D -- D-BROADBAND MICROWAVE NETWORK

Notice Date

February 14, 2001

Contracting Office

General Services Administration, Federal Technology Service (FTS), Federal Technology Service ((7TR/T-3), 819 Taylor Street, Room 14A002, Fort Worth, TX, 76102

ZIP Code

76102

Solicitation Number

7TF-01-0004a

Response Due

March 2, 2001

Point of Contact

Robert Goudy, Contracting Officer, Phone (817) 978-4074, Fax (817) 978-4739, Email robert.goudy@gsa.gov -- Robert Goudy, Contracting Officer, Phone (817) 978-4074, Fax (817) 978-4739, Email robert.goudy@gsa.gov

E-Mail Address

Robert Goudy (robert.goudy@gsa.gov)

Description

17 (i). This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, the test program in FAR 13.5, and FAR Part 15, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued!! 17 (ii). Solicitation Number 7TF-01-0004, Request for Proposal!! 17 (iii). This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-21!! 17(iv). This is a total small business set aside procurement under NAICS 51339!! 17 (v). There are several contract requirements, which are not optional: REQUIREMENTS LISTED UNDER 17 (vi)!! 17 (vi). Description: The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to acquire the following equipment and services!! Purpose: Provide a transmission media for extending broadband integrated solutions from metropolitan areas into rural areas in order to improve internet access, extend local area networks, connect local area networks to wide area networks and to provide 1.54 MBPS and higher access for telecommunications connectivity. Geographic Scope: The geographic scope covers the General Services Administration's Greater Southwest Region which includes New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The geographic scope also includes the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation area includes portions of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Bidding Guidelines: For evaluation purposes vendors are to bid a licensed microwave backbone distribution system that will satisfy the network lay out shown below. Assume that the backbone network will be built in phases. Phase one is to include paths 1A, 1B, 9, 10,and 11. Phase two ads paths 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Also bid an alternate phase two substituting paths 2A and 3A for paths 2 and 3 with the remaining paths 4, 5, 6, and 7. Bid phase three to include path 8. Paths 1A and 1B in phase one should be engineered and installed with the capacity to support future phase two and phase 3 requirements as indicated in the network layout. Vendors are to bid component parts and associated installation to include testing and turn up in such a manner that each path of the 3 phases as well as future requirements can be priced out and ordered individually. Normally each component should include an installation charge taking into account engineering, installation, testing, turn up and project management. Include hourly rates for technicians and engineering for items that may arise that are not anticipated in normal installations. See price schedule section. The government anticipates that at least one tower may have to be built. Vendors should bid one tower capable of supporting 4 each 3 meter dishes 15.25 meters above ground level under the wind loading conditions for the Gallup and Grants, NM areas. Assume the antenna will be built near the Pine Hill Navajo medical facility on moderately level ground. Also include housing for the radio equipment at the base of the tower. Bid and establish a maintenance spares list. The spares list should include at least one of each major radio component. Bid maintenance on a time and material basis. Associated travel for maintenance is not to exceed government per diem rates. Include an alarm monitoring and technician dispatch capability on a 7 days a week 24 hours a day basis. In addition to the licensed microwave components making up the backbone distribution system, vendors should bid enough unlicensed spread spectrum radio and multiplexing equipment to extend band width in smaller 10 base T and T1 formats from the higher speed backbone distribution system to a terminating router, LAN or telephone switch. Include only one such terminating link in the bid. Assume a terminating link distance of 7 miles. The government anticipates parts or all of the depicted network layout optional requirements and will eventually be installed over a one to four year time frame. Vendors are not to view the drawing as a guaranteed requirement, but rather as a means for the government to evaluate proposals for award purposes. Key Locations -- Global Positions and elevations Location North Latitude West Longitude Elevation Deg. Mins. Secs. Deg. Mins. Secs. Meters AMSL 500 Gold, Albuquerque 35 05 00.8 106 39 12.5 1,511.6 Albuquerque West 35 04 04.0 106 46 57.0 1,718.4 La Mosca peak (Mt.Taylor) 35 15 09.0 107 35 47.6 3,344.5 Mt. Powell 35 28 01.0 108 14 25.0 2,661.6 Gibson Hill 35 36 17.0 108 40 40.8 2,378.8 Continental Divide 35 25 24.0 108 19 09.0 2,213.7 Gallup Indian Hospital 35 30 30.9 108 43 46.6 2,072.5 Smooth Mountain 35 14 40.0 108 51 06.0 2,189.3 Black Rock Zuni TV Tower 35 07 04.0 108 44 38.0 2,159.1 Zuni Indian Hospital 35 05 15.5 108 47 24.4 1,953.5 Pine Hill 34 53 24.0 108 25 01.0 2,285.6 Huerfano Mountain 36 24 57.4 107 50 41.8 2,237.8 South Hogback 36 35 47.2 108 36 32.0 1,767.1 Shiprock Navajo Med Center 36 48 23.2 108 41 28.4 1,548.4 Path Distances: Path Kilometers Path Kilometers Path Kilometers 1A 11.91 3A 38.3 8 85 1B 77.0 4 11.7 9 131.1 2 63.2 5 43.0 10 71.3 2A 68.4 6 17.1 11 24.4 3 42.6 7 5.4 Broad Guidelines: 1. Design the microwave system to deliver a minimum of four DS-3 (45 MB/s) signals to La Mosca Peak (near Mount Taylor) in central New Mexico from 500 Gold in Albuquerque. 2. Design the system to carry at least two or more DS-3s from La Mosca Peak on to the Northern Navajo Medical Facility in Shiprock, New Mexico. 3. Design the system to carry at least two or more DS-3 signals further west to supply one DS-3 to the Gallup Indian Medical Hospital in Gallup, New Mexico and one DS-3 to the Zuni Indian Medical Facility in Zuni, New Mexico. 4. Design the system to carry at least one DS-3 to the Pine Hill Medical Facility in Pine Hill, New Mexico from La Mosca Peak. 5. The system design will use the fewest number of communications sites to reach these objectives. 6. Design in as much additional capacity as is practical to allow for future growth of the system. 7. Design the system to be as robust and self-healing as possible. 8. Use state-of-the-art, high reliability communications equipment built by a large, established manufacturer that is prepared to guarantee support of the electronics for no less that seven years following their decision to cease building of the model(s) of radios used in this system. Design Criteria: Each microwave path within the system must have a minimum calculated path performance reliability of 99.999% (< 5.26 minutes outage/year). This 99.999% reliability means that when the performance of a microwave path/system is evaluated using standard regional statistical factors of rain, snow, and other weather phenomenon like ducting, the mathematical analysis of the path predicts a certain anticipated outage time each year. This reliability factor does not take into consideration issues such as power reliability and/or individual manufacturer's equipment reliability. Rather, the path reliability calculations only judge the robustness of the basic radio and antenna design. Mountain top communications systems are subjected to a number of harsh conditions that impact the performance of a communications network. Power reliability is a significant issue that must be addressed as part of this report. Other areas of concern in the design of the system must include temperature within the buildings where equipment is to be housed, accessibility of the communications site in the winter, and the exposure to lightning from summer thunderstorms. The high digital data rates requested by GSA for this project require the use of very high bandwidth microwave radios. Such radios typically add several additional requirements to the system design. Use licensed microwave frequencies to assure GSA that over a long period of time the communications network will not experience interruptions from other microwave system operators. Unlicensed (typically called spread spectrum) systems do not provide this long-term assurance to their users. For this reason, only licensed radio systems will be considered for use in the backbone distribution system. High bandwidth systems must also have fast, reliable fallback positions. Users of high-speed digital networks quickly become dependant on the communications network being available 100% of the time. Because of this dependence, some form of protected or redundant type equipment must be used. Initial microwave path calculations quickly determine that space diversity antenna systems must be used on 3 x 45 MB/s microwave paths of forty (40) miles or more in length. On several of the proposed microwave paths in this system, it will prove to be impossible to achieve the 99.999% path reliability no matter how large the antennas unless diversity antenna systems are used. Diversity antenna systems employ two separate receiving antennas on the same tower at a given location. The two antennas, when properly positioned and aligned provide a statistically higher system reliability than just one antenna. As the requirements of this system were considered, GSA came to the conclusion that it is not in GSA's best interest to use OC-3 (155 MB/s) radios for this project. The use of such radios would require placing extremely sensitive multiplexing equipment on remote mountaintops. Such multiplexing equipment is very sensitive to environmental, power and signal level changes. Mountain tops communications sites pose substantial problems in all three of these areas. For the reasons mentioned above, propose only microwave radios from manufacturers who offer multi-channel DS-3 (or STS-1) equipment. Limit the search for licensed radio equipment to United States manufacturers who have been in business building microwave radios for a minimum of five years. The requirement to remotely monitor various locations in the system is important. For this reason, there is a strong argument that the radio equipment be able to operate in a true SONET mode rather than just carry DS-3 signals. Sonet mode is desirable but is not an absolute requirement Due to the long distances a number of the microwave paths must operate over, the higher system gain radios are desired. System gain is the sum of the transmit power of a radio added to the receiver sensitivity. The higher the systems gain the better chance a long microwave path will work. Design a 48-hour back up battery system for the following sites: La Mosca, Mt. Huerfano, Smooth Mountain, Black Rock, South Hogback, and Mt.Powell. Design a six-hour battery back up for all other sites. Assume a requirement for a 7.5 KVA propane powered generator at La Mosca and Mt. Huerfano. Design Plans: Vendors are to provide their design plans with their proposals. The plans must include an overall summary. The plan must also include path calculations showing individual path reliability figures and an overall worst path reliability figure assuming completion of all three phases depicted in the network layout drawing. Line of site path charts showing terrain and vegetation clearances for the individual paths are also required. Remedial Maintenance: Maintenance for repairs is to be conducted as needed. This maintenance is to be charged on a time and material basis. The time will be charged as technician time as discussed in the price schedules. Vendors should address their response times for service affecting outages and their response times for non-service affecting outages. Include a discussion in this section on how 7 x 24-alarm coverage will be handled. Routine Maintenance: Periodic routine maintenance will also be needed to assure safety and equipment reliability. Solderless connections in the back up battery systems and the towers and antenna dishes will need to be inspected on a routine basis. Vendors are to provide their recommended routine frequencies, actual time of inspections and the rational behind their recommendations. The recommendations should include an estimate of the time and costs associated with the periodic routines. Vendors will be held responsible for meeting original equipment manufacturers recommended inspection intervals. Price Schedules: Vendors are to provide the following price schedules: Schedule A -- Licensed radio component prices and associated installation charges Schedule B -- Unlicensed radio components and associated installation prices Schedule C -- Uninteruptable power supply (UPS) components and generator equipment along with associated installation charges Schedule D -- Tower components and installation charges. Also provide equipment housing and installation costs on this schedule. Schedule E -- Technician and engineering hourly time costs. These time charges are to apply to maintenance on an as needed basis and to cover situations that may arise which are not normally expected in installation and testing. Vendors may have different technician levels i.e. licensed and unlicensed, structual and electronic.. Schedule F -- Routine inspections and alarm coverage is to be included in schedule F. Expected inspection times are to be included. Items required to make equipment fully functional that vendors do not include in the price schedules will be considered as already included in the item prices that the vendor has provided. For bid purposes the vendors must include the required price schedules showing quantities required and total cost to satisfy each of the three phases as described in the bidding guidelines. Vendors should also include completed schedules for the maintenance spares list. Other considerations and requirements: Vendors will be required to handle all required licenses in behalf of the government and will also be expected to help in identifying and acquiring tower use. The government will assist in gaining permission to use existing towers. The Navajo and other Native American Tribes have indicated a willingness to help in this regard. Notice to proceed and implementation schedule: Once the notice to proceed on a given phase or portion of a phase is issued the vendor must provide the government with required commercial power and site preparation requirements and an implementation schedule. Provide a sample implementation schedule with your bid proposal. For bid purposes assume that the required commercial power is available. In carrying out the actual installations the government will bear the cost of modifying or bringing in commercial power and making site modifications and paying recurring tower use fees. Acceptance and payment: Acceptance will be issued after 30 consecutive days without a major failure following installation and turn up. Payment will then be made provided an acceptable invoice has been received in the payment office!! 17 (vii). Period of Performance: Refer to paragraph "Notice to Proceed and Implementation Schedule" in the Statement of Work!! 17 (viii). Solicitation provisions at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (OCT 2000) is hereby incorporated by reference!! 17 (ix). Award: The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous, representing the best value to the Government price and other factors considered. Award will be based on the initial Phase 1 project. The Government reserves the right to exercise other optional phases as may be required in the future. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers. Evaluation will be based on (1) Technical; (a) Technical capability of contractor to meet the Government requirement; (b) Past performance (see below); Delivery Terms -- ability to submit and meet implementation schedule and (2) Price. Factors are listed in their relative order of importance. Past performance will be evaluated as follows: Evaluation of past performance shall be based on information provided by the offeror (see below) and any other information the Government may obtain by following up on the information provided by the offeror and/or through other sources (i.e., offeror's performance on previous awarded contracts or contracts with other Government entities). The offeror must identify at least two Federal contracts and any other state, or local and private contract for which the offeror has performed work similar to the statement of work in this solicitation. References should include the most recent contracts completed within the last two years. The offeror shall provide name of agency or company, address, point of contact, current telephone number and fax number for each contract. This list is due by the date established for receipt of proposal!! 17 (x). Offeror's are reminded to include a completed copy of the provisions at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and certifications-Commercial Items (Jan 2001) with its offer!! 17 (xi). Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (May 1999), is hereby incorporated by reference!! 17 (xii). Clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (Aug 2000), is hereby incorporated by reference. The following paragraphs apply to this solicitation and any resultant contract: Check (b) (5) 52.219-8, (b) (12) 52.222-26, (b) (13) 52.222-35, (b) (14) 52.222-36, (b) (15) 52.222-37!! 17 (xiii). Network Layout Drawings: For copies contact the Contracting Officer at 817-978-4074 or e-mail Robert.Goudy@GSA.Gov!!. 17 (xiv). For technical questions, call 817-978-4074!! 17 (xv). Sign and dated two proposal must be submitted to GSA, Network Services, 7T-3, 819 Taylor Street, Room 14A02, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-6105, Attn: Robert D. Goudy, Contracting Officer at or before 4:00 p.m. (CST), March 2, 2001. Email and facsimile proposal are not acceptable. Proposals must be received on or before the above time and date!! *****

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010216/DSOL005.HTM (D-045 SN50D6Y7)