Social Security Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21207-0696

58 -- PREMISE AND/OR NETWORK-BASED EQUIPMENT/SERVICES DUE 042397 POC Mary L. Biddle Tel: 410-965-9588 The Social Security Administration (SSA) is gathering information regarding current and future technologies available in the toll free call center environment. Respondents should feel free to offer network-based services, premised-based equipment, and/or a combination of both as solutions. Respondents may be requested to provide a presentation as a result of the information submitted. Approximately 72,000,000 calls per year are placed to the current SSA toll-free network. SSA's current network uses call screening, transport, and automated services from AT&T. Call distribution is handled by premise-based equipment (i.e., automatic call distributors). The GSA administered FTS2000 contract with AT&T provides SSA with toll-free inward station access using a single nationwide number terminating on 6,652 circuits at 39 locations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Calls placed to SSA's toll-free number from off-net stations are received at a 4ESS toll switch, which queries via CCITT signaling a network control point to obtain routing information. Calls are then screened by AT&T's Network Prompt (NP) service, which accepts tone input or speech recognition of the digits 0 through 9. Based on caller input NP service routes the call according to predetermined SSA instructions. Calls are then routed by the FTS2000 5ESS switches to either AT&T's Infoworx service or one of SSA's 39 answering sites. Infoworx service provides an SSA scripted interactive voice response menu enabling the caller to hear prerecorded messages, leave a message (i.e., name and address), or to query an AT&T database containing SSA provided information (e.g., location of nearest office by zipcode). SSA also has 39 fully operating teleservice centers (TSC) with Government owned equipment across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. All of the TSC equipment is managed and maintained via SSA administered contracts. Thirty-seven (37) of these sites are using Rockwell International Corporation's Automatic Call Distributors (ACD). Twenty (20) of the sites are hosts and 17 are remotes attached via private T-1s. Thirteen (13) of the 20 host sites are GVS3000's with the remaining seven (7) sites being GVS50's. The 20 host switches have UPS systems and intelligent queuing. SSA's Rockwell sites currently operate under Galaxy 8.1 software release. The 38th site is a Siemens/Rolm 9751 model 50 CBX with customized ACD package and intelligent queuing. The 39th site is an Executone IDS 128 PBX with an ACD package. These 39 switches support a combined total of 8,419 agent workstations, 595 supervisory workstations, and customized management information (MI) reporting. SSA's current call center range in size from 18 agents to 1200 agents. SSA is interested in seeing network architecture technologies that can provide, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Inbound toll-free service using a single number from all off-net stations in the United Stated and selected countries worldwide (e.g., Canada, Mexico, etc.), terminating in up to 50 predesignated SSA locations throughout the United States, and Puerto Rico. Offered solutions shall provide customer defined routing based upon, NPA routing, day of week routing, time of day routing, percentage routing, and emergency routing; the ability to route calls to the next available circuit; customer control of the routing plans/trees via desktop applications; make busy/available circuits. Solutions shall provide SSA with dialed number identification service (DNIS); recorded announcements, en-route announcements, and terminating announcement; call screening via DTMF caller input and speech recognition; customizable management information reports, such as call detail records, and summary reports; near real-time management information such as pegcount by originating area code and by SSA destination location; pegcount overflow, and egress trunk occupancy. (2) Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capabilities that include, but are not limited to, voice recognition of both alpha and numeric inEnglish, Spanish, Cantonese, and French. A one day turnaround on customer speech updates to scripts. The ability to build, record, and clip script phrases for new scripts and to change existing scripts. IVRs shall have analog, digital, and PRI interfaces. Premise-based IVRs shall be designed with an open architecture, shall be capable of customer host, database, and local area network (LAN) interfacing (TCP/IP, X.25, and/or APPC LU 6.2). IVRs shall be capable of multi tasking applications. Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) capability such as, but not limited to, DNIS and ANI recognition, control of telephone functions, intelligent queuing, call and screen pop synchronization are required. Other required features are data connect, text-to- speech, multiport and fax on demand, voice and pulse dialing, voice and pulse capabilities for interactive response applications, blind and screened transfers, music on hold, customizable management reports (MI), leave word and advanced leave word functionality, local and professional talent recording capability. All proposed IVR solutions shall provide automated problem alert management. (3) Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) functionality, which includes, but is not limited to, the following: redundancy control, real-time call routers, handlers, and high speed processors that can process at least 25 calls per second on a national level. Additional ACD functionality shall provide, but is not limited to the following features: computer control, voice processing, delay announcers, DTMF signaling, ANI and DNIS recognition, activities scheduling manager, distributed processing, and call level diagnostics. All solutions shall provide for, but are not limited to the following: intelligent programmable routing via a desktop graphical editor; primary rate interface and basic rate interface (PRI/BRI), client server connectivity (TCP/IP, X.25, APPC LU 6.2); administration management and customized management information; computer telephony integration (CTI) with large scale legacy systems, client server, and PC based applications; skills-based routing, integrated outbound call management, expandable remote capabilities, BRI audio interfacing; release trunks to central office on transfer; desktop applications that include a teleservice script; graphical editor and modeler applications. Premise-based equipment shall have built in power supply redundancy, intelligent networking, port capacity of at least 2700 trunk ports, wireless station capabilities, and caller ID on stations. Equipment shall be capable of accommodating up to 1300 agents per switch and allow for personal greetings on stations, integrated auto attendant, ACD mail, and music on hold. (4) Management reporting (MI) shall provide for effective management of all resources associated with call centers. Management information shall include, but is not limited to, the following; number of calls offered; handled and abandoned; queue, talk, and after work time; trunk, gate, and agent groups; system profiles; delay call profiles and summaries; telescriptions; transaction codes; emergency calls; receive groups; tone and announcement groups; ANI and DNIS; single trunk exception; ACD mail; call record logging; agent profile, activity, and by agent. All reports shall be customizable to suit SSA's specific needs. Detail records used to produce MI and reports shall be formatted in a manner that allows for the transmission of the data over SSA's wide area network for additional processing on numerous computer platforms including, but not limited to: Microsoft's Windows NT and IBM's MVS operating systems. Interested parties shall be able to support a national contract for either, premised-based equipment, network services, and/or a combination of solutions. The respondents shall be able to provide for both identified services and future growth. All solutions (e.g., hardware, software, MI, etc), shall be year 2000 compliant. SSA is aware that one offeror may be unable to fulfill all needs and is not adverse to multiple solutions. The respondents should feel free to offer any other state of the art software, hardware, or network features omitted in this sources sought synopsis. Vendors capable of providing network-based services, premised-based equipment, and/or a combination of both are invited to submit in writing a substantial statement clearly demonstrating comparable quality of the product offered, substantiated by technical data brochures, specifications and pricing. Interested parties must respond to this notice in writing within 15 calendar days from the date of this publication. Please refer to MB97C. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR PRODUCT INFORMATION ONLY! This is not a request for proposal (RFP). No contract award will be made on the basis of responses received; however, information will be used in SSA's assessment of capable sources. The Government does not intend to pay for information received. REQUEST FOR COPIES OF A SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE HONORED OR ACKNOWLEDGED. (0098)

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