Request For Information - Voice Conferencing System (VCS)

The National Ocean Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Office of Satellite and Ground Services (OSGS), is seeking to obtain information from industry to assess capabilities for the design, development, testing, and deployment of a new Voice Conferencing System (VCS). The new VCS will be deployed as independent installations at four locations: The NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) in Suitland, MD, the Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station (FCDAS) in Fairbanks, AK, the Wallops Island Command and Data Acquisition Station (WCDAS) on Wallops Island, VA, and the Consolidated Backup (CBU) facility in Fairmont, WV. This Request for Information (RFI) is issued to conduct market research, determine availability, and determine technical capability of systems and services from all sources, in order for the Government to assess the systems and services, which may be required in the attached draft Statement of Objectives (SOO). This RFI allows potential contractors to submit a non-binding statement of interest, description of relevant capabilities, and suggestions that will allow the Government to refine its potential course of action. This RFI is intended to assess industry service capabilities and solicit feedback for acquisition planning purposes. Respondents are advised that NOAA is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of information received, or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Intent This RFI is issued solely for information purposes only - it does not constitute a Request For Proposal (RFP), or a promise to issue a RFP in the future. The RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any services. At this time, the Government is not seeking proposals and is not accepting unsolicited proposals. The Government will bear no costs associated with any interested parties responses to this RFI. Any information submitted to this RFI is strictly voluntary. Interested parties are responsible to monitor Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website for any information pertaining to this proposed requirement. A Solicitation document, should one be issued, will be available online at http://www.fbo.gov. To be eligible for contract award, a firm must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). Register via the SAM website at http://www.sam.gov. Should the Government elect to issue an RFP, the planned release date will be during the 2nd quarter of FY17. Submission Details All RFI responses must be submitted via email to Lori Smith, Contracting Officer, at contact@example.gov by 4:00PM Eastern Time, on Friday, January 13, 2017. Please limit your RFI response to no more than 10 pages, with a font size no smaller than 10. Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing to the email addresses provided no later than 1:00PM Eastern Time, Friday, December 30, 2016. Questions will be answered by posting answers to FBO.gov. Responses must contain unclassified information only. Proprietary information is discouraged. Should responses contain proprietary information, it must be clearly marked. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Responses must include your company name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, company website, CAGE code, DUNS number, and contact information for designated points of contact. Responses must identify your business type and any socioeconomic categories such as Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Service Disabled-Veteran Owned Small Business, Woman-owned Small Business, HubZone Small Business, and/or 8(a) company. The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 517919 VOIP Service Providers, with the corresponding size standard of $32.5M. The RFI is requesting responses, to the following criteria only, from all sources that can provide the services under this NAICS code. The Government will consider recommendations for alternative NAICS codes. If such a recommendation is provided, please provide clear and concise rationale for any code applicable to the planned acquisition other than the NAICS code identified above. RFI responses shall address the following questions: If your firm has a conforming system presently available, please respond to the following questions: 1. What is the anticipated - obsolescence date' of the system? 2. How long will the system remain supported? 3. Describe the system capability to record conversations, including the maximum length of recorded conversations. 4. Describe the availability of training for the system, to include location and charges/costs for training. 5. Describe the amount of time needed to code/program an update to the system, e.g. the ability to update a phone number globally, such that any user station may call the updated number from any operational phone. 6. Describe the options available in the system for voice encryption. a. What is the interoperability of encrypted calls between this system and other solution providers' systems? 7. Describe the video capabilities of the system. 8. Describe the Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the system, including the length of time needed to configure the GUI, the ability for multiple possible configurations, and the level of customization available. 9. Describe the vendor maintenance options that are available for the system. 10. Describe your firm's ability to access the system remotely to troubleshoot or perform system analyses. 11. Describe the warranty provided with the system. 12. Describe your firm's capability to perform depot repair on a part or subsystem, to include time parameters. 13. Describe the availability of replacement parts when they are needed. 14. Describe the security capabilities of the system. a. If the system utilizes its VOIP capability, how is system security ensured? 15. With regard to patches: a. Describe how software patches are installed and the timeline between software patch release and deployment at NOAA sites. b. Describe how firmware patches are installed and the timeline between firmware patch release and deployment at NOAA sites. c. Describe how security patches are managed and installed and the timeline between security patch release and deployment at NOAA sites. d. Describe the process for testing patches. e. Describe the process for removing patches if needed.