ADDENDUM # 04 RFP# Request for Proposal for a User-Pay based Offender Telephone and Video Visitation System for Correctional Services

Transcription

1 DATE: Friday, July 12, 2013 ADDENDUM # 04 RFP# Request for Proposal for a User-Pay based Offender Telephone and Video Visitation System for Correctional Services 2.0 Questions and Answers: 1. Question: In order to help us evaluate call volumes and recognize additional revenue potential, it is very helpful to have the rates currently being charged to called parties under the current contract broken down by call type (collect, prepaid, inmate debit) and bill type (local, long distance, international, etc). Please provide this information or direct us as to where this information can be found. Answer: This information has been provided to the best of our ability in Addendum #01, Section 1.0 #4 and in Addendum #03, Section 1.0 #2. 2. Question: Is the DOJ happy with the rates currently being charged, or are you seeking to decrease (or increase) these costs? Answer: The DOJ is seeking to obtain competitive pricing that will achieve best overall value for both the inmates and the Department. The responses and rates will be evaluated as indicated in sections (addendum #02, section 1.0 #2) and section 5.4 of the RFP. 3. Question: Please disclose any additional fees that are being charged to either inmates or called parties, outside of the rates provided above. Examples of such fees include account funding fees, account set up fees, bill statement fees, refund fees, etc. Answer: All fees applicable to the users should be displayed in the link provided in addendum #03, section 1.0 #2. 4. Question: Are vendors required to disclose any and all additional fees in the RFP response? Answer: Yes, as per Addendum #02, Section 1.0, #2 Proponents are required to provide a table of all rates, fees and charges applicable to all services to be charged to the users. 5. Question: By what means are friends and family members able to deposit money either into an inmate s account or a prepaid collect account? Examples include in person at the facility, over the phone, online, etc. Answer: At present, we do not have prepaid inmate accounts for telephone calls. The friends and family are responsible for all charges with the current system. As per Tab 2 of the Bid Response Sheet, we are looking for the proponent s options that may be included with their proposed system and the kiosk presented in Question: Is the inmate trust account managed through the commissary system or the Jail Management System or other system? If other, please specify. Answer: Currently we do not have prepaid inmate accounts for telephone calls. DOJ does maintain an offender account, which is for the concession purchases only. The current offender account is managed in-house using various off-the-shelf software programs, such as Simply Accounting, Quicken, and Excel. The Bid Response Sheet, section indicates that an offender trust software package is being developed currently and will be implemented prior to March 2014, which the successful vendor cannot access (see per BRS 4.07). This section is requesting proponents describe any experience with merging these systems securely, and confirm agreement with working towards a possible solution in the future. There is no guarantee this will come to fruition. 7. Question: Jail Management Integration Please provide the name and contact information for the current JMS vendor. Answer: The JMS for Justice is an internally owned and developed program called the JEIN system (Justice Enterprise Information Network). As per BRS 4.07, there will be no access to this program as it resides on the government network. The proposed system must function on its own.

2 8. Question: Would the DOJ be open to a third party Jail Management System? Answer: At this time, it is not a consideration through this process. 9. Question: What software can ITS vendors access in order to automate the PIN assignment process e.g. JMS, commissary, other? Answer: As per BRS 4.07, there will be no access to current programs residing on the government network. In section 6.01 we are requesting the proponent s solution for PIN assignment. Also note section 8.01 regarding PIN requests. 10. Question: Typically in our industry inmate telephone and video visitation are two separate systems. Is it acceptable to the DOJ to offer one system for inmate telephones and another for video visitation? Answer: Section 1.2 and 1.3 of the RFP ask for an integrated telephone video visitation system. If two systems are provided, they should be integrated. 11. Question: The DOJ mentioned being interested in recording in person visits. How many in-person visitation phones/booths does the DOJ currently have in each facility? Are these phones currently wired to the inmate telephone system for recording and monitoring? Answer: We mention this as a desirable feature in section At CNSCF, there are 12 male and 5 female visitation phones/booths; at CBCF there are 8 visitation phones/booths; at the new facility, there will be approximately 6 phones/booths. For CNSCF and CBCF, they are not currently wired to the telephone system for recording/monitoring. 12. Question: Does the DOJ anticipate the new facility being fully populated immediately upon opening? If not, is there a schedule for when the facility will be fully populated? Where will inmates for the new facility come from? Answer: This new facility will replace 2 older facilities (50 bed capacity) which will be closing, and take in offenders from other facilities in the province as well as new remanded and sentenced offenders. As stated in the RFP, section 1.4, the offender telephone /video visitation system must be installed when the facility becomes operational (at the time of opening) however, it is anticipated by December 2014, the facility will be at 80% capacity. 13. Question: Is it acceptable to use a binder clip and/or binder ring to hold our responses together? Answer: As per section In the interest of sustainability, please refrain from using binders, binding, plastic covers, etc when submitting the proposal. If you are referring to a large fold-back clip when you indicate a binder clip, this would be acceptable. We would not disqualify a bid who bound their proposal. We are simply looking to eliminate waste, time and excess space, as we will not store any proposals in a bound form. 14. Question: How many network closets support the data network? Answer: There are 4 data closets at CNSCF and 1 data closet at CBCF. 15. Question: Which inmate housing units are supported by each network closet? Answer: At CNSCF, the East Unit, the North Unit and the West Unit are supported by one data closet each, and the final data closet is the main junction point for the facility. 16. Question: Will the vendor be responsible for supplying power to the video units? Answer: Yes, power will be supplied by DOJ, however refer to section 13.01(a) regarding power distribution, etc. 17. Question: Section states the following: The successful proponent must provide and install, at no cost to the DOJ, automatic deposit kiosks within each facility. Automatic Deposit Kiosks should be capable of accepting debit and credit cards. Pertaining to these kiosks, can the DOJ please clarify the following items? a. Can you please detail the services (deposits and/or purchases) which will be available through that kiosk?

3 Answer: The kiosks will be a vehicle for depositing funds into the offender prepaid telephone / video conferencing accounts housed with the proponent. It will not be connected to the Offender Trust Account. The kiosks are to be used for deposits only. The kiosks will allow deposits in the form of debit card and credit cards. BRS is requesting proponents describe any experience with merging or integrating the proponent s prepaid offender telephone / video conferencing accounts with the new Offender Trust Fund accounting system. There is no guarantee this integration will come to fruition. b. For any services which are deposits as opposed to direct purchases, what systems and accounts would these funds be deposited into? Once deposited, what items/services can these funds then be used for? Answer: Once deposited, these funds would be used for the inmate telephone and video visitation system only. In section 13.20, we speak to a possible installation of commissary vending machines; however this is future consideration only. 18. Question: Requirement 2.01 on the Bid Response Sheet states: The proposed offender telephone system must be capable of completing station to station calls for offenders. Today, if an inmate were to make a 15 minute collect call from the Central Nova Scotia CF to a friend in Cape Breton, that call would cost the friend the following: *$6.50 Collect Surcharge + $14.10 (.94 rpm x 15 min.) = $20.60 Is this correct? This is based upon the rates posted on the Bell Aliant web page as follows: =352&subsection=352&bodycont=productsandservices.facts_41_2&section=35&subsection= 35&curbody=35 Answer: Currently the friend would be charged $2.50 surcharge + $14.10 in long distance charges. 19. Question: Please provide vendors with ALL examples of when an Inmate might receive a Free Call? Answer: A free call is applicable as per and of the Bid Response Sheet. Examples of would include their legal aid lawyer, probation officer, parole officer, Human Rights Commission, Ombudsman, and non-profit groups such as Salvation Army, Phoenix House, drug addiction services. 20. Question: Bell Aliant lists Free Calling Areas. Are inmates charged a Collect Person to Person Surcharge when calling the Free Calling Areas? Answer: Yes, they are charged the Station to Station $2.50 surcharge. 21. Question: Funding Fees: When a friend or family member deposits money into an Inmate Calling account, is there a fee charged to the friend or family? Answer: At present, we do not have prepaid inmate accounts for telephone calls. 22. Question: Are there any calling or funding limits today? Answer: The maximum time an offender can be on a call is currently 15 minutes. At present, we do not have prepaid inmate accounts for telephone calls so there is no funding limit. 23. Question: What credit cards are accepted by the DOJ? Answer: DOJ only maintains an offender account for the concession purchases. Currently the department does not accept credit cards for the depositing of funds to these accounts: only Canadian cash, money order, or certified cheque. The deposits are made in person at the facility or through the mail. 24. Question: What currencies are accepted by the DOJ? Answer: Only Canadian funds.

4 25. Question: Accurate call volume reporting is important in order to verify the accuracy of commission payments. Does the DOJ currently receive call volume data with your commission reports? If not, is this a requirement under the new contract? Answer: Currently the information DOJ has is limited. Yes, Section BRS 11.06(j) states the successful proponent must provide to the DOJ a monthly gross revenue report to allow a validation of the commission received. 26. Question: Regarding the call volume data that was provide in addendum 1, question 4, what was the Average Daily Population of the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility at the time those reports were run? Also, do you know if these numbers include collect and prepaid collect calls, or only collect calls? The average daily population for the month of June 2013 was 541 inmates. As noted in addendum #01, section 1.0 #4, the data includes, free, local, denied, attempts/abandoned, any and all usage gross data. This addendum will NOT require further revision to the Closing Date and Time, or other dates given in the Request for Proposal document. The closing date will be July 18, 2013 at 2:00 pm. On your NSRFP tender document, acknowledge this addendum in section 6. Failure to acknowledge addendums may result in disqualification of your bid. Yours Truly, David Mills Manager, Policy and Programs

5 DATE: Thursday, July 04, 2013 ADDENDUM # 03 RFP# Request for Proposal for a User-Pay based Offender Telephone and Video Visitation System for Correctional Services 1.0 Questions and Clarifications: For clarification purposes, the following information is being provided: 1) Appendix C Offender Telephone Locations CBCF - The following telephone locations do not currently have phones installed and will be required to be installed as part of this RFP: Unit C3, Youth Unit A, Youth Unit B CNSCF - The following telephone location does not currently have a phone installed and will be required to be installed as part of this RFP: East Healthcare Unit (admissions area) 2) Question: During the site tours we were pointed to the Bell Aliant website to as below to determine the calling rates presently in place: =352&subsection=352&bodycont=productsandservices.facts_41_2&section=35&subsection= 35&curbody=35 Can you please confirm if the preceding link identifies the correct calling rates under Operator Assisted calls? If these are not the correct posted rates can you please provide the appropriate posted link? Answer: Yes, the above link is correct for the calling rates under Operator Assisted calls in Nova Scotia. 3) Question: Would the DOJ consider multiple pricing options submitted as part of the response? Answer: In section 4.2.1, Commission Rate, proponents should quote a single commission rate for both telephone calls and video visitation as requested. If a proponent wishes to provide other options in addition to section 4.2.1, Section 4.1.9, Added Value, provides for this in that proponents should describe, in detail, any additional services, equipment, options, and capabilities of the proposed system relevant to this RFP but not included in the identified requirements. This addendum will not require revision to the Closing Date and Time, or other dates given in the Request for Proposal document. The closing date will remain as July 18, 2013 at 2:00pm. On your NSRFP tender document, acknowledge this addendum in section 6. Failure to acknowledge addendums may result in disqualification of your bid. Yours Truly, David Mills Manager, Policy and Programs

6 DATE: Friday, June 28, 2013 ADDENDUM # 02 RFP# Request for Proposal for a User-Pay based Offender Telephone and Video Visitation System for Correctional Services 1.0 Clarifications / Document Changes: 1) Clarification: 1.4 Project Schedule, Contract Period and Primary Work Location Phase II: Insert: The Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility (NNSCF) which is currently under construction is predicting that the timeline for installation of the Offender Telephone equipment will be approximately April / May of This timeline is subject to change. 2) Document Change: Section Forborne Service Rates DELETE IN ITS ENTIRETY. Insert: Service Rates, Fees and Charges Proponents are required to provide a table of all rates, fees and charges applicable to all services to be charged to the users. Provide appropriate details to support your figures, and include the following details: a. To what service they are applied to. b. How and by whom these rates are set. c. How long they are in place for. d. What impacts any fluctuations 2.0 Questions and Answers: 1) Question: What is the expected internet service/capacity for the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility (NNSCF) currently under construction? Answer: A final decision on the internet service has not been finalized. DSL BNS service (coax) or 100MB AE fibre circuit (burstable) service are being considered for this facility. 2) Question: Is there a deadline for asking proponent inquiries? Answer: Our typical practice is not to impose a deadline for inquiries. If a response to a question required an addendum close to the closing date that materially impacted the process, an extension to the closing date would be included. For this RFP, it has been determined that all parties would like to have inquiry deadline, and therefore: Inquiries must be received no less than five business days before the bid closing date to allow sufficient time to provide a response. Inquiries received after that time may not be answered prior to the bid closing date. It is Bidders responsibility to ensure that they have all the necessary information concerning the intent and requirements of this RFP. This addendum will require revision to the Closing Date and Time, or other dates given in the Request for Proposal document. The closing date will now be July 18, 2013 at 2:00 pm. On your NSRFP tender document, acknowledge this addendum in section 6. Failure to acknowledge addendums may result in disqualification of your bid. Yours Truly, David Mills Manager, Policy and Programs

7 DATE: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 ADDENDUM # 01 RFP# Request for Proposal for a User-Pay based Offender Telephone and Video Visitation System for Correctional Services 1.0 Questions and Clarifications: For clarification purposes, the following information is being provided: 1) Project/Implementation Plan This item requires the final plan to include: Shop drawings and product data indicating details of construction, dimensions, capacities, weights, rack space required for head end equipment (listed by "U" space) and electrical characteristics of equipment or material. Include complete project specific system riser, indicating all equipment and wiring between all devices. All drawing measurements will be in imperial units. a) We can provide dimensions, power requirements, etc. Does Nova Scotia want that level of detail of each and every component of our system (i.e. phones, routers, etc.)? Any component that s connected to the system should be included in this requirement. As noted in section 2.2.4, work will not commence until all submissions have been reviewed and accepted by the Dept. of Justice. b) Further to the above question, is this level of detail also required on the draft plan? The level of detail for the draft plan should be as close as possible to the final plan. The draft plan will be evaluated as part of the response as per section Please identify in the draft, items which will require finalization for the final plan. (2) Commission rates Does Nova Scotia require one rate for all service types (phone calls and visitation). Is it acceptable to offer a different percentage rate for video visitation and phone use? As per Section 4.2.1, the Department is seeking only one commission rate to be applicable to all services. (3) What are the current telephone rates which apply to offender phones in Nova Scotia? The current rates which apply to the offender telephone calls are set by the CRTC and are classified as Operator Assisted calls.

8 (4) Can Nova Scotia provide proponents with average call volumes for Nova Scotia Correctional facilities? Unfortunately this information is not tracked with our current system and is not available. We were able to gather a snapshot from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility, provided here, but the gathering of this data is difficult and may not be accurate: Includes free, local, denied, attempts/abandoned, any and all usage gross data Daily report (June hours) = 1,183 calls / 6, minutes Week report (June 18 - June 24 7 days) = 7,659 calls / 46, minutes This addendum will not require revision to the Closing Date and Time, or other dates given in the Request for Proposal document. The closing date will remain as July 11, 2013 at 2:00 pm. On your NSRFP tender document, acknowledge this addendum in section 6. Failure to acknowledge addendums may result in disqualification of your bid. Yours Truly, David Mills Manager, Policy and Programs