Eng. El-Desouky, Central Department Chief (CDC) of Administration, Stores & Purchases, ARENTO, Cairo, An Action for the USAID program

C -- NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER, TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR SUPPORT (TSS) PROJECT, ARENTO, EGYPT POC Contact Person: Mr. John D. Von Bergen, Project Manager, GTE, Tel. 20-2-365-4340, Fax 20-2-365-4346. Mr. C. Wayne Ray, Contracts Manager, GTE, Tel. 20-2-365-4340, Fax 20-2-365-4346. Eng. Ali El-Desouky, Central Department Chief (CDC) of Administration, Stores and Purchases, ARENTO, 9th Floor, Opera Exchange, Ataba Square, Cairo, Egypt. The Arab Republic of Egypt National Telecommunications Organization (ARENTO), a Public Sector Organization under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Government of Egypt, (Cairo, Egypt) is contemplating the addition of an integrated Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) Operations Center (NOC) and invites expressions of interest and submission of prequalification questionnaires, for the purpose of shortlisting, from U.S. system integration firms who can demonstrate extensive experience and capability to bid for a Host Country Design/Build Contract to Design, Engineer, Furnish, Install, Maintain, and provide Personnel Training for a NOC. To be qualified, a contractor or joint venture must be able to demonstrate experience with projects of similar complexity (a totally integrated mixture of facilities, hardware, and software) and magnitude. The ARENTO Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is composed of many different switch types, mainly the Siemens EWSD, AT&T 5ESS, Ericsson AXE-10, and Alcatel E10B and OCB283. Surveillance & Control of the existing switches is provided for by Centralized Operations & Maintenance centers (COM centers) by switch type. The NOC shall interface to the existing COM centers via a CCITT TMN standard interface for surveillance of the ARENTO switches. The NOC shall interface via a CCITT TMN standard interface to sub-network controllers of the transmission equipment for Transmission Surveillance. The NOC shall be located in an ARENTO building, newly constructed for the NOC, adjacent to the Mohandseen Exchange in Cairo. The NOC project shall be composed of and integrate the following equipments, applications and subsystems: 1. Computer Hardware 2. Computer Software, a. Transmission Surveillance, b. Switch Alarm Surveillance, c. Switch Traffic Surveillance, d. Network Planning, e. Centralized Trunk Testing, f. Inventory & Maintenance Management, g. Facilities Management, h. Security (System Administration), 3. Network Video-wall, A/V & Presentation, 4. Data Communications Network, 5. Facilities, a. PABX, b. Standby Engine/Generator & ATS AC Power, c. UPS, Grounding, and Distribution, d. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, e. Fire Detection, f. Security (Physical), g. Furniture/Furnishings/Fixtures/Finishing. A fixed price Design/Build Host Country Contract with ARENTO is contemplated. Financing of this procurement will be made by both USAID in US Dollars and ARENTO in Egyptian pounds. The U.S. Dollar portion will be paid through a Direct Letter of Commitment (D/LCOM), under USAID Project No. 263-0223. Egyptian Pounds funding by ARENTO will be made via a Letter of Credit issued by an Egyptian Bank. Firms submitting replies must furnish information adequate to: (a) Demonstrate capability, based upon technical expertise, management capability, workload capacity and financial resources to enter into a Design/Build contract, including engineering, design, installation, commissioning, maintenance and training of Host Country nationals, (b) Confirm all computer hardware, software, and related telecommunications equipment which they will provide conforms to AID requirements for "nationality", "source", "origin" and "componentry" as set forth in AID Handbook 11, Chapter 2 and which, in conformity with project requirements, will be AID Geographic Code 000 (USA) with regard to source/origin of the commodities and nationality of the supplier. (c) Demonstrate previous experience and existing capability to furnish the necessary hardware, software and system integration. (d) Confirm the capability and capacity to establish and maintain a strong local dealer organization to support the installation through the warranty period and life of the equipment. It is a requirement that the firms must comply with AID geographic code 000 (USA) for nationality and source regulations. Firms who believe they qualify in accordance with (a), (b), (c), and (d) should request in writing (FAX acceptable) a detailed description of the NOC including discussion of software requirements and systems integration along with the pre- qualification questionnaire from the Contact Point and return the completed questionnaire and information in response to (a), (b), (c), and (d) by 12:00 Noon, Cairo time, January 30, 1997 to the following address: C/O Eng. Ali El-Desouky, Central Department Chief (CDC) of Administration, Stores and Purchases, ARENTO, 9th Floor, Opera Exchange, Ataba Square, Cairo, Egypt. Pre- qualification questionnaires submitted after 12:00 Noon, Cairo time, January 30, 1997 may be returned unopened. Failure to fully complete the questionnaires or supply the required information may result in disqualification of the firm. If a joint venture seeks pre-qualification, information must be submitted for all firms in the joint venture. A Request for Technical Proposal (RFTP) will be issued on or about March 1,1997 to the Short Listed firms who have met the pre-qualification requirements. Procurement of the NOC shall follow a two step process. A Pre-bid Conference will be held on March 15, 1997, at 15000 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly, VA (near Washington Dulles Airport). An in-country Pre-Bid Conference and Site Visit will be held April 1-3, 1997 in Cairo & Alexandria, Egypt. Written questions will be received until May 1, 1997. Anticipated Due Date technical Bid: June 1, 1997. It is contemplated that after the technical proposals have been evaluated, those firms whose technical proposals have been deemed fully acceptable will receive an Invitation For Bid (IFB), request for priced Bid on or about August 1, 1997 with a Due Date for priced Bids on or about September 1, 1997. Anticipated Award Date on or about October 1, 1997. It is the intention of ARENTO to award a contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. A one year warranty and maintenance period will be included in the contract. GTE will be ARENTO's Engineer and Construction Management Consultant and shall act as the agent for ARENTO in the award and administration of the Design/Build contract. GTE is providing overall direction and management for this project. The Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Agency for International Development encourage and welcome in this activity the participation, to, the fullest extent possible, of minorities and women both as individuals and as members of contracting or sub-contracting firms. In this respect, it is anticipated that the prime contractor will make every practicable use of such personnel and firms. "This CBD notice can be viewed and downloaded using the Agency Gopher. The Gopher address is GOPHER.INFO.USAID.GOV. Select USAID Procurement and Business Opportunities from the Gopher menu. Logon on using the user identification of "anonymous" and the password is your e-mail address. It is the responsibility of the recipient of this announcement to ensure that it has been received from the INTERNET in its entirety and USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes." (0341)

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