REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
R-253-C-16
Proposals for a Wide Area Network (WAN) will be received by the Billings Elementary School District #2 and the Billings High School District of Yellowstone County, until 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
Details and specifications may be obtained from the Technology Department, School District #2, 415 North 30th Street, Billings, Montana, 59101 or on the Billings Public Schools website billingsschools.org under Business Services. Sealed proposals must be received prior to proposal opening time. Late proposals will not be accepted.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and to award the contract to the organization considered to be best suited to the needs of the School District, and to waive informalities. All proposals will be considered at time of opening. The Technology Department reserves the right to contact providers for clarification or additional information. ALL COMMUNICATION REGARDING THIS RFP MUST BE DIRECTED TO Kyle Brucker, TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF BILLINGS PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT (406) 281-5050.
Greta Besch Moen
Chairperson
ATTEST: Jeana Lervick
February 21, 28, 2016
Billings Public Schools
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Request for Proposal (Legal Advertisement) Cover Page
Table of Contents
1.0 Proposal Introduction
Schedule of Events
2.0 Proposal Requirements
3.0 Proposal Specifications
Addendum A - Location of Fiber
1.0 INTRODUCTION
February 21, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
Billings Public Schools is enclosing a Proposal for Wide Area Network (WAN) Services.
A mandatory information meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on March 1, 2016. Billings Public Schools, 415 North 30th Street, Room 213, Billings, Montana 59101.
All responses to this Proposal are due by 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
The Billings Public Schools thanks you in advance for your interest and response.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (406) 281-5050.
Sincerely,
Kyle Brucker
Kyle Brucker
Director of Technology
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Task Description Completion Date
Issue Proposal 2/21/2016
Mandatory Vendor Meeting 9:00 a.m. 3/1/2016
Last Day for Vendor Questions 3/8/2016
Proposal Due by 2:30 p.m. 3/15/2016
Evaluations of Vendors 3/15/2016
Complete Reference Check After 3/15/2016
Select apparent successful Vendor After Evaluation
2.0 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
The District Technology Director, 415 North 30th Street, Billings, Montana 59101, must receive sealed Proposals by 2:30 p.m. of the date and time listed in the cover letter. Proposals must meet all specifications and requirements or they will not be considered.
2.1 PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING
A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be will be held Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 9:00 a.m., Room 213 at Lincoln Center, 415 North 30th Street, Billings, Montana 59101.
Kyle Brucker
Director of Technology
Billings Public Schools
415 North 30th Street
Billings, Montana 59101
Phone (406) 281-5050
Fax (406) 281-6199
2.2 PROPOSAL CHANGES OR AMENDMENTS
The District may change the proposal as a result of questions submitted by vendors. The Director of Technology Services will issue all addendums to the Proposal on our website at billingsschools.org. It is the vendors’ responsibility to check the website for updates.
2.3 PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF PROPOSAL
The vendor must certify that its proposal will remain in effect for 45 days after the proposal due date.
2.4 QUANTITY
The District reserves the right to purchase more or less quantity then originally listed or purchase additional equipment up to 45 days. If this requirement cannot be met, please specify allowance date.
2.5 PROPOSAL COORDINATOR
Upon release of this Proposal, all communications concerning this acquisition must be directed to the Director of Technology or his representative. The address and telephone number is:
Kyle Brucker
Billings Public Schools
415 North 30th Street
Billings, Montana 59101
Phone (406) 281-5050
Fax (406) 281-6179
Failure to observe this requirement may result in the disqualification of the vendor from further consideration.
2.6 PROPOSAL RESPONSE DATE AND LOCATION
The Director of Technology, 415 North 30th Street, Billings, Montana 59101, must receive sealed Proposals by 2:30 p.m. of the date and time listed in the cover letter. Proposals arriving after the deadline will be returned unopened. Vendors are solely responsible for insuring that Proposals are delivered on time to the Technology Department. Please submit 3 copies of your proposal.
NOTICE: The District assumes no responsibility for delays caused by the U.S. Postal Service or any other delivery service. Late Proposals will not be accepted, nor will additional time be granted to individual vendors unless the District extends the required submittal date to all vendors.
Proposals must address all requirements in the Proposal. Failure to do so may result in the Proposal being rejected as non-responsive.
2.7 COST OF PREPARING PROPOSAL
The District will not be liable for costs incurred by vendors in preparation and presentation of Proposals submitted in response to this Proposal or in the participation of demonstration.
2.8 ERRORS IN PROPOSAL
Vendors are responsible for errors and omissions in the Proposal and any such errors and omissions will not serve to diminish their obligation to the District.
2.9 MULTIPLE PROPOSALS
Vendors may submit more than one Proposal in response to this Proposal. However, each Proposal must be a separate, complete package, which will be considered independently of any other Proposals from the same Vendor.
2.10 CLARIFICATION OF PROPOSALS
The District reserves the right to obtain clarification of any point in a Vendor’s Proposal or to obtain additional information necessary to properly evaluate a Proposal. Failure of a Vendor to respond to such a request for additional information or clarification may result in rejection of the Vendor’s Proposal.
Such requests for clarification shall be made at the sole discretion of the District, and the District’s retention of this right shall in no way reduce the responsibility of Vendors to submit complete, accurate and clear Proposals.
2.11 REJECTION OF PROPOSALS
The District reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals at any time with no penalty and to waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in Proposals. If it is determined that a person or firm has used inside information in submitting a proposal in response to this proposal, then the proposal will be rejected.
2.12 PROPOSAL DISPOSITION
All materials submitted in response to the proposal, except for proprietary material become the property of the District upon delivery to the Technology Director.
2.13 INCORPORATION OF PROPOSAL AND PROPOSAL IN CONTRACT
This Proposal and the Vendor’s response, including all promises, warranties, commitments and representations made in the successful proposal shall be binding and incorporated by reference in the District’s contract with the Vendor.
2.14 READABILITY
Vendors are advised that the District’s ability to conduct a thorough evaluation of Proposals is dependent on the Vendor’s ability and willingness to submit Proposals, which are well ordered, detailed, comprehensive, and readable. Clarity of language and adequate, accessible documentation is essential, and is the Vendor’s responsibility.
2.15 PRIME CONTRACT RESPONSIBILITY
If a Vendor’s Proposal includes hardware, software, or services to be provided by other entities, it is mandatory for the proposing Vendor to be able to act as prime contractor for the procurement of all of the products proposed to meet the mandatory specifications. In this role, the prime contractor must be the sole point of contact for any and all charges resulting from the purchase of the proposed hardware, software, and services for the initial procurement, as well as any additional items that are proposed to be supplied directly by the Vendor. The primary Vendor must take full responsibility for the demonstration, delivery, and acceptance testing of all of the items proposed to be supplied directly by the Vendor. The prime contractor must also provide maintenance and warranty for its products and pass through warranties of other Vendors.
The Vendor’s Proposal must clearly indicate the hardware, software, or services, which are not marketed or maintained by his/her firm.
2.16 CERTIFICATION OF PROPOSAL
The submission of the proposal shall indicate the intention of the Vendor to adhere to the provisions described in this proposal
2.17 REFERENCES
Please provide a minimum of three references that are using or have used supplies/and or services that you will be providing. Please include company name, location where the supplies/and or services were provided, contact person(s), contact telephone number, e-mail address and a complete description of the supplies and/or services provided and the dates of service.
2.18 BASIS OF EVALUATION
The evaluation committee will review and evaluate the bids according to the following criteria based on a total number of 100 points as follows:
Price 25 points
Ability to Meet Needs 20 points
Management Capability 20 points
Customer Support 20 points
Prior Experience 15 points
2.19 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS
Vendors may withdraw their proposals in person or in writing, provided that such request must be received by the District prior to the scheduled closing time for filing proposals.
2.20 FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT
Each Vendor’s financial proposal must include all costs associated with delivering and installing a system that meets the specifications of Section 3.0. Any other costs beyond those associated with meeting the specifications in Section 3.0 must be separately identified as supplemental. Each Vendor’s financial proposal must certify that the price submitted in this Proposal is inclusive of all hardware, software, delivery, installation, maintenance, training, service, and any other components.
Vendors may propose prices for future purchases of components that remain constant for the term of the contract or proposed prices, which increase over time. If the proposed prices are related to a percentage increase or decrease from a price list published by the Vendor, the price list must be included and the Vendor must describe the number and names of different price lists that are published.
2.21 PROTEST
All questions, inquiries and protests must be submitted to the Technology Department in writing within 72 hours after award of proposal. Upon receipt of the protest, the Director of Technology Services shall suspend award of the proposal until the protest is resolved. The Business Department will gather all necessary information regarding proposal documentation. The Superintendent or his designee will evaluate the protest. If such resolution does not occur to the mutual satisfactions of all parties involved, the Board will decide final action in awarding the dispute.
2.22 SPECIFICATIONS
Only the District may determine what product is best suited and meets specifications outlined in this Proposal. Items that do not meet specifications will be rejected.
2.23 FREIGHT
All prices must be quoted F.O.B. our dock, Billings, Montana.
2.24 INSURANCE
Upon request, School District #2 may require proof of insurance that is required by State Law.
2.25 DEBARMENT/EXCLUDED PARTIES LIST SYSTEM (EPLS)
The information below is from the 2010 Compliance Supplement – Part 3 –
Requirement – Procurement/Suspension/Debarment:
When a non-federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-federal entity must verify that the entity is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded. This verification will be accomplished by checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA). (2 CRF Section 180.300).
VENDOR AUTHORIZATION
Vendor Name ______
Vendor Address ______
City______State______Zip______
Vendor Phone Number ______
Vendor Fax Number ______
e-mail Address______
TAX ID # ______
Authorized Signature ______
A CURRENT W-9 MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH PROPOSAL
BILLINGS PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAY REQUIRE ELECTRONIC PAY OR CREDIT CARD AS OUR SOURCE OF PAYMENT. DO YOU ACCEPT THESE FORMS OF PAYMENT?
PCARD ______YES ______NO
ELECTRONIC PAY ______YES ______NO (PLEASE SEE ATTACHED SHEET FOR INFORMATION ON ELECTRONIC PAY.)
Dear Vendors:
As part of our district initiatives to increase operational efficiencies, Billings Public Schools is now primarily using Electronic Pay. If you are able to support electronic card payments, our goal is to have them paid on or before a 15-day cycle. If not, all check payments will be paid on a 30-45 day cycle. If you can receive payments electronically, your payments will be sent using a single use Commercial Card Number. We will deliver the unique card number to you via a Secure Email.
There are many benefits to your company in accepting payments this way, including:
● Reducing operational costs associated with paper check processing
● Speeding reconciliation by taking advantage of enhanced remittance information
● Optimizing working capital by reducing your Days Sales Outstanding (DSOs)
● Eliminating the need to store sensitive payment information that could potentially be compromised since account numbers provided are valid only for a single use
● Opening new sales channels, such as B2B e-commerce, that may drive more business your way
● Enhancing your competitive position by offering customers greater payment choices, improving customer service, and creating a more efficient customer experience
● Saving time and money by eliminating costly credit approvals, late payments, and collections activity
There is no enrollment process required. We value our relationship with you and want to confirm your acceptance of the new electronic payment process. If you accept this process you will receive e-mails containing all the necessary information to collect and apply our payment and then you will begin to receive our payments electronically!
1. The e-mail will contain the amount we are paying and a link to the specific payment information.
2. Selecting the link will take you to the "Remittance - Sign-on" Screen. You will be required to answer 3 easy challenge questions to open the email and process our payment. All three answers will be provided under separate cover upon your acceptance to proceed.
3. After successfully signing in, you will be taken to the "Remittance Instruction" screen. All the necessary information for collecting and posting our payment will be included.
In the coming weeks, you should receive a call from a Wells Fargo Supplier Outreach Consultant to review with you the details of this new and streamline payment process for us.
We hope that you will find this process to be a quick and easy way to collect and apply our payments going forward. Our expectation is that you will experience all of the benefits listed above.