REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL #2017-04 for INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER at SMITHERS REGIONAL AIRPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SCHEDULE ACTIVITY (All times are local) DATE Issue Request For Proposals ( RFP ) December 11, 2017 Deadline for Submittal of Written Questions February 9, 2018 Responses to Questions February 16, 2018 Proposal Submittal by 1:00 p.m. February 23, 2018 Evaluation of Proposals (by selection committee) February 25 March 3, 2018 Town of Smithers Council March 13, 2018 Award Notification (approximate) March 14, 2018 Service Minimum Start Date March 31, 2018 Proponents must submit two (2) hardcopies, and one (1) electronic copy of their proposal, on a USB flash drive, in a sealed envelope, by one of the methods outlined below, no later than February 23, 2018 by 1:00 p.m., according to Smithers Regional Airport clocks. Proponents may mail, hand deliver or courier their submissions, clearly marked Airport Internet Provider Request for Proposal, to: Rob Blackburn, Airport Manager Smithers Regional Airport Suite 1, 6421 Airport Rd. Smithers, BC, V0J 2N0 Proposals will not be accepted by email and they must arrive before the proposal deadline outlined above.
INTRODUCTION The Town of Smithers ( Town ) as owner and operator of Smithers Regional Airport, ( the Airport ) requests the submissions of proposals for Internet Service Provider (ISP) services for the Airport. The goals of the RFP are to: 1) increase the Airport's bandwidth and data availability; 2) economize; 3) utilize high quality, state of the art internet services; 4) contract with an experienced and effective ISP; 5) enhance the passenger experience through minimum service interruptions and quick resolution times, and 6) to have the best quality internet available for Airport tenants. This package contains the information, requirements and forms necessary for a complete proposal. Any questions concerning the Request For Proposal (RFP) may be submitted in writing to Rob Blackburn, Airport Manager, at rblackburn@smithers.ca, however, no response will be provided for questions submitted after February 9, 2018. Answers to all written questions will be provided by a written Addendum. All addenda will be posted on Smithers Regional Airport s website: http://www.smithers.ca/airport, and it will be the responsibility of the proponent to frequently check for such additions. In the case that any proponent fails to acknowledge the opening of any such Addenda in the space provided in Attachment A, its proposal will nevertheless be construed as though the addenda had been received and acknowledged. Proponents must not rely upon any oral or anecdotal information from the Airport Manager, or any other Town Staff. 2
I. BACKGROUND For the past several years, the Airport has provided free Wi-Fi internet access to its passengers. As technology has evolved and more passengers are using the service, it has become necessary that the Airport increase its bandwidth and speed capacity. Currently, the Airport averages approximately 100,000 users a year. This proposal is for internet connections that will supply: 1) the airport administration offices; 2) the Airport security cameras; 3) the Airport Maintenance buildings; 4) feed the public Wi-Fi system; and 5) have capacity for Airport Terminal Tenants connections (at the Tenants expense and request) that will not affect the Airport connections.. II. SCOPE OF SERVICES a. Minimum Specifications: i. ISP shall provide no less than 100Mbps download and 10Mbps upload of business class internet connectivity without bursting capabilities and with unlimited monthly volume. Data delivery rate should not to drop below 90% of bandwidth Service Level Agreement, SLA.. ii. ISP shall provide proof of redundant upstream providers. iii. ISP shall provide bandwidth 24 hours per day, 356 days per year. iv. ISP shall have network engineering support 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. v. ISP shall maintain network monitoring capability and notify the Airport at the point of any disruption of service. At no time, shall it take longer than thirty (30) minutes to send notification from the time the outage occurs. vi. ISP shall provide web-based bandwidth utilization reporting. vii. ISP shall grant the Airport primary and authoritative control over the services. viii. ISP shall install all services and equipment included in the proposal. ix. ISP shall guarantee quality of service minimum uptime 99% per month with minimum of four (4) hours response and resolution to problems, with documented discounts given for outages that exceed four (4) hours. The Airport will allow for brief pre-arranged outages during off-hours for maintenance between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. (SLA). 3
x. Network/Transit delay shall not exceed an average of 80milliseconds over a 5-minute period where the circumstances are under the ISP s control (SLA). xi. Packet loss shall not exceed an average of.1% over a 5-minute period where the circumstances are under the ISP s control (SLA).. xii. ISP shall provide analytics of internet usage at least monthly. xiii. ISP shall provide 24 hour 365 days per year account manager contact information. b. General Terms i. Contract Term The ISP Services Contract will begin no later than March 31, 2018 and last for three years with the Airport having an option to renew the Contract for an additional three-year term, or to retender. ii. Pricing Pricing shall be quoted on the three (3) year contract initial term and include an option to extend for an additional three (3) years. Pricing shall be quoted as a monthly cost and will note any potential discounts. 4
III. ELIGIBILITY AND DISQUALIFICATION OF PROPONENTS a. Initial Eligibility of Proponents Experience Proponents must be able to demonstrate at least five (5) years of experience with at least five (5) entities that have a minimum of 100 concurrent connections and 500 unique users. For each entity that the Proponent has worked with, please provide their contact information as well as their number of concurrent connections and unique users a day. Outstanding Claims and Litigation Proponents are not eligible if at the time of submission, the Proponent, or any individual or entity of the Proponent, is in default, has any past due amounts, or is in breach of contract with any previous or existing contract with the Town of Smithers. Further, the Town also has the right to disqualify any Proponent who includes in its proposal a subcontractor with whom the Town has any existing or pending litigation, if the Town deems that such litigation may adversely affect the ability for the parties to effectively work together. b. Acknowledgement of Proponent Proponents shall thoroughly examine and become familiar with this RFP, including attachments, and any addendum that may be issued, as well as the Airport facilities. Failure or neglect of a Proponent to receive or examine any RFP document, or airport facility, shall in no way relieve it from any obligation with respect to its proposal or the obligations that flow from making a successful proposal. No claim shall be allowed, based upon a lack of knowledge or understanding of any document or its contents. 5
c. Disqualification of Proposal Without in any way limiting the Airport s right to reject any or all proposals, Proponents are advised that any of the following may be considered as sufficient cause for the disqualification of a Proponent and the rejection of a proposal: 1) failure to meet initial eligibility requirements; 2) submission of more than one proposal by an individual, firm, partnership or corporation under the same or different names, including the names it does business under; 3) evidence of collusion among Proponents; 4) improper communication as described in Section VII e. below; 5) submissions received after submittal deadline; 6) incomplete submissions; 7) unbalanced proposals. Proposals will be considered irregular and may be rejected for: omissions alterations of form additions not called for conditions limitations unauthorized alternate proposals other irregularities of any kind. All of the foregoing notwithstanding, however, the Town reserves the right to waive any such irregularities. 6
IV. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS a. Format The format of the RFP is up to the Proponent, except for the company information and addendum acknowledgement, which must be in the format provided by the Airport and attached below as Attachment A. However, the proposal should, include the following: 1) Cover Letter 2) Company Information 3) Addendum Acknowledgement 4) Background and Experience 5) Pricing 6) Scope of Work (detailed breakdown on plan to meet specifications) 7) Proposed equipment to be supplied by Proponent 8) Equipment and all costs associated, to be supplied by the Airport 9) References (at least 5) 10) Any agreement or terms and conditions the Airport will be asked to execute 11) Work Schedule and Timeline for Implementation 12) Other information the Proponent deems relevant (including additional services) 13) Exceptions requested by Proponent to any of the RFP requirements b. Submission Requirements Submission Instructions Responders must provide two (2) hardcopies and an electronic copy of their proposal no later than February 23, 2018 by 1 p.m. in the manner described on page 1 of the RFP. Proposals must contain completed four pages of Attachment A. Amendment of Proposal Amendment of a submitted proposal may occur at any time prior to the submission deadline by written request. Amendments will only be accepted through the submission of completely new materials that meet the requirements set forth in the Submission Instructions section above. 7
Withdrawal of Proposal Withdrawal of the proposal may occur at any time prior to the submission deadline by written request. Withdrawal of a proposal will not preclude the submission of another timely proposal, but no withdrawal will be allowed after the submission deadline. V. SELECTION CRITERIA Category & Description Plan to Meet or Exceed Specifications Background and Experience Service Interruptions & Restoration Pricing References Agreement and Terms and Conditions Future Growth Plans for Airport Tenants Value Added Statements VI. VII. AWARD OF CONTRACT Upon review and evaluation of all qualifying proposals, including any interviews that the Airport may elect to require, the Selection Committee will select the Proponent(s) and proposal(s) that it determines, in its absolute discretion, would best overall benefit the Airport. Airport Administration will inform the selected Proponent(s) that it has been selected, subject to Town Council approval. If the selected Proponent(s) are unable to agree on the final terms, the selected Proponent(s) will be excused from further consideration and the Airport may, at their option, select another Proponent(s). Until the Agreement and all supporting ancillary documents have been approved by the Town Council and executed by the Airport Manager, the Town shall have no obligations hereunder. MISCELLANEOUS a. Interpretation of the RFP All questions concerning interpretation of the RFP documents must be made in writing to Rob Blackburn at rblackburn@smithers.ca, no later than 4 p.m. on February 9, 2018. Interpretations and answers to general questions will only be made by written addenda. The Town shall not be responsible for any other explanation or interpretation. 8
b. Consent to Investigate The selection of the Proponent will be based on a thorough investigation into the areas of interest expressed in the RFP. As part of the selection, the Town may request the Proponents to provide such things as, but not limited to, financial records, information on managing partners or participation in an interview process. By submitting a proposal, each Proponent consents to any investigation the Town deems necessary. c. Town s right to Cancel, Reject, Modify or Reissue RFP The Town, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to modify, cancel, reissue or take any other action it deems necessary in the issuance of this RFP. Further, the Town also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted. Prior to the execution of the Service Agreement, no action taken by the Town may be inferred or construed to give rise to any obligation by the Town. d. Subcontracting No subcontracting of service(s) will be permitted under this contract. Proponents that normally re-sell or subcontract portions of their work, similar to those included under this RFP, must certify in their proposal their intent not to do so with the Airport. e. Attempts to Influence Selection Process Except for clarifying written questions sent to the Airport, all Proponents, including any and all persons acting on their behalf, are strictly prohibited from contacting elected or appointed Town officials, officers, employees, or Airport Selection Committee members regarding any matter relating to this RFP. This condition is in effect from the time the RFP is issued until the start of the open meeting at which Town Council is asked to approve the Service Agreement. f. Proponent s Cost of Proposal Preparation Proponents are responsible for any and all costs associated with the proposal process including, but not limited to, the creation of the proposal and any interviews (if applicable). The Town will not accept any promotional items as part of the proposal process and any such items will be returned to the Proponent at its own cost. 9
g. Ownership and Public Record All proposals and supplementary material provided as part of this process will become the property of the Town. Proponents are advised that all information included in the material provided may become available to the public under the Freedom of Information legislation. h. Representation by Brokers The Town will not be responsible for any fees, expenses or commissions for brokers or their agents. Communications by or between employees of, or contractors to the Town and any potential or actual respondent broker or agent are not to be construed as an agreement to pay, nor will the Town pay any such fees, expenses or commissions. By submitting its proposal, the respondent agrees to hold the Town harmless from any claims, demands, actions or judgments in connection with such broker fees, expenses or commissions. i. Disclaimer The information contained in this RFP and attachments, hereto, and any addendum that may be issued, are provided to assist prospective Proponents in the preparation of proposals. The information has been obtained from sources thought to be reliable, but the Town and its elected officials, officers, employees, agents and contractors, are not liable for the accuracy of the information or its use by prospective respondents. 10
ATTACHMENT A COMPANY INFORMATION, PRICING AND TECHNICAL BREAKDOWN AND ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT COMPANY INFORMATION STATEMENT Name of Firm: Principle Office Address: Firm office Telephone Number: ( ) 24 Hour Service contact Number; ( ) Form of Business Entity (check one): ( ) Corporation ( ) Partnership ( ) Individual ( ) Joint Venture Complete the applicable section below, where there is not enough room provided please attach additional information as needed: Corporation Statement Date of Incorporation: Location of Incorporation: Does the corporation/business hold a Town of Smithers Business Licence? ( ) Yes ( ) No The corporation is held: ( ) Publicly ( ) Privately Furnish the name, title and address of each director and officer of the corporation: Directors: 1. 2. 3. 4. Name Title Address 11
PRICING AND TECHNICAL BREAKDOWN The following are values for the works specified within this proposal. Such works and amounts shall be included in the total price. These unit prices do not include taxes. Each unit price is to include all materials and equipment necessary to complete all works in the RFP documents. Price to supply internet service to the Airport Administration offices, security cameras, Airport Maintenance Buildings, and the public WiFi system. Internet Service $/month (not including taxes) Item # Description of Scope of Services 12 Yes No Value Added 1 Provide no less than 100mbps of download and 10Mbps of upload of business class internet connectivity without bursting capabilities and with unlimited monthly volume with data delivery rate not less than 90% of bandwidth (SLA). 2 Provide proof of redundant upstream providers 3 Provide bandwidth 24 hours per day, 365 days per year 4 Have network Engineering support 24 hours per day, 365 days per year 5 Maintain network monitoring capability. Shall not take longer than 30 minutes to send notification from the time of outage occurs. 6 Provide web-based bandwidth utilization reporting. 7 Grant the Airport primary and authoritive control over the services 8 Shall install all services and equipment included in the proposal. 9 Minimum uptime 99% per month with a minimum four (4) hours response and resolution to problems. 10 Network/transit delay shall not exceed an average of 80milliseconds over a 5-minute period where the circumstances are under the ISP s control. 11 Packet loss shall not exceed an average of.1% over a 5-minute period. 12 Shall provide analytics of internet usage at least monthly. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ADDENDA
Proponent hereby acknowledges receipt of all Addenda through and including: Addendum No., dated. Addendum No., dated. Addendum No., dated. Addendum No., dated. Addendum No., dated. Addendum No., dated. Addendum No., dated. However, submission of this proposal acts as acknowledgement of all addenda regardless if such is specifically noted above. Proponent: Authorized Signature: Print Name: 13
Acknowledgment The following proposal is hereby submitted by the entity signed below in accordance with all terms and conditions as set forth in the Request for Proposals issued by the Town of Smithers for the right and obligation to provide quality internet services at Smithers Regional Airport. Name of Proponent: By (Signature): By (Name): By (Title): Phone: ( ) - Mailing Address: Email Address: 14