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Bidder FAQs
Q1: In responding to the RFP, if a vendor only provides a bid for the locations at 4.5 M and 7.5 M will that prevent us from being awarded any of the business? Basically, my question is…..would some of the locations be awarded to one carrier and the other locations (40 M and 100 M be awarded to another carrier)? Or is CHCC looking for just one carrier? A1: The RFP specifically states under i. General Information: i – i.7 Consolidated bids for the Managed Network are required. Separate bids for technological, logical, or geographical segments, or service elements of the project will not be accepted. Only consolidated bids providing comprehensive solutions for the Managed Network will be accepted. That being said,1.3.2 states In the event it becomes necessary for CHCC to amend, add to or delete any part of this RFP, the amendment will be
posted on the USAC web site, as required by the Order and by the USAC-mandated bidding procedures, and will additionally be posted on the CHCC bidder site.
Q2: In section 4.3, you ask how vendor will maintain edge routing devices, etc. Is this meant to apply to the end user’s internal routing behind the connection or only to the dedicated network to which the user is connected that is owned, operated and managed by the vendor? A2: Router and network management pertains only to the "cloud" side of the network and does not involve management routers or router configurations on the end-user side of the demarcation. This also applies to section 4.3.1.
Q3: Would it be possible to get a copy of the CHCC sites in excel format? This would help greatly in our quoting processes. A3: Yes. If you go the FCC RFP Participants List menu button on left there is now a link to an Excel format of the list.
Q4: Section 3.5.1. states that bidder possess the ability to provide proposed Managed Service in the manner and timeline(s) specified in the RFP. Is there a date when all 188 sites need to be live by? Is there a priority and a timeline for connectivity for each of the 188 CHHCC participants or is the bidder permitted to determine the priority and timeline along with a project plan that they believe minimizes costs and disruption and meets the overall goals of CHA as is implied in Section 5.2? A4: Section 2.2 of the RFP states "Managed Network services shall be provided for 3-year duration". All sites should be live within this timeframe. Please review the Order for specifics as referenced in Section i.3 of the RFP. Bidders should propose a project plan that will minimize costs and disruptions and meet the overal goals of CHCC. Please reference Sections 2.1, 2.2, and 5.2 of the RFP.
Q5: Does “managed Ethernet network” mean that the underlying end-to-end transport technology must be Ethernet or just the end-user site handoff must be Ethernet (item 4.1)? A5: “Managed Ethernet network” only requires end-user site Ethernet handoff. The underlying end-to-end transport technology need not be Ethernet and may be any transport technology that meets the requirements of the RFP.
Q6: Please describe how “non-qualified Member traffic (private sector CHCC members)” differs from “CHCC intra-network traffic” (item 4.6). A6: The main point of this item is that internal enterprise traffic should be segregated from Internet traffic. It is also necessary to identify public/non-profit vs. private sector traffic. The following clarification is offered for Item 4.6: Sub-networks (a) and (c) may be merged as one sub-network as long as packets in the merged sub-network can be identified as originating from (a) or (c) for routing purposes. Sub-networks (b) and (d) may be merged as one sub-network as long as packets in the merged sub-network can be identified as originating in (b) or (d) for routing purposes.
Q7: Section i.2. states that the connection to the FRGP will allow for peering with major tertiary public and non-profit hospitals but 4.5. states that only Internet2 traffic will be routed to the FRGP. Please clarify. A7: To clarify, all traffic between CHCC public/non-profit Members and hospital members of the FRGP shall be routed to the FRGP, not just Internet2 traffic.
Q8: Do you have an update when the Rocky Mountain Health Net RFP will be posted? A8: The FCC awarded the Rocky Mountain Health Net $5.2M for fiber connectivity at the same time they Awarded the Colorado Health Care Connections. Although the Projects are separate, it is possible for a bidder to consider the additional Rocky Mountain HealthNet sites as they are in similar locations as the Colorado Health Care Connections sites. The Rocky Mountain HealthNet sites are currently under review by USAC to determine eligibility. The sites are listed on the FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Program home page. The sites have been paired down to only consider those in Colorado. Posting of the Rocky Mountain HealthNet RFP should be in approximately 2 weeks. The total Points of Presence on the proposed Telehealth Network from the two organizations is 388 at this time.
Q9: What is the maximum anticipated amount of commodity Internet traffic that CHCC members will use if all end-sites connect? A9: Currently, CHCC has no specific benchmark for anticipated Internet traffic. Bidders are advised to state what they believe to be a reasonable assumption as to anticipated Internet traffic. Bidders should also indicate how, if they are selected, they will track actual Internet traffic--respond to probable increased demand--and what impact this would have on their proposed pricing.
Q10: Can you provide the phone numbers for each location? A10: All HCP specific information is included on the 465 attachment which is posted on the USAC website http://www.usac.org/rhc-pilot-program/tools/search-postings-2008.aspx#CO. Please note that all queries should be submitted to the CHCC website via
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Posted responses are the only official means of communication from CHCC. “
Q11: Section 6.1.3. states that the price offered to CHCC Members shall not be conditioned on any minimums. Therefore, will CHCC pay global costs such as Internet2/NLR subscription, FRGP connection, and network design when they are incurred? A11: CHCC WILL PAY GLOBAL COSTS FOR I2/NLR SUBSCRIPTION. VENDOR IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE A 10 MPBS CONNECTION TO FRGP IN SEC 4.5 OF THE RFP FOR CONNECTING TO I2/NLR. MECHANISMS BASED ON DEMAND FOR INCREASING THE BANDWIDTH TO THE FRGP WILL BE NEGOTIATED AS PART OF THE FINAL CONTRACT. NETWORK DESIGN AND ALL OTHER COSTS MUST BUNDLED IN THE PRICE.
Q12: Section 6.1.1. states that "Vendor shall offer statewide, standardized pricing by subscribed end-user bandwidth...". May pricing have both a Non-Recurring (setup) and Recurring (monthly or annual) component for each bandwidth level? A12: NON-RECURRING (SETUP) AND RECURRING (MONTHLY OR ANNUAL) PRICING COMPONENTS AT EACH BANDWIDTH LEVEL ARE ALLOWED. HOWEVER, VENDORS ARE REMINDED THAT A FLAT-RATE, STATE-WIDE PRICE, BY BANDWDITH LEVEL MUST BE PROPOSED. THE NON-RECURRING (SETUP) COMPONENT MUST BE THE SAME FOR ALL CONNECTIONS OF A GIVEN BANDWIDTH LEVEL REGARDLESS OF THE INSTALLATION COSTS ENTAILED FOR A SPECIFIC SITE. IN OTHER WORDS, HIGH-COST SERVICE AREA COSTS ARE TO BE AVERAGED ACROSS THE NETWORK.
Q13:I could not find a deadline for requests so I am curious if you are still accepting bids for this network or if the RFP is closed? A13: The RFP states: 1.3.3. Five (5) copies of bid proposals must be received at the CHCC office (to Steve Ward, see address on cover page) no later than 16:00 MDT on the 29th day following the day of posting of this RFP on the RHCPP web site, or the next business day if the 29th day falls on a weekend or holiday. This receipt deadline requirement is a mandatory requirement and is not subject to waiver by CHCC. Accordingly, no bid proposals will be accepted after the date and time specified. A late bid proposal will be returned unopened to the bidder. The RFP was posted to the USAC site on September 15, 2008. The proposal is due at 16:00 MDT on October 13, 2008. Q14: After reviewing the responses to the RFPs so far, does it look like there will be a need to post an addendum for carriers that can bid on certain locations? A14: As of October 14th 2008, the bidding on the RFP is closed. The IT review committee will be meeting on October 22, 2008 to review of bids aagainst the evaluation criteria. At this point in time (October 17, 2008) it is too early to answer this question. Q15: Does the board know after reviewing the carriers responses on the 22nd, if an addendum will be posted for this RFP? A15: The IT RDO review committee recommended that CHCC negotiate further with Qwest. CHCC still reserves the right to review the oother proposals that were submitted or to post the RFP for additional bids. That decision will occur after January1, 2009.
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