BARC Campus VOIP Services

BARC Campus VOIP Services

Sources Sought #1134171-SS

This is a Sources Sought notice Only.  This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations.  This Sources Sought is issued for information and planning purposes only as part of USDA ARS market research and does not itself constitute an RFQ.

1.0 BACKGROUND

The United States Department of Agriculture Research Service Northeastern Area (USDA-ARS NEA) encompasses a diverse array of research laboratories specializing in fields ranging from fruits and vegetables to insect pests, genomics, environmental studies, and human nutrition. The BARC Campus has not fully completed a project to migrate all phones off analog systems and have the entire campus implement one consistent system to allow for alarms and notifications in all buildings on campus as well as one instruction set with advanced features for all residents.

2.0 Scope

The BARC Campus Telcom communication system is fragmented with some buildings still utilizing analog phone lines and others fully implemented on a E-MetroTel VOIP system.  The campus has approximately 500 analog lines still to be migrated and at least 35 buildings and locations.  The scope of this contract is to survey remaining campus locations and inventory phone lines, complete the migrations, build a campus alert system and train and support users with whatever equipment is needed to supply the campus with a unified telecom system. 

These professional services include, but are not limited to, the following:

Campus Unified VOIP system migration

Maintenance: E-MetroTel hourly UCX services - Perform maintenance on approximately 340 out of service phones for various reasons

Site Survey: Survey balance of Buildings and existing lines for Telco discovery and design: approximately 35 buildings.

Bldg 306- 307: Final Completion of B307 and B306 providing phone services and wall mounting phones as needed in labs.

Campus Wide Alert System- per building: Setup multi cast paging throughout campus based on locations for emergency audio broadcasts via phones and PA system hardware.
 

Design and Implementation: After surveying and discovery of approximately 35 buildings, provide Data collected for new application design.  Implement design to complete campus migration
Design and Implementation: Provide user training as needed for new and existing users, delayed due to restrictions during Covid.
 

Softphone Implementation and Support: Assist Infinity softphone deployment plan, training, and support as needed.
 

3.0 Period of Performance

Period of performance shall be 12 months from contract start date.

4.0 Facility Security Requirements

The contractor shall work onsite and maintain Lincpass access.

5.0 Primary Area of Contract

In-person visits as required by the USDA.

6.0 Government Supplied Resources

Access to USDA-ARS NEA systems as needed.

7.0 Information Sensitivity

The contractor shall adhere to the Privacy Act, Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Section 552a and applicable agency rules and regulations. The Contractor Program Manager shall ensure that all contract personnel take the required USDA Privacy training.

8.0 Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology

This contract vehicle is subject to applicable industry standards. Each information and communication technology (ICT) product or service furnished under this contract shall comply with said standards at a minimum, as specified in the contract. If any furnished product or service is determined to be noncompliant, the Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor in writing. The Contractor shall, without charge to the Government, remediate or replace the noncompliant products or services within a specified timeframe as determined by the Government in writing. If such remediation or replacement is not completed within the time specified, the Government shall have the following recourses:

Cancellation of the contract, delivery, task order, purchase, or line item without termination liabilities;

or

In the case of custom ICT being developed by a contractor for the Government, the Government shall have the right to have any necessary changes made or repairs performed by itself or by another firm for the noncompliant ICT, with the contractor liable for reimbursement to the Government for any expenses incurred thereby.

The contractor must ensure all noncompliant ICT products and services are provided pursuant to extensive market research and exhibit the highest level of compliance while satisfying the contract requirements.

For every ICT product or service accepted under this contract by the Government that does not comply with industry standards, the contractor shall, at the discretion of the Government, remediate or upgrade the item with a compliant equivalent product or service, if commercially available and cost neutral, on either a contract specified refresh cycle for the product or service, or on a contract effective option/renewal date, whichever shall occur first.

In addition, vendors and contractors shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below for all ICT pursuant to this contract:

For Custom ICT Development Services, the vendor or contractor shall ensure the ICT fully conforms to the applicable industry standards prior to delivery and before final acceptance.

For Installation, Configuration, and Integration Services, the vendor or contractor shall not install, configure, or integrate the equipment and software in a way that reduces the level of conformance with the applicable industry standards.

For Maintenance, Upgrades, and Replacements, the vendor or contractor shall ensure maintenance upgrades, substitutions, and replacements do not reduce the original level of conformance with the applicable industry standards at the time of the contract award.

Service Personnel are ensured by the vendor or contractor to possess the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary to address the applicable industry standards and shall provide supporting documentation upon request.

When providing Hosting Services, the vendor or contractor shall not reduce the existing level of conformance of the electronic content with the applicable industry standards.

When purchasing ICT where 1) industry standard validation is not possible prior to award, 2) the ICT will be changed after the award, or 3) ICT will be hosted in a third-party environment, the vendor or contractor shall test and validate the ICT solution for conformance to the industry standards, in accordance with the required testing methods as defined by the agency.

The vendor or contractor shall document and maintain information regarding the measures taken to ensure compliance with the applicable requirements. This documentation includes but is not limited to testing records, product demonstrations, and reported defects by end users and testers.

In the case of non-compliance where the vendor or contractor claims its products and/or services satisfy the applicable industry standards specified in the contract vehicle, the contracting officer will promptly inform the vendor or contractor in writing of the non- compliance. The vendor or contractor shall, at no cost to the agency, repair or replace the non-compliant products or services within the period specified by the contracting officer.

The Contractor Shall:

This Sources Sought is only for the purpose of identifying potential sources as part of USDA ARS market research. The Government does not intend to make an award based on responses to this inquiry. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government.

Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.  

The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified sources including any Small Businesses; HUBZone small business; service-disabled, veteran-owned small business; 8(a) small business; veteran-owned small business; woman-owned small business; or small disadvantaged businesses. Please state if you are a large business or a small business according to the NAICS code listed in this Sources Sought.

All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response defines how it can specifically meet the specifications for the items requested.  Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.  After review of the responses received, a Combined Synopsis solicitation notice may be published on Sam.gov.

Submit the Following:

Capability Statement that demonstrates your ability to meet the specific requirements, including Company Contact Info

SAM.gov UEI Number

Identify if you are a large business or a small business with NACIS 517311.

Original Point of Contact: All responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received by July 31, 2024, by 2:00 PM EST, the specified due date and time to be considered. 

Email responses to Jennifer Peterson at Jennifer.L.Peterson@usda.gov.

Responses will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Inquiry.

Do not submit pricing information in response to this Request.