61 -- STRUCTURED PLANT WIRING

Notice Date

October 27, 2000

Contracting Office

U.S. Postal Service, Headquarters Purchasing, Room 4541, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20260-6230

ZIP Code

20260-6230

Solicitation Number

N/A

Response Due

November 20, 2000

Point of Contact

Terry Downer 202 268-4895

E-Mail Address

Contracting Officer (tdowner@email.usps.gov)

Description

STRUCTURED PLANT WIRING The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering potential sources for its advanced Structured Plant Wiring initiative. The USPS intends to prequalify suppliers that can meet the Structured Plant Wiring initiative qualifications listed below. An evaluation team will review and evaluate documentation submitted by interested suppliers in accordance with the evaluation factors listed below. Failure to address any item or submit the required documentation will be reflected in the evaluation scoring. The prequalification process will identify those suppliers with proven records of capability, quality, and reliability, and eliminate suppliers that are not "best in class." Only those "best in class" suppliers on the prequalified list will receive a Request for Proposal (RFP) for this requirement. The prequalification process, however, does not constitute an assurance that the USPS will issue a subsequent RFP. REQUIREMENT Currently, USPS has approximately 38,000 retail outlets providing customer services throughout the United States, delivers more than 650 million pieces of mail each day, 25.5 billion pounds each year, and supports one of the largest federal information systems (IS) in the world. The supplier(s) being sought will review, design, test, and implement state-of-the-art structured plant wiring, local area network (LAN) components, and diagnostic tools and associated hardware to support existing programs and infrastructure initiatives for USPS. Structured Plant Wiring is targeted for approximately 370 of the largest USPS facilities, which are located across the United States. These large facilities include mail processing and distribution centers (P&DCs), airport mail facilities (AMFs), and bulk mail centers (BMCs). The proposed initiative consists of a phased-in approach to replace baseband wiring with structured wiring consisting of unshielded, twisted-pair (UTP) copper and multimode fiber optic cable. Once cabling is complete, an upgraded LAN environment will be implemented to support local mail processing equipment (MPE). The core LAN configurations consist of Cisco Enterprise components. The USPS desired end is to maintain its current network environment with Cisco Enterprise components. Depending on the facility size, each facility operates between 15 to 75 automated MPE systems, which will be sustained by this advanced Structured Plant Wiring initiative. It is imperative to USPS that the supplier(s) selected is well qualified and guarantees its work and the work of its subcontractor(s). QUALIFICATIONS Potential suppliers must exhibit how their proposal will compliment the current USPS network environment and must have the following capabilities to be considered as a qualified source: 1. Proven ability to implement major structured wiring projects and LAN environments. Companies will only be considered if they have previous experience completing projects of this type and magnitude. Examples of and references from several successful projects, which include facility jobs in excess of $500,000, must be provided. Successful projects include projects that met target dates for completion, came in at or under budget, and exceeded the client's expectations. 2. Fully trained and accredited staff. Wiring designers must have formal training and must be certified as having Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) designation of a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD). LAN designers and engineers must have at a minimum designation of Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and (or) Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) certifications. LAN designers and engineers must possess the abilities and skills in the related areas of LAN Segmentation and Virtual LANs (VLANs). On staff, qualified designer consultation must be provided to review and approve all designs for each facility job. Wiring technicians and installers must be formally trained and certified by a nationally recognized organization. LAN technicians and installers must be formally trained and certified and possess the skills and abilities required for the configuration and implementation of the various Cisco Catalyst Series Switch devices. 3. Demonstrated accountability for and coordination of all subcontracted activity. Any subcontracted company must also meet the same high level training and certification standards required of the contracted vendor and must exhibit equivalent experience and manufacturer certifications. The level of subcontracted activity will be limited to the contract prime plus two levels of subcontracted provider(s) activity. Preferential treatment will be given to those candidates who have the ability to complete the project with one level of subcontracted activity. 4. Sound finances. The contracted vendor and any subcontractor must have sufficient financial stability to support a project(s) of this scale and must be able to garner an appropriate credit line to secure and sustain adequate supplies and labor involved with the project. USPS will utilize pay in arrears billing policy for this initiative. 5. Demonstrated ability to form strategic alliances and partnerships. A requirement for this implementation is a total system solution warranty for 15 years. The successful vendor(s) will have to form alliances with the product and multiple service suppliers to back such a warranty. 6. National Scope. The contracted vendor must be national in scope, including all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and have the demonstrated breadth necessary to effectively manage a project of this nature. The contractor must show reputable ability to manage multiple projects in different geographic locations and in a wide variety of challenging and varying facilities. 7. Possess a clear understanding of current industry implementation standards and codes. The supplier must show demonstrated ability to work in a highly industrialized and mechanized work environment and knowledge of all related industry implementation standards and codes, including applicable national, state, and local construction codes. Experience with asbestos related and historical building issues is desired. EVALUATION FACTORS Each supplier expressing interest in prequalification will be evaluated according to the following supplier specific factors as referenced by USPS Purchasing Manual (PM) policy (PM 2.1.7.c). Past Performance (PM 2.1.7.c.2.b) -- Required Factors 1. Quality  A record of conformance to contract requirements and standards of professional performance  Senior management commitment to overall quality 2. Timeliness of performance  Adherence to contract schedules, including the administrative aspects of performance 3. Business Relations  A history of being reasonable and cooperative with customers  Commitment to customer satisfaction  Integrity and ethics 4. Specific Experience  A record of providing nationwide service  A record of providing support to organizations with the same or similar roles, responsibilities, missions, technologies and functions as those described in the requirement above  A record of providing skilled personnel who are qualified to perform the duties as described in the requirement above Supplier Capability (PM 2.1.7.c.3.b) -- Required Factors 1. Have, or have the ability to obtain, support personnel with the skills required to perform the required effort and experience supporting organizations with the same or similar roles, responsibilities, missions, technologies and functions as those described in the requirement above 2. Have a management structure and supporting processes and procedures to administer and control nationwide operations, including subcontractors, if any are used 3. Have a sound record of integrity and business ethics 4. Have a sound financial background, including the ability to obtain the necessary resources PREQUALIFICATION SUBMISSION Interested suppliers should submit a statement of qualifications detailing their capabilities in the areas above. The statement of qualifications should be no more than 30 pages, single sided, in 10 point, Arial Font (with one inch margins) inclusive of cover letters, sales literature, etc., on 8 " X 11" sheets plus no more than 10 additional charts, graphs or PowerPoint slides. Financial statements and annual reports will not be included in the page count. The supplier should also submit a list of current customers and customer contact information, which will be kept confidential. Reference customers should include business projects similar in size and scope to the proposed Structured Plant Wiring initiative for the USPS. After review of the information provided, USPS intends to issue a formal solicitation for proposal to only those suppliers found to be best qualified. One original and four (4) hard copies are required. Additionally, two (2) electronic copies will be submitted; in two formats. One electronic copy will be submitted as a single file in Adobe Acrobat format, and one electronic copy will be submitted as a single file in Microsoft Word. Written prequalification responses should be submitted to the USPS within 10 calendar days after this posting. Original signed responses and one (1) electronic copy, in both formats, should be delivered to: United States Postal Service ATTN: Terry Downer, Contracting Officer 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW RM 4541 Washington DC 20260-5232 Four (4) paper copies of the responses and one (1) electronic copy, in both formats, should be delivered to: United States Postal Service National Information Support Center ATTN: Larry Wills, Telecommunications Manager 4200 Wake Forest Road Raleigh, NC 27668-9700 USPS requests that only those suppliers who wish to be lead or prime suppliers submit proposals. Only those submissions from lead or prime suppliers will be considered. The written submission must include, but is not limited to, the following: 1. Identify the five (5) most recent contracts awarded within the past three years under which you provided services that are the same as/most similar to those listed in the requirement. For each contract, provide the following information: a) Brief summary of the work performed b) The client's name and address c) The contract (or purchase order) number d) Name, telephone number, and facsimile number of the client's contracting official e) Name, telephone number, and facsimile number of the client's representative most familiar with your performance f) Dates of performance (starting and ending) g) The dollar value of the contract h) The number of subcontractors used (if any) 2. Identify the financial resources needed by your company and your plans to secure them. 3. Submit your organization's most current financial statement for a period ending no more than one (1) year before submission of the statement. 4. Identify the technical staffing resources needed by your company and your plans to secure them to meet initiative requirements, specifically: a) Existing personnel with the skills described in the requirement, and experience supporting organizations with the same or similar roles, responsibilities, missions, technologies and functions as those described in the requirement above b) Personnel to be acquired with the skills described in the requirement, and experience supporting organizations with the same or similar roles, responsibilities, missions, technologies and functions as those described in the requirement above 5. Specifically address each one of the Qualification and Evaluation Factor criteria as listed above. 6. Provide a litigation package that includes any adverse decision by an administrative body in which the supplier's reported information, methodology, or procedures were at issue, and provide a copy of each decision. 7. Provide the percentage and type of work likely to be performed by subcontractors. Include statements of qualifications for subcontractors, and how subcontractors were recruited, screened, and educated. In its review of your past performance, the USPS may use information obtained from other than the sources identified by the supplier. If you formerly did business under another business name, you should explain why the references for that business are currently relevant. The USPS reserves the right to contact as many or as few of the contract or industry points of contact/references provided by respondents to this announcement, as the USPS deems necessary, in order to conduct this prequalification process. It is most important that the list of prior contracts required above be accurate and complete, as any omission may be treated by the USPS as a misrepresentation of material fact.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001031/61SOL004.HTM (W-301 SN505365)