27914 - St. Paul (mn), Ramsey County Rfp For Fiber Network

Contract and Analysis Services For City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and Saint Paul Regional Water Service Room 280 City Hall/Court House Building, 15 West Kellogg Boulevard Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102 Phone: (651) 266-8900 Fax: (651) 266-8919

Solicitation Cover Page Please refer to the Specification or Request for Proposals, and other attached documents for a description of the specific needs, requirements, terms and conditions, and submission requirements for the solicitation described below.

Type of Solicitation:

___ Bid

___Quote

Requesting Government:

_X__ Saint Paul

_X__ RFP

___ Other:

__X_ Ramsey County ___ Saint Paul Regional Water Service

Buyer: Mike Brick

Buyer Phone #: 651-266-8909

Solicitation #: RFP A-27914-2

Date Issued: September 11, 2009

Description: City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are seeking to enter into a Public Private Partnership with a proposer representing one or more qualified network service providers or other qualified proposers to assist in our efforts to obtain funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), or other funding sources, for the construction of a next-generation, fiber optic, broadband infrastructure and to provide a turnkey implementation of this Community Fiber Network (CFN) and associated Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and possible other Public Partners. Interested Proposers are directed to review this Request for Proposal (RFP) document including all Appendices carefully and follow the procedures described herein. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County welcome all qualified Respondents to participate in this RFP process. One (1) original (printed), twelve (12) paper copies and six (6) electronic copies (CD) of the proposal must be submitted to the Contract and Analysis Services office by 2:00 p.m. October 12, 2009. Please note that proposals must be received in 280 City Hall and time stamped by 2:00 p.m. on due date to be considered. We will not open late proposals. Deadline for Written Questions: September 25, 2009 Responses to Written Questions: October 9, 2009 Deadline for Proposals: By 2:00 p.m. October 21, 2009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Proposers submitting a response to this solicitation must fill in the information below and include the completed form in a sealed envelope with the original response per the instructions in Section VIII. Company: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Signature: _______________________________________________Date:_______________________ By:

____________________________________________________________________________________ Name

Title

Phone: _______________Fax: ___________________ E-Mail Address: ________________________ E.I Number: _______________________

State of Minnesota Tax ID Number:

(E.I number is the number assigned to your company for filing the “Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return.” U.S. Treasury Department Form 941 or an individual Social Security Number). By submitting a response to this solicitation, Proposer is attesting that its authorized representatives have read and understand all of the solicitation documents (delineating the terms and requirements) and that the Proposer’s submission is made in accordance herewith.

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City of Saint Paul/Ramsey County Joint RFP A-279142 Community Fiber Network (CFN) Public Private Partnership And Community Benefits Agreement September 11, 2009

Table of Contents I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.

Definitions Introduction and Community Overview Background Scope of Project Proposer Requirements General Project Requirements Required Information/Content of Proposals Instructions for Submitting Proposals Proposal Selection Process & Criteria Appendices Estimated Timeline

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Page 3 Page 5 Page 6 Page 8 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 16 Page 18 Page 19

I.

Definitions

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA): An economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009. Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP): The $4.7 billion BTOP program is part of the ARRA and administered and through the NTIA. The BTOP provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas, to enhance broadband capacity at public computer centers, and to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. Community Benefits Agreement (CBA): A legally-binding contract agreement; designed to establish selected Proposer/contract holder’s requirements for providing community benefits. Community Fiber Network (CFN): A fiber-optic, dual conduit broadband network designed to connect City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County buildings and facilities and to other Public Partner buildings, facilities, as well as other public and private broadband networks. Community Technology Center (CTC): A fixed site or mobile configuration that provides broadband access to the general public or a specific populations, such as low-income, unemployed, senior, youth, minorities and people with disabilities. District Energy Saint Paul: Launched as a demonstration project in 1983, District Energy was City of Saint Paul's response to the energy crises of the mid- and late-1970s. The venture was a public/private partnership among City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, U.S. Department of Energy and the downtown business community. It also provides dark fiber to City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and the State of Minnesota. http://www.districtenergy.com E-Rate: The Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, commonly known as "E-Rate," is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and provides discounts to assist most schools and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. http://www.universalservice.org I-Net: The institutional network currently provided through the cable franchise agreement that supplies connectivity for City of Saint Paul. Joint Powers Agreement (JPA): A legally-binding agreement agreed to by City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County, as well as any other public agencies, designed to establish terms and conditions related to decision-making powers and processes. Long-Term Use Agreement: A legally-binding agreement with the selected Proposer/contract holder, City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County and other participating Joint Powers entities, establishing terms and conditions related to access and use of conduit, fiber and related network assets.

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I.

Definitions (continued)

Matching Funds: Private funding requirement(s) as defined by the NTIA to meet grant award criteria. Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA): A public announcement of broadband funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): An agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the executive branch agency principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policies and is responsible for the administration of BTOP. http://www.ntia.doc.gov Private CFN: The conduit, fiber optics and electronics within the dual conduit infrastructure defined in this RFP for use by the Private Partner to support private use, meet NTIA open access requirements, and to maximize community benefits. Private Partner: The Proposer selected to enter into a Public Private Partnership agreement with City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County. Proposer: A primary potential Private Partner representing one or more qualified network service providers, right-of-way contributors, and other qualified Respondents in this Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Public CFN: The conduit, fiber optics and electronics within the dual conduit infrastructure defined in this RFP that is dedicated for use by City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and for open access support of other Public Partner(s). Public Partner: City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and any other public agencies participating through a Joint Powers Agreement. Public Private Partnership: A government service initiative and private business venture which will be funded and operated through a partnership of City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partners, and one or more private sector companies. Respondent: An organization submitting a response to this Request for Proposal (RFP). Service Level Agreement (SLA): The formal agreement defining network performance and service level expectations and requirements during the implementation and ongoing management and operations of the network. The SLA will include target performance measures, unacceptable measures and penalties for not meeting required service levels.

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II. Introduction and Community Overview City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are seeking to enter into a Public Private Partnership with a Proposer representing one or more qualified network service providers or other qualified Respondents to support in our efforts to obtain funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), or other funding sources, for the construction of a next-generation fiber optic, broadband infrastructure and to provide a complete implementation of a Community Fiber Network (CFN) and associated Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partners. A Public Private Partnership Application will be made to the NTIA under its authority to grant funds under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. NTIA grant funding will be requested to support the installation of a fiber optic, dual conduit broadband infrastructure to meet the needs of City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, other Public Partners and the selected Proposer/contract holder. In the event NTIA funds are unavailable, the Public Private Partnership will analyze funding alternatives. The selected Proposer will enter into a Public Private Partnership contract agreement which will secure the opportunity to construct, implement and operate the Private and/or Public CFN. This RFP is designed to identify qualified potential Private Partners, solicit creative broadband technology infrastructure solutions, sound business models and plans, and innovative Community Benefit Agreement provisions from Respondent submittals. Ramsey County, Minnesota, is named after the first Governor of the Minnesota Territory, Alexander Ramsey. The act creating the first nine counties of Minnesota, including Ramsey, was passed and signed October 27, 1849. As of the census of 2000, there were 511,035 people, 201,236 households, and 119,936 families residing in the county. There are 19 cities within Ramsey County’s 170 square miles. City of Saint Paul has been a municipal corporation since 1854. City of Saint Paul is the Capital City of State of Minnesota. The City covers an area of 56 square miles and is situated wholly within Ramsey County. City of Saint Paul is the second largest Minnesota City in terms of population, budget and estimated land value. City of Saint Paul’s population as of 2006 was 286,620 people across 113,587 households. For expanded descriptions of the County’s and City’s departments, structures, and administration, please visit the following websites: http://www.stpaul.gov and http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/home/index.htm.

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III. Background City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County each rely heavily on broadband connectivity to deliver constituent services and conduct business. Each governmental entity currently meets its connectivity requirements in different ways. City of Saint Paul relies heavily on an Institutional network provided through a cable franchise agreement (I-Net) with Comcast and to a lesser extent on a fiber use agreement with District Energy Saint Paul for use of its network. Ramsey County relies on a combination of leasing agreements and limited ownership of fiber and conduit assets.

Despite the different methods used to provide connectivity, City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County have similar business requirements: • • •

• •

•

Both are out-growing the capacity of their current solutions and need a long-term solution that can scale to meet future business requirements. Both require a cost-effective long term solution for increased broadband connectivity and capacity. Both rely on funding/procurement arrangements that are potentially unstable: o City of Saint Paul anticipates there may be changes to terms and conditions incorporated into the current cable franchise agreement when the agreement is up for renewal in 2013. o The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism, the E-Rate program, is subject to change. The Government Accountability Office in its March, 2009 report to Congress stated, “FCC’s piecemeal approach to performance goals and measures indicates a lack of a strategic vision for the program”. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) noted in an assessment of the E-rate program, given the increase in schools’ and libraries’ level of Internet connectivity, it is no longer clear that the program serves an existing need. o Ramsey County relies heavily on lease arrangements outside of their direct control that do not provide affordable high speed broadband connectivity to all desired locations. Both face growing challenges related to budget cuts and continued loss of State Aid to Local Government. Both understand that the overall health and vitality of the community impacts the level of demand on government services. Along with this huge growth, the makeup of our region's population is undergoing major changes. By 2030, the number of people over age 65 is expected to reach more than double what it is today. The number of people living in poverty is on the rise, especially among our youngest residents. In 2007, the poverty rate grew to 13.5 percent for children under age 5. All of these factors impact the level of local government services required to effectively serve constituents. Both increasingly require seamless high speed and high capacity connections to other public and private broadband networks

For the past year, an internal planning team has been developing a strategy and action plan for replacement for the City’s Institutional network (I-Net) and the County’s lease arrangements with a fiber optic broadband network. The desired broadband infrastructure solution is referred to as a Community Fiber Network (CFN). Passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 creates a unique opportunity for City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County to leverage stimulus funding toward implementation of the CFN. The selected Proposer/contract holder will partner with City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County on a grant funding application in the next round of NTIA funding.

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This RFP details the scope of the CFN initiative, the minimum Proposer qualifications, the Private Partner’s role in the preparation of a grant application, and in the engineering, funding, construction, testing, deployment and management of the CFN. CFN Design and Public Private Partnership Guidelines include: •

• • • •

• • • • • • • •

The Private Partner will be required to construct a secure high quality dual conduit, and best of breed histrand count fiber-optic cable and expandable electronics infrastructure; implemented utilizing current, non- proprietary industry standards and following installation best practices to minimize required maintenance. Hub termination racks, splice locations and connector housings must be designed and installed in a professional and orderly manner, be clearly labeled and allow for rapid installation of additional fiberoptic cables, electronics and patch cords. All terminations in patch panels must be done with SC/APC style of connectors. All splicing during initial installation, maintenance and repair must be "fusion spliced", not “mechanically spliced”. Public CFN conduit, hi-strand count fiber-optic cable and expandable electronics infrastructure will be terminated at all identified City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County or other Public Partner (Appendix E) buildings and facilities, and must support a minimum connection speed of 1 Gbps at all locations and a minimum of 10 Gbps at all identified locations (Appendix E). Please note: the list of Public Partner locations is subject to modification due to expansions, contractions or relocations of real estate to accommodate changes in business requirements. Private CFN conduit, hi-strand count fiber-optic cable and expandable electronics infrastructure termination may also be negotiated at all identified locations (Appendix E), should access to and use of hub termination points within these facilities be desired by the selected Proposer/contract holder. The Private Partner will be required to enter into a legally-binding contract agreement; designed to establish selected Proposer/contract holder requirements for providing community benefits. The Private Partner will be required to provide the grant match requirement(s) as defined by the NTIA to meet grant award criteria. The Private Partner will be required to provide all Senior Leadership, project management, technical, installation, as built documentation and other human resource and field assets needed to effectively design, engineer, construct, implement and manage the CFN. The Private Partner will be required to adhere to all NTIA grant guidelines/requirements, including funding, reporting and Open Access provisions. The CFN will be designed and constructed in a manner that will facilitate cost effective future expansion as required. The Private Partner may propose management and maintenance services to support the Public CFN conduit, fiber-optic cable and electronics infrastructure on behalf of City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County or other Public Partners. Access to and use of City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partner facilities and assets may also be negotiated, if desired.

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IV. Scope of Project A. Project Scope The overarching goal of the CFN is to implement next generation broadband connectivity between Public Partner locations throughout City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County to provide a long term, reliable, secure and cost effective information and communication technology solution for County and City government(s), Schools, Libraries, Public Safety Agencies, Public Works and other participating institutional stakeholders. The selected Proposer/contract holder will: •

• •

Collaborate with City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partners to fund (ARRA or alternative sources) the construction and implementation of the CFN, allowing Public Partners to reduce and proactively control annual broadband connectivity and usage expenses relative to comparable expenses incurred by pursuing similar broadband expansion separately. Construct and implement a broadband infrastructure that will enhance the ability of Public Partners to coordinate delivery of services to constituents. Develop a strong package of community benefits by leveraging this broadband infrastructure to drive positive change for individuals, families, businesses and institutions.

Proposers must, in their proposal overview, fully detail the methodologies they use in business, technical engineering and management expertise, construction experience, human resources, financial strength, technical and customer support systems, marketing and sales capability, and community outreach to demonstrate that they have the capacity and capability to deliver to specifications of this RFP. Proposers are strongly encouraged to provide creative input and propose additional ideas and innovations that will enhance institutional and community benefits and ensure the long-term sustainability of a Public Private Partnership. Proposers must articulate a clear vision of and an implementation plan for, a Community Benefits Agreement associated with the CFN. Proposers must detail how the CFN Public Private Partnership could be leveraged to increase broadband availability and adoption in City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County. Specifically, Proposers should detail how their proposed approach will create community benefits including, but not limited to, applications such as: • •

Supporting innovation in and access to government services, healthcare, education opportunities, workforce skills development and the arts. Enabling expansion of a network of Community Technology Centers (CTC) and other initiatives that provides digital literacy education and promote broadband adoption.

In written responses to this RFP, Proposers must: 1. Demonstrate that they meet minimum Proposer qualifications outlined in this RFP and provide a well documented CFN partnership proposal that fully addresses the business, technical, community and other project requirements described in this RFP. 2. Stipulate and document that the Proposer possesses the capabilities, equipment, personnel, and financial wherewithal to provide an efficient and successful installation of properly operating equipment and to ensure continued maintenance and technical support services of the proposed network in compliance with NTIA grant award criteria. See page 12, 2nd paragraph need to match 8

3. Proposer must present a sustainable business model and a detailed 10 year business plan outlining desired contract timeframe, proposed renewal option(s) and proposed structure and provisions of the Community Benefit and Service Level Agreements.   4. Present a technical conceptual design that demonstrates their ability to provide a long term, reliable, secure and cost effective information and communication technology solution that can be fully integrated into the existing City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County technical environment. See page 12, 3rd bullet need to match 5. Introduce a strong project team and present a comprehensive written project plan outlining the key phases, milestones, resources, timelines, deliverables and communications strategies associated with their proposed approach. See page 12, 5th bullet need to match 6. Effectively communicate how they could best leverage the CFN for significant community benefit and define the anticipated outcomes they believe their proposed approach would create for individuals, families, businesses and institutions in City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County. 7. Provide a managed services proposal and cost estimate for ongoing support and maintenance of the Public CFN conduit, fiber optics and associated network electronics, including lifecycle modifications and upgrades.

B. Technical Requirements 1. NETWORK DESIGN City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County desire to implement a single broadband network to better provide services to all stakeholders, rather than operate and maintain separate network facilities to support IP data, video and voice traffic. The CFN must meet the following minimum technical criteria. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County reserve the right to modify the stated requirements based on Proposer recommendations and/or changes in business requirements identified during the network design phase of this project. •

•

• •

•

Connected - connectivity for the sites listed in Appendix E Address List of Mapped Sites is required. Please note that City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County have evaluated their business requirements and have designated some locations as a lower priority to connect; those sites are not included on the address list. High speed – the network needs to supply larger amounts of bandwidth to sites, many of which are now limited to 10 Mbps or less. The CFN must support a minimum connection speed of 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) at all identified locations. Sites identified (Appendix E) must be supported by a minimum connection speed of at least 10 Gbps. Fault resistant – designed to reduce the risk of network failure. Examples of techniques for fault resistance are to equip hardware with multiple power supply devices and to provide backup power, helping to ensure that no network failure would occur if local electrical power were out. Fault tolerant – network continues to operate when one portion of it fails. Fault tolerance can be achieved by designing the network as a collection of sub-networks, each of which is able to operate on its own if cut off from the rest of the system. From a connectivity standpoint, this can be accomplished by creating multiple pathways over which the network traffic can flow. Redundant – automatic fail-over to alternative/backup services. Automatic fail-over implies the need for a second link and additional equipment that can provide service when a primary link or item fails. 9

• • •

Expandable – the network must be able to grow cost effectively over time. Secure – network is physically protected from unauthorized access. Keeping network components under lock and key is mandatory, so a design including locking covers on underground fiber access points, with all equipment installed in rooms/spaces that are physically secured. Voice and video traffic – City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are required to support IP-based voice and video traffic over the network. Thus the network must be capable of providing appropriate quality of service (QoS).

2. DUAL CONDUIT: The CFN design must include dual conduits and supporting electronics as well as secure and clearly defined demarcation points (outside plant vs. inside wire) within each connected site. One conduit and associated electronics will be for the exclusive use of City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partners. The second conduit and associated electronics will be available for use by the selected Proposer/contract holder, and also to support the Community Benefits Agreement and to comply with NTIA open access requirements. The CFN is not designed to be a last mile FTTH infrastructure. It will connect City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partner locations, other government/community networks, and support community benefits. 3. ROUTING PROTOCOLS: The CFN must include design elements that ensure the network supports the identified requirements, that traffic takes the most efficient path, and that the network can quickly recover from outages including: • • •

Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol. Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (IEEE 802.1w) to enable the network to recover (re-converge) more quickly after a link failure. Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping to reduce the impact of multicast traffic on the network and make multicast traffic more efficient.

4. TRAFFIC PRIORITIZATION: The CFN design must include an enterprise-wide quality of service (QOS) scheme that assigns traffic types using layer 2 IEEE 802.1p prioritization, or other cost-effective method to ensure that mission critical and delay-sensitive traffic is delivered appropriately. Network management traffic (such as OSPF updates) should be set to the highest priority level. Traffic that is sensitive to network delays, such as voice and video communications, should be set to the next higher levels. 5. LOGICAL SEPARATION OF TRAFFIC: The CFN design must include an enterprise-wide layer 2 802.1q vLAN scheme to provide logical separation of traffic designating vLAN(s) by site to ensure that network traffic which is local to a building does not travel over the WAN, thus keeping WAN traffic to a minimum. To expedite network management and troubleshooting, vLAN names should contain the site/location name or designation. 6. FIBER INSTALLATION: To meet the requirement for expandability, the CFN must be designed with a sufficient quantity of fibers to accommodate considerable growth. Another future growth strategy might include a change of the active optics to higher capacity links and/or the addition of wave division multiplexing technology to effectively multiply the total traffic capacity by a significant factor. Accessible, lockable lid, underground vaults must be installed to allow for additions/extensions to the network, and to facilitate fiber repairs. Specifications for these vaults and their installation must include techniques to prevent water damage. 7. ELECTRONICS: All active network electronics must be included in the CFN design and must be compatible with Cisco Systems network equipment. 10

8. ONGOING OPERATIONS/SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS: In addition to physical maintenance of the fiber and electronics, is the selected Proposer will be required to operate and actively manage the Private CFN, and will have the opportunity to operate and maintain the Public CFN on an ongoing basis for City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and other Public Partners. Operational responsibilities in an actively managed network will include: • • • • •

Monitor network performance and errors Update/upgrade switch firmware as needed Maintain network documentation Provide means for designated users to report problems Track and resolve noted and reported issues

Network management services must be provided on a 24x7x365 basis.

C. Contract Structure City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are seeking a single provider to enter into a contract agreement for the Public Private Partnership and its associated management, technical, construction, financial and support services. Proposers may use approved subcontracts to fulfill portions of the scope of services, but there must be a single firm identified and committed to serve as the overall program manager to be accountable for the total scope of work proposed. All subcontractors must be clearly identified in the proposal and all subcontractor agreements must be in place prior to the time of the final contract award. Such agreements must be available for inspection by City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County prior to contract signing.

V.

Proposer Requirements

A. Minimum Proposer Requirements The successful Proposer must demonstrate that they meet minimum proposer requirements outlined in this RFP, and provide a well documented CFN partnership proposal that fully addresses the business, technical, community and other project requirements described in this RFP. The Proposer will be considered the sole responsible party for its entire RFP Response. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will hold Proposer responsible for the performance of all elements of its RFP Response. 1. The successful Proposer must stipulate and document that the Proposer possesses the capabilities, equipment, personnel, and financial wherewithal to provide an efficient and successful installation of properly operating equipment and to ensure continued maintenance and technical support services of the proposed network in compliance with NTIA grant award criteria. 2. The successful Proposer must have demonstrated experience and have completed at least two (2) comparable projects. The proposer must describe these comparable fiber network installations they have been involved with in the past five years similar in size and scope to the specifications of this RFP. Please include client names, contacts, phone numbers, and email addresses of all referenced prior projects. 11

3. The successful Proposer must provide full support for City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County in the ARRA (and other, as applicable) grant request or other funding processes for Community Fiber Network at no cost to City of Saint Paul or Ramsey County. Any remuneration for this work must be requested in the ARRA grant application process and is subject to ARRA approval. 4. The successful Proposer must include a written commitment to provide fund and/or finance a minimum matching contribution equal to 20% of the ARRA grant request as defined by the NTIA. 5. The successful Proposer must present a sustainable business model and a detailed 10 year business plan outlining desired contract timeframe, proposed renewal option(s) and proposed structure and provisions of the Community Benefit and Service Level Agreements. 6. The selected Proposer is required to provide a lead project manager to be the primary, single point of contact for all City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County installations. This person should have PMP or recognized certification; at least five (5) years of project management experience, and be highly skilled in the communication and coordination of multiple projects. Personnel changes may not be made without the prior approval of City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County. 7. The successful Proposer must introduce a strong project team and present a comprehensive written project plan outlining the key phases, milestones, resources, timelines, deliverables and communications strategies associated with their proposed approach. 8. The successful Proposer must present a conceptual technical CFN design that demonstrates their ability to provide a long term, reliable, secure and cost effective information and communication technology solution that can be fully integrated into the existing City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County technical environment. 9. The successful Proposer must provide a managed services proposal and cost estimate for ongoing support and maintenance of the Public CFN conduit, fiber optics and associated network electronics, including lifecycle modifications and upgrades. See page 9, #7

VI. General Project Requirements A. Overall Project Management The successful Proposer will be required to work closely with the designated City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County Project Managers. Similarly, the successful Proposer will be expected to identify an individual who will serve as the key contact person and to specify other staff that will perform various tasks. The City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County must agree in advance to any substitutions of staff during the course of the contract. B. Tax Requirements Minnesota Statutes, 1990, Section 297A.25, amended 1992, require local governments to pay sales tax on many purchases, up to a maximum of 6.875%. C. Travel Reimbursement Rates Reimbursement of expenses, if included, will be made consistent with City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County policies. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will reimburse only the actual cost of out of pocket expenses. If reimbursement for travel is permitted, all airfare will first be authorized by City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County and will be reimbursed at the lowest cost fare available. Lodging, meals, ground transportation and incidentals necessitated by this Agreement will be reimbursed according to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Regular Per Diem Rate Method or actual cost, whichever is less. Mileage will be reimbursed at the IRS 12

rate in effect at the time of travel. Specific categories of cost to be reimbursed will be discussed as part of the final contract negotiations. D. Human Rights/Affirmative Action Vendors bidding to the City of Saint Paul must comply with the City's Affirmative Action Requirements in Employment. These requirements are explained in the documents that are included in Appendix G of this Request for Proposal. If you have questions about the Human Rights requirements, please contact the Human Rights Department at (651) 266-8966. E. Vendor Outreach Program Contract & Analysis Services Division administers the Vendor Outreach Program to assist women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses (WBEs, MBEs, SBEs) in participating in the public contracting process. Lists of certified WBEs, MBEs, and SBEs are available from www.govcontracts.org. Questions may be directed to the City’s Vendor Outreach Program Coordinator, Stephanie Selb at (651) 266-8900. F. Living Wage Requirements Pursuant to Chapter 98 of the Saint Paul Administrative Code, any contract(s) that result from this RFP will require the contractor and any subcontractors to pay an hourly wage that is at least a living wage, as defined therein, for the duration of the contract. Such wages shall be paid to each employee who is working pursuant to the City contract or subcontract or who is employed in the specific location for which the City contract or subcontract is intended to benefit. Failure to pay a living wage for a City contract or subcontract may result in repayment of all or a portion of the contract payments and/or debarment from the City contracting process for up to one year. Any recipient of a City Contract or subcontract shall provide written notice to its employees that they may be covered by the terms of Chapter 98 and shall also provide its employees with a written copy of the Chapter. (available at www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/codes/) No contract may be split or subdivided, nor may any employee be paid through a third party or treated as a subcontractor or independent contractor to avoid payment of the living wage. Potential bidders/Proposers are directed to review Appendix H for additional details about the living wage requirements. Appendix H also contains the Living Wage Compliance Certificate which must be completed by the successful Proposer/bidder and submitted to the Contract and Analysis Services office.

VII. Required Information/Content of Proposals To facilitate review of the information submitted, proposals must contain the following information presented and tabbed in the order shown, including the completion of all worksheets contained in Appendix B and responses to all questions in the worksheets. Proposals that do not contain the requested information may be rejected at City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County’s option. A. RFP Cover page, completed and including an original signature by an individual who is authorized to make representations and commitments on behalf of the Proposer. B. Table of contents C. Completed Appendix B, Proposer Questionnaire Workbook (be sure to complete all tabs) The Proposer must provide concise, pertinent, informative, and well-written responses using the Excel document. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are not responsible for any formulas or calculations in the worksheets. The Proposer will be responsible for double checking all formulas and calculations. 13

The six (6) worksheets shall be used to present all specifications and supporting documentation. The specifications are the minimum required to meet the project objectives and each Proposer must submit a proposal that responds to these specifications. All worksheets and questions must be completed. Proposers are encouraged to provide as complete of an RFP response as is possible. Any additional reference materials that are sent with the proposal shall be clearly labeled with the Proposer’s name and the RFP question number that the material is responsive to. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are not responsible for determining the relationship between additional materials supplied by the proposer and the RFP questions. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County are not responsible for locating or securing any information which is not identified or included in the proposal. The following is a list of the worksheets to be completed by the Proposer. The order of the worksheets and questions are to be maintained in the response. The Proposer is responsible for ensuring the worksheets print out appropriately and that City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will not be required to modify the document for additional printing. The Proposer shall put their name and the proposed solution name in the header of each worksheet and on any additional materials. Worksheet Number Tab 1 Tab 2 Tab 3 Tab 4 Tab 5 Tab 6 Tab 7

Worksheet Name Instructions Proposer Background Business Plan Community & Economic Benefit ARRA Support Network Technology Plan Project Plan

Questions included in Worksheet Questions 1-6 Question 7 Question 8 Questions 9-15 Questions 16-24 Questions 25-29

D. Completed Appendix I. Provisions and Instructions and Appendix J. Installation Practices: Proposers must check the box below each provision to confirm that Proposer will comply with each provision in Appendices I. and J. In addition, these appendices must be signed by an authorized representative which will confirm compliance with each provision herein.

VIII. Instructions For Submitting Proposals A. Copies and Closing Date Qualified organizations (individuals) should submit one (1) original printed copy, twelve (12) additional paper copies and six (6) electronic copies (CD) of the proposal by 2:00 p.m. October 21, 2009 to: Division of Contract and Analysis Services Room 280 City Hall/Courthouse Building 15 West Kellogg Boulevard Saint Paul, MN 55102 (651) 266-8900 14

Please note that proposals must be received in Room 280 City Hall and time stamped by 2:00 p.m. on due date, in order to be considered. Late proposals will not be opened Proposers submitting a response to this solicitation must fill in the information on the Solicitation Cover Page and include the completed form with an original copy of the Proposal in a sealed envelope attached to the outside of the container, with the name of the company, the RFP number and the project title clearly labeled on the outside. The form must include an original signature by an individual who is authorized to make representations and commitments on behalf of the Proposer. Failure to include this original signature may result in the disqualification of the proposal. The remaining paper and electronic copies may be duplicate copies of the original and may be packaged together. (They must be separate from the original, however.) The outside must also be clearly marked with the above information. B. Public Information Data submitted by a Respondent to City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County in response to an RFP are private or nonpublic until the responses are opened. Once the responses are opened, the name of the Respondent is read and becomes public. All other data in a response to an RFP are private or nonpublic data until completion of the evaluation process. "Completion of the evaluation process" means that City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County have completed negotiating the contract with the selected Proposer. After City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County have completed the evaluation process, all remaining data submitted by all responders are public with the exception of trade secret data as defined and classified in Minn. Stat.§ 13.37. A statement by a Respondent that submitted data are copyrighted or otherwise protected does not prevent public access to the data contained in the response. If all responses to a Request for Proposals are rejected prior to the completion of the evaluation process, all data, other than that made public at the response opening, remain private or nonpublic until a re-issuance of the Request for Proposals results in completion of the evaluation process or a determination is made to abandon the purchase. If the rejection occurs after the completion of the evaluation process, the data remains public. If a reissuance of an RFP does not occur within one year of the proposal opening date, the remaining data become public. Proposals submitted in response to an RFP become the property of City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County and will not be returned.

C. Questions Proposers are asked to submit questions related to the specific project requirements and contents of proposals in writing by September 25, 2009 to: Mike Brick Contract and Analysis Services 280 City Hall/Court House 15 W. Kellogg Blvd. Saint Paul, MN 55102 Questions may be faxed: (651) 266-8919 or emailed to [email protected]. Written responses to all questions received will be furnished to all Proposers on or about October 9, 2009. No oral questions will be entertained prior to or after the deadline for written questions specified above. All contact following issuance of the RFP until submission of proposals must be through the Division of Contract and Analysis Services. Attempts to contact City or County staff, elected officials, or evaluation 15

team members directly during the RFP process may result in rejection of a proposal. If a Proposer desires to have material classified as “trade secret data”, they must submit the material along with an explanation of why it should be classified as “trade secret data” by the time & date of written question submission. A decision on the request will be communicated in writing by the deadline for responses to written questions. To receive an electronic MS Word/Excel version of this RFP document including all Appendices, please send an e-mail request to the following address: [email protected] Be sure to reference “RFP A-27914-2 with Appendices" in the subject line of the e-mail.

IX. Proposal Selection Process and Criteria A. Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be reviewed by Ramsey County and City of Saint Paul staff based on the following criteria: Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Description

Proposed CFN Solution

• • • • •

Compliance with minimum qualifications Demonstrated understanding of request Project Approach Proposed Implementation Plan Proposed timeline for transfer to operational status

Technical Capability

• • •

Proposer’s experience with comparable projects Presentation of a conceptual network design Technical deliverables and documentation to support the solution as desired among Public Partners and as required by NTIA

Proposer Qualifications

•

Proposer’s history, financial strength, and evaluated ability to develop a successful long- term ongoing relationship with City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County Proposer’s ability and experience in administering federal grants, managing federal grant awards, and complying with federal grant stipulations and reporting requirements Commitment to provide funding match required, and ability to provide working capital in the time line required. Proposer’s experience and history with construction and 16

• • •

Evaluation Criteria • •

Criteria Description management of comparable projects Resumes of personnel assigned to key project roles Interview(s) with leadership team

Community Benefits Agreement

• •

Proposed community benefits program Evaluated impact on Broadband Adoption in City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County

ARRA Support

•

Demonstration of an understanding of ARRA BTOP program process Agreement to fully support City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County application and adhere to all ARRA BTOP program requirements

•

Evaluation Criteria Business Plan

Criteria Description • • • • • •

Completion of a well developed, long range business plan Presentation of sustainable business model Clear understanding of projected sources of funding Clear understanding of CFN construction and implementation costs and projected use of funds Comprehensive conduit, fiber optics and electronics Managed Services offering Well defined portfolio of potential service offerings

B. Selection Process City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will use a two-step process for this solicitation because staff recognizes the kind of resources required to prepare and evaluate a proposal that fully addresses all areas of concern. To reduce the time and costs for both responders and reviewers, City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will conduct in person interviews with only those proposers that Selection Committee members identify as finalists. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County reserve the right to reject any or all proposals. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County further reserve the right to meet with select firms at any time to gather additional information. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County reserve the right to delete or add functionality requirements up until the final contract signing. As a first step, all proposers will submit the information described in this RFP by the deadline specified and provide their response in the requested format. In the second step selected Proposers may be invited to present and participate in an interview based on the results of the proposal evaluation. Proposers who are selected as finalists may be invited to submit additional information to further detail the proposed solution during this step in the evaluation. 17

City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County require that the project manager and any other key individual(s) for the project participate in any interview process. Proposers are wholly responsible for any and all costs they incur in responding to this RFP, for the interview process and any costs associated with preparing and transmitting proposals. Selected finalist Proposers may be given a list of proposed topics or questions for discussion. All such interviews will take place within Ramsey County at a site to be determined. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County reserves the right to ask for additional information or clarification of the submission from any or all proposers. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will select one (1) Proposer from the qualified responses to begin exclusive negotiations on the agreement for collaboration in submitting Grant Funding request, the basis of which will be City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County Terms & Conditions, and Proposer’s business plan, submitted as part of the required response to this RFP and this RFP. The final contract award(s) will be conditioned upon the successful proposer's complying with all terms and conditions, mutual agreement about the final work plan, and completion of a contract creating the Public Private partnership which is agreeable to all parties.

X. Appendices Appendix A. ARRA Special Terms and Conditions – Financial Assistance: These terms and conditions or Round 2 ARRA terms and conditions if different, will be incorporated in the resulting contract and successful Proposer will be required to comply. Appendix B. Proposer Questionnaire Workbook: The six (6) worksheets in this Appendix shall be used to present all specifications and supporting documentation. The specifications are the minimum required to meet the project objectives and each Proposer must submit a proposal that responds to these specifications. All worksheets and questions must be completed. Appendix C. City of Saint Paul Location Map: City of Saint Paul Locations. Appendix D. Ramsey County Location Map: Ramsey County Locations. Appendix E. Address List of Mapped Sites: Address list of City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County sites. Appendix F. General Terms and Conditions: City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County general terms and conditions which will be included in resulting contract with successful Proposer. Appendix G. Affirmative Action Requirements: Successful Proposer will be required to submit Affirmative Action paperwork described in this appendix within 10 days of intent to award notification. Appendix H. Living Wage: Successful Proposer will be required to complete the forms in this appendix within 10 days of intent to award notification. Appendix I. Provisions and Instructions: All Proposers must complete and include this appendix in their response. 18

Appendix J. Installation Practices: All Proposers must complete and include this appendix in their response.

XI. Estimated Timeline The City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County reserves the right to modify the timeline at any point. City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County reserves the right to cancel all or part of this solicitation at any time. The issuance of this solicitation does not imply any commitment to purchase services from any vendor.

Request for Proposals Mailed

September 11, 2009

Deadline for Written Questions

September 25, 2009

Responses to Questions Furnished

October 9, 2009

Deadline for Proposals

October 21, 2009

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