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Blackfoot RFP United Communications as a Service Response FinalMay 31st, 2023 RFP Dedicated Internet Access 1 Proprietary and Confidential RFP Unified Communications as a Service City of Kalispell 201 First Ave Kalispell, MT 59901 Blackfoot Communications Jared Schmit Phone: 406-541-5175 Fax: 406-532-5078 jschmit@blackfoot.com Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 2 Proprietary and Confidential Appendix 1.0 General Information (3.3.1) 1.1 Description of Company 1.2 Company Organization 1.3 Organization chart 1.3.1 Enterprise Sales Team 1.3.2 Implementation Coordinators 1.3.3 Ergo Network Techs / Service Desk / Technical Assistance Center 1.4 Montana Licenses 2.0 Company Experience (3.3.2) 2.1 Overall Reputation, Service Capabilities and Qualities 2.2 References 2.3 Litigation, Arbitration, Claims 2.4 Capacity and Intent to proceed without delay 3.0 Company Qualifications (3.3.3) 3.1 Company History 3.2 Certifications / Licenses 3.3 Subcontractors 3.4 Third Party Vendors 4.0 Contract Understanding and Approach (3.3.4) 4.1 Scope of Work & Expertise 4.2 Identify any potential difficult issues 4.3 Mitigation of Issues 5.0 Approach to Contract Management (3.3.5) 5.1 Initiating & Establishing Service 5.2 Systems for planning, scheduling, estimating and managing manpower 5.3 Blackfoot’s experience in maintaining training and certifications of personnel 6.0 Proposal for Project (3.3.6) 6.1 Work Schedule with beginning and ending times that meet the scope criteria 6.2 Full schedule of proposed work methods 6.3 Solution design and configuration 6.4 Full schedule of costs for each component 6.5 List of Warranties 6.6 Service Level Agreements 6.7 Description of proposed UCaaS solution 6.7.1 Cloud Architecture Solution 6.7.2 Hardware 6.7.3 Minimal/ideal bandwidth/performance requirements 6.7.4 Options to increase voice clarity/quality 6.7.5 Overall Advantages 6.7.6 System’s record of reliability, availability, and maintainability 6.7.7 SLA’s 6.7.8 Schedule of new feature/functionality release to the UCaaS solution 6.7.9 Schedule of New Feature/Functionality release Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 3 Proprietary and Confidential 6.7.10 Upgrades and associated costs 6.7.11 Data backups of the proposed solution are completed 6.7.12 Data backups continued 6.7.13 Remediate and revert changes to deleted data 6.7.14 System storage for voicemail and call recordings 6.7.15 Voicemail and call recording retention 6.7.16 Recorded data (creation to deletion) 6.7.17 Recorded call data security in rest and transit 6.7.18 End user access to call recordings 6.7.19 Admin user access to call recordings 6.7.20 Scalable and capable of changing in size/scope 6.7.21 Licensing and hardware/network requirements 6.7.22 IP Phone Naming 6.8 Install Resources 6.9 Test and Acceptance Document 6.10 Post-Install Documentation 6.10.1 As-built Inventory 6.10.2 Ongoing Support / Post Install 6.11 Annual Maintenance/Support 6.12 Patches/Upgrades 6.13 Surefire Resiliency Option 6.14 Required Equipment 6.15 Exhibit B Data Security Certification 7.0 Other Factors (3.3.7) 7.1 Current contracts and ability to proceed promptly 7.2 Willingness to abide by City’s needs 7.3 Quality and value of service 7.4 Key employees resumes Additional Articles A. Organization Chart B. Key Personnel Short Resume C. Mandatory Requirements and How We Meet Them D. Data Security Certification Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 4 Proprietary and Confidential 1.0 General Information (3.3.1) 1.1 Description of Company At Blackfoot Communications, we believe that strong connections matter. Connecting businesses. Connecting homes. Connecting communities. Connecting with each other. Using the latest technology in voice, broadband, network and managed services, we keep people reliably connected. We serve communities in Western Montana and Eastern Idaho, as well as businesses of all sizes throughout the Pacific Northwest. We also connect with our communities by giving back to local organizations, causes and schools in ways that truly matter. Headquartered in Missoula, Montana and named after the Blackfoot River, we have more than 65 years of history in creating strong connections. We also have an office in Bozeman, MT as well as St. Anthony, ID. Our roots lie deep in the lasting relationships we have built with our customers. For over 65 years, Blackfoot has built a reputation based on exceptional customer service. That legacy has served us well and our commitment to our customers is reflected in our growing market share. It’s simple; we deliver what we say we are going to. We provide both on-site sales expertise and an up-front network analysis to determine the best plan for the City of Kalispell. With Blackfoot Communications, you can depend on scalable solutions and a robust support system to make your experience with today’s technology enjoyable, seamless and as cost-effective as possible. 1.2 Company Organization Legally, Blackfoot operates under several different companies. We have our cooperative designation Blackfoot Telephone (BTC), Blackfoot Communications (BCI), and Freemont Communications (FMT). We are structured such because of the different areas we provide service to. In the BTC areas of Western Montana you can find our member owners in the co-operative portion of our business. BCI is where this proposal comes into play, where we serve the larger markets of Montana with state of the art infrastructure and managed services including managed voice. 1.3 Organization Chart Blackfoot Communications has a team of over 180 employees. The key staff members who will be involved with this project are listed below, however the full Montana Organization chart and key staff Resumes can be found in Article A at the end of this proposal. 1.3.1 Enterprise Sales Executive  Enterprise Sales Executive – Jared Schmit Jared Schmit, as your dedicated Enterprise Sales Executive, will be your main point of contact throughout the RFP process. Should the City of Kalispell choose Blackfoot Communications, Jared will be the representative for the City of Kalispell throughout the RFP, contracting, install and post-install. Other work groups and individuals will be included throughout the process as well. Once an agreement is reached the Implementation Coordination team becomes the key driver of the install. 1.3.3. Implementation Team  Implementation Coordinator - Holly LaBair Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 5 Proprietary and Confidential  Implementation Coordinator - Brenda Evans Once an agreement is reached, an Implementation Coordinator is selected based upon availability and expertise. For a Unified Communications partnership, either or both Holly LaBair/Brenda Evans would be the assigned to this project. The implementation coordinator works with our team of experts and for this project would be working primarily with our Ergo Network Techs for the design and install of the unified communications project. Aaron Wade leads that team. He would be in charge of this project, but all of the technicians are likely to be involved for a project with this many phones and locations. 1.3.4 Ergo Network Techs / Technical Assistance Center / Service Desk  Aaron Wade – Lead Network Technician*  Will Hendrix – Network Technician  Aaron Everard – Network Technician  Ethan Krebs – Network Technician  Chase Rathert – Network Technician  Cody Mitchell – Technical Assistance Center Supervisor  Zack Hallgren – Resource Service Specialist  Hunter Dahnke – Resource Service Specialist  Bridget Kennedy – Service Resource Specialist After the implementation team writes the order, they will assign a network technician to work on the order. Our technician will conduct a free onsite survey at that point for each location. They will verify cabling and switch availability to each phone location at that time. Following the installation of the solution, our implementation team will lead a training at each location. Once installed our Resource Service Specialists are available to assist with troubleshooting and adjustments to the system. Post install our team of Network Technicians and Resource Service Specialists will assist with ongoing support of the UCaaS solution for the City of Kalispell. The Enterprise Sales Executive is available throughout the entire process. 1.4 State Licenses At the state level, in order for Blackfoot Communications, Inc. DBA Blackfoot Communications, to operate as a corporation in the State of Montana, BCI originally filed Articles of Organization on 01.27.1995 and each year, before April 15th, an Annual Report is filed listing the current Board of Directors, CEO, CFO and any VPs. Every five years, an Assumed Business Name report is filed to maintain the assumed business name of Blackfoot Communications. 2.0 Relevant Company Experience (3.3.2) 2.1 Blackfoot Communications reliably connects businesses of all sizes across the nation using the latest technology in voice. We help simplify communications with a modern VoIP phone system with zero upfront cost. Our experts set up the service, maintain, and remotely manage for one recurring, predictable monthly fee. We have been one of the regions leaders in voice services for over 65 years and our legacy as a company is as a voice provider.  Customized business phone solution to meet your needs, from system features to devices including desktop handsets, conference speakers and cordless headsets.  Easily accommodate business growth by adding extensions, phones or new capabilities on the fly. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 6 Proprietary and Confidential  Communicate from any device, anywhere. Seamlessly transfer calls between devices when you are on the go so you can maintain one phone number for all of your business contacts.  Unified messaging enables you to send and receive voicemails and faxes from your device. 2.2 References & Quotes Rose Allen, City Clerk at the City of Hamilton, Out of the Office until June 19th, Phone: 406-363-2101 ext. #230, Email: cityclerk@cityofhamilton.net Pam Lemon, City of Hamilton Police Department, Phone: 406-363-2100, Email: police@cityofhamilton.net Earl Akers, Director of Information Services, Western Montana Mental Health Center, Phone: 406-532-8974, Email: eakers@wmmhc.org Customer Quotes: “Blackfoot Communications provides and manages our phone solution at the Sanders County Courthouse. We had an outdated phone system that we needed to replace. The transition was very coordinated and proved to be smoother than we thought. Now we have a modern phone solution with the best tech support ever!” - Kathy A. Conlin, Sanders County Commissioners’ Office "Blackfoot is our partner. They care as much about our business as they do their own." - Earl Akers, Director of Information Services, Western Montana Mental Health Center “Customer service is so important in our line of work. That’s why we needed a provider who could deliver reliable voice and data services. Blackfoot has been a great partner since 2015 and truly shares our vision of customer service excellence.” - Quin Williams, Vice President, Williams Plumbing 2.3 Litigation, Arbitration, Claims: I am unaware of any litigation, arbitration, claims filed against Blackfoot Communications. Early termination of our agreements is outlined in the master service level agreement of our contracts. 2.4– Capacity to go forward If selected Blackfoot Communications generally turns up voice installations in 30 days from the service order date. That date is after our team received a signed agreement and the implementation team writes the order. Equipment is on hand for the installation of this proposed voice solution. Blackfoot would be prepared to proceed immediately and is prepared to meet the deadline of October 1st for the new Voice solution. 3.0 Company Qualifications (3.3.3) 3.1 Company’s History: Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 7 Proprietary and Confidential Blackfoot Telephone has been serving eight different counties in Montana and Idaho with state of the art voice service since incorporating back in 1954. Over the company’s history, that has meant many different things. At the start, Blackfoot was delivering copper lines for traditional phone lines to ranchers near the Bitterroot River. Over time, as technology has evolved, Blackfoot has evolved too. The cooperative has adapted with the changing times. Blackfoot Telephone the co-operative started a separate entity Blackfoot Communications, Inc. (BCI) in 1995. It did so as Montana Wireless, Inc. offering digital PCS wireless services in Western Montana. After congress passed the landmark 1996 Telecommunications Act Blackfoot expanded its offerings and began competitive wireline services in 1998. In 2005, Blackfoot sold its wireless operations to a regional provider and focused its offerings on wireline voice and advanced telecommunications services throughout Montana. Since then, Blackfoot has grown to a multi-state provider offering advanced telecommunications in 18 states. With the growth have come adapting and growing services offerings including UCaaS. 3.2 Certifications and Licenses See section 1.4 for information on licenses with the state. Blackfoot Communications is a proud partner with Poly for voice solutions. We have nearly 5,000 Poly phones in the market place and are a partner with MetaSwitch. 3.3 Subcontractors There would be no short-term or long-term subcontractors involved in this proposal. Blackfoot Communications would provide the entire UCaaS solution. 3.4 Third Party Vendors There would be no other vendors involved in the process. The only time we leverage third parties in our voice solution is in the off chance there needs to be cable runs completed. It sounds like all cabling is in place now for the City of Kalispell so Blackfoot Communications will handle the install, training, and post-install process. 4.0 Contract Understanding and Approach (3.3.4) 4.1 Scope of Work & Expertise Blackfoot Communication’s understanding of the scope of work is that the City of Kalispell needs a comprehensive UCaaS solution that is secure, manageable, reliable and scalable to replacing the existing system. Blackfoot Communications can deliver a secure VoIP system that includes a standard station, conference phone, is Bluetooth headset compatible and that meets all of the mandatory functionality elements outlined by the City of Kalispell. Each Mandatory Requirement is listed in Article C with how our solution meets each need. Blackfoot manages the UCaaS solution, and it is secure, reliable and scalable. Our team also provides training with installation at each location. Blackfoot Communications is committed to meeting the deadline to have a deployed, operational, and tested UCaaS system before Oct 31, 2023. Ideally, the agreement would be signed and the order written before September 31, 2023. That said we are confident in being able to deliver service before that date. The Centrex service The City of Kalispell currently uses could be cancelled, and would be replaced by Blackfoot Communications. All numbers could be ported over to Blackfoot. 4.2 Potential Difficulties In terms of any potential issues delivering VoIP services in Flathead County, we feel very confident in our ability to provide this service. We have customers across the country. The proximity to the Flathead makes us a great option for local service. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 8 Proprietary and Confidential 4.3 Mitigation of difficulties We anticipate no difficulties with this service delivery at this time. 5.0 Approach to Contract Management (3.3.5) 5.1 Initiating and Establishing Service The entire process begins with this RFP. As part of this process, we have evaluated and considered all of the needs and requirements of the City. We feel confident that our voice solution meets and exceeds expectations set forth in this RFP. Examples and specifics for how we meet requirements can be found in Article B. One example is that we provide a range of phones. We offer a standard station for a typical desk or wall mount; we have a wireless option, a conference phone, an executive option and a secretary/sidecar attachment. All of the devices are Poly devices and more specifics on that can also be found in Article B. 5.2 Systems for planning, scheduling, estimating and managing manpower requirements: We will have techs assigned to this project to conduct onsite surveys upon reaching a budgetary commitment via an agreement. We also will have an implementation coordinator assigned who will assist with programming, porting of phone numbers from Centrix, ordering and aligning equipment for the correct location, setting up call flows, etc. Upon completion of the installation of this service, our service desk will be responsible for any troubleshooting/changes to service. Throughout the entire process the Enterprise Sales Executive will also be available should you need a direct point of contact or assistance with any portion of the install and post-install service. 5.3 Blackfoot’s experience in maintaining training and certifications of personnel All team members involved in this project have been with Blackfoot Communications for an extended period. The technicians on this project each have over 7 years of experience with the Poly phones and are trained to deploy, manage, monitor and troubleshoot these devices. Our implementation coordinators have over 20 years of experience each at Blackfoot Communications with a majority of that time installing UCaaS solutions similar to this deployment. These team members train our users on the intricacies of the voice solutions. Our certifications really come into play with our network engineers which do not necessarily apply to a UCaaS deployment. 6.0 Proposal for Project (3.3.6) 6.1 Work schedule with beginning and ending times that meet the scope criterial One timeline option: City of Kalispell awards Blackfoot Communications as the winner of the RFP around August 1st. Blackfoot Communications Implementation team writes the orders for all locations working with City of Kalispell to identify Static IP information for each location within the next two weeks. Blackfoot Communications also schedules onsite surveys of each location during that timeframe. By the end of August, Voice deployment is configured with all of the City of Kalispell equipment and ready to start installing in September. All surveys to be complete during August. Each location is brought up and the staff is trained onsite. Locations likely are installed one at a time. Install is completed during the month of September/October to meet deadline of October 31st install date. Timeline could be flexible depending on City of Kalispell’s timeframe and negotiation period. 6.2 Full schedule of proposed work methods Blackfoot installers follow all “best practices” for implementation. Full schedule and steps taken: Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 9 Proprietary and Confidential Step 1: RFP and agreement mutually agreed upon Step 2: Implementation team writes order for service Step 3: Technicians make trip to Kalispell and conduct onsite survey of each location (free) Step 4: Configuration of Phones, Call flows discussed and planned out with the City of Kalispell Step 5: Equipment is installed on the City of Kalispell local area network for each location. 4 technicians and 2 trainers would be available to help. Install is likely to take two days, and training another full day. (free install) Step 6: New UCaaS solution is used for the mutually agreed upon term of the agreement, with Blackfoot service desk available to troubleshoot and make changes to the solution as needed. 6.3 Solution design and configuration The City of Kalispell solution can be found below. The solution is built to leverage the existing network and switch architecture deployed by the City of Kalispell. Blackfoot Communications could install new VoIP phones at each location in the fashion requested. ATA POTS lines could be used for the analog lines as well where required. The City of Kalispell would continue using existing analog phones/fax machines and any other analog devices with the existing carrier where an ATA wasn’t needed. Diagram 6.3.1 – Hosted Architecture Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 10 Proprietary and Confidential 6.4 Full Schedule of Costs for Each Component Blackfoot’s initial design is built to match the request made in the product sheet from Exhibit A. Costs are documented further below. One consideration, the City of Kalispell did not document how many call paths or active voice lines were needed at each location. Also, the number of soft phones was not included. A recommendation was made to come up with the total number of call paths per location. The assumption is 1/3 of phones may need to be active at any one time. The number of call paths could be increased or decreased depending on the need and budget of the City of Kalispell. For soft phones, we included one with each standard phone, standard wall, and basic wireless. Each phone includes a DID. The number of phones, call paths, analog ports is easily adjusted with this model to meet the needs of the City of Kalispell should any number need to change in the future. In diagram 6.4.1 all of the devices are requested from the City of Kalispell. In diagram 6.4.2 all of the pricing is outlined based on the number of devices requested. Diagram 6.4.3 is for pricing per location. Diagram 6.4.1 Diagram 6.4.2 (Per Unit Pricing) Location Basic Analog Basic Analog Wall Basic Wireless Standard Standard Wall Executive Conference Call Paths Max UC City hall 1 0 0 36 0 3 1 12 36 Parks & Rec 1 0 0 5 0 1 0 3 5 Municipal Court & Attorneys 0 1 0 10 1 0 0 4 11 Police Station 2 2 0 27 4 0 0 11 31 Fire Station 61 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 3 8 Fire Station 62 1 1 0 4 3 0 0 3 7 City Shop Complex 0 1 8 6 2 0 0 5 16 Wastewater Treatment 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 Pool 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Product 24 Month Pricing 36 Month Pricing 60 Month Pricing Total count 24 Month Pricing 36 Month Pricing 60 Month Pricing Basic Wireless $ 12.00 $ 11.00 $ 10.00 12 144.00$ 132.00$ 120.00$ Standard $ 12.00 $ 11.00 $ 10.00 94 1,128.00$ 1,034.00$ 940.00$ Standard Wall $ 12.00 $ 11.00 $ 10.00 12 144.00$ 132.00$ 120.00$ Executive $ 17.00 $ 16.00 $ 15.00 4 68.00$ 64.00$ 60.00$ Conference Phone $ 14.00 $ 12.00 $ 10.00 1 14.00$ 12.00$ 10.00$ Call Paths (Recommended Amount) $ 22.00 $ 21.00 $ 20.00 43 946.00$ 903.00$ 860.00$ Analog Stations $ 22.00 $ 21.00 $ 20.00 5 110.00$ 105.00$ 100.00$ MaxUC $ 5.00 $ 4.00 $ 4.00 118 590.00$ 472.00$ 472.00$ Total Price 3,144.00$ 2,854.00$ 2,682.00$ Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 11 Proprietary and Confidential Diagram 6.4.3 (Per Location Pricing) 6.5 List of Warranties With Blackfoot’s managed voice solution, all equipment is managed and owned by Blackfoot Communications. Therefore, whichever term the City of Kalispell selects, all equipment is covered for that length of time. As long as the City of Kalispell is under contract, Blackfoot Communications will provide replacements for equipment should any device malfunction or break. There can be instances where tech labor can be charged if there are excessive truck rolls, or techs required onsite, but in general, with a managed solution, Blackfoot is required to keep your voice solution working 24/7 and under Blackfoot management. 6.6 Service Level Agreement Links are provided to the service level agreement and master service agreement here. Below is the Voice Services section 5 of the Service Level Agreement. Master Service Agreement: https://blackfootcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022.07.06-BCI-FMT-Master-Service- Agreement.pdf Service Level Agreement: https://blackfootcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Service-Level-Agreement.pdf Section 5 of Master Service Agreement on Voice Services: Certain IP-based voice services include a 911 and/or an enhanced 911 (“E-911”) function that may differ from the 911/E-911 function offered via traditional telephony service and equipment. As such, it may have certain limitations. CUSTOMER ACKNOWLEDGES AND ACCEPTS ANY LIMITATIONS OF 911/E-911. In order for Customer’s 911/E-911 calls to be properly directed to emergency services, Provider must have Customer’s correct service location address. If Customer moves all or a portion of the Service to a different service location address without prior notice or approval from Provider, Customer’s 911/E-911 calls may be directed to the wrong emergency services authority, may transmit the wrong service location address, and/or fail altogether. Customer further Location 24 Month Pricing 36 Month Pricing 60 Month Pricing City hall 963.00$ 873.00$ 819.00$ Parks & Rec 190.00$ 175.00$ 165.00$ Municipal Court & Attorneys 275.00$ 249.00$ 234.00$ Police Station 813.00$ 738.00$ 694.00$ Fire Station 61 202.00$ 183.00$ 172.00$ Fire Station 62 207.00$ 189.00$ 178.00$ City Shop Complex 382.00$ 345.00$ 324.00$ Wastewater Treatment 112.00$ 102.00$ 96.00$ Pool -$ -$ -$ 3,144.00$ 2,854.00$ 2,682.00$ Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 12 Proprietary and Confidential understands and acknowledges that some voice services use electrical power at the Customer’s service location. If there is an electrical outage, 911/E-911 calling and all other voice services may be interrupted if there is no battery back-up installed, it fails, or is exhausted. CUSTOMER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT NEITHER PROVIDER NOR ITS AFFILIATES SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY SERVICE OUTAGE, INABILITY TO DIAL 911 USING THE SERVICE, AND/OR INABILITY TO ACCESS EMERGENCY SERVICES. CUSTOMER AGREES TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS PROVIDER, ITS AFFILIATES, SHAREHOLDERS, OWNERS, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, LOSSES, DAMAGES, FINES, PENALITIES, COSTS, AND EXPENSES BY, OR ON BEHALF OF, CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY, OR USER OF THE SERVICES RELATING TO THE FAILURE OR OUTAGE OF THE SERVICES, INCLUDING THOSE RELATED TO 911/E-911. Unlimited long distance services may not be used with automatic outbound dialing systems, call distribution systems, telemarketing or call center applications, or for Internet access. Usage may be monitored by Provider and Customer may be required to show compliance if usage exceeds 1500 minutes/month/ per telephone line or per trunk or non-compliance is indicated. Provider reserves the right to charge customer for toll usage in excess of 1500 per month, per telephone line. 6.7 UCaaS Solution The MaX UC softphone integrates your smartphone, tablet, or computer into your Internet Phone System with softphone, call control, and chat capabilities. Included with Softphone Users and Deskphone & Softphone Users. 6.7.1 Cloud Architecture solution See diagram 6.3.1 for the cloud architecture and design for this solution. Soft phones would run on any network, cellular networks included. 6.7.2 Hardware The Poly hardware involved in this proposal is featured below. Links included for the specs of each device. 6.7.2.1 Poly VVX450 (standard & standard wall) a. For all of the standard VoIP phones and standard wall phones the Poly VVX450 would be the physical phone presented to the City of Kalispell. b. Full specs available at https://www.poly.com/content/dam/www/products/phones/vvx/vvx-450/doc/vvx-450- ds-en.pdf 6.7.2.2 Poly – ROVE 40 (cordless) a. For all of the wireless phones the Poly ROVE would be the physical phone presented to the City of Kalispell. b. Full specs available: https://www.poly.com/content/dam/www/products/phones/rove/doc/poly-rove-dect-ip- phone-solution-en.pdf 6.7.2.3 Poly – Conference – Trio 8300 (conference) c. For all of the Conference phones the Trio 8300 would be the conference phones presented to the City of Kalispell. d. Full specs available: https://www.poly.com/us/en/products/phones/trio/trio-8300 Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 13 Proprietary and Confidential 6.7.2.4 Poly CCX 600 (Executive) a. For all of the Executive phones the CCX 600 would be the phone presented to the City of Kalispell. b. Full specs available: https://www.poly.com/content/dam/www/products/phones/ccx/ccx-600/doc/ccx-600-ds- en.pdf 6.7.3 Minimal/ideal bandwidth/performance requirements Minimal bandwidth is 100K per call path. Our recommended call paths can be found in diagram 5.1. Example City Hall would need a minimum of 1.2M/1.2M for the 12 call paths recommended. 6.7.4 Options to increase voice clarity quality Best ways to increase voice quality is to be on a stable internet connection. If connectivity to the app on a cell phone is not working, an option can be to switch to an LTE connection. If that does not work, find a different network. 6.7.5 Overall advantages Overall advantages of our solution would be our local customer support and expertise. Our solution is scalable, reliable, and functional. We include soft phones available via cell phones, laptops, or desktop computers. Our physical Poly stations meet all mandatory functionality put forth by the City of Kalispell. 6.7.6 Record or Reliability, Availability and Maintainability We have over 5,000 stations in the market place, primarily in Western Montana. The system is extremely reliable, and maintainable. We have been deploying iterations of this product for over 10 years. The equipment we use from Poly is industry leading in terms of track record. We have local support, and additional hardware on hand should new locations need to be added, or more phones added. 6.7.7 Service Level Agreements SLAs can be found in section 6.6. Links to the website are included there. For maintenance and support, Blackfoot provides ongoing support, software updates, and troubleshooting. Should there be issues with physical equipment we would replace the phones with new equipment. 6.7.8 New features: Blackfoot is in the process of incorporating a Teams integration with our soft phone client. As of right now, Teams integrates with MaxUC. There is no charge for that integration. In the future, there may be more options with Teams and adding direct routing out of Teams and adding that as an option for a soft phone. As of now, the timeline and price for that service has not been set. For this time, MaxUC is the primary soft phone offered with this proposal. MaxUC does integrate with Microsoft Teams. Any upgrades to MaxUC would be included at the agreed upon price for MaxUC users. 6.7.9 Schedule of New Feature/Functionality Release At this time there is no definite timeframe for new features and functionality. That said, MaxUC the soft phone goes through software updates on the MetaSwitch schedule. The Teams integration would be something that the City of Kalispell could opt in or opt out on. However at this time, the timeframe is not set in stone for incorporating Teams with the VoIP system beyond the current functionality. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 14 Proprietary and Confidential 6.7.10 Upgrades and Associated costs The soft phone client is not included with the pricing provided above. A MaxUC/soft phone client could be added to each user for $4.00 per month per user. 6.7.11 Backups All of the information is stored in the MetaSwitch. This is backed up with redundancy between two diverse locations every night. 6.7.12 What data is backed up? All configurations, programming, and voicemail is backed up each night 6.7.13 Remediate back up data? The Blackfoot technician team would handle changes to configurations. All administrative control is handled by Blackfoot Communications. In general, customers do not have a way to make changes that could result in lost or deleted data. 6.7.14 Storage available for voicemail and for call recordings? How is storage managed? Voicemail is stored on our Meta Switch and is managed by our Central Office. Each voicemail holds an unlimited number of messages up to around 100+ minutes of message storage. Every Class of Service for voicemail is set to 100 mbps of storage. Call recordings are handled manually by customers with thumb drives attached to the physical phones. 6.7.15 Retention Policies The retention policy cannot be changed by the subscriber. All VMs in the INBOX are retained with no expiration until deleted by the customer. Messages put into the trash do have an expiry timer on them. 5 days for read messages, 10 days for unread messages (UVM, UVMP, POVM2). 14 days for read messages, 14 days for unread messages. 6.7.15 How does data move through the system from creation to deletion Data does not move through the system for call recordings. It is all handled by the customer only. 6.7.16 Recorded call data is secured at rest and in transit Data does not move through the system for call recordings. It is all handled by the customer only. 6.7.17 Access to call recordings by an end user Data does not move through the system for call recordings. It is all handled by the customer only. 6.7.18 Access to call recordings by an admin user Data does not move through the system for call recordings. It is all handled by the customer only. 6.7.19 Describe how the system is considered scalable The UCaaS system is scalable because at any time more stations/soft phones can be added. New locations and new users can be turned up quickly. If an additional building requires phones and fax services we would verify that the building had a viable internet connection, and cabling in place. If the correct infrastructure is present, Blackfoot Communications could turn up an ATA for a fax service, and could install the mutually agreed number of phones. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 15 Proprietary and Confidential 6.7.20 Licensing and hardware/network requirements Blackfoot’s physical voice solution works best when a minimum of Cat5 cabling is to each location. The physical phones themselves can run off of WiFi, but for the best quality of service, hardwiring the phones is optimal. MaxUC can be added for new users at new locations almost instantly. We just need to know when new users are needed, then they can be set them up. Building requires internet, router and switching. Blackfoot has options to help with routing and switching if the City of Kalispell routers/switches need upgraded. WiFi can also be used in urgent phone deployments. 6.7.21 IP Phone Naming The phones used in this deployment are the following. They are Poly phones, but they are configured specifically for a Blackfoot managed VoIP solution. See section 6.7.2 for more information. a. Poly VVX450 (standard) b. Polycom – ROVE (cordless) c. Poly – Conference – Trio 8300 (conference) d. Poly CCX 600 (Executive) 6.8 Adequate resources must be available post-cutover for a minimum of 3 days on-site The install process would likely take two days and then training would generally take at least another day. Typically, our training is done in one day per location. It is likely that techs will be in the Flathead Valley with this install for at least the 3-day minimum. It is very likely that you will have access to techs/trainers for more than one day per location, but that is standard. Also, even if we aren’t available onsite for three days, our tech team is easily accessible via phone with any questions or issues. We may want to define exactly what you are looking for in terms of resources. You will have local resources available throughout the entire contract. 6.9 A Test and Acceptance document for review and approval by the City of Kalispell Blackfoot will provide an agreement that will include all services at each location, and the service/master level agreement. If there is more documentation, or more language that is required by the City of Kalispell Blackfoot Communications is open to negotiation. That may satisfy the test and acceptance required for the City of Kalispell, or we could do a live demo in-person if that would be helpful. 6.10 Post Install Documentation 6.10.1 Final as-built inventory and configuration Final As-built inventory and configuration documentation will be provided post-install including system and all user profiles. 6.10.2 Ongoing Support / Post Install User guides can be provided. www.Blackfootbusiness.com is a good resource as well. In addition, our service desk is available for support. There are some resources available on YouTube as well. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 16 Proprietary and Confidential 6.10 Annual Maintenance The managed service solution we are proposing includes any necessary maintenance and support throughout the life of the agreement. 6.11 Patches/Updates/What updates would be service impacting to the Client Patches and updates would be controlled by our central office for the MetaSwitch. If there were maintenance required you would receive notification ahead of time. Generally, maintenance happens outside of standard business hours. Any patches or updates to be scheduled at a convenient time with the City of Kalispell. 6.12 Surefire Resiliency Option System Diagram for the proposed resilience option Surefire resilience options are covered with the existing proposal. Example: Max UC on cell phones could be used a backup should power go out at any of the main locations. Other resiliency options would include getting main lines forwarded to cell phones, or copper traditional POTs lines. Also, redundant internet connections could be added. 6.13 System Diagram System diagram is not needed as the system diagram already provided would include the Max UC soft phone for redundancy. Copper POTS lines could work as well. If more resiliency was needed Blackfoot Communications would be happy to provide a managed failover plan involving adding additional circuits at each location and a managed failover device. In that case, either a VMware SD-WAN appliance or a Cisco Meraki device. These vary is price and scope and would likely be different for each location at the City of Kalispell. SD-WAN devices could be installed and managed by Blackfoot to assist with redundancy. We believe this to be outside the scope of this RFP, and believe that the resiliency plan could be accomplished with copper POTS lines, cell phone forwarding, and the MAX UC App with this proposal. Should the City of Kalispell have interest in SD-WAN Blackfoot Communications is open to a free consultation. 6.13.1 Data Security Certification Please see the attached Articles (Article D) for the signed Data Security Certification 7.0 Other Factors (3.3.7) 7.1 Current Contracts Blackfoot Communications is consistently installing new VoIP/UCaaS solutions. We have equipment on hand for installations, and we work hard to turn up solutions as quickly as possible. Since the network is already installed, this install should quickly and allow our team to meet the timeframe of the City of Kalispell. 7.2 Willingness to abide by City’s needs With everything that has been presented Blackfoot Communications will do everything possible to meet the City’s needs. There have not been any major red flags, below are listed the only concerns that may arise:  Requiring 3 days per location of tech on-site time. We are wondering about the reasoning for this? It is likely our techs will be in Kalispell for that long, however all of our tech time is included in the proposal. So this may need to be negotiable. We provide the entire installation, and training. Plus we are available to troubleshoot via phone any time. In general this has been a good model for our customers.  Being listed in the Active Directory. This we should discuss in the interview portion.  Every other requirement seems to make sense. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 17 Proprietary and Confidential 7.3 Quality and Value of Service Blackfoot Communications prides itself on delivering a state of the art voice solution for customers. We are proud of the quality of service we provide and on the overall value delivered to each customer. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to present this proposal to the City of Kalispell. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 18 Proprietary and Confidential Additional Articles Article A: Organization Charts Article B: Mandatory Requirements and How Blackfoot meets them Article C: Key Staff Resumes Article D: Data Security Certification A. Organization Chart Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 19 Proprietary and Confidential B. Mandatory Requirements and How Blackfoot meets them BASIC IP PHONE: Basic phone meets or exceeds the minimum requirements outlined in the table found on page 8 of the RFP Exhibit A, Mandatory Functionality. State if the proposed basic IP phone supports 10/100 or 10/100/1000 connectivity. Phone is gig rated and acts like a (2) port switch WIRELESS OPTION IP PHONE: Provide options and specifications for a wireless phone. Standard: Includes basic IP phone functionality plus: Optional Color Screen Dual 10/100/1000 integrated switch port USB headset support Full duplex speakerphone Six programmable line keys. The wireless phone does not have a 10/100/1000 switch port. Executive: Includes basic phone functionality plus: Color touch screen Dual 10/100/1000 integrated switch port Dual- band Wi-fi and Bluetooth headset support Eight programmable line keys. CCX600 has built-in Bluetooth and WiFi Conference IP Phone: Supports extended microphones Basic IP phone functionality. Trio 8300 has the ability to have extension mics added to it  Mandatory Functionality The proposed system must meet or exceed the following mandatory functionality requirements. Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 20 Proprietary and Confidential  Basic Phone Minimum System Functionality Call, Redial, Mute, Hold, Transfer, Forwarding, Call History, Caller Id, Conference Calls, Programmable Keys, Shared Line Appearance, Bridged Appearance. Blackfoot’s VoIP solution meets these requirements.  Soft Client A soft client is required with a proposed solution. Desire full functionality in the soft client with no reduction in features from a hard phone. Is there an additional cost for the soft client? If yes, identify in the pricing sheet. Max UC is our soft client. There is an additional cost.  Receptionist Client Phone Expansion modules for call handling along with support for an eb-based tool for an end user who screens and manages calls for a workgroup or department. Describe functionality available with the use of the Receptionist Client i.e., screen calls, manage calls monitor calls in queue etc. We have this. Our ACD solution, in combination with a secretary sidecar is our best way to manage calls.  Automatic Call Distribution An announcement line containing a programmable message and by pressing a corresponding number, the caller is automatically routed to the programmed number. This is accomplished by an Auto Attendant, which we can do.  Remote Device Management Setup and management of an extension and phone functionality from a remote location. This remote device must be capable of the same feature requirements as devices location at a named site.  Hunt Groups Ability to create and manage hunt groups. Ability to direct calls to hunt groups with a simultaneous ring or sequential ringing.  Call Volume Reporting and Statistics Call reporting per extension, workgroup, and department. Describe reporting call detail reporting offered with the proposed solution. Customer can have access to Business Group Manager (BGM) and they can pull their own reports. Service Desk can setup some weekly/monthly reports to help the end-user.  Voicemail Voice mail for end users. Describe the key functionality of the proposed voicemail solution. This is included.  Shared Group Voice Mail Box Creation of a shared voicemail box for a department or group of users with the ability to notify when messages are received. A shared voicemail box may be utilized as an option for an auto attendant or general purpose of a workgroup or department. This is included.  4-digit Extension Dialing Maintain four-digit extension dialing for internal calls. This is included.  Call Forwarding Call forwarding for individual numbers and group lines. Configurable Day / Night mode to forward to after-hours answering services. Calling Day/Night modes must be able to be manually enabled or enabled on a scheduled basis. This is included.  Failover Forwarding (call redirect) Failover Forwarding will ring additional phones after a call is not answered. It is desired that the redirect information is displayed at the answering extension. This is included.  Busy Lamp Field Monitoring Program another extension on a programmable line appearance to monitor the status of the extension and have the ability to call that extension by pressing the associated line key. Page 8 of 9. Poly makes a little USB lamp that we have never tested but we believe would work.  Fax Support Describe fax capabilities with the proposed solution. There are fax support capabilities required at each designated location. Fax to Email but the customer can only receive faxes. We can help facilitate Analog ports, and traditional POTS lines where needed.  Group Paging Ability to create paging groups that support a one-wall call page or group page to a defined group of users. The minimum number of extensions within the group page is 50. This is included.  Reverse number dialing for Police Phones Call back last phone call received. This is included.  Call Recording The current system call recording is achieved through Equature. The proposed system must be capable of integrating with this existing system or there is an option to propose a replacement call recording platform for police with options to export files for digital evidence. Describe ad hoc recording capabilities Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 21 Proprietary and Confidential offered with the proposed solution for other users within the City. These phones have a USB port where you can plug in a thumb drive and record calls. We work another City Police Department and they use this function.  Mobile Phone Integration Pair the user’s work extension/number to the user’s mobile number. Users can switch the active call between desk phone and mobile phone. Describe the mobile phone integration and end-user experience in handling and managing calls. It is desired that the features of the proposed solution extended to mobile users offsite are the same as onsite users. This is included.  Teleworkers It is desired that the teleworker will have full access to all features offered to onsite workers using the device of their choice. Please describe functionality. A physical phone can be delivered to their home to work seamlessly with the other users onsite. Also, the soft phone works on either a cell phone or laptop for the same functionality.  e-911 E911 is required. Describe how e-911 compliance will be achieved for onsite and offsite workers. Identify the cost for e911 compliance. All services are e-911 compliant.  Voicemail Transcription Describe the voicemail transcription capabilities with the proposed solution. If there is an additional cost for this feature, provide it in the pricing section. We cannot transcribe an email to text, but we do send audio files to users email inbox. This is included with the proposed pricing.  Block and Unblock Phone Line Dial Number Police sometimes need to block their telephone number when making an outbound call. They would like to have the option to block or unblock their telephone number. * There are codes for this.  Integration with Active Directory Confirm the proposed solution’s integration into Active Directory for device sign-in and directory search functions. We have no way to integrate with Active Directory. C: Key Staff Resumes Aaron Wade (Lead Network Technician)  Education: Associates Degree – Computer Information Technology  8 years as a Network Technician including 6 years as the Lead IT Tech. Oversees manage service technicians and the service desk. Holly LaBair (Implementation Coordinator)  20+ years as an implementation coordinator with Blackfoot Communications. Specializes in Ergo and VoIP installs. Has been a part of the installation of our flagship product the Ergo VoIP communication system. Brenda Evans (Implementation Coordinator)  20+ years as an implementation coordinator with Blackfoot Communications. Specializes in Ergo/VoIP installs. Has been a part of the installation of our flagship product the Ergo VoIP communication system. Cody Mitchell (Technical Assistance Center Supervisor)  10+ years as technical assistance center and customer support representative. Specializes in troubleshooting and overseeing our team that assists with trouble tickets. Has been a part of the installation of our flagship product the Ergo VoIP communication system. He along with our service desk team would be main contacts for any tweaks/issues after installation. Jared Schmit (Enterprise Sales Executive) Blackfoot Communications RFP Response Dedicated Internet Access 22 Proprietary and Confidential  Education: Bachelors Degree – Marketing, Finance – Montana State University, Masters of Business Administration – University of Montana  3 years of experience managing many of largest accounts at Blackfoot Communications. Experienced with implementing Voice and UCaaS solutions as well as Network Security, SD-WAN, MPLS and LAN solutions. Lead representative for the Flathead Valley.