USDA-NRCS, 675 U.S. Courthouse, 801 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

D -- T-1 LOCAL DIAL TONE SERVICE SOL NRCS-3-TN-00 DUE 032200 POC Gary E. Handley (615)736-7238 E-MAIL: ghandley@TN.NRCS.USDA.GOV, ghandley@TN.NRCS.USDA.GOV. Combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items in accordance with the Subpart12. format, supplemented with additional information included herein. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; written quotations are requested. A written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number is NRCS-3-TN-00 and is a Request for Quotations(RFQ). The solicitation document, incorporated provisions, and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-15. The solicitation contains no size or other set-asides and is classified under standard industrial classification code 4813. Services are described as a single T-1 line to provide a block of 150 DID numbers to a government owned PBX, terminating in a RJ-45 jack provided by the Offeror. The T-1 facilities provided under this contract should be arranged as a channelized PRI T-1, with 17 B channels and 1 D channel with a minimum of 40 dedicated inward and of 40 dedicated outward DID capability. The vendor shall be able to provide growth potential to a maximum of two full T-1 lines. The unit of measurement, pricing, and payment shall be on a per B channel and per D channel asis per month. The base period of the contract shall be twenty four months with three additional 12 month option periods. Contract line items are as follows: CLIN 1A Price per B channel $ x 17 channels = $ per month, CLIN 1B price per D Channel $ x 1 channel = $ per month, CLIN 1C price of initial delivery, setup and installation of 17 B channels and 1 D channel on a 1 job lump sum =$, CLIN 2A Pricing shall be for the B channels and CLIN 2B for the D channel(s) for a period of 12 months; CLIN 3A pricing shall be for the B channels and CLIN 3B for the D channel(s) for the next twelve months; CLIN 4A pricing shall be for the B channels and CLIN 4B for the D channel(s) for the final period of twelve months. It is strongly desired that true number portability within the Davidson County area be provided. The total monthly recurring charges set forth in this contract shall entitle the Government to unlimited use of service 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for the term of the contract. The contractor shall supply all personnel, materials, and services necessary to perform the requirements set forth in this contract. Any equipment, material, facility, site preparation or service required in the performance of this contract in which prices have not been specifically identified by the Offeror, will be considered to be included in the total price of this contract and be provided at no additional cost. This includes all cable, innerduct, splice cases, multiplexers, LIU's, CSU's, and jacks at any or all locations as necessary. All facilities and associated equipment shall be designed, engineered, installed, monitored and maintained to provide for the highest level of availability and reliability. Industry standards for circut performance shall be strictly adhered to. The contractor shall provide facilities and associated equipment that provide the highest level of availability andreliability. Uptime shall be 99% or better per quarter. All hardware and software provided in suport of these services shall ensure operational quality is maintained at all times. The contractor is responsible for taking any and all measures to ensure that the required aavailability is maintained at all times. Measures shall include line conditioning, maintenance, reengineering, redesigning and/or replacement of equipment as necessry. The contractor shall provide field service support in order to maintain the avaiability and reliability levels required. The government under this contract will furnish no material, equipment, services, other space, or facilities, other than utilities. The contractor shall restore walls, ceilings, and floors to their normal appearance, perform necessary clean-up, removal and disposal of any debris during installation, and on a routine basis in work areas, for the life of the contract. Invoices will be rendered on a monthly basis. In accordance with Title 31 US Code, Section 3324 which prohibits the payment of public money in advance of the services to be rendered, all invoices will be rendered in arrears of service. Invoices for equipment and services shall be submitted to the following address for payment: USDA, National Finance Center, P. O. BOX 60000, New Orleans, LA 70160. Invoices shall be submitted in an orginal and shall include the following:1 Name of the business concern and invoice date, 2 NFC assigned account number, 3 Description, quantity, unit, unitprice, and total dollar amount of equipment or services delivered or rendered, 4 shipping and payment terms, 5 name (where applicable), title, phone number and complete mailing address of responsible offical to whom payment is to be sent, 6 information necessary to enable the government to make payment by wire transfer shall be furnished. No payments will be made by the government for any services performed by the contractor in support of this contract, until the services performed has been accepted, irrespective of the government's beneficial use of partially complete or partially operational equipment and/or service, irrespective of the length of time of said beneficial use pending acceptance, and irrespective of the substantiality of the contactor's performance. The parties hereby agree that the beneficial use of equipment and/or services before the effective date of the government's acceptance is purely inciidental and that no additional sums are due to the contractor. The individuals to be contacted during the term of this contract for administration are: Gary E. Handley, Contracting Officer 615-736-7238 and Patrick Cummings, COTR, 615-736-7592. The contractor shall, without additional expense to the government, be responsible for obtaining any necessary licenses and permits, and for complying with any applicable, federal, state and municipal laws, codes, and regulations, in connecion with the performance of the contract. The contractor shall procure and maintain the following minimum insurance during the period of performance of this contract: 1 Workmen's Compensation and Employer's Liability Insurance, Compliance with applicable workmen's compensation and occupational disease statues is required under this contract along with employer's liability coverage in the minimum amount of $1 million. 2 General Liability Insurance in the minimum amount of $500,00 per occurance. 3 Automobile Liability Insurance in the amount of $200,000 per person and $500,000 per occurence for bodily injury and $20,000 per occurence for property damage. prior to the commencement of work hereunder, the contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer a certifiate or written statement of the above required insurance. The policies evidencing required insurance shall contain an endorsement to the effect that cancellation or any material change in the policies adversely affecting the interest of the government in such insurance shall no be effective for such periods as may be prescribed by the laws of the state in which this contract is to be performed and in no event less than thirty (30) days after written notice thereof to the Contacting Officer The Contractor agrees to include the substance of the above requirement including this paragraph in subcontracts under this contract. The subcontractor(s) will be obligated by the prime contractor, to provide and maintain the insurance required by virtue of this contract. At least five (5) days before entry of each such subcontractor's personnel on a government installation, the contractor shall furnish or ensure that there has been furnished to the Contracting Officer a current certificate of insurance, meeting the requirements above. The contractor shall be responsible for the safety aand health of individuals as follows: A The contractor maintains full responsibility and liability for compliance with all applicable regulation pertaining to the protection of workers, visitors to the site and persons occupying adjacent areas. The contractor holds the government harmles against injury resulting from the failure on the contractor's part, or on the part of the contractor's employees or subcontractors to comply with any applicable safety or health regulation. B if during the course of performance under this contract, the contractor suspects contact with hazardous or toxic materials or substances such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), explosives, or radioactive materials, as specified in Subparts H and Z of 29 CFR 1910 or Federal Sstandard 313, the contractor shall immediatly inform the Contracting Officer of these harmful materials or substances, their exact whereabouts and the idently of those individuals who have been exposed to these materials or substances. It is desirable that the service be delivered and installed within a period of 30 calendar days after award. Offerors may offer a longer period of time for delivery of up to 60 calendar days. However, in the event a sufficient level of competition is found from offerors providing for 30 day delivery time, those firms offering more than a 30 calendar day delivery time may be discarded. F.O.B. point USDA, NRCS, 675 US COURTHOUSE, 801 BROADWAY, NASHVILLE, TN 37203. The provisions at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offers -- Commercial, applies and no addenda have been made. Offers will be evaluated in accordance with 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial items, with price, technical, past performance as factors with no relative importance assignments made. Technical is defined as capability of the offered services to meet the agency needs. Award will be made to the lowest priced offer conforming to the requirements stated above. Offerors are advised to include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items with Offer. Clauses 52.212.4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items and 2.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items, apply and no addenda have been made. No numbered Commerce Busines Daily Numbered notes have been selected. Offers are due for receipt at the issuing office on or before the close of business, March 22, 2000. Point of contact is Gary E. Handley 615-736-7238. Posted 03/03/00 (W-SN430812). (0063)

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