D -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION -- LOCAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES FOR THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TENNESSEE.

Notice Date

July 5, 2001

Contracting Office

General Services Administration, Federal Technology Service (FTS), Technical and Acquisition Support Branch (4TTE), 401 West Peachtree Street, Suite 2700, Atlanta, GA, 30365-2550

ZIP Code

30365-2550

Description

This Request for Information (RFI) issued by the General Services Administration, Federal Technology Service, Southeast Sunbelt Region, serves to obtain information from industry sources in order to help formulate Government requirements by developing a draft Statement of Work to acquire a comprehensive range of local telecommunications services for federal agencies within federally owned, leased buildings or campuses. The information is contemplated to be used for acquisition planning purposes and is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire supplies or services. The Government does not intend to award a contract(s) on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information submitted by industry. GSA is seeking to establish contract vehicles that will offer services and maintenance options to federal agencies for any/all localities within the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Contractors are not required to provide the same information for all locations. GSA prefers information from contractors that can address all eight (8) states, as well as those contractors that can address only certain localities. The Government prefers that no proprietary or confidential business information be submitted in response to this RFI. However, responses to this RFI that indicate that the information therein is proprietary or represents confidential business information will be received and held in confidence for U.S. Government use, only. The requirements will provide for local telecommunications services to include: Centrex (or similar services), Business lines, DID Analog trunk, DOD Analog trunk, Two-way Analog trunk, DSL, DID numbers, T-1 (Channelized or Unchannelized), DS0, DS1, DS2, ISDN PRI, ISDN BRI, Caller ID, voice mail, and any emerging technologies for the purpose of facilitating the convergence of voice, data, video and transmission elements. The Government's goals are: (1) Acquire state-of-the-art, commercially available, local telecommunications services offering flexibility and customized packaging. (2) Obtain competitive, reasonably priced services. (3) Acquire reliable services that result in minimum downtime for Government operations. (4) Obtain world-class service support for trouble handling, moves, adds and changes which require minimal time and resources required on the part of the Government to resolve support issues. (5) Utilize internet use to the maximum extent possible for service delivery and support. (6) Maximize business opportunities. GSA desires to provide maximum solutions/choices for Government agencies. The Government anticipates and encourages significant participation by Small Business Concerns, Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns, Section 8(a) contractors, Small woman-owned business concerns, HUBZone business concerns and veteran-owned small business and service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. Consequently, the following questions/requests are posed: (1) How does industry recommend that the Government identify localities, i.e., City, State, Region, etc? (2) Does industry have specific suggestions for how the Government should handle pricing for such a broad scope of solutions? (3) If Multiple Awards are made, does industry have suggestions on how the Government should provide each awardee a fair opportunity to be considered for orders? (4) Does industry have specific suggestions on how the Government may best identify service categories that adequately define what is being acquired while providing flexibility for innovative solutions? (5) Does industry suggest or have knowledge of Labor Acts that should be incorporated into the requirement? (6) How would industry recommend handling project and delivery schedules/timelines so customer expectations can be achieved and managed (especially in projects where there are more than one vendor and each has a timing effect on when the next can move to their phase and/or completion of project)? (7) Does industry have suggestions/ recommendations on how local government operations should be organized to facilitate partnership and expedient service delivery and support? (8) GSA is looking for feedback on the best way to handle collection fees and any other Government related billing/invoicing issues and any sample formats (of ordering/ billing invoices) of how this was achieved for other governmental agencies. GSA expects that ordering and billing will be accomplished via direct interface with the contractors using either commercially available systems developed by the contractors or any system currently in use by the client agency and mutually agreed upon between the contractor and client. Questions/concerns regarding this RFI shall be sent to: General Services Administration, Federal Technology Service (4TTE), Attn.: Ruben Mendez, Contracting Officer, 401 West Peachtree St., Suite 2700, Atlanta, GA 30308. Responses to this RFI are to be submitted to the address listed above no later than August 31, 2001. Industry responses should include the name and telephone number of a point of contact.

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/GSA/FTS/4TTE/Reference-Number-RFI4TTE0101/li sting.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010709/SPMSC001.HTM (D-186 SN50Q9H7)