Request for Proposal

Wireless Network Equipment Vendor and Installation

for

Missoula County Public Schools

Missoula, Montana

October 3, 2014

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 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Notice is hereby given that Missoula County Public Schools, Missoula, Montana, will
accept sealed proposals for a qualified vendor to supply the District with wireless
equipment, installation and project management to replace and/or upgrade the existing
wireless networking in all 21 district buildings. Specifications for the bid are available at:
915 South Ave. W, Missoula, Montana 59801, by email at ljacobs@mcps.k12.mt.us, or
on the District website: http://www.mcpsmt.org

The bid opening date is October 3, 2014 11:00 a.m. (MST) in the district Business
Building located at 915 South Avenue West, Missoula, Montana. No late bids will be
accepted.

If your bid meets or exceeds $80,000.00 then the bid must be accompanied by a
certified check, cashier’s check, U.S. currency, money order, or bid bond in an amount
of not less than 10% of the total bid amount. Formal permission to bid won’t be granted
until the October 14, 2014 Board Meeting. The District reserves the right to reject any
and all bids, and if all bids are rejected, to re-advertise under the same or new
specifications, or to make such an award as in the judgment of its officials best meets
the District's requirements. The District reserves the right to waive any technicality or
informality in the bidding process which is not of substantial nature.

Anyone attending the bid opening or any other meeting associated with this bid, and
needs accommodations for a disability is requested to notify Lenora Jacobs (406-728-
2400 x3021) two days in advance to make arrangements for any special
accommodations.

All bids must be plainly marked on the outside of the envelope: “PROPOSAL FOR
WIRELESS NETWORK EQUIPMENT VENDOR AND INSTALLATION”

Requests for RFP bid documents should be directed to:

Lenora Jacobs, Business Specialist
E-MAIL ljacobs@mcps.k12.mt.us
PHONE (406) 728-2400, ext 3021
FAX (406) 549-0449

For information on proposal requirements and equipment specifications contact:

Russ Hendrickson
E-MAIL rhendrickson@mcps.k12.mt.us
PHONE (406) 728-2400, ext 3028
FAX (406) 549-0449

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 Terms & Conditions
Addendums, Modifications and Changes: MCPS may amend or change this bid prior to
bid opening. All known bidders will be notified of such changes.

Changing, Modifying of Sealed Bids: Any bidder may change, modify or withdraw a bid
either personally or in writing at any time prior to the time set for bid opening. No bid
may be withdrawn or modified after the time set for opening unless the award of
contract is delayed for a period exceeding forty-five days.

Withdrawal of Sealed Bids: Any bidder may withdrawal his bid at any time prior to the
"Bid Opening" date. If however the bid is withdrawn after "Bid Opening" and before
formal "Board Approval", that bid may not be resubmitted for consideration.

Bid Security: (IF REQUIRED): MCA §18-4-312. If the bid is equal to or over $80,000.00
then a bid security requirement will be enforced. A certified or cashier's check, bid bond,
money order, or U.S. dollars in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the total cost of
material or service shall accompany each bid. A company, personal, or corporation
check will not be considered an acceptable bid security for the purpose of this bid
solicitation.

Firm Bids: Proposals marked "PRICE PREVAILING TIME OF DELIVERY" or "LEASE

RATES SUBJECT TO APPROVAL" or other such qualifying statements will be cause
for rejection of the proposal as unresponsive and unacceptable. THE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS AND TO
AWARD THE CONTRACT FOR THE BID CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST SUITED
TO THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND TO WAIVE INFORMALITIES.

General Guidelines: All bidders must abide by all state and federal guidelines dealing
with Workman’s Compensation, Minimum Wage, Prevailing Wage Scale, EEO and all
other applicable guidelines and polices. All agents doing business with the school
district must abide by all applicable discrimination policies and guidelines as outlined in
Title 18, Public Contracts, MCA. By participating in the attached BID, you have agreed
to the terms and conditions outlined above. Missoula County Public School's TERMS
AND CONDITIONS take precedence and priority over all bidding participants' TERMS
AND CONDITIONS.

Governing Law and Venue: The contract shall be governed and construed pursuant to
the laws of the State of Montana. Any action, suit in equity, dispute resolution or judicial
proceeding for the enforcement of interpretation of the agreement or any provisions
thereof, shall be instituted and maintained only in a court of competent jurisdiction in
Missoula County, Montana.

Payment Terms: Payment terms of contract will at a minimum be semi-annual.

Missoula County Public Schools will not accept terms of pre-payment for services.

Guarantee: The contractor shall be responsible for a period of one (1) year for defects in
materials and/or workmanship as related to the project.

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 Request for Proposal
Wireless Network Equipment Vendor and Installation

MCPS is seeking a qualified vendor to supply the District with wireless equipment,
installation and project management to replace and/or upgrade the existing wireless
network. All proposals should meet the specifications in the designs already produced
for the District in 2014 and included in Exhibit A of the RFP. The District intends to
purchase and install a percentage of equipment needed for the designs included in
Exhibit A based on current funding and wiring infrastructure available. See Exhibit B for
detailed breakdowns for each building.

Our goal is to achieve 100% wireless coverage in all regularly occupied buildings of the
school district, and the capacity for each staff member or student to connect multiple,
system-owned or personal devices.

Full implementation of a district wide wireless system will be phased in. A previous RFP
representing Phase I: DESIGN was completed in 2013-14. Subsequent phases will be
building-by-building implementations over the next 2-3 years, based on this design
phase and as funding becomes fully available. This RFP seeks a proposal for PHASE 2
of implementation in eight of the district buildings, with detailed specifications on
manufacture, model, and location of wireless access points and controllers. One vendor
will then be selected and contracted to sell equipment and provide installation for Phase
2 of our implementation plan.

The wired network infrastructure of MCPS is approximately 15 years old and is not fully
capable of supporting the anticipated demands for high-densities of Wi-Fi enabled
devices. Wired network upgrades, not a part of this proposal, will utilize the design
criteria presented in the proposal, to build the robust wired/wireless computer network
for future use. The district goal is to bring the wired infrastructure up to a minimum of 1
GB connections to all IDFs and to ensure that all core cabling and switching hardware
has the capability of supporting multiple1 GB connections between IDFs and MDFs
now, and 10 GB connections in the near future.

The current MCPS wireless network infrastructure consists primarily of HP ProCurve

access points, autonomous and MSM controller based. The designs submitted in Phase
1 of this project included Aruba Instant virtual controller architecture and AP-105, 115 or
225 access points with the Airwave Wireless Management Suite.

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The district buildings represent a variety of construction materials, methods, and ages.

The new wireless network shall be an Aruba, controller based, enterprise class wireless
network with a single management console for the entire network. The response should
include manufacturer and model and part numbers of equipment, cabling needs to
support the wireless equipment, and software to meet the RFP’s requirements.
Responses from all prospective vendors should address pricing, service descriptions,
warranty and support information, and any sub contractors or partners used for future
wiring necessary to complete the installation.

There are many services provided through the network. Web access (http), file storage,
and printing are the dominant services provided on the network. Other services include
FTP, multiple multicast applications, computer drive imaging, and streaming video.
VOIP is expected in the near future.

MCPS uses a Windows Active Directory domain. Within MCPS classrooms there are
multiple wireless radio devices; eInstruction Mobi RF wireless slates, eInstruction
Interactive White Boards (RF and Bluetooth), RF student response systems, Apple TVs,
and wireless keyboards and mice.

Timeline
This proposal includes classroom buildings and requires specific timelines to be met in
accordance with district schedules.

Date
September 21, 2014 Bid advertised and bid document posted on the
district website http://www.mcpsmt.org

September 28 ,2014 Second bid advertisement

October 3, 2014 Bid Opening

October 15, 2014 Board Finance and Operations Committee Approval

November 11, 2014 Full Board of Trustees Approval

November 12-26, 2014 Contract negotiations with vendor

November 27 Installation work can begin

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 Submittals
Each submitted proposal must include:
1. A response sheet to the RFP Request Questions included in this request (page
11).
2. A detailed materials list and materials cost estimate for the proposed wireless
network installation at Hellgate High School, Sentinel High School, Big Sky High
School, Meadow Hill Middle School, Washington Middle School, MCPS Business
Building, MCPS Administration Building and Dickinson LLC.
3. Equipment specification information for the materials used in the proposed
wireless network.
4. A price quote and timeframe for installation of the wireless network solutions for
the 8 buildings included in Phase 2.

General Specifications
The purpose of this RFP is to ultimately provide each district location with full wireless
coverage. For this proposal, each vendor will provide the district with a detailed quote
and installation costs for eight buildings, Hellgate High School, Sentinel High School,
Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle School, Washington Middle School, MCPS
Business Building, MCPS Administration Building and Dickinson LLC.

The successful vendor shall be awarded a contract to supply the District with equipment
and installation in the eight district buildings identified in Phase 2 and serve as project
manager for installation of the wireless systems.

For this RFP each prospective vendor shall submit a detailed materials list and
materials cost estimate for the proposed wireless network installation at Hellgate High
School, Sentinel High School, Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle School,
Washington Middle School, MCPS Business Building, MCPS Administration Building
and Dickinson LLC.

Price quotes in the proposal should include materials and installation costs for installs at
Hellgate High School, Sentinel High School, Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle
School, Washington Middle School, MCPS Business Building, MCPS Administration
Building and Dickinson LLC.

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 District Buildings and Existing Cable Infrastructure

Size (sq. Construction Gymnasium/ Exiting Cable

School Building ft.)/floors Dates Classrooms cafeteria* Infrastructure

1967 to
Meadow Hill 82,424/1 1989 36 2/1 Cat- 5e
1951 to
Washington 82,787/2 2004 37 2/0 Cat- 5

1977 to
Big Sky 255,873/1 2003 77 2/1 Cat- 5e
1908 to
Hellgate 245,694/3 2003 82 2/1 Cat- 5e
1956 to
Sentinel 279,359/2 2003 85 2/1 Cat- 5e

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1897 to (office/conference
Administration 29,268/3 1968 spaces) 0 Cat- 6
Business Building 10,000/1 1966 27 0 Cat- 6
1960 to
Dickinson LLC 43,078/1 1966 20 1/0 Cat- 5e
*Gymnasiums server as cafeterias in some buildings.

Each building has different layouts of network drops within classrooms, hallways and
gymnasiums. In most cases, there are no existing network drops in ceilings. The District
plans for full building rewires to be funded with a future 2015 bond project.

Scope of Service

1. The successful vendor will

a. Complete an onsite review/survey of Hellgate High School, Sentinel High
School, Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle School, Washington
Middle School, MCPS Business Building, MCPS Administration Building
and Dickinson LLC to determine the placement of access points.
b. The Vendor must provide a guarantee that the system will operate and
perform as advertised in the key Phase 2 classroom and office locations
when students and staff fully utilize the system. This includes minimum
RSSI of -65 dBm (in both the 2.4 GHZ and 5 GHZ bands) in all designated
spaces.
c. Vendor is responsible for all project management during Phase 2, and
may be retained for project management during future phases.
d. Vendor shall, during the first building installation process, supply training
to MCPS staff regarding specification of network security parameters,
VLAN definition, and installation of any needed services on MCPS-owned
equipment.

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 e. Vendor shall, during the first building installation process, work with MCPS
technical staff to configure the appropriate SSIDs based on the District’s
wireless needs.
f. The vendor is responsible for supplying documentation on all devices
needed to implement the new wireless network.
g. Vendor shall make recommendations and provide quotes to District ISC
staff on POE switches or single POE injectors necessary to complete the
installation.
2. The number of connections in the key Phase 2 classrooms and office spaces
shall be similar to a one to one initiative.
a. Each classroom will need to support 40 connections each.
b. Media Centers and multi-purpose rooms should support 90 connections.
c. Elementary school cafeterias and gymnasiums should support 150
connections.
d. Secondary school cafeterias and gymnasiums should support 250
connections.
e. Administration areas and small meeting rooms should support 12
connections per room.
f. Larger meeting rooms should support connections at 150% of the posted
seating capacity.
g. Offices should support 4 connections per office space.
3. The only Access Points that will be considered must be compliant with the
designs submitted in Phase 1 of the Wireless Implementation Plan – Aruba AP-
105, 115 or 225 access points with the Airwave Wireless Management
Suite.

Evaluation Criteria
Selection will be based upon costs, project management and local capacity for training
and support. The evaluation criteria will consider the following factors:
1. Vendor's qualifications/experience (RFP Response Questions)
2. Vendor's support/service (RFP Response Questions)
3. Proposed product quality/appropriateness/compatibility/performance(RFP
Response Questions)
4. Vendor's total proposed installation price for Hellgate High School, Sentinel High
School, Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle School, Washington Middle
School, MCPS Business Building, MCPS Administration Building and Dickinson
LLC including, but not limited to,
i. wireless system pricing,
ii. upgrades/downgrades pricing,
iii. warranty support,
iv. training, and
v. any other relevant options with associated pricing.

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 Contract Negotiation

MCPS reserves the right to negotiate with any company/supplier submitting a response
to alter, clarify, or further enhance the company's proposals and/or any contract arising
out of the acceptance of the response. In the evaluation of the proposal, the pricing
submitted will be considered the best and final pricing.

Company Experience and/or References

MCPS reserves the right to fully investigate the qualifications of any vendor(s) based on
references supplied and publicly available information. Vendor(s) are encouraged to
supply evidence of experience on projects of similar nature and/or magnitude listing:
customer name, address, contact names, and telephone numbers. The vendor(s) may
also supply third party ratings to demonstrate their success in the IT marketplace.
The winning respondent must provide:

Confidential Material
Any material that is to be considered as confidential in nature must be clearly marked as
such and will be treated as confidential by MCPS to the extent allowable.

Supplemental/Supporting Materials
Please include descriptive literature/brochures in the proposal. All user/owner/technical
reference manuals should be identified for review online or in electronic format by
MCPS

Warranty
Warranty terms on the hardware and any associated software should be clearly defined.

Training
Please describe any training included in the proposal. If there are any costs associated
with training to use the management system or to install the equipment, they should be
clearly defined as separate line items as well.

Vendor Suggested Options and/or Alternatives

Any suggested options or alternatives that MCPS should consider for our network
equipment upgrade must be included in the proposal. The proposal can also include
any alternate technologies you feel would benefit our district and that we should take
under consideration.

In order to remain fair and to ensure the integrity of the proposal process, if an
alternative option is of interest to MCPS all RFP responders will be informed so that

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they may update their proposal to provide supplemental information on the alternative
solution as well.

RFP RESPONSE QUESTIONS

Qualified vendors are required to respond to the following technical and organizational
questions along with providing the pricing spreadsheet.

1. Vendor Information.
i. Year Incorporated
ii. Location of Headquarters
iii. Private or Public?
iv. Annual Revenues
v. Number of Employees
vi. Please provide 3 school districts for references on work.
2. Installation and Project Management Plan
i. What structured project management services will you provide?
ii. What timeline will you follow for implementation of the project?
iii. What POE switches or single POE injectors do you recommend to support
the installation of pre-determined access points?
iv. What service will you provide in the event that the network is not functional
after implementation?

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 MCPS WIRELESS NETWORK DESIGN RFP RESPONSE SHEET
Missoula County Public Schools

Submit Bid by 11:00 a.m. (MST), October 3, 2014 to:

Missoula County Public Schools

Attn: Lenora Jacobs
915 South Avenue West, Missoula, MT 59801
Phone (406) 728-2400, ext 3021
Fax (406) 549-0449

Plainly mark the outside of envelop: “PROPOSAL FOR WIRELESS NETWORK

EQUIPRMENT VENDOR AND INSTALLATION”

Acknowledged Receipt of Addenda Numbers:_______________________.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________ Phone # (voice): ______________

Phone # (fax): _______________________________

Contact name: _________________________________________________

Phone:_________________________

Vendor authorizing signature_______________________________ Date__________

Owner or authorized Representative

Attach the responses to the RFP RESPONSE QUESTIONS.

Attach the detailed materials list and materials cost sheet for Hellgate High School,
Sentinel High School, Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle School, Washington
Middle School, MCPS Business Building, MCPS Administration Building, and Dickinson
LLC.

Attach the complete specification sheets for all equipment proposed for use.

Attach completed bid tally sheet for design work.

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 Price Quote: MCPS Wireless Network Design Proposal
Equipment Cost for Estimated Estimated
Access Points and installation start installation
School Building Switches date completion date
Meadow Hill

Washington

Big Sky

Hellgate

Sentinel

Administration

Business Building

Dickinson LLC

Total Equipment and

Installation Cost

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 CONTRACTOR CHECKLIST
(not required to be submitted)

1. Bid security attached if total bid exceeds $80,000.00? _____

2. Are the RFP Response Questions answered and attached to the proposal? _____

3. Detailed materials listing and cost estimates for Hellgate High School, Sentinel High
School, Big Sky High School, Meadow Hill Middle School, Washington Middle
School, MCPS Business Building, MCPS Administration Building and Dickinson LLC
wireless networking attached?
_____

4. Is vendor information completely filled out on the response questions form? _____

5. Is the proposal signed by an authorized official of the company? _____

7. Are all items attached as required by the specifications? _____

8. Deadline for submitting this bid is October 3, 2014 @ 11:00 A.M. (MST) _____

All bids must be plainly marked on the outside of the envelope: “PROPOSAL FOR
WIRELESS NETWORK EQUIPMENT VENDOR AND INSTALLATION”

Bid documents should be delivered to:

Missoula County Public Schools
Attn: Lenora Jacobs, Business Specialist
915 South Ave W
Missoula, MT 59801
Ph: (406)728-2400, ext 3021
Fax: (406)549-0449
Email: ljacobs@mcps.k12.mt.us

Questions regarding the proposal and equipment specifications should be directed to:
Russ Hendrickson, Senior Information Systems Manager
915 South Avenue West
Missoula, MT 59801
Ph: (406) 728-2400, ext. 3028
Email: rehendrickson@mcps.k12.mt.us

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 EXHIBIT A

Administration Floor Plan Only View

Administration Heat Map View

14
Business Building Floor Plan Only View

Business Building Heat Map View

15
Big Sky Floor Plan Only View

Big Sky Heat Map View

16
Dickinson Floor Plan Only View

17
Dickinson Heat Map View

18
Hellgate Basement Plan Only View

Hellgate Basement Heat Map View

19
Hellgate 1st Floor Plan Only View

Hellgate 1st Floor Heat Map View

20
Hellgate 2nd Floor Plan Only View

Hellgate 2nd Floor Heat Map View

21
Hellgate 3rd Floor Plan Only View

Hellgate 3rd Floor Heat Map View

22
Sentinel 1st Floor Plan Only View

Sentinel 1st Floor Heat Map View

23
Sentinel 2nd Floor Plan Only View

Sentinel 2nd Floor Heat Map View

24
Sentinel Outbuildings Floor Plan Only View

25
Sentinel Outbuildings Heat Map View

26
Meadow Hill Floor Plan Only View

27
Meadow Hill Heat Map View

28
Washington 1st Floor Plan Only View

Washington 1st Floor Heat Map View

29
Washington 2nd Floor Plan Only View

30
Washington 2nd Floor Heat Map View

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 EXHIBIT B

HP Aps
Currently
(all will be
removed) Aruba Aps to add Total Aps
Sentinel 14 30 30
Hellgate 17 30 30
Big Sky 15 30 30
Meadow Hill 5 15 15
Washington 6 15 15
Administration Building 3 12 12
Business Building 3 5 5
Dickinson LLC 18 18
63 155 155

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