questions and answers for rfp for computers, software, and ... question… · questions and answers...

Questions and Answers for RFP for Computers, Software, and Services 1. When must evaluation devices be supplied to the District? May 19, 2017 @ 2:00 p.m.

2. Are evaluation devices required of all responding vendors, or those requested by the

District `prior to final award? All responding vendors.

3. If multiple use case specifications can be met by a specific device model, are multiple evaluation devices still required for each use case? No, please specify the use case for each model.

4. Does the District have a Microsoft volume license agreement (VLA) providing for MS O/S downgrades / upgrades? Yes.

5. Is the District requiring the latest generation of Intel processors that are specified? Yes or comparable.

6. Can the District provide to the vendor the rights to this (VLA) for purposes of imaging all required PC devices? No.

7. Can the District specify that devices must pass MIL-STD 810G tests? No. The devices do not need to pass military testing. Standard wear and tear/drop testing.

8. Can District verify what warranty SLA needs to be included as standard on all devices? Does the District want as an option or standard accidental damage protection? Please refer to page 11 on RFP under Warranty and Service.

9. Student Laptop:

Is “student rugged” construction a requirement? Please refer to product specification on page 9 of the RFP.

Will the District require “pick – resistant” keyboard? Is not a requirement.

Will the District allow for Intel Pentium Quad-Core processor? Comparable processors to the processors in the device specifications are allowed.

Will the District allow for an Intel MCore processor? Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on pages 9-13.

Will District permit only touch specification in this device? No.

Will District allow for service level removable battery? District can be certified by vendor as authorized service center at no charge. Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on 9-13. service level removal battery will be allowed.

Will District allow substitution of Micro SD slot supporting microSD, SDHC, SDXC vs. 4-in-1 media card reader? If 4-in-1 is not available, yes.

Will the District specify as a requirement dual band (2x2) 802.11a/b/g/n/ac? Not specified. - Is Bluetooth 4.2 a requirement? Not specified.

10. Teacher Laptop:

Will District allow for 1– USB 3.0 / 1- USB 3.0 Type C / 1 – USB 2.0 specification? RFP states minimum 3 – 3.0, we will allow.

Is touchscreen required? Refer to pages 9-13 in RFP.

Will the District specify as a requirement dual band (2x2) 802.11a/b/g/n/ac? Not specified.

Will District allow for substitution of Multi-format digital media reader supporting SD, SDHC and SDXC? If 4-in-1 is not available, yes.

Will District allow for service level removable battery? District can be certified by vendor as authorized service center at no charge. Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on 9-13, service level removal battery will be allowed.

11. Administrative Laptop:

Will District allow for 1 – USB 3.0 / 1-USB 3.0 Type C / 1 – USB 2.0 specification? RFP states minimum 3 – 3.0, we will allow.





12. STEM / CTE / CAD Laptop:

Will District allow for 1 – USB 3.0 / 1 – USB 3.0 Type C / 1 – USB 2.0 specification? RFP states minimum 3 – 3.0





13. Tablet:


Is specified 2 year warranty on-site or depot? Please refer to pages 8-9.

Is a digitizer option a requirement? Not specified.

Is a keyboard option a requirement? Not specified.

Will the District require a weight of 2lbs. or less? Not specified.

14. Student Compact Desktop

Will District allow for following USB configuration: 4– USB 3.0 / 2 – USB 2.0 specification; 2-USB 3.1 (front), 2-USB 3.1 ( back), 2-USB 2.0 (back) Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on 9-13, we will allow.

Will all devices be mounted? To desk? To monitor? Both? Mounting brackets are case by case.

Is integrated internal speaker required? Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on 9-13.


Are there maximum dimensions and weight requirements? Not specified in RFP.

Will the District remove the display “touch” requirement? Yes.

15. Teacher Compact Desktop

Will District allow for following USB configuration: 4– USB 3.0 / 2 – USB 2.0 specification; 2-USB 3.1 (front), 2-USB 3.1 (back), 2-USB 2.0 (back) Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on 9-13, we will allow.





Will the District remove the display “touch” requirement? Yes

16. Administrative Compact Desktop

Will District allow for following USB configuration: 4– USB 3.0 / 2 – USB 2.0 specification; 2-USB 3.1 (front), 2-USB 3.1 (back), 2-USB 2.0 (back) Please refer to Product specifications in RFP on 9-1, we will allow.





Will the District remove the display “touch” requirement? Yes

17. Special Education All-in-One Desktop

Can District clarify the need for specified “Mounting Brackets”? All-in-One should not have brackets.

- In addition to integrated AiO display, is the District requiring a second display? RFP does not require additional display.

IMAGING REQUIREMENTS

18. Does the District maintain software licenses for all titles – required and alternative products - specified that may be requirement of an image? No, if additional software is called for to meet the requirements of the RFP the vendor must supply them.

19. Is District requiring vendor to include and price all software licenses listed? No

20. How many different images will be required by the District? Minimum of five, depending on various District programs (Special Education, STEM, etc.). Additional images may be required.

21. Will the District provide the vendor with a “gold image” for all images required? Yes

22. Will the District require the selected vendor to develop all specified images? No, vendor will need to update “Golden Image” with security patches. This is outlined in RFP.

DISPOSAL

23. Section makes reference to “lease”. Is it the Districts intent to consider a leasing proposal from the vendor that includes disposal? This refers to lease devices only.

EVALUATION UNITS

24. Request is made to allow 10 business days from time of award for delivering evaluation units meeting final product specification. Please refer order and invoice management page 18 of RFP.

25. Bid Due Date: Can the due date be extended by 2 weeks? No, however, the response due date will be extended one week to May 19, 2017 @ 2:00 PM CST.

26. On pages 12-13, does SCS want an SSD for the desktop hard drive specifications? No 27. Regarding the processors on all devices, does SCS have any specific GHz or benchmark requirements to ensure your district is comparing the most similar models? Yes we requiring the latest generation. 28. On page 22, under Damage to Unit – Is SCS requesting Accidental Damage Protection

for the desktops and all-in-one devices? The first paragraph under XV. Page 22 Warranty refers to damage cause by the installing vendor.

29. All questions pertain to the collection and disposal of broken/obsolete equipment.

• What type of product? (e.g. PCs, Notebooks, LCDs, CRTs, APC, UPS, etc) • Is there any engraving or asset tags to be removed on the assets? • Will there be any MDM removal needed? • Are the hard drives in the units and, if so, is 3-pass wiping allowable? • Is there an estimated qty of the product type that will be retired per annum? • How many locations would the Vendor have to pickup from? • Do you require full report & certificates for the disposal projects? • How soon does the school need reports to be provided after pick up? • Will you require the Vendor to pack all the equipment at time of pickup or will this

be already palletized? • Can they give us a approx. QTY of Hazardous/Focus Material that Vendor would be

disposing of? Also what type of Hazardous/Focus material ? (CRT, Batteries, etc)

(Disposal equipment is only pertaining to Lease Devices, i.e. X1X. Disposal)

30. Section I, Scope of Services - You state that a sourcing agreement with a single vendor will be made for this opportunity. However, in this section, you also state that SCBE may award to one vendor, multiple vendors, or any other award scenarios deemed in the best interest of Shelby County Schools. Does SCBE not intend to award a single sourcing agreement to a technology partner for this opportunity? We will entertain both options. Final decision will be based on what is determined to be in the best interest SCBE.

31. Section II, Warranty and Support – You state that the vendor must provide a 3 Year next-business day onsite service. However, in Section XV, Warranty – You state that the Selected Vendor must provide a local repair facility/certified dealer in the Greater Shelby County area to provide pickup, repair and delivery with a 24 - 48 hour turn-around on all covered repairs for Windows computers. Can you please clarify whether you want a NBD On-Site Service or a local off-site repair facility to handle the warranty repairs? Both options will be considered.

32 There are a couple of places where leasing is mentioned (Section XIV and Section XVI). Does SCS want vendors to provide a lease proposal along with the pricing? Not required.

33. Can you please provide clarification around delivery timeline and quantity to deliver across the 5 years? Are you looking to purchase all 15k at once or will you be spreading this out over 5 years? There is a possibility of an order of 15K all at once and there will be additional orders over 5 years. If the 15K is all at once, will you be purchasing more over the next 5 years? Yes.

34. Section III, Product Specifications

a. Teacher Laptop Specifications

i. Would SCS be open to a 360 hinge option for the teacher laptops? Yes.

b. Tablet Specifications

i. Would SCS prefer a detachable option or a 360 hinge option? Not preferably, but optional.

35. Section VI, General Application used at SCS - According to the RFP, the selected vendor must provide the Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office 365ProPlus and the software must be included with the solution. Does SCS intend to purchase this software with the hardware or just have it installed with the image? Install with image. If SCS wants to purchase it with the hardware, then we would need to know Faculty and Student FTE counts. If you intend to just have it installed with the image, will installation media/software be available? Media included in image.

36. Section XX, Evaluation Units – Per this section, all vendors must submit one Windows computer for each category response and shall be REQUIRED to be submitted with their proposal. We have questions that we are submitting regarding the product specifications and we are unable to complete our proposed configurations without answers to questions. We will then need time to build and ship our eval systems. In order to deliver systems by the proposal

due date, we would like to request an extension of at least 2 business weeks to ensure that our eval systems arrive by the due date. See answer to Question 27

37. We request that the proposal submission deadline be extended to May 26th to allow adequate time to incorporate the responses to these questions into our proposal response. The proposal Deadline has been extended to May 19, 2017 @ 2:00 PM CST.

38. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point I. “Scope of Services,” it states: Each responding vendor must provide a tiered (volume) pricing schedule discounted percentage for each tier (volume). The current pricing form does not allow for such pricing models to be submitted.

Can vendor create their own pricing form to accommodate this request? Yes

39. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point IV. “Services,” it states: However, you may include, and are encouraged, to include other service options and pricing as part of your proposal. The current pricing form does not allow for such pricing models to be submitted. Can vendor create their own pricing form to accommodate this request? Yes

40. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point I. “Scope of Services,” it states: Vendors may submit proposals for a bundled solution (includes both equipment and services) or an unbundled solution.

Can the vendor provide BOTH bundled AND unbundled solutions? Yes

41. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III. “Product Specifications,” it states that carts (24 and 36 unit configurations) should be compatible with variety of manufacturer devices.

42. Does the district only deploy student devices in the carts? Most restrictions on cart compatibility are due to device size and not the manufacturer of the device. If the most we will be required to install in the carts are 13” laptops, then there should not be an issue with compatibility. Cart should be compatible with your device submission.

43. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point V. “Imaging Requirements,” it is stated twice that the selected vendor shall be responsible for creating and maintaining images but in Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XIV “Administrative Services Provided by SCBE,” it states that SCBE requires that a computer be supplied to create the initial image and the vendor is required to maintain from that point. Is the requirement for the vendor to create and maintain the image or just maintain the image? SCBE creates the gold image and vendor maintain the image for deployment.

44. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XIV “Administrative Services Provided by SCBE,” it talks about wiping and destroying data/hard drives at the conclusion of a lease.

Is SCBE looking to purchased devices under this contract as a lease? If so, does the vendor need to provide lease pricing at the time of proposal submission? No, not at this time.

45. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XV “Warranty,” it states several times of a 24-48 hour turn-around on all covered repairs.

In some cases, devices must be reimaged, connected back to the domain, all software (SCCM, Office, Windows, etc.) activated, computer named, etc. to be deemed “back to full working order”. Would these steps be the SCBE IT Department’s responsibility or the warranty provider? If the latter, does the same SLA apply as this is above and beyond a standard OEM Next Business Day warranty service. Warranty provider.

46. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XIX “Disposal,” it states: The Selected Vendor shall provide for the collection and disposal of broken or obsolete equipment and parts resulting from this RFP both during the term and at the end of the contract/lease. This refers to lease devices.

Will the awarded vendor be responsible for disposal of equipment that was installed prior to the awarded contract or only for the devices installed as a result of the awarded contract? No. Also, would the awarded vendor be responsible for disposal of devices that they installed even after the end of the contract (up to 3 years after the end of the contract)? No, this refers to lease devices.

47. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Laptop Device Specs:

If RJ-45 is not available, is the ‘external network adapter’ under Ports required for every laptop purchased, or may this ‘external network adapter’ be included as needed or provided/purchased separately? If RJ-45 not available, external network adapter is required with, not purchased separately.

48. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Administrative Laptop Specs and STEM/CTE/CAD Laptop Specs:

15.6” max Display is standard industry-wide. Would you clarify that up to 15.6” is acceptable and not just 15” for both Administrative Laptop Specs and STEM/CTE/CAD Laptop Specs? Yes, acceptable.

49. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XV. “Warranty” you have stated that vendor shall be responsible for ALL warranty and ALL accidental damage repairs at no cost to SCBE. Can you clarify that a vendor must provide unlimited number of incidents with accidental coverage for all devices proposed, up to and matching the warranty end date? The first paragraph under XV. Page 22 Warranty refers to damage cause by the installing vendor.

50. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XV. “Warranty” you have stated that internal components as well as batteries, power adapters, keyboards, monitors/screens, docking stations, speakers, microphones, cameras and wireless cards shall be included in the comprehensive coverage.

Standard industry Battery warranty is one year, but it appears you are requesting a battery warranty to match the warranty end date. Can you clarify that a vendor must provide warranty for the battery for every device up to and matching the warranty end date? Please include both options for review.

51. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under STEM/CTE/CAD Laptop Specs you have stated an ‘HD Integrated Video’, but STEM/CAD programs such as Project Lead the Way usually require, at a minimum, a Discrete Video with 1GB or more dedicated graphics, which would cause an increase in price.

Would you modify specs to allow for a higher priced Discrete Video Graphics of 1GB or more in place of Integrated Video HD? If no changes are allowed, will you ensure that the software application used in STEM/CTE/CAD before purchase does not require a Discrete Video with 1GB or more dedicated graphics, and that it would work properly with Integrated Video HD, and not hold a vendor responsible for providing Integrated Video HD specs for a known software application that requires Discrete Video with 1GB or more dedicated graphics? 1 GB minimum.

52. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Tablet Specs you have stated a 2-year Warranty, but all other systems include a 3 year Onsite Next Business Day Warranty.

Can you clarify if the Warranty Requirements for Tablet is a 2 Year Warranty or 3 Year Warranty? 2 years.

53. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Tablet Specs you have stated a 2-year Warranty, but all other systems include a 3 year Onsite Next Business Day Warranty.

Do all of the terms and conditions under Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XV “Warranty” apply to the Tablet as well? This would include ALL accidental damage repairs and internal components as well as batteries, power adapters, keyboards, monitors/screens, docking stations, speakers, microphones, cameras and wireless cards shall be included in the comprehensive coverage. Yes.

54. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Desktop Specs you have stated a 250GB minimum hard drive.

Are you requiring a Solid State Drive or a spinning drive as a minimum requirement? SSD not required.

55. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Desktop Specs you have not stated a specific warranty.

Can you clarify if the same 3 year Onsite Next Business Day Warranty required for the laptops is also required for the desktops? Yes.

56. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Desktop Specs where you have mentioned ‘Mounting Brackets Required’

Can you clarify the mounting brackets are required to mount the desktop to a Monitor as requested, or something else on which to mount the Desktop? Yes, the monitor.

57. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Student Desktop, Teacher Desktop, Admin Desktop you have stated under Displays that each Display is to have TOUCH capability.

Can you clarify if TOUCH is a minimum requirement for all monitors? Provide both options.

58. Does SCBE require computer cases and mice to be quoted with in the Laptop categories? No.

59. Will SCBE accept proposals for multiple models in each category? Yes.

60. In Section C, Point 8.2, “Evaluation Criteria,” the percentages in the Evaluation Criteria table only equal 90%. How can the vendor achieve the final 10%? Procurement. The evaluation weight for “Price of the Eligible Products and Services” is 50%. Please see addendum 1.

61. Will SCBE purchase all computers and carts on this upcoming contract or will SCBE also piggyback additional contracts? The intent is to purchase future computers from this contract but SCBE reserves the right to make purchases in the manner that us deemed in the best interest of SCBE at the time of the purchase.

62. Will SCBE be providing and managing the Windows and Office licensing as previously done? If so, is there a minimum requirement for the version of Windows 10 the machines ship with? Software version will be part of the gold image.

63. Can SCBE provide an estimate of number of computers disposed of annually? Not at this time.

64. During Warranty repair, will the vendor be responsible for user data backups & transfer of data? No.

65. Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point VII “Delivery Requirements,”

Will SCBE have any process in place to prevent orders from backing up and being submitted all at once? Submitting a multitude of smaller orders together can affect our ability to conform to the required delivery time frame without allowing for the Delivery schedule approval option given for single orders over 101 units. SCBE Procurement process orders on a first come first serve bases as the orders are submitted from the departments and schools. It is not uncommon for a large number of small orders to be submitted to SCBE Procurement at the same time.

66. Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XV “Warranty” states vendor must stock common parts equal to support 5% of devices under warranty

Will SCBE provide a list of devices under warranty to stock parts for 5% of units in service? No.

67. What type of consideration will Local Disadvantaged businesses receive during the evaluation process? SCBE encourages Local Disadvantaged business to respond to this solicitation and SCBE also encourages non-Local Disadvantaged business to seek partnership opportunities with Local Disadvantaged business in their response to this RFP. There are no points associated with Local Disadvantaged business assigned to this RFP.

68. We understand that SCBE also purchases Apple devices, would the district considering utilizing the installation services on this proposal to also include Apple as well? No.

69. Would SBCE give preference to vendors that have ISO certified quality management processes? N/A

70. Does SCBE require any minimum certification, such as CompTIA A+, for technicians who will perform warranty repair services on SCBE devices? Not specified.

71. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XIII “Installation,” security cables are mentioned

Should security cables be quoted in response to this proposal? Yes.

72. What is the process for our technician to be approved to work onsite at SCBE facilities? What, if any, cost is associated with this process? N/A

73. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Laptop Specs: 4-in-1 media card reader.

Please specify the 4 formats required. SD media card industry standards.

74. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Laptop Specs: 4-in-1 media card reader.

75. Does the 4-in-1 reader need to be integrated into the PC or can it be an external reader? Integrated.

76. Is anti-theft lock for PCs part of the requirements for installation? If so, will SCBE supply the locks or should vendor provide pricing for the locks as an option? No.

Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point XI “Receiving Services,” states that the cost of a warehouse should not be added as part of pricing for the device. If, due to unforeseen circumstances (not the fault of the vendor) where SCBE must delay an installation, vendor(s) may have to incur storage fees and other related fees. Will SCS share the responsibility for any extra cost due to the delays? If the delay in delivery is solely the fault of SCBE and not the vendor, SCBE will work with the vendor to resolve the issue.

77. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Part XIV “Administrative Services Provided by SCS,” it states that SCBE will provide and arrange for installation of network data cabling prior to equipment installation.

Will this include the RJ-45 Ethernet cables required to connect PCs to the network drops or does vendor have to supply cable? This does not include the RJ-45 Ethernet cable.

78. SCBE may currently have various OEM branded PCs in schools (e.g., Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple/Mac). Will the responding vendor be required to provide warranty support for all existing PCs and tablets installed prior to this contract? N/A

79. Is it a requirement for the Vendor who performs these warranty services to be an authorized repair service provider for each respective brand (Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple/Mac)? N/A

80. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Wireless Mobile Laptop Cart 24 Unit Configuration SCBE has outlined that a Wireless Mobile Laptop Cart is required, but there are no defined wireless requirements. Is SCBE only looking for a cart that will hold up to 24 devices? If so, are any other requirements (such as managed/networked, wheel requirements, dimension minimums or maximums, etc.)? Not Specified.

81. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” Under Wireless Mobile Laptop Cart 36 Unit Configuration SCBE has outlined that a Wireless Mobile Laptop Cart is required, but there are no defined wireless requirements. Is SCBE only looking for a cart that will hold up to 36 devices? If so, are any other requirements (such as managed/networked, wheel requirements, dimension minimums or maximums, etc.)? Not Specified.

82. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point IX “Mobile Carts,”

Based on the Wireless Cart specifications, is it correct to assume that these are standard carts and not carts with integrated wireless Access Points? Not Specified.


SCBE has not outlined any power requirements around the charging carts. Is there a requirement for power management for these devices? Not Specified.


Are there any requirements on the size of the caster/wheels? Not Specified.


Does SCBE have a preference on the type of door lock on the cart? Standard key lock handle or a Hasp (option for external lock like a combination lock) Not Specified.


Is there a warranty requirement on the carts? If so, please identify. Manufacturer allowed.

87. Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Part XX “Evaluation Units” vendor must provide an evaluation unit for each device proposed.

If an identical model/configuration is proposed for multiple categories, will the vendor be required to submit more than a single unit of that model? No, please specify use case.

88. In Section B, Part 1.0 “The Services,” Point III “Product Specifications,” under Teacher Compact Desktop and Administrative Compact Desktop the display requirements list a MAXIMUM size of 23 inches.

To ensure apples to apples comparison, we recommend changing this requirement to indicate a MINIMUM size required by SCBE. RFP specify 19 inch minimum for students.

89. Is it then possible for Shelby County Schools to award this contract to more than one vendor? Yes

90. Is this to be the second sample of each model proposed? Yes

91. Please clarify what is meant by “recovery” disks. This refers to manufactures media.

92. Pricing Schedule only lists one pricing line for Student Laptop Device

93. Since there must be one price for a laptop with touch screen and another price for a laptop without touch where should the proposing vendor put the pricing for the second system? Please outline in your response the price difference between the two devices.

94. What features must the carts have, i.e. – charging capabilities for each system while in cart, network available while in cart, Carts for laptops, carts for tablets. Carts for tablets are much different from carts designed for laptops. Should the vendor price out carts available for both? If so where should the vendor put the extra pricing. Not specified.

95. Please clarify “compact” desktop. Is SCS referring to Mini Tower, Small Form Factor, Micro Form or All in One desktop, Small Form Factor, Micro and Mini will be allowed.

96. Approximately how many different images are currently used for Shelby County

Schools? Windows 10 image is currently being used.

97. How often does SCS update security patches? Periodically

98. How much time is given to vendor prior to SCS updates? Sufficient time is given to update

image.

99. Please clarify statement – Selected Vendor shall remain responsible for the purchase, delivery and documentation of software Licenses required to support additional units purchased. Vendor is responsible for the purchases of out box license and media from manufacturer.

100. The method of loading Please clarify this action. The method of loading the image.

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