FB – 12- 07

Request for Proposal

For a

City of Fairbanks Public Safety Radio Narrow-Banding Project

Issued: April 4, 2012

Responses Due: May 8, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time

All responses must be sent to:

City of Fairbanks

Attn: City Clerk – for Antonio Shumate, Purchasing

800 Cushman Street

Fairbanks, AK 99701

ANNOUNCEMENT

CITY OF FAIRBANKS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO NARROW-BANDING PROJECT

FB-12-07

The City of Fairbanks is requesting proposals from firms qualified and interested in developing and implementing a working plan that will address the required FCC license modifications for public safety agencies in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

This project will be funded in part or whole with Homeland Security Grant Funds (11SHSP-GR34076). Federal contract provisions and Davis Bacon Act per A.S. 36.05.010 apply.

The RFP documents may be obtained at the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 800 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, Alaska or online at by selecting See Invitations to Bid.

A mandatory pre-proposal meeting is planned on April 17, 2012 at 2pm. The meeting will be held at City Hall, Council Chambers, 800 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, Alaska. Verbal questions will also be discussed at this conference.

Proposals must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 and must contain one (1) original and five (5) printed copies with supporting materials and one (1) electronic copy. The proposal must be sent to:

City of Fairbanks – City Clerks’ Office

ATTN: Antonio Shumate

800 Cushman Street

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Telephone: 907-459-6702

Proposals must be submitted in a separate, sealed envelope plainly marked with the bid opening date and time and clearly marked as follows: “SEALED PROPOSAL” – Public Safety Radio Narrow-Banding Project FB-12-07.

The City reserves the right to waive informalities not inconsistent with the law and to reject any or all proposals.

Publish: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 6, 8, 11, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Schedule3
  1. Background Information5

Purpose5

Objective6

  1. Proposal Requirements7

General Proposal Instructions7

Proposal Evaluation Criteria7

  1. Proposal Format9

Section 1 – Executive Summary9

Section 2 – Company Information9

Section 3 – Project Proposal10

Section 4 – References 10

Section 5 – Cost Proposal10

Section 6 -- Completion Schedule10

Section 7 – Sample Contract10

Section 8 – Fee Schedule(Separate Cover)10

  1. Proposal Terms and Conditions10
  1. Insurance14
  1. Owner’s Responsibilities14
  1. Statutory Requirements14
  1. Tax Compliance15
  1. Licensing Requirements15
  1. Selection Process16
  1. Award of Contract16
  1. Right to Reject and Not Award16

Attachment A: 2012 Areawide Radio & Pager Inventory17

I. SCHEDULE

  1. The following is the current schedule as defined by the City of Fairbanks:

Selection Process Steps Date(s)

Release & Issuance of the Request for Proposal (RFP) 04/04/2012

Pre-Proposal Meeting04/17/2012

Written Questions Due04/20/2012

Date for Publishing Answers to Vendors’ Questions04/27/2012

Proposals Due05/08/2012

Decision on Vendor Finalists05/11/2012

Demonstrations by Vendor Finalists (if necessary)05/15/2012

Final Vendor Selection05/18/2012

Contract Negotiations05/18/2012

Begin Implementation05/29/2012

Complete Implementation11/30/2012

  1. A mandatory pre-proposal meeting is planned on the date listed in item 1 above. The meeting will be held at City of Fairbanks City Hall, Council Chambers, 800 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, Alaska at 2pm. Verbal questions will also be discussed at this conference.
  1. All questions regarding the RFP should be directed, in writing only, by fax or e-mail no later than 5:00pm, local Alaska Standard Time, on April 20, 2012. Questions received after this date and time will not be accepted. Send questions to:

Antonio Shumate, Purchasing Manager

City of Fairbanks

800 Cushman Street

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Fax: 907-459-6731

Responses to submitted questions will be published on April 27, 2012 and will be provided to all vendors who have confirmed their intent to propose.

Verbal requests for information will not be accepted. Questions or requests for clarification directed to any employee or elected official of the City other than the Purchasing Officer may be grounds for disqualification from the process. All questions will be compiled, answered and distributed to all prospective proposers.

  1. Vendors must submit the original and five (5) printed copies of their Proposal, one (1) electronic copy, and supporting materials by:

May 8, 2012, 4:00pm local time

Send to:

City of Fairbanks – City Clerks’ Office

ATTN: Antonio Shumate

800 Cushman Street

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Telephone: 907-459-6702

  1. Clearly mark remitting proposal: “SEALED PROPOSAL” – Public Safety Radio Narrow-Banding Project FB-12-07

II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Purpose

This project will be funded in part or whole with Homeland Security Grant Funds (11SHSP-GR34076). Federal contract provisions and Davis Bacon Act per A.S. 36.05.010 apply.

The City of Fairbanks currently operates a regional emergency communications center called the Fairbanks Emergency Communications Center (FECC) which provides dispatching service to ten (10) Fire and/or EMS agencies and two (2) law enforcement agencies. The jurisdictions covered by these agencies include areas within the Fairbanks North Star Borough and areas around Delta Junction, Alaska.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that all radio license holders comply with a reduction in their frequency band-width to 12.5 kHz by January 1, 2013. The public safety agencies within the Fairbanks North Star Borough use a mixture of Alaska Land Mobile Radio (ALMR) and legacy analog/digital frequencies to communicate. The ALMR system currently meets the narrow band requirements but the legacy radio frequencies do not. It is the City of Fairbanks intent to bring the legacy radios and licenses into compliance with FCC mandate by November 30, 2012.

The conversion of the legacy radio frequencies to narrow-band compliance must be closely coordinated with all agencies in order to minimize communications disruptions between agencies and the dispatch center. The successful bidderfor this project will evaluate radio inventories supplied by each agency listed below and will complete the listed objectives that constitute the project scope of work. The agencies consist of:

Fairbanks Emergency Communications Center (FECC)

Fairbanks Police Department

Fairbanks Fire Department

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital

Chena Goldstream Fire & Rescue

North Pole Fire Department

North Pole Police Department

North Star Volunteer Fire Department

Steese Area Volunteer Fire Department

Ester Volunteer Fire Department

FNSB Emergency Operations

FNSB Haz Mat Team

Salcha Fire & Rescue

Alternate:

UAF Dispatch

UAF Fire Department

UAF Police Department

Note: City Agencies will receive funding priority over other jurisdictions.

Objectives

The main objectives of this proposal are to develop and implement a working plan that will address the required FCC license modifications for each agency, narrow band and ALMR programming, and borough-wide communications interoperability. The objectives consist of the following:

  1. Review and process the public safety agencies FCC radio licenses and file the appropriate forms to convert their licenses to include narrow-band frequencies with an effective date of November 30, 2012 and any administrative updates. Provisions that allow licenses to transition to narrow band only effective January 1, 2013 must be included. Any fees charged by the Federal Communications Commission for processing the license modifications will be paid by the contractor as part of this proposal. The contractor will provide a list of anticipated fees required to process the license modifications.
  1. Identify from the inventories provided by the City of Fairbanks in Attachment A, those existing radios, pagers, repeaters and base stations that can and cannot be converted to narrow-band frequencies to ensure FCC Phase 1narrow banding compliance and APCO P25 Radio Interoperability compliance. The inventories are the good faith effort by the City to include all radios to be included in this project and will include radios from each of the two answering points and all agencies. If the consultant identifies a need for additional information, they will make such requests through the City of Fairbanks Purchasing Agent. The contractor will provide a per/unit cost for programming additional radios to cover the possibility that additional radios may be discovered during the planning phase of this project. The consultant will provide an executive summary to the City and each individual Department.
  1. Working with the public safety agencies listed above, develop a desired frequency list for each agency, inclusive of ALMR. Frequency designations should be standardized for all public safety frequencies used in the borough. Standardization of frequency lists, as much as operationally possible, is desired.
  1. Letters of authorization, allowing agencies to install a license holder’s frequency in their radio(s), including a count of such radios, will be completed as required by FCC regulations. (Possibly a Borough Wide Public Safety Communications Agreement).
  1. Install new Identification Blocks in all ALMR radios as requested by the ALMR Helpdesk.
  1. Develop and execute a plan for a coordinated, short time frame reprogramming of all identified radios to narrow-band that minimize disruption of communications. Where required, alternative communications system, such as ALMR, needs to be identified to prevent communications failure. Maintain the ability for public safety agencies to communicate without interruption.

III.PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

This section outlines the information that must be included in the proposal. Vendors should review this list to ensure that their proposals include all requested information.

General Proposal Instructions

  1. The proposal must be signed and dated by a representative of the vendor’s company who is authorized to negotiate contracts.
  1. Vendors submitting proposals should allow for normal mail or delivery time to ensure timely receipt of their proposal.
  1. All functionality checklists must be included in your response. Failure to include any of the requested information within your proposal may result in rejection/disqualification.
  1. No negotiations, decisions, or actions shall be executed by the vendor as a result of any discussions with any of the City of Fairbanks officials, employees and/or consultants. Only those transactions provided in written form from the City of Fairbanks may be considered binding. Also, the City of Fairbanks will honor only written and signed transactions from vendors.
  1. The City of Fairbanks shall not be liable for any pre-contract costs incurred by interested vendors participating in the selection process.
  1. All documents for this project, including specifications, shall be in a format and on media approved by the City using the latest Microsoft Office Products. Upon completion, the owner shall be furnished with CD-ROM format of all documents.
  1. The contents of each vendor’s proposal, including technical specifications for hardware and software shall remain valid for a minimum of 180 calendar days from the proposal due date.
  1. The City of Fairbanks will be awarding a contract to a single vendor for all core applications. Vendors are allowed to provide a proposal that includes subcontractors, but the City of Fairbanks will be entering into a single agreement with one vendor. The vendor will be responsible for the timeliness, quality, and deliverables provided by any subcontractors under the agreement.
  1. Additional Services shall consist of providing any other services not included in the consultant’s basic services and will be authorized by a change order signed by both parties and compensated at the rate listed in the Fee Schedule.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

A committee of individuals representing the City of Fairbanks will perform an evaluation of the proposal. The committee will rank the proposal as submitted. The City of Fairbanks reserves the right to award a contract solely on the written proposal.

The City also reserves the right to request oral interviews with the highest ranked firms (short list). The purpose of the interviews with the highest ranked firms is to allow expansion upon, and possible refinement of the written responses. If interviews are conducted, a maximum of three (3) firms will be short-listed. A second score sheet will be used to score those firms interviewed. The final recommendation for selection will be based on the total of all scores achieved on the second rating. The same categories and point ranges will be used during the second evaluation as for the first.

The evaluation committee will forward a recommendation for contract award based on points awarded. The firm, whose proposal is ranked highest, may be invited to enter into final negotiations with the City for the purposes of contract award.

Criteria

The criteria to consider during evaluations, and the associated point values, are as follows:

  1. Experience/Qualifications20 points
  2. Quality of Written Proposal10 points
  3. Key Staff/Sub-consultants10 points
  4. Available Resources10 points
  5. Contractor Location 5 points
  6. Contractor’s ability to complete 15 points
  7. Cost30 points

Total Points Available 100 points

Qualitative Rating Factor

Firms will be ranked using the following qualitative rating factors, excluding cost, for each RFP criteria:

1.0Outstanding

.8Excellent

.6Good

.4Fair

.2Poor

0Unsatisfactory

The rating factor for each criteria category will be multiplied against the points available to determine the total points for that category.

Selection Process

The proposer with the highest total evaluation points may be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the City of Fairbanks. If an agreement cannot be reached with the highest ranked proposer, the city shall notify the proposer and terminate the negotiations. If proposals are submitted by one or more other proponents determined to be qualified, negotiations may then be conducted with such other proposers in the order of their respective rankings. This process may continue until successful negotiations are achieved. The City of Fairbanks reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted.

Appeal Process

A bidder may file a bid protest. The bid protest must be personally received at the City of Fairbanks Purchasing Agents’ office within 10 business days after the Notice of Intent to award is provided. This appeal must comply with the requirements of Article 7 City Code and may be hand delivered or delivered by certified mail.

IV. PROPOSAL FORMAT

Please include the following items in the order listed below:

Cover Letter

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

2. Company Information

3. Project Proposal

4. References

5. Cost Proposal

6. Completion Schedule

7. Sample Contract

8. Fee Schedule (Separate Cover)

Section 1 – Executive Summary

This section should be limited to a brief narrative highlighting the vendor’s proposal. The summary should be free of technical language and should illustrate the benefits and possibilities offered by the vendor. It should be one (1) to five (5) pages long. There should be no cost quotes in this section.

Section 2 – Company Information

The vendor must provide the following information about the vendor’s company that demonstrates its stability and ability to support the commitments set forth in the RFP. The vendor should outline the company’s background, including:

  • How long the company has been in business?
  • A brief description of the company size and organization.
  • Provide any certifications and awards.
  • Detail how many years providing radio system solutions.
  • Total number of customers.
  • Number of employees within the company.

Section 3 – Project Proposal

The vendor should provide plansto research stakeholders for project objectives, general information about the proposed plan for the Fairbanks area, and information addressing area specific issues.

Section 4 - References

Provide references of customers with similar engagements. The information should include agency name, address, contact name, telephone number, date of installation, and a list of applications.

Section 5 – Cost Proposal

A cost proposal is required. A price estimate shall include all tasks to be performed under the contract. The costs should be separated into specific areas such as, but not limited to:

  • Stakeholder Research
  • Project management
  • Hardware needs assessment

Section 6 – Completion Schedule

Please provide a schedule for each objective (please refer to objectives listed in the background information section).

Section 7 – Sample Contract

Provide one (1) copy of a contract for a similar engagement.

Section 8 – Fee Schedule (Separate Cover)

Under separate cover, submit one copy of a fee schedule for all services and any additional services, which may be required in the performance of this work.

V. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Examination of Proposals

Proposers should carefully examine the entire RFP and any addenda thereto, and all related materials and data referenced in the RFP. Proposers should become fully aware of the nature of the work and the conditions likely to be encountered in performing the work.

Request for Proposal Format

Proposals must be made in strict accordance with the format provided herein.

Bulletins and Addenda

Any bulletins or addenda to the proposal specifications issued during the period between issuance of the RFP and receipt of proposals are to be considered covered in the proposal and in awarding a contract they will become a part thereof. Receipt of bulletins or addenda shall be acknowledged by vendors in their proposal cover letter.

False or Misleading Statements

If, our opinion, a proposal contains false or misleading statements or references that do not support a function, attribute, capability, or condition as contended by the vendor the entire proposal shall be rejected.

Clarification of Proposal

We reserve the right to obtain clarification of any point in a vendor’s proposal or to obtain additional information necessary to properly evaluate a particular 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.

Responsiveness

The proposal should respond to all requirements of this RFP to the maximum extent possible. Vendors are asked to clearly identify any limitations or exceptions to the requirements inherent in the proposed system. Alternative approaches will be given consideration, if the approach clearly offers us increased benefits.

Rejection of Proposal

Proposals that are not prepared in accordance with the instructions to vendors may be rejected/disqualified. If not rejected, the City of Fairbanks may demand correction of any deficiency and accept the corrected proposal upon compliance with these instructions to proposing vendors.

Bid Modifications