Reading is Just the Beginning
Request for Proposals
Regarding a
System-wide Communications Platform Replacement
Presented By:
Will McGinnis, Jr.
Invitation to Bid
LPL is seeking proposals from established vendors who have been in the business of providing Voice-over IP (VoIP) communications systems for a minimum of five (5) years, and who sell, lease, maintain and support the specified system. The purpose of this document is to provide information to submit a proposal. It is not the intent to limit the vendor in any way.
Submission Requirements
Please submit an original and two (2) copies of your proposal in a sealed envelope to the contact person shown below no later than the date listed in the RFP Schedule. No oral or electronically transmitted proposals will be accepted. Proposals not received by the specified time noted will be rejected. Submissions should include the vendor’s response(s) to the questionnaire in Appendix A.
All proposals submitted shall become the property of LPL.
All responses to the Request for Proposal shall be submitted to:
Lexington Public Library
Attn: Will McGinnis, Jr.
IT Manager
140 East Main Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Questions may be submitted via email to:
Evaluation of Proposals
Details regarding this topic are found in Appendix B.
RFP Schedule
Release of RFP / August 1, 2014File an “Intent to Respond” with Will McGinnis. Please include the number of representatives from your company that will be attending the Pre-Bid Meeting. / August 8, 2014
Pre-Bid Meeting / August 15, 2014
On-Site Demonstrations (optional, but recommended) / August 18, 2014 – September 4, 2014
Proposals Deadline (MUST be received by this date) / September 5, 2014
Review of Proposals / September 8, 2014
Vendor Selection and Executive Team Review / Around September 16, 2014
Introduction
This RFP will include multiple projects that are all linked to providing the Library with a modern Voice-over-IP Communications Platform. Some of these projects will be optional components that may not be chosen in our initial purchase; however, your responses to these optional projects will influence our initial decision of a specific technology and/or specific vendor.
We reserve the right to procure different aspects of this RFP from different respondents.
The projects included in this RFP will each have their own specifications/requirements, and are listed here for convenience:
· Power over Ethernet (PoE) Switching
· Telecommunications Platform Replacement (to include Unified Communications Services)
· Advanced Call Center Functionality
· Teleconferencing Service
· Video Conferencing Services
Any response to the RFP that does not provide a complete response to each of these individual projects will not be considered.
About the Library
The Lexington Public Library serves a merged city-county jurisdiction of 300,000+ people through a central library, 5 neighborhood branches, an active Outreach department, and rapidly expanding virtual services. In addition to traditional library services, we support a digital studio with a full array of video and audio editing equipment for customer use; an art gallery; state of the art theater for live performances, movies, and presentations; a job lab where customers can get personalized help with resumes and job applications; a bilingual homework help program; a Storytime Bus which takes our reading readiness programs to children in day care centers; a library cable TV channel; and a "Book a Librarian" program for customers who need in-depth research assistance, reader’s advisory, or help with their digital devices. Whatever your age or interest, you can expand your horizons and exercise your brain by visiting the "people's university" – your local public library. Here you will find resources, programs, and experts to help you explore any topic you desire. Lexington Public Library is ready to welcome you!
Our Vision: A community engaged in a lifetime of discovery
Our Mission: Lexington Public Library connects people, inspires ideas, and transforms lives.
Our Locations
Central Library140 East Main Street
Lexington, KY 40507 / Beaumont Branch
3080 Fieldstone Way
Lexington, KY 40513
Eagle Creek Branch
101 North Eagle Creek Drive
Lexington, KY 40509 / Northside Branch
1733 Russell Cave Road
Lexington, KY 40505
Tates Creek Branch
3628 Walden Drive
Lexington, KY 40517 / Village Branch
2185 Versailles Road
Lexington, KY 40504
Part One: Power over Ethernet (PoE) Switching
- The selected vendor’s proposal will include all necessary PoE switching. A strong preference will be given to Cisco switching equipment. An appropriate allowance for the purchase of the switches at the Library’s discretion will also be acceptable.
- The quantity requirements are:
- Central Library – Six (6) - 48-port PoE Switches
- Beaumont Branch – One (1) – 48-port PoE Switch
- Eagle Creek Branch – One (1) – 48-port PoE Switch
- Northside Branch – One (1) – 48-port PoE Switch
- Tates Creek Branch – One (1) – 48-port PoE Switch
- Village Branch – One (1) – 48-port PoE Switch
- TOTAL – Eleven (11) – 48-port PoE Switches
Part Two: Telecommunications Platform (Including Unified Communications Technologies)
1. Current Situation
The Lexington Public Library has six (6) locations consisting of one Main Library and five (5) branch locations. Each of the branch locations has an independent MITEL SX-200 phone system connected back to the Main Library through point-to-point T1 circuits.
The Main Library has approximately 200 telephone end-points, while each branch location range from 25 to 50 telephone endpoints. These end-points range from analog phones, faxes and digital keysets.
2. Questions (All require an answer or the RFP response will be considered incomplete):
a. Can your organization provide a comprehensive solution that satisfies the scope of work below?
b. While LPL is not initially planning to provide any local, in-building survivability features in the initial design, please describe what features would be available to us in the event of an expansion of the phone system.
3. Scope of Work
a. LPL desires to maintain one communications system for all its locations.
i. It would be preferable to have a single system at our main location, with the possibility of providing a fail-over system at a separate location in the future.
ii. If node systems are required for each location, please note this in the solution’s design documentation.
b. The communications platform should be designed with fault tolerance in mind:
i. (Mandatory) - The primary equipment will be maintained at our main library datacenter, where there are several protections in place, such as HVAC, battery backup power and generator backup.
ii. (Mandatory) - The solution must have capacity for at least two (2) PRI T1s for PSTN Connectivity, and the ability to use them both in a way to ensure line capacity in the event of temporary outages.
iii. (Mandatory) - The phone system hardware must comply with these standard redundancies:
1. Redundant power supplies
2. RAID hard disk configuration with hot-swappable spare
iv. (Optional) - The solution should have the capability to include a fully redundant fail-over system that is able to handle all aspects of the primary system’s functions.
c. All end points, such as handsets, are to be Voice-over-IP.
i. A variety of end point options would be helpful.
ii. A solution to provide analog line service for devices such as fax machines would be helpful.
1. (Optional) – If the solution can provide fax-to-email services, or is fully compatible with a third-party solution that can provide this functionality, please include information on this option, including features and pricing.
d. All keysets must have programmable keys.
i. (Mandatory) - The key mappings would ideally have the ability to be applied in a method that would allow some key programs (such as voicemail access) to be applied to all phones on the system in the same place, while other keys would be applied to telephones based on their location, or function.
e. Mandatory features
i. Voicemail
ii. Call Transfer
iii. Placing calls on hold
iv. Call distribution groups
v. Call forwarding to an internal extension
vi. Call forwarding to an external phone number, such as a mobile telephone
vii. Automated attendant that supports a multi-level menu system
Part Three: Call Center Functionalities
1. Current Situation
The current phone system does not have any call center functions. To accommodate inbound call flows, telephone extensions employ a complicated call-forwarding procedure that is easily broken and leads to staffing concerns (having to place staff where telephones are, rather than where they may be better utilized) and customer frustration.
It is very desirable to route our incoming calls to the least busy location to reduce customer frustrations as staff balance incoming phone calls and walk-up customers as well. This is not possible to do this with our existing system.
2. Anticipated Outcome
Customers would be better served by a call queueing system that allowed them to know where they were in line for a person. Allowing the phone system to manage these calls for us would improve our ability to plan around call volumes and with more handset options, provide a more flexible and responsive staffing plan for our locations.
Incoming calls would be routed to a live person at a location based on a location’s ability to handle the call, rather than on a fixed extension. This could be accomplished through either a simple schedule that LPL evaluates regularly and updates as location usage patterns evolve, or perhaps the phone system links directly to the Library’s building capacity sensors to dynamically determine where best to send the caller.
3. Questions
a. Are these anticipated outcomes possible through your solution’s basic calling features bundled with the core system, or will an additional package be required?
i. If an additional package is required, include the price, and a full list of features we will get in addition to what we have requested.
Part Four: Automated Attendant Functionality
1. Current Situation
The current phone system has an Automated Attendant with a multi-level menu system detailed in the next two pages.
2. Anticipated Outcome
At a minimum, the same menu structure would be used in the new system. If the new platform offers options that would improve our menu system, it may be optimized to utilize these new features.
3. Questions
a. Can your solution provide a multi-level Automated Attendant that will provide support for the existing menu system?
b. Can your solution simplify our menu system while still accomplishing the same goals for our customers?
Part Five: Collaboration Solutions
1. Teleconferencing Service
· Current Situation
The current system does not provide a teleconferencing bridge. Calls that include more than three parties are not possible without the use of a third-party product.
· Anticipated Outcome
The library would have the ability to host large conference calls, reducing the need for location managers and other staff to travel to meet in groups. Additionally, the library could potentially offer this service to customers that utilize our meeting room spaces as a value-added offering.
· Questions
a. Can your solution provide a fully-integrated conference bridge with capacity for at least 50 simultaneous parties on a single teleconference call?
b. Is this service functional from mobile/remote devices? If so, please provide a feature matrix that demonstrates what features are available from a mobile device. The matrix should include three categories: On-premise telephones, mobile/remote telephones, mobile/remote devices (such as iPads) that use only the Internet for access)
2. Desktop Collaboration
· Current Situation
The Library does not currently have a solution that enables staff to share information and collaborate through the use of desktop sharing or webcam technologies.
· Anticipated Outcome
Staff can meet in virtual spaces and host internal webinars, or have fully collaborative sessions using their own computers. Services such as this will make scheduling meetings much easier as it will reduce the need to travel to different locations.
· Questions
a. Can your solution provide a fully-integrated desktop collaboration environment that will support up to 250 simultaneous connections?
b. Is this service functional from mobile/remote devices? If so, please provide a feature matrix that demonstrates what features are available from a mobile device compared to a desktop computer.
3. Video Conferencing
· Current Situation
There is not a solution like this in place at this time.
· Anticipated Outcome
The Library would have at least one video conferencing cart at each location that would connect to a conferencing bridge hosted locally in the main data center. This video conferencing bridge would provide support for ad hoc meetings as well as scheduled routine meetings.
The video carts would need to be moveable as there are multiple conference rooms within each location.
The video conferencing system would need to integrate fully and easily with the desktop collaboration software, allowing meeting hosts to control a meeting at either type of connection.
· Questions
a. Can your solution provide a video conferencing solution that meets or exceeds the anticipated outcome?
b. Is this service functional from mobile/remote devices? If so, please provide a feature matrix that demonstrates what features are available from a mobile device compared to a desktop computer.
4. Instant Messaging
· Current Situation
There is not a solution like this in place at this time.
· Anticipated Outcome
Staff at the Library can communicate via Instant Messaging. There is no immediate need to integrate the instant messaging service with other internet-based messaging services, but this would be a desirable option in the event this would be attractive at a point in the future.
· Questions
a. Can your solution provide Instant Messaging services that integrate with the phone system?
b. Is this service functional from mobile/remote devices? If so, please provide a feature matrix that demonstrates what features are available from a mobile device compared to a desktop computer.
Part Six: Reporting/Accounting/Auditing Features
1. Anticipated Outcome
a. System Usage reports that can provide not only aggregate reports (traffic reports, call group wait times, etc.), but also reports that can provide detailed information, such as call accounting for a specific extension or group of extensions.
b. Reports that can provide usage information on the Automated Attendant menu system. The intent would be to determine what parts of the menu are utilized most, allowing us to tailor the menu for ease of use.