when the service is ordered.

2. Between 100Mbps and 1Gbps must be 1000BaseSX unless specified differently by the customer when the service is ordered.

3. Greater than 1Gbps must be 10GBase-SR unless specified differently by the customer when the service is ordered.

E. The Contractor’s provided telecommunications services must be compatible with customer public or private IPv4 and IPv6 addressing.

F. The basic design for this network is one that will, at some sites, support applications that require minimal loss and low latency. The Ethernet Class of Service (CoS) must be provisioned as Business Critical – Medium. DIS is currently utilizing only two priority queues, “EF” and “AF31” along with the standard “Best Effort” class. Future applications may require utilization of additional priority queues.

The Contractor’s infrastructure must honor and act upon packets or frames with traditional QoS or CoS markings. The Contractor shall support a minimum of four (4) priority queues and the “best effort” class. Official Price Sheet Table 3 may be expanded and modified by the Contractor to show all the options and cost for the features associated with the service bid.

G. DIS prefers Layer 2 switched connectivity. Where a Contractor must provide Layer 3 services inside their network, the hand-offs to the State must be Layer 2.

H. If DIS needs a private network address as specified in Request for Comments RFC 1918 (Network Address Translation), the State will allocate IP addresses out of the RFC 1918 address space. In this case, Contractor(s) shall support private and public IP addresses equally. If RFC 1918 addresses must traverse the internet, it must be accomplished within a site to site VPN tunnel.

I. Each proposed service demarcation point must be clearly labeled with applicable Circuit Identification.

J. All Contractor Ethernet connections must be configured to support IEEE 802.1Q “tagging”.

K. The handoff for all proposed service must be symmetrical.

L. A Contractor bidding on this service must bid Ethernet or other comparable technology for connectivity to the State Data Centers. Contractors shall establish connectivity in the most cost-effective manner possible. The cost for this connectivity must be shown on Official Price Sheet Table

2. Service will be terminated in State-provided routers located in the State data center sites.

M. Connections to the State network must be utilized to provide access to hosted services and administrative functions. The connection to the State network can be provided via an IP VPN connection or an Ethernet connection to the State Data Center which is currently located at the State

Data Center - West, Little Rock, 11025 Anderson DR, Little Rock, AR 72212 or the Arkansas State Police Data Center, 1120 W Monroe AVE, Lowell, AR, 72745. If required, the cost of an IP VPN connection should be shown in Table 8.

2.5 SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS

A. Restoration of service after catastrophic events such as fires, storms, earthquakes, or accidental damage must be on an around-the-clock basis. (24 hours a day/7 days a week).

B. The Contractor shall accept trouble reports from DIS in conjunction with the services being provided under this contract. There must not be an additional charge for this service.

C. The Contractor shall provide the one point of contact where all troubles will be reported for any of the services or facilities specified in this IFB. The personnel at this location shall be responsible for coordinating all efforts to correct the trouble and will update DIS at intervals to be established by DIS and the Contractor.

D. The Contractor shall provide a toll-free number, which must be attended 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with qualified personnel to handle trouble reports from the State. Under normal circumstances, as opposed to catastrophic events above, DIS expects trouble to be cleared within 8 business hours.

E. The Contractor shall specify or provide an overview of how they handle critical outages. For the purpose of this contract, a critical outage is defined by DIS as an outage that has denied connectivity to a large segment of the State’s customers or isolated a critical site or service. Examples of a critical outage include, but are not limited to, an ice storm, earthquake, contractor fiber cut, or tornado disrupting State operations, etc.

F. The Contractor shall provide an escalation procedure with contact information (i.e. names, titles, phone numbers, and pager/cell phone numbers) for 24/7 support for all service types bid. DIS must be able to initiate the escalation procedure 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for critical outages.

2.6 INSTALLATION

A. Contractor installation must include all required products and services needed to install a functional service.

B. Any installation costs listed on the Official Bid Price Sheet must also include all costs associated with site preparation (wiring, poles [if any], equipment set up, safety requirements, cleanup, etc.) to fully install the site and restore the site to pre-installation conditions as determined by the site owner.

C. Contractor shall conduct worksite cleanup. All packing crates, boxes, paper, packing material, and all other such extraneous material must be removed from the premises by the Contractor at the Contractor’s expense after installation.

D. Contractor will not be responsible for paying colocation fees inside the State sites. Installation of external towers, antennae, etc., are not expected.

E. Contractor shall un-box and install Contractor equipment in locations designated by DIS.

F. The State will perform all customer site preparation activities including, but not limited to, power, ventilation, proper environmental conditions as per the equipment manufacturer’s specifications, and the installation of equipment racks.

G. Contractor shall conduct technical interviews relating to Contractor needs at the State’s site.

Entrance facilities (typically conduit) are the responsibility of the owner/occupant of the property where services are being installed. Contractor(s) shall meet with site contact (owner/occupant of property where services are being installed) to arrange and assign necessary site preparation responsibilities (conduit, power, backboard, etc.) in a mutually agreed upon time frame to ensure established due dates are met. Contractor shall coordinate with State sites for equipment installations.

H. Contractor shall coordinate with DIS or their Contractors to facilitate uninterrupted services to each site.

I. DIS will provide on-site personnel to assist with the installation as deemed necessary by DIS.

J. DIS will provide Contractor building access necessary to implement the service.

K. DIS will ensure circuit demarcation points are clearly identified.

L. The Contractor shall provide experienced and knowledgeable onsite support during installation, as deemed necessary by DIS. Onsite support must be at no additional cost to DIS.

M. Contractor shall comply with all applicable codes, licenses, certifications, and standards in the State of Arkansas as it relates to the proposed installation services.

N. Installation Involving Building Modification:

1. Contractor(s) shall have Arkansas Contractors Licenses for any installation services that modify existing building structures.

Note: Installation services that do not modify existing building structures as covered under Arkansas Building Authority Regulations are allowed for State agencies. Any installation services over $35,000 that modify existing building structures shall be regulated by Division of Building Authority (DBA) regulations.

2. Any other entity utilizing this contract shall follow their rules and regulations regarding installation services.

O. Contractor shall only accept move, add, and change orders from authorized DIS employees via email or online only.

P. Installation must be the sole responsibility of the Contractor.

Q. Contractor shall provide installation services in a manner and under a timeframe designed to minimize service disruption.

1. Contractor shall coordinate with DIS throughout installation so that affected DIS customers can be notified and emergency alternative communications can be provided by DIS, if necessary.

2. Services must be performed on a schedule that supports DIS and DIS’ customers’ operational needs, and may include nights, weekends, and holidays.

3. Within fourteen (14) days of contract award, Contractor shall work with DIS to provide an installation plan for the services.

4. The installation plan provided to DIS must be negotiable and subject to modification and approval by DIS.

5. Contractor will receive written approval by DIS prior to commencement of installation.

R. The Contractor shall notify both the ordering entity and DIS in writing within ten (10) business days after receipt of order if the Contractor is unable to provide services ordered that were awarded as a result of this IFB. DIS may, at their discretion, notify the Office of State Procurement (OSP).

2.7 TESTING AND CUTOVER

A. Contractor shall perform testing after installation of services to ensure said services are operating properly.

B. Contractor shall provide documentation of test results within five (5) business days to DIS.Network.implementation@arkansas.gov if so requested in writing by DIS.

C. Installation will not be considered satisfactorily complete until the Contractor has received notification from DIS that the installation is accepted, and the installed service is working.

D. The Contractor shall be the solely responsible for testing.

E. The Contractor shall provide testing services in a manner and timeframe designed to minimize disruption to purchasing entities.

1. The Contractor shall coordinate with DIS throughout testing so that affected DIS customers can be notified and emergency alternative communications can be provided by DIS, if necessary.

2. Services must be performed on a schedule that supports DIS and DIS’ customers’ operational needs and may include nights, weekends, and holidays.

F. Acceptance Testing:

3. DIS will test the system in a live DIS-provided environment for a maximum of thirty (30) consecutive calendar days.

4. DIS shall not accept the service until the availability of 99.95% is met for thirty (30) consecutive calendar days max.

5. If the service up-time falls below 99.95% during DIS testing process, DIS’s testing measurement period shall be restarted beginning with the first day of the thirty (30) consecutive calendar days max. DIS shall continue testing until either the 99.95% availability requirement is met or ninety

(90) consecutive calendar days max have passed since the testing process began.

6. If the service fails to meet the availability requirement within ninety (90) calendar days after the cutover date, DIS shall continue acceptance testing on a daily basis upon written mutual agreement of all parties.

7. If the service fails acceptance testing, DIS will notify the Contractor of the deficiencies in writing and may submit a below standard State Contractor Performance Report (VPR).

2.8 SUPPORT SERVICES

A. The Contractor shall provide the State with an Account Manager that will be the single point of contact for account issues and support escalation requests within thirty (30) days of contract award.

B. Contractor shall only take direction from DIS as the customer of record. End using entities must go through DIS with their support issues.

mailto:DIS.Network.implementation@arkansas.gov

C. Contractor shall own and maintain trouble tickets reported by DIS until trouble tickets are resolved.

D. Toll-Free Telephone Support Center:

1. Contractor shall provide toll-free telephone support.

2. Telephone support must be available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days per week to begin the restoration process. If access to a facility is required, the ticket may be placed on hold until access can be granted.

3. Contractor’s telephone support center staff shall be fluent in the English language.

4. Contractor’s telephone support center should be located within the continental United States of America.

5. Contractor shall provide, no later than thirty (30) calendar days from contract award, the toll-free telephone support center number. Contractor shall email the toll-free number to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov . Prospective Contractors should not include this with their bid response

E. Contractor’s staff shall log trouble calls including, at a minimum, the following information:

1. DIS Ticket Number (to be issued by DIS and provided to the Contractor when reporting trouble).

2. Date & Time of call

3. Circuit ID(s)

4. Apparent nature of trouble

5. Arrival time of maintenance personnel (if applicable)

6. Date/time trouble was cleared

7. Cause of trouble

F. The Contractor is expected to provide an online trouble ticket reporting system. All tickets entered by

Contractor’s personnel via telephone or entered by DIS via the Contractor’s web portal must be viewable by DIS.

G. Online trouble reporting system should include, but not be limited to, the following functionality:

1. Ability to create trouble tickets on new or recurring problem(s)

2. Ability to create tickets for informational and test assist purposes.

3. Ability to view trouble ticket information, including but not limited to the information listed in

Section 1.10E).

4. Ability to monitor the status of open tickets and update open tickets.

5. Ability to generate trouble history reports for chronic problem isolation and monitoring with detailed summary.

mailto:dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov

6. Ability to generate detailed performance overview reports

7. Ability to send email notifications to appropriate parties of trouble ticket status changes and updates.

H. The Contractor shall participate in Contractor meetings as part of DIS’s Contractor management program to review service results and arrive at remedies to improve or correct deficiencies.

Contractor meetings may be monthly or quarterly.

1. The agenda and location for each meeting will be sent out in advance.

2. Contractor shall name a single point of contact. This contact shall address all agenda items on-site at a facility provided by DIS, or available by Contractor-provided and Contractor-paid conference bridge and/or web meeting, unless otherwise authorized in writing by DIS. This contact shall be the central point of contact for advanced escalation of all issues and shall be responsible for all aspects of the contract, including but not limited to Contractor performance.

I. Contractor shall provide, no later than fourteen (14) calendar days following contract award, the following information. Contractor shall email the information to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov. Prospective Contractors should not include this with their bid response.

1. Trouble notifications and response procedures, including time, method, and frequency of

Contractor acknowledgement of DIS trouble tickets. All response and resolution times in Figure B: Severity Levels must be applied.

2. Contact information for Contractor’s assigned account specific resources for administrative and technical support to assist in initiating orders, resolving service problems, trouble escalation, billing errors, etc. Personnel should be familiar with the State Network and DIS processes. Local resources are preferred.

J. Contractor shall provide, no later than thirty (30) calendar days following contract award, the following information. Contractor shall email the information to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov & dis.contracts@arkansas.gov Prospective Contractors should not include this with their bid response

1. Information for accessing the Contractor’s trouble reporting system.

2. Contact information for an Account Manager where all troubles will be reported for any of the services or facilities specified in this IFB. The personnel at this location shall be responsible for coordinating all efforts to correct troubles and will update DIS at intervals to be established by DIS and the Contractor

K. Two weeks prior to monthly or quarterly Contractor meetings, Contractor shall provide a report in

“.xls” format, via email to the designated DIS staff, of the diagnostic findings, including at a minimum:

1. Trouble ID

2. Time and date the trouble is reported.

3. Time and date the trouble is resolved.

mailto:dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov mailto:dis.contracts@arkansas.com mailto:dis.contracts@arkansas.com

2.9 OUTAGES

A. Restoration of service after catastrophic events such as fires, storms, earthquakes, or accidental damage must be on an around-the-clock basis until service is restored.

B. The Contractor shall describe the anticipated level of response and response procedures in case of a catastrophe.

C. The Contractor shall email the information to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov within thirty

(30) calendar days of contract award for DIS approval. Prospective Contractors should not include this with their bid response.

D. Figure B below defines outages and specifies the maximum response time and resolution times based on level of severity.

1. DIS shall have the right to further define outage terms as deemed necessary during the course of the contract.

2. “Response time” must be calculated as the time from which the outage is reported until the time maintenance personnel arrive on site.

3. “Resolution time” must be calculated as the time from which the trouble ticket is opened with the Contractor until the trouble is cleared and notification is received by DIS from the Contractor.

4. Response times may be met via remote maintenance procedures.

E. DIS business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday excluding State holidays, https://portal.arkansas.gov/pages/State-employees/. However, there are critical locations which operate around the clock and require 7x24x365 Contractor support.

F. Trouble Ticket Reports

Two weeks prior to monthly or quarterly Contractor meetings, Contractor shall provide a report in “.xls” format, via email to the designated DIS staff, of the diagnostic findings, including at a minimum:

1. Trouble ID

2. Trouble circuit ID

3. Time and date the trouble is reported.

4. Time and date the trouble is resolved.

5. Trouble resolution https://portal.arkansas.gov/pages/State-employees/

Figure B: Severity Levels

Severity Level

Definitions

Maximum Response Initial Time

Resolution Time

Critical outages and situations when network services are down and DIS customers are unable to use/access the network.

Four (4) hours Around the clock

As quickly as possible, which on average must not exceed four (4) business hours, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the DIS.

For any critical outage that cannot be fixed remotely, DIS shall have the right to require an on-site response. DIS requested Contractor on-site response time should be no more than four (4) business from time of request.

Major outages and/or repeated failure of service preventing its successful operation. The service may operate but is severely restricted (i.e. slow response, intermittent but repeated inaccessibility, etc.).

Six (6) business

As quickly as possible, which on average must not exceed six (6) business hours, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the DIS. DIS shall retain the right to escalate Level 2 outages to Level 1 at its discretion.

For any major outage that cannot be fixed remotely, DIS shall have the right to require an on-site response. DIS requested Contractor on-site response time should be no more than six (6) business hours from time of request.

Minor outages and/or a problem that exists with the service, but the majority of the functions/services are still usable, and some circumvention may be required to provide service.

Eight (8) business

As quickly as possible, which on average must not exceed eight (8) business hours, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the DIS.

Rev 11/2023

G. Contractor shall provide samples of available performance and maintenance reports that are available to DIS for the services bid and describe how they can be accessed by DIS (i.e., Web Interface, telephone or other electronic access). Performance and maintenance reports must include, but are not limited to:

1. Network Provisioning Performance

2. Network Maintenance Performance

3. Service Billing Performance

H. The Contractor shall email the information to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov no later than thirty (30) calendar days following contract award. Prospective Contractors should not include this with their bid response.

I. Contractor’s Service Manager shall be required to prepare a Service Action Plan (SAP) for complex outstanding service issues if requested to do so by DIS. The SAP must be agreed upon by DIS. DIS shall conduct reviews to audit progress in implementing Service Action Plans in order to document and measure progress toward the desired outcome.

J. Contractor shall submit a sample Service Action Plan (SAP). Contractor shall email the information to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov no later than thirty (30) calendar days following contract award.

Prospective Contractors should not include this with their bid response.

K. Contractor(s) shall comply with the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program, a Federal

Communications Commission (FCC) mandate for prioritizing service requests by identifying those services critical to National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) and be in compliance with all Arkansas Public Service Commission and FCC Requirements.

2.10 SCHEDULE

A. Contractor shall submit a proposed timeline schedule, in calendar days, of the time required for the various components consisting of: facilities check, design, engineering, construction, central office or point of presence upgrades, installation, training, testing, and service acceptance to provide for a cutover date. Contractor shall email the information to dis.network.implementation@arkansas.gov & dis.contracts@arkansas.gov no later than thirty (30) calendar days following contract award.

Contractor should not include this with their bid response.

B. If the proposed timeline schedule exceeds the requested initial installation interval of thirty (30) calendar days or the proposed initial…