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Montana Digital LLC RFP Response ReceivedMtn IVIA�� Your MAXIMUM M CulmrnuniGaticon s Provider Powctrctc$ by [tact Arra r tear►a Ckigita 1 "I twco. rK To the City of Kalispell; It is our pleasure to provide to you our response to the RFP released on August 17, 2021. After carefully reviewing all aspects of your RFP, We believe that we're the right solution for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, being a local provider with the largest fiber network in the valley positions us to have a clear advantage to synergistically tailor the growth and needs of the City for years to come. This combined with our offer to install a complete fiberoptic solution at no costs to the City. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions and/or concerns. Respectfully, Chris Galloway a. Montana Digital LLC 723 5th Ave East / Suite -130 Kalispell, MT 59901 (406) 257-6161 Escalation Contacts; Corey Bellesen 406-407-6232 corev@mtnmax.com Cassius Parsons 406-260-8184 cassuis@mtnmax.com Chris Galloway 406-471-6000 cgallowav@mtnmax.com Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 599010(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 Mtn IVUAS�� Your lv1AXiIAA JA I Ca mm un s Provider Pcp. wer$Q by thee. A4caritiorre OJgitaJV Et tvs" ark REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFPs) FOR Private fiber and DIA Internet Service The City of Kalispell buildings which will receive services as part of the scope of the project are: • City Hall: 201 1st Ave. E. Kalispell, MT 59901 • Fire Station 62: 255 Old Reserve Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 • City Shop Complex: 1400 1" Ave. Kalispell, MT 59901 • Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP): 2001 Airport Road Kalispell, MT 59901 • Buffalo Hill: 100 Buffalo Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 3.3.1 General Information (5 points) Description of company Legal company organization; organization chart with names List of applicable Montana licenses Answer: Mountain Digital Enterprises LLC (MDE) and its companies Montana Digital LLC, (MD) (formed 2000), Skylink Digital LLC (SLD) (formed 2004), and Skylink Fiber Communications LLC ((SLF) (formed 2007) together, and as a whole, hold various licenses and/or approvals for the following: • Montana Digital LLC holds FCC approval for USAC • Skylink Digital LLC holds FCC TRS, Montana TRS and LNP licenses • Skylink Fiber Communications LLC holds state of Montana telecommunications designation for utility right -of -away access, USF and USAC Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 59901•(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 3.3.2 Relevant Company Experience (20 points) a. Applicant's overall reputation, service capabilities and quality as it relates to this Proposal. b. Referrals and references from other municipalities or local governments. c. List and describe any litigation; arbitration; claims filed by your firm against any other jurisdiction as a result of a contract dispute; any contract or negligence claims filed against your company; premature termination from a services agreement. d. Applicant's capacity and intent to proceed without delay is selected. Answer: a. Mountain Digital Enterprises LLC has been in the valley since 2000 and through a strategy of growth and superior technology has branded MtnMAX fiber service to not only local governments, hospitals, and telecommunications carriers (Blackfoot Telephone, AT&T, Access Montana / Ronan Telephone and IIG) but also 80% of Flathead schools. (to include School District -5) Because of our superior network and reliability, we're the largest provider to some of the biggest businesses in the region to include Immanuel Lutheran, Applied Materials, Flathead Electric, Caterpillar, SuperOne Foods, LHC, KTMF, KPAX and Bee Broadcasting just to name a few among the countless hundreds of other business customers here in the Flathead. The MDE network is currently connected through (4) four diverse paths out of the Flathead Valley. • Calgary to the north, • Spokane to the west • Seattle to the southeast • Denver to the south These diverse paths are connected via our two redundant POP's (Points of Presence) here in the Kalispell area we've amassed vast amounts of capacity totaling 40Gbps of DIA with reserve capacity of over 100 terabits. This, along with our experience and understanding of how local government networks need to operate and the constrained budgets these municipalities endure, allows us to collectively provide a superior network experience unrivalled in the state, let alone in this region. b. CITY OF WHITEFISH LETTER (See exhibit "A") c. MD reluctantly had to file suit against Trinity Lutheran School back in 2018/2019 on a substantial unpaid phone bill. This matter has been resolved. d. MD has been anticipating the needs of the City of Kalispell for the past five years and has designed and built its fiber network footprint in order to connect all the locations listed in this RFP. We expect to be able to connect (1) City Hall and (2) Montana Digital LLC. • 723 51h Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 59901•(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 City Shop Complex within a week of being awarded this contract. The (3) three remaining locations can be completed within 30-45 days. Permits and weather dependent. 3.3.3 Company Qualifications(lOpoints) Describe the company's history in the industry. Provide resumes of key personnel in Appendix a. List professional continuing education. b. Briefly describe certifications and licensure held by the company in the state of Montana. Answer: a. Mountain Digital Enterprises LLC (MDE) was formed in 1993 as a Delaware LLC which provided telecommunications services in Colorado. MDE was not only the national leader in SDSL deployment, but the largest private DSL network in the state of Colorado until it was sold in December 1999. The principal member moved to Montana and started exploring wireless communications, as an alternative to wireline services, under the newly formed LLC. Montana Digital in 2000 (MD). After spending years and significant investments exploring, testing and deploying wireless communications, Montana Digital decided to standardize on a 100% fiberoptic network as a futureproof way of providing fast and reliable communications services. In 2004, MDE created Skylink Digital LLC (SLD) to partner with 360 Canada to acquire the (then) Touch America Network. This acquisition not only allowed Montana Digital access to a network that spanned most of the US, but it provided a springboard to launch its new fiberoptic company Skylink Fiber Communications in 2007 (SLF). In 2019 Chris Galloway created OPSMax LLC. and shortly after its inception was awarded a contract to complete a 10 -mile fiber ring in Quincy, WA for Microsoft's Datacenters. This project was successfully completed Oct 2020. The primary managing member (Chris Galloway) has been in the telecommunications industry since 1991. With experience in the Public Telephone Switched Network (PTSN), with standards ranging from DS 1 /DS3 OC 192, SDSL, ADSL, OCxxx, MPLS, TLS, NERC, Mid and Last Mile Fiber services etc. since 1993. Having seen the industries growth and direction, Chris saw the need to implement a 100% wholly owned and operated end-to-end product that rivals 99% of all fiber-optic companies spanning the US; providing services that range from its in-house design and engineering, underground and aerial construction, emergency response restoration, security, and 24/7 monitoring (See exhibit -C) all backed by its skilled local technicians. Without having to rely on outsourcing, MDE is benefited with the ability to implement all aspects of a next -gen fiber network that allows us to control costs and provide unmatched customer satisfaction. Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5"' Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 599010(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 This together with its top notched staff with expertise including, but not limited to; engineering, network engineering, Cisco CCIE certification and Calix certification. Our engineers work alongside our construction crews which enables us to identify damaged facilities in seconds and restore service 100% within a 4 -hour window. b. Mountain Digital Enterprises LLC (MDE) and its companies (Montana Digital LLC, (MD) Skylink Digital LLC (SLD) and Skylink Fiber Communications LLC (SLF) together and as a whole hold various licenses and/or approvals for the following; • Montana Digital LLC holds FCC approval for USAC • Skylink Digital LLC holds FCC TRS, Montana TRS and LNP licenses • Skylink Fiber Communications LLC holds state of Montana telecommunications designation for utility right -of -away access, USF and USAC 3.3.4 Contract Understanding and Approach(15points) a. Describe your understanding of the scope of work and the particular expertise your company has in this area of work. b. Identify and discuss any potential difficult issues your company may face in providing services within Flathead County. c. Identify and discuss methods to mitigate these difficulties. Answer: a. We currently provide this same service to the City of Whitefish and have since 2016. We thoroughly understand the needs and requirements municipalities have in private secure transmission of data between each of the facilities and understand and adhere to TLS and NERC standards. We've been deploying TLS service in this valley for more than thirteen years. b. We foresee no difficulties in providing the City of Kalispell with this solution immediately, if chosen as the provider. (permitting and weather dependent) c. We have thoroughly researched each of the City's locations and foresee no difficulties in providing this service. 3.3.5 Approach to Contract Management(21 points) a. Describe your company's approach in initiating and establishing the service that meet the needs and requirements of the City. c. Describe systems used for planning, scheduling, estimating, and managing manpower requirements. d. Describe the firm's experience in maintaining training and certifications of personnel. Answer: Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 599010(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 1 a. After acceptance of our proposal, we will provide a Master Service Agreement (MSA), Service Agreements (SA) per desired locations and a Service Level Agreement (SLA). (See exhibit -B) Once the MSA/SA's have been signed, we will schedule each location based on the City of Kalispell's desired order of preference. Upon initial installation of each location, we will provide the following service; 1Gbps DIA and 1Gbps Private TLS service so the "Private network" can be used, integrated and tested by the City's IT department before moving to a more network centric design. (Definition of network centric = 2 diverse locations for DIA with secure Firewall and all other locations "Private Network" connected back to both Firewalls) b. These projects will be entered into our customer database "workflows" system. i. We use a SAS based system to design, catalog and coordinate the construction and installation criteria. ii. Outside plant technicians fusion splice and test with an OTDR prior to internal scheduling of installation to ensure our schedule is adhered to by our installation technicians so the install is completed in a timely fashion. iii. Network Standards (See exhibit -D) iv. The city will be assigned a single point of contact for the initial scheduling, construction, installation and turn -up phases. c. Our CCIE (Cisco Instructional Engineer) and Calix Technicians must maintain certification on a yearly basis per both the manufactures requirements, but also for our internal standards. All outside plant (OSP) employees undergo yearly training in the areas of quality assurance and safety standards provided by 81 1/UDIG. 3.3.6 Proposal for Project(15 points) a. Provide a work schedule with beginning and ending times that meet the scope criteria. c. Provide a full schedule of proposed work methods that meet the scope criteria. c. Provide a full schedule of costs for each component of the work scope Answer: a. Upon completion of the MSA, we're able to install City Hall and the City Shop Complex immediately. The Fire Station, Wastewater and Water Tower construction installation will start immediately (weather and permit dependent). b. Location Construction List: i. Location -1: (City Hall) We currently have an aerial fiber ready to insert into City Hall. This location is aerial, no construction needed. ii. Location -2: (City Shop Complex) We currently have aerial fiber built to the northeast property corner of shop complex. This will require extending our fiber into shop complex. Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 59901•(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 iii. Location -3: (Fire Station) We currently have underground fiber located within 600 feet. This location will require underground construction (horizonal directional drilling) and should last no longer than 7 -days. (weather and permit dependent). iv. Location -4: (Wastewater Treatment) We currently have fiber to Rankin school (from the south) This location will require aerial and underground construction and should last no longer than 25 -30 -days. (weather and permit dependent). v. Location -5: (Water Tower) We currently have fiber outside the south and west property lines. This location will require underground construction (horizonal directional drilling). and should last no longer than 15 -days. (weather and permit dependent). c. Installation costs to the City of Kalispell for each of these locations is $0.00 (i.e. we will not be charging the City for any construction) 3.3.7 Other Factors (9 points) Answer a. Current contracts and ability to proceed promptly. b. Willingness to abide by the City's needs and requirements with few or no objections or challenges. c. Relevant factors impacting the quality and value of service a. We currently have agreements in place with the City for our wireless service at two locations. We will be able to facilitate our MSA within 72 hours of awarded RFP and start immediately. b. We're here to help the City of Kalispell grow with the times. Our company is willing to provide whatever is needed to facilitate a seamless and efficient solution to its municipality fiber network. c. Because Montana Digital is a locally owned and operated company the City of Kalispell's growth and ability to thrive is of great importance to us, and that is why we're pleased to offer these services to the City at no installation costs. Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 599010(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 Mtn MA�� Your MAXIMUM Co mmunicatioris Provider PpwerBQ �y the 01,1 r3 t se rtzi Oigitea/ MBtworlc REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFPs) FOR Private fiber and DIA Internet Service Services provided as requested by this RFP Locaton-1 City Hall 201 15t Ave. E. Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA $250 MRC • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC Location -2 City Shop Complex 1400 1st Ave. Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA $250 MRC • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC Location -3 North Fire Station 255 Old Reserve Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA • 1G GPON TLS Private Network Location -4 Wastewater Treatment Plant 2001 Airport Road Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA • 1G GPON TLS Private Network Location -5 Buffalo Hill Water Tower 100 Buffalo Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA • 1G GPON TLS Private Network Total for all locations Construction $250 MRC $250 MRC $250 MRC $250 MRC $250 MRC $250 MRC $2500 MRC $0.00 MRC (Monthly Recurring Charge) Initial 60 -month term (agreement) 10% discount per year, if adding additional year(s) to initial term. (maximum term 84 months) (Example: additional 12 -months _ 10° o discount, additional 24 -months = 20% discount) Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 59901•(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 Suactested Centric Network Proposal Our recommendation based on security. ease of use and less firewall management Locaton-1 City Hall 201 1St Ave. E. Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA $250 MRC • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC Location -2 City Shop Complex 1400 1st Ave. Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC Location -3 North Fire Station 255 Old Reserve Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON DIA • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC $250 MRC Location -4 Wastewater Treatment Plant 2001 Airport Road Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC Location -5 Buffalo Hill Water Tower 100 Buffalo Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 • 1G GPON TLS Private Network $250 MRC Total for all locations Construction $1750 MRC $0.00 MRC (Monthly Recurring Charge) Initial 60 -month term (agreement) 10% discount per year, if adding additional year(s) to initial term. (maximum term 84 -months) (Example: additional 12 -months 100.0 discount, additional 24 -months 20°0 discount) This option is the more "centric" network that we propose based on a number of factors to include; • Security (less firewalls to purchase, maintain and manage by IT Staff) • Two locations for DIA which provides redundant Internet to the City's entire network. • One private L2 network city wide which allows for less network management, ease of configurations by IT Staff to push/pull data from each department, Helpdesk support ease and remote backup and virus protection from a centralized location. • Less network specific routing and configuring of devices lessoning the load of an already overworked IT staff. Montana Digital LLC. • 723 5th Ave East Suite #130 • Kalispell, MT 59901•(406) 257-616 • Fax (406) 257-0438 City of Whitefish Department of Public Works 418 E. 2nd St. 1 PO Box 158 Whitefish, MT 59937 (406) 863-2460 1 Fax (406) 863-2419 September 16, 2021 Subject: Recommendation for Montana Digital, LLC To Whom It May Concern: The City of Whitefish gives our recommendation to use Montana Digital, LLC for their services. They have served our city well for our ISP and fiber needs and we would recommend them to any other municipality desiring their services. Sincerely, (1144 &IL Matt Trebesch GIS/IT Coordinator — City of Whitefish EXHIBIT B (SLA) SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT A Service Outage shall begin when [Customer]. contacts MD to report an outage and ends at the time the Services are restored and fully operational. MD agrees to undertake immediate action to correct any Service Outage upon the earlier of knowledge or receiving notice from [Customer]. [Customer] may notify MD by telephone, e-mail, or any such similar expedited notice mechanism at the following: support@mtnmax.net In the event of a Service Outage [Customer] shall be entitled to each of the following remedies: 1. Outage Credits. MD shall pay [Customer] an amount as follows for Service Outages ("Outage Credit"): Service Outage Length Credit Per Service Less than 15 minutes 0% of MRC of the Affected Service(s) 16 minute to 30 minutes 25% of the MRC of the Affected Service(s) Start of a new minute above 30 minutes up to 60 minutes 5% of the MRC of the Affected Service(s) for each additional minute up to 60 61 minutes to 4 hours 75% of the MRC of the Affected Service(s) Over 8 hours 100% of the MRC of the Affected Service(s) 2. Events Excepted From Credit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, [Customer] shall not receive any Outage Credit during those time periods solely caused by the following events: (i) The negligent actions or omissions, or willful misconduct of [Customer] or its agents or contractors; (ii) The failure of any [Customer] equipment or systems; (iii) A Force Majeure event, as defined in this Agreement; (iv) Emergency Maintenance; or (iv) A Planned Service Outage. Montana Digital LLC 723 5St Ave E Ste 130 * Kalispell, MT 59901 * (406) 257-0912 1 EXHIBIT C Monitoring, Maintenance & Repair 1. Purpose. This Exhibit describes the policies and procedures MD utilizes to monitor and maintain those certain number of strands of dark fiber optic cable specifically delineated in the SO ("Dark Fiber(s)). MD shall ensure that the Dark Fiber is maintained according to the specifications and procedures specified herein, through application of commercially reasonable and accepted industry standards, and in accordance with manufacturers' specifications. The purpose and result of monitoring and maintenance shall be to maintain (in the case of routine maintenance), or restore (in the case of non- routine maintenance) the functionality of the Dark Fibers. MD reserves the right to modify these procedures as appropriate to ensure that performance specifications are achieved. 2. Network Monitoring. MD's Network Operations Center ("NOC") proactively monitors its network and performs cable and conduit maintenance and repair, on a twenty-four (24) hour per day, seven (7) days per week basis (24x7). MD utilizes only qualified personnel, office services, vehicles, and all tools and materials required for the safe and proper performance of network monitoring, maintenance procedures and emergency restoration. 3. Routine Maintenance. MD shall perform routine and preventative maintenance on MD's Network, including route patrol and all cable and locate activities as a part of the local "Call Before You Dig" program. Planned network maintenance that does or does not potentially involve the disruption of functionality of the Dark Fiber is also considered Routine Maintenance. The nature of such a Routine Maintenance activity is such that it can be pre -scheduled so as to allow notification to Customer as appropriate. MD's NOC will conduct Routine Maintenance which is service impacting (herein referred to as "Planned Service Outage") outside normal working hours anytime between 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM (local time) seven (7) days a week. MD will provide Customer with ten (10) business days prior notice of the Planned Service Outage and five (5) business days prior notice of Routine Maintenance that is not service affecting. For clarity, and Planned Service Outage which exceeds the approved maintenance period shall be considered a Service Outage subject to the Outage Credit provision contained in the SLA, attached to and incorporated herein. Montana Digital LLC 723 5st Ave E Ste 130 * Kalispell, MT 59901 * (406) 257-0912 2 4. Emergency Maintenance. All maintenance other than Routine Maintenance and Planned Service Outage, as described above, shall be deemed to be "Emergency Maintenance" (including, but not limited to, repairs required due to cable cuts, fires, remodeling work or other acts of third parties or Force Majeure events). For any Emergency Maintenance, Customer will first use commercially reasonable efforts to determine that any disruption in the functionality of the Dark Fiber(s) is not on the Customer's side of the Demarcation Point. After verifying that the problem is not on Customer's side of the Demarcation Point, Customer opens a Trouble Case for Technical Support by contacting MD Customer Support at support@mtnmax.net. Escalation procedures following opening of a Trouble Case are defined below. 5. Fiber Optic Cable Repair & Restoration. Following receipt of Customer's notification of a trouble case, MD shall use its best efforts to respond on-site (if necessary) to the affected location(s) within two (2) hours of the initial trouble case, provided MD has all necessary access to the Locations, including Customer's premises. In the event of a cable failure, MD shall use its best efforts to begin Dark Fiber restoration within two (2) hours following identification of such failure. MD shall use its best efforts to then restore the functionality of the Dark Fiber no later than six (6) hours following initiation of restoration activities. During an outage MD shall contact Customer on a regular basis, to update the status of restoration. MD is responsible for ensuring that the maintenance personnel are properly trained and otherwise qualified to perform the maintenance on the Services. Montana Digital LLC 723 55' Ave E Ste 130 * Kalispell, MT 59901 * (406) 257-0912 3 EXHIBIT D Fiber Specifications SPECIFICATIONS The fiber optic cable shall generally be single -armored unless otherwise designated by MD in its sole discretion. MD will indicate the ITU -T grade of the provided fiber as part of the Notice of Completion. Optical Cable with Non -Zero Dispersion —Shifted Fiber • Attenuation at 1550 nm = 0.19 dB/km max • Total Dispersion = 2.0 - 6.0 ps/nm-km for 1530 nm to 1565nm 4.5 —11.2 ps/nm-km for 1565nm to 1625nm • Polarization Mode Dispersion < 0.6 ps/km Optical Cable with Single Mode Fiber • Attenuation at 1310 nm = 0.40 dB/km max • Attenuation at 1550 nm = 0.30 dB/km max • Zero Dispersion wavelength = 1300 to 1322nm • Dispersion slope =<.092 ps/nm2*km typical Optical Cable with Negative Dispersion Single Mode Fiber • Attenuation at 1550 nm = 0.27 dB/km max • Attenuation at 1310 nm = 0.50 dB/km max • Total Dispersion = -10.0 to -1.0 ps/(nm*km) for 1530 nm to 1605nm 1.1 Splicing Standards are as follows for standard single mode fiber: Splices shall be qualified during the initial construction with an OTDR from only one direction. Connector (pigtail) splices shall be qualified with a 1 -km launch reel minimum. Unidirectional acceptance parameters are .2 dB loss at 1550nm. After end-to-end (site -to -site) connectivity on the fibers, bi-directional span testing shall be done at both 1550nm and 1310nm. Spans in excess of 60kM shall be tested at 1550nm only, 1310nm Testing will be omitted unless specifically requested by the customer. Test results from spans in excess of 60kM will have no bearing on route or system acceptance and shall be provided as information only. These measurements must be made after the splice manholes or handholes are closed in order to check for macro -bending problems. Connectors shall be cleaned as necessary to ensure accurate measurements are taken. Montana Digital LLC 723 5st Ave E Ste 130 * Kalispell, MT 59901 * (406) 257-0912 4 Installed loss measurement at 1310nm and 1550nm shall be recorded using an industry -accepted laser source and power meter. Continuity testing shall be done on all fibers concurrently. Bi-directional acceptance parameters are as follows: 0.15 dB at 1550nm and/or 0.20dB at 1310nm. The objective loss value of the connector and its associated splice shall be 0.50dB or less. This value does not include the insertion loss from its connection to the FDP. Connectors shall be Ultra SC -UPC with conventional single mode glass. The end-to-end loss value as measured with an industry -accepted laser source and power meter should have an attenuation rating of Tess than or equal to the following: (1) At 1310nm: (0.40 dB/km x km of cable) + (number of connectors x 0.5 dB) + (0.20 dB x number of splices). (2) At 1550nm: (0.30 dB/km x km of cable) + (number of connectors x 0.5 dB) + (0.20 dB x number of splices)." 1.2 All splices shall be protected with heat shrinks. An industry -accepted non - encapsulated splice enclosure shall be used on all splices (like Alcatel WTC2, PLP Coyote, Lucent 2600, 3M 2178, Tyco 450-D or Windsor.) 1.3 The entire fiber optic system shall be properly protected from foreign voltage and grounded with an industry -accepted system. Montana Digital LLC 723 5' Ave E Ste 130 * Kalispell, MT 59901 * (406) 257-0912 5