Central Issuance and Print on Demand RFI

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NO. 54-JC- 20141125
Department of Transportation
Due Date: December 23, 2014
Purchasing
Issue Date: November 25, 2014
Refer ALL Inquiries to: Jeff Conken
Telephone No. (919) 707-2630
Description: Request for Information for Mass Notification
and Messaging Services
E-Mail: jaconken@ncdot.gov
Using Agency Name: Transportation
MAILING INSTRUCTIONS: Mail only one Request for Information (RFI) per envelope. Address envelope and clearly
note RFI number as shown below. It is the responsibility of the vendor to have the RFI in this office by the specified time
and date of opening. Vendor must return all the pages of this solicitation in their response. Vendor must also submit
one (1) signed, executed electronic copy of its response on USB Flash Drive or read-only CD/DVD(s). The files should
not be password-protected and should be capable of being copied to other media.
DELIVERED BY US POSTAL SERVICE
DELIVERED BY ANY OTHER MEANS
RFI NO. 54-JC-20141125
RFI NO. 54-JC-20141125
N. C. Department of Transportation
N. C. Department of Transportation
Purchasing Section
Purchasing Section
1510 Mail Service Center
1 South Wilmington Street, Room 412
Raleigh, NC 27699-1510
Raleigh, NC 27601
NOTICE TO VENDOR
Request for Information (RFI) will be received at this office at 1 South Wilmington Street, Room 412, Raleigh, NC 27601
or via email attachment to jaconken@ncdot.gov until 2:00 P.M. EST on the due date and then opened.
QUESTIONS
Written questions will be received until 12:00 noon (EST) on December 2, 2014. Questions must be sent via email to
jaconken@ncdot.gov or faxed to (919) 733-8743. Please insert “RFI 54-JC-20141125 Questions” in the subject matter of
your e-mail. A summary of all questions and answers will be posted to the Interactive Purchasing System (IPS) as an
addendum to this RFI on or about December 5, 2014. The origin of questions will not be reflected in any addendum
issued.
EXECUTION
VENDOR NAME:
E-MAIL:
STREET ADDRESS:
P.O. BOX:
ZIP:
CITY & STATE & ZIP:
TELEPHONE
NUMBER:
TOLL FREE TEL. NO:
TYPE OR PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING:
FAX NUMBER:
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:
DATE:
NCDOT Request for Information
Central Plate Issuance and Print on Demand
RFI Procedures
A. Schedule
Respondents will have four weeks to prepare their submissions to this RFI. Responses must be received
by the date, time and the location specified on the cover sheet of this RFI. Respondents may be
requested to come to Raleigh, NC to present and discuss their submissions. Respondents will be
contacted to determine a specific date and time at least two weeks in advance of their presentation.
B. Response
The State recognizes that considerable effort will be required in preparing a response to this RFI. Please
note, however that this is a request for information only and not a request for services. No award will
result from this RFI. The Respondent must bear all costs associated with the compilation and submission
of a Response to this RFI.
B.1. Content and Format
The State expects concise, detailed, point-by-point responses to each of the RFI response items
identified in Section 3 of this RFI. The State is not interested in brochures or “boilerplate”. The State will
consider responses to specific portions of Section 3 of this RFI if the solution can be integrated with other
components to provide a complete system. Any issues or exceptions to NCDOT’s desired functional
requirements should also be identified and explained.
Where appropriate the response should also include diagrams, clarifying where each of the components
in the proposed solution would be located and how those components would be interconnected.
A comprehensive, detailed equipment list including equipment, software and operating system
requirements for the proposed solution should be provided. While the State will require a pilot installation
of any final solution adopted, the State is not interested in participating in any field trials of new equipment
or software.
The response should also spell out all services that would be required by the proposed solution including
such items as:
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Training
Business Process Reengineering
Documentation
Data Conversion
B.2. Multiple Responses
Multiple responses will be accepted from a single Respondent provided that each response is
comprehensive, meets all of the State’s requirements and is truly unique. Please place in separate
envelopes and clearly mark responses as “RFI No. 54-JC-20141125 Response #1”, “RFI No. 54-JC20141125 Response #2”, etc.
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NCDOT Request for Information
Central Plate Issuance and Print on Demand
B.3. Format and copies
Each response should be submitted in the form of one electronic copy and optionally one paper copy.
Electronic responses delivered via email should be in Portable Document Format (PDF), saved as a
certified document, and allow the State to add annotations and to copy text but not to change text.
Electronic responses delivered on physical media should be on CD or permanently write-protected USB
flash drive, and may be in PDF (preferred, with the same options as above) or as a document (or
documents) readable by the Microsoft Office suite of applications.
C. Proprietary information
Trade secrets or similar proprietary data which the Respondent does not wish disclosed to other than
personnel involved with this RFI will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by 01 NCAC 05B.1501
and N.C.G.S. § 132-1.3 if identified as follows: Each page shall be identified in boldface at the top and
bottom as "CONFIDENTIAL". Any section of the RFI that is to remain confidential shall also be so
marked in boldface on the title page of that section. Cost information may not be deemed confidential. In
spite of what is labeled as confidential, the determination as to whether or not it is shall be determined by
North Carolina law.
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URL for NCAC reference inserted here
URL for G.S. reference inserted here
In addition to the above, the State undertakes to keep every Response received confidential as a whole
until such time as an RFP has been awarded or cancelled (the "Confidentiality Period"). After the
expiration of the Confidentiality Period, all Response information will be subject to the normal
confidentiality provisions of the State as set out above.
Exception: Respondents expressly acknowledge that the concepts, methods, equipment and procedures
presented in a response may be wholly or partially incorporated into an RFP.
D. RFI conditions
The State will not be bound by any RFI Procedure qualifications or any additional conditions included by a
Respondent in a response.
E. Communication
All communication regarding this RFI is to be addressed to the contact person identified on the RFI Cover
sheet.
F. Vendor Information
Name of Company
Contact Person and Title/Position
Address, Telephone Number and Email Address
Brief history of the company (length of time in business) including a listing of government agencies the
company has successfully implemented their solution. Include a list of references from past
implementations that includes contact name, company and/or government agency, phone number and
email address
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NCDOT Request for Information
Central Plate Issuance and Print on Demand
Specify what kind of statistics, documentation, information, etc. would be necessary for NCDOT to furnish
Vendors in a future RFP and what significance or criticality that information would have on the success of
a procurement?
Include a list of references from past implementations. This should include:
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
Name of the Agency;
Contact information for the business and technical representatives for the Agency, including email
and telephone number;
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NCDOT Request for Information
Central Plate Issuance and Print on Demand
Table of Contents
RFI Procedures .............................................................................................................................................. i
Section 1:
Overview ............................................................................................................................... 1
Section 2:
Current Environment……………………………………………………………………………..1
Section 3:
Information Requested ……………………………………………………………………………1
Attachment 1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
1. System Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
2. System Capacity/Reliability……………………………………………………………………………………. 3
3. System Technology……………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
4. Features ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
5. Data Requirements……………………………………………………………………………………………. .4
6. Call Send Process……………………………………………………………………………………………... 4
7. Implementation/Training/Support…………………………………………………………………………….. 4
8. Security…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
9. Pricing……………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
10. Vendor Observations/Comments……………………………………………………………………………..5
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NCDOT Request for Information
SDV 2.0
Section 1: Overview
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Division of Motor Vehicles (Division) is
seeking information to establish a stand-alone notification/messaging system that is capable of issuing
emergency communications to our 2,400 plus employees at the License Plate Agencies (LPAs), Driver
License Offices, License and Theft Offices and State Owned Offices across the state. Available devices
to be enrolled into the system will include cell phones, fax, email, instant messaging, voice mail, land-line
phone, digital advertising flat screens, pagers, etc…)
This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to solicit information from vendors of mass
notification/messaging services, to educate the Division about the state of mass notification services
technology available today, their features and functionality, approximate costs, factors to be considered
when comparing services, and other information that will assist the Division in determining how it will
procure, implement and manage the services. After responses to the RFI are reviewed, the Division may
release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of mass notification/messaging services. We are
using the RFI to gather additional information to help the Division understand the capabilities of a Mass
notification/messaging environment including all aspects of network, geo-based impacted areas, and
location information distribution .Furthermore, we are offering this RFI to identify qualified vendors who
might be able to meet our future requirements.
The Division intended purpose we be to use the information collected in assisting the production of a
concise and balanced RFP process should we wish to proceed with acquisition. To this end, the vendor
community is encouraged to include observations regarding what elements a successful RFP would
have. Include these observations within the response section “Observations/Comments” .
The Division is open to alternative ideas. Respondents are encouraged to provide information about
alternatives that can assist the Division better define its requirements and obtain a solution that meets its
needs.
Section 2: Current Environment
All current emergency communication/messaging to LPAs are through traditional email, telephone and
broadcast messaging (through the Division’s mainframe). The problem with the current methods is that
LPAs do not receive imperative system failure messages in a timely manner.
Section 3: Description of Information Requested
All vendors with an appropriate service or product relating to the requirements set forth in the Request for
Technologies (Attachment 1) attached hereto are invited to submit a capability statement and contact
information. The capability statement should discuss the service or product’s capabilities to meet the
potential requirements, how the system will be hosted, the service or product’s system requirements, the
product’s integration specification (if available), and any other specific and pertinent information that
would educate the Division about the service or product, and allow it to gain an understanding of the
information submitted by the respondent along with an estimate of cost (include on-going costs, operating
and maintenance costs) for such service/product being offered. Additionally, the Division will need to
know how much and what can be contained or not contained in messages being broadcast.
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NCDOT Request for Information
SDV 2.0
We recognize that not all requirements may be met by a single solution. Please indicate in your response
which capabilities can be provided via commercial off the shelf solutions versus customized applications.
For requirements that are met by commercial off the shelf software, please include the product name,
release number and release date of the software.
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NCDOT Request for Information
SDV 2.0
ATTACHMENT 1: REQUEST FOR TECHNOLOGIES
1. System Overview
The State of NC is subject to multiple climatic conditions, including tornado/snow/ice that would benefit
from the addition of a Mass Notification/messaging System. The system should be capable of warning for
other non-climatic events and have the ability to segment areas of the Division such as but not limited to
by site notifications, geographic area and county-wide.
2. System Capacity and Reliability
Explain issues of capacity with regard to notification. Please include calls per minute or other metric that
allows an understanding of the maximum population that can be reached for any fixed period of time.
Include such metrics for both wireline and wireless technologies. Include any limitations or barriers to call
completion that are known regardless of the source of such blockage.
Indicate any known limiting conditions that may exist with various providers (provider being a LEC, ALEC
or Wireless entity).
Discuss any limitations that may exist for a long-term event. A long term event may be considered one
that spans multiple consecutive days.
Describe the method of delivery. Can the solution provide for voice, email and textual notification?
Indicate any limitations of any delivery method(s).
Reliability –
Describe system redundancies which exist to ensure notification delivery, such as telecommunications
providers and/or parallel delivery streams.
3. System Technology
Fully describe your solution regarding equipment, placement of such equipment, software and any
additional phone lines (including broadband with estimated bandwidth) required to utilize your solution.
Is your system capable of unattended, automated and secure citizen based data uploads?
Discuss how citizen data is processed and retained?
4. Features
Discuss ability to send voice messages to multiple types of devices (land phone, cell phone) and text
messages to multiple types of devices, including e-mail, TTY, PDAs, SMS.
Describe your systems ability to provide on-line system management results of indicating notification
results as well as other reports, such as monthly usage.
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NCDOT Request for Information
SDV 2.0
Will your system allow for call back numbers allowing customers to “replay” a message they have just
received?
What are the limitations of groups and any subgroups?
Describe if your system can be pre-loaded with specific scripts for alerts and other anticipated events.
Describe the methods of defining an alert area.
Indicate the actions that are taken when a message fails to deliver.
5. Data Requirements
Explain the process of obtaining and maintaining phone numbers from the various providers. Include any
existing relationships you may have with any provider.
Discuss your method of registering individual phone numbers that may wish to be notified of an event
regardless of their physical location.
Indicate any potential pitfalls involved with the process of data acquisition and maintenance.
6. Call Send Process
Please describe as a step-by-step process, mass notification/messaging setup, initiation, monitoring and
any specific networks that would be required during an actual event.
7. Implementation, Training and Support
Indicate your process of implementation, training and ongoing support of your mass notification system.
Should you have tiers of support please indicate such.
8. Security
Please indicate your security processes as they relate to system security. Prevention of unauthorized use
or malicious attacks will be appreciated.
Should your service include a 24x7x365 service center describe the security management profile
including any certifications that may be applicable.
If not otherwise described, indicate the client logon process and how it applies to verification of alerts
being generated by the Division.
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NCDOT Request for Information
SDV 2.0
9. Pricing
Please provide your Government pricing structure.
10. Vendor Observations and/or Comments
The Division welcomes the vendor community’s input to this process and technology. We ask that you
comment freely on issues of the technology or acquisition process used to procure this service.
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