REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL GJM Core Switch Replacement Project June 9, 2016 This Request for Proposal (RFP) is being sent to pre-qualified consulting firms to act as the Consultant in the completion of the Core Switch Replacement Project at the District s George J. McMonagle (GJM) Administration Building. Proposals for providing these services will be received by 4:00 P.M. on June 30, 2016. Late submittals will not be considered. Proposals are to be delivered to: Chandra Yadati, Director of Information Technology Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District 3900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115-2504 Attn: John Healey, Manager of IT Project Management Services A mandatory pre-proposal meeting and site walkthrough will be held on Monday, June 13, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. in the GJM First Floor Training Room at the NEORSD GJM Administration Building located at 3900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Please limit the number of attendees to two per Vendor. Questions regarding this RFP shall be directed to John Healey by calling (216) 881-6600, ext. x6860 or at webrfp@neorsd.org. The District will attempt to respond to e-mail within one (1) business day. Questions and responses deemed to be of general interest will be distributed to all Consultants. The RFP is organized as follows: SECTION I. SECTION II. SECTION III. SECTION IV. SECTION V. SECTION VI. SECTION VII. SECTION VIII. INTRODUCTION SCOPE OF WORK TRANSFER OF RECORDS SCHEDULE DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITY PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIRED INFORMATION EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS SELECTION PROCESS - 1 -
Figures and Attachments The following figures and attachments are included in this RFP. Attachment A Attachment B Task/Hour/Cost Summary Form NEORSD Standard Clauses for Professional Services Agreements Appendices The appendices are provided for information purposes. Appendix A District Logical Network Topology - 2 -
SECTION I - INTRODUCTION Project Goals and Overview Through an RFP, the GJM Core Switch Replacement Project will acquire equipment and professional services to replace the Cisco 6513 Core Network Switch at GJM with an appropriately configured Cisco 6840 platform. This will also develop a roadmap for future upgrades to the core switches at the other four major District locations. The objectives of this project include the following: Replace the Cisco 6513 Core Switch with the Cisco 6840 platform Acquire professional services to design a technical configuration and develop an implementation plan to replace the core switch Modify the contract to have the selected Consultant perform the new core switch implementation Acquire the recommended Cisco hardware through the bid process Improve network security and reliability for the business network Provide a roadmap for future upgrades to the core switches at the other four major District locations Contract with a Cisco Gold Certified Partner within Ohio that is on the Cisco Ohio state term The Core Switch Replacement RFP is intended for Cisco Gold Certified Partners that are also authorized dealers for the Cisco State Term contract for Ohio. Business Overview The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio created and operating under Chapter 6119 of the Ohio Revised Code. Originally named Cleveland Regional Sewer District, it was created in 1972 to assume ownership, operation and management of wastewater collection, treatment and disposal facilities serving the member communities in the Cleveland metropolitan area. District Administration is located at 3900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44118. This location also includes the Engineering & Construction, Operations & Maintenance Administration, Employee Resources, Finance, Law and Information Technology Departments. In addition to the District Administration Building, the District owns and operates an Environmental and Maintenance Services Center (EMSC) and the following three wastewater treatment facilities: Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 5800 West Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland, 44102 (near Edgewater State Park) - 3 -
Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center, located at 6000 Canal Road, Cuyahoga Heights, 44125 (near the Interstate 77/Interstate 480 intersection) Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 14021 Lakeshore Boulevard, Cleveland, 44110 (near the Cleveland/Bratenahl border) The Environmental and Maintenance Services Center (EMSC), located at 4747 East 49th Street, Cuyahoga Heights 44125 (north of the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center) houses the Sewer Maintenance & Control Department, the Water Quality & Industrial Surveillance Department, Analytical Services, and Fleet Services. Technical Standards & Information Technology Environment The District utilizes Novell OES11 for network services such as authorization, file, print, and desktop management. Windows 2008/2012 servers are used for Active Directory and web/application servers. SuSE SLES11 and Oracle Enterprise Linux servers host Oracle database servers. VMware ESXi 5.x servers host virtual machines for production, test, and disaster recovery. The majority of physical servers are HP DL380 G7/Gen8. The District's desktop configuration is typically 4GB RAM with a processor speed of 3Ghz running Windows 7 SP1 32-bit and 64-bit. Standard applications include the Novell Client, MS Office 2010 (including Outlook), Symantec Endpoint Protection and Adobe Reader. The District uses Novell ZCM11 for user and workstation policy management, desktop imaging, desktop management, and application deployment. Generally, the District s five main locations are connected via gigabit Ethernet links in a ring topology through the use of AT&T s Gigaman (See Figure 1 NEORSD Logical Network Topology). GJM and EMSC are one hop from each other on the ring, and are used as disaster recovery sites for each other. The District s information system infrastructure consists of two physically separated networks: the business network and the process control network. The process control network supports plant automation and control processes at the District s wastewater treatment plants and collection system. The District business network environment is the platform for the District s business information systems supporting many District departments, including Finance, Human Resources, Operations & Maintenance (including the treatment plants), Engineering & Construction, Safety & Security, Purchasing, Regulatory Compliance, Analytical Services, and Customer Service. Key enterprise applications at the District are as follows: Oracle ebusiness - Human Resources, Organizational and Employee Development (OED), Finance, and Purchasing Oracle Work & Asset Management Operations & Maintenance Kronos Finance, HR and all other departments GIS (Geographical Information System) Watersheds and various departments, LABLynx (Laboratory Information System) Analytical Services - 4 -
ODMS (Operational Data Management System) Operation & Maintenance SharePoint Engineering & Construction, Purchasing, Regulatory Compliance, Safety & Security, Operations and Maintenance, and IT Payroll services are provided by ADP; the District runs an interface with ADP to provide employee timekeeping and salary data. The District maintains maintenance and support agreements with our application vendors to have access to application patches and upgrades. Customer billing is currently performed by four billing agents, the largest being Cleveland Department of Public Utilities using the Oracle Customer Care & Billing System (CC&B). The District bills a small subset of customers directly leveraging the basic functionality of Oracle EBS. Additional information about the District, its history and operations is available at the District s Internet site at www.neorsd.org. - 5 -
SECTION II - SCOPE OF WORK The GJM Core Switch Replacement Project shall include the following Tasks: Task A Design Core Switch Replacement Task B Develop Implementation Plan for New Core Switch Task C Project Management The GJM Core Switch Replacement Project has an estimated completion date of January 31, 2017. During this project, the following major steps will occur: The Consultant will design a solution to replace the current 6513 core switch at the GJM Administration Building with an appropriately configured core switch using the Cisco 6840 platform. A deliverable of the solution design will be a complete bill of materials (BOM) of all hardware, software and miscellaneous equipment required to replace the 6513 core switch. The District will get one quote from the Consultant for the BOM, and quotes from at least two other vendors. The District will purchase the BOM from the vendor with the lowest quote. Another deliverable of the solution design will be a high-level roadmap of upgrades the District should perform on the core switches located at the other four (4) major District locations over the next three (3) years. The Consultant, assuming the BOM have been purchased and received by the District, will develop an implementation plan with detailed tasks and required resources to replace the core switch with the new core switch. The implementation plan will include a detailed cost for the implementation. The implementation cost will be the basis for negotiating a contract modification to engage the Consultant to perform the actual implementation plan they developed. This of course is dependent on the Consultant s performance during the planning tasks meeting the District s expectations. Perform project management functions using PMI standards throughout the life cycle of the project (a detailed project plan that articulates how the project will be managed and delivered will be developed, with the selected Consultant, in collaboration with the District prior to the start of the project. The District will appoint a PM to manage District resources and to oversee the delivery of this project). The Consultant shall provide details as to the method of accomplishing the Scope of Work for each of the tasks noted. The Consultant s proposal shall address all of the objectives for each task as outlined in the Scope of Work. Alternatives and additional goals to the defined Scope of Work (e.g. task additions) and its cost must be submitted as an appendix to the main proposal. - 6 -
Task A Design Core Switch Replacement This task will consist of conducting a network readiness assessment and producing a solution design configuration based on the Cisco 6840 platform that supports the District s requirements and provides for considerations for long-term system operation and management. Subtask A-1: Assessment of the Current Infrastructure The Consultant will examine critical readiness factors such as the current infrastructure design, environmental concerns, information security, and other District requirements, and make recommendations to resolve gaps to use the Cisco Catalyst 6840 Platform as the platform to replace the current 6513. Current Infrastructure Assessment Deliverables: 1. A detailed assessment report to include, at a minimum, the following: 1.1. Executive Summary 1.2. Network Topology and Readiness 1.3. Environment Overview and General Discussion 1.4. Requirements List 1.5. GAP Analysis 2. Recommendations to include 2.1. Environment Impact 2.2. Design Impact Subtask A-2: New Core Switch Solution Design From the assessment, the Consultant shall produce a design document using the Cisco Catalyst 6840 Platform. Solution Design Deliverables: A solution design that includes the base requirements and any additional recommendations; MS Word format for the base document, and MS Visio for all supporting diagrams. The report and diagram deliverables should contain the following elements at a minimum: 1. Executive summary 2. Solution design 2.1. Solution design overview 2.2. Enterprise design 2.3. Location design for GJM 2.4. Scalability design considerations for future upgrades 2.5. Recommended configuration of the new GJM core switch 2.6. Required Hardware and Software Specification for the GJM Core Switch 2.7. Finalized Bill of Material (BOM) in MS Excel to include the following: - 7 -
1. Quantity 2. Make 3. Model 4. Description 5. Manufacturer Warranty 6. Line item for 3 year SMARTnet contract 7. Any miscellaneous cables, materials, etc. *The spreadsheet (BOM) will be used as part of a quote request to the Consultant and at least two other Cisco vendors. Task A-3: Develop Recommended Upgrades for other District Locations This task will consist of creating of a roadmap for future core switch upgrades/replacements at the other four major District locations based on the results of Task A-1 and Task A-2, and the Consultant s own expertise and industry best practices. Roadmap deliverables to include the following: 1. Roadmap for the District s Treatment Plants and EMSC using the Cisco Catalyst 6840 Platform 2. Budgetary estimate Task B - Develop Implementation Plan for New Core Switch This task will consist of developing a detailed implementation plan for the District s new GJM Core Switch. The District intends to procure the hardware separately from this project. For this task the Consultant is to assume that all materials detailed in the Task A-2 Bill of Materials have been procured and received. Implementation Plan Deliverables: 1. Migration plan outlining configuration and topology changes 2. Detailed step-by-step procedures for implementation of the GJM Core Switch to include the following at a minimum: 2.1. Power requirements validation 2.2. Cabling design and cutover based on best practices 2.3. Step-by-step cutover plan that minimizes downtime 2.4. Detailed rollback plan 2.5. Technician resources 2.6. Cost - 8 -
Task C - Project Management This task is intended to provide effective project management for the duration of the project, including development of a project schedule, resource management, budget management, project documentation, and the timely provision of all identified project deliverables. This task also focuses on defining a complete timeline of all tasks and personnel involved in executing the project. The following outlines specific subtasks for Task C. Subtask C-1: Project Organization and Management Project Communications The Consultant shall develop a communications protocol between the Consultant and the District staff assigned to this project. This protocol shall include verbal and written communications, including meetings, presentations and communications between the Consultant and other District staff. Project Schedule The Consultant shall develop and maintain a detailed master project schedule for the Core Switch Replacement Project in a standard project management format identifying milestones, deliverables, and key coordination meetings. The master schedule shall be regularly updated and forwarded to the assigned District Project Manager. A preliminary project schedule shall be submitted with the Consultant s technical proposal. Project Staffing The Consultant shall maintain the project staff as recommended in the proposal. Any changes in project staffing shall be notified to the assigned District Project Manager in advance, and they shall maintain an equivalent level of expertise as with the originally proposed staff. The Consultant shall also identify project staff authorized to incur reimbursable expenses such as travel expenses. Project Billing A milestone payment schedule will be negotiated with the Consultant that is awarded the project. The Consultant will follow the approval and billing process that is outlined in the agreement and/or Statement of Work. These documents will be drafted after selection and award. The Consultant is responsible for assuring and certifying that invoices are correct and meet project invoicing standards for format and allowable costs. The Consultant shall be responsible for identifying and addressing potential project budget, management and schedule issues. If District action is required, the Consultant shall recommend a suggested course of action. Questions regarding invoicing procedures may be addressed to John Healey at (216) 881-6600 x6860, or at webrfp@neorsd.org - 9 -
Project Cost Management The Consultant shall monitor the budget closely. The Consultant shall be responsible for identifying and resolving all budget and invoicing issues before inclusion of costs in the project master invoice. Consultant budget issues shall be described in detail, and the Consultant shall recommend corrective actions before these issues affect invoicing. In order to control project costs, any expected cost overruns within a task shall be justified in advance by the Consultant and approved by Director of Information Technology and the assigned Project Manager. Project Management Documentation The Consultant shall be responsible for maintaining a complete project library and master files of all contract actions and reports. The Consultant shall develop a District-approved, PC-based master spreadsheet on which all contract budgets, billings, and invoice actions will be tracked through the project. The Consultant shall provide summary reports and analyses of contract and budget issues upon request of the District. Subtask C-2: Progress Meetings and Reports Progress meetings between the District and the Consultant shall be held, in general, on a weekly basis. The Consultant shall prepare weekly status reports to be submitted to the assigned District Project Manager at least two (2) working days prior to the meeting. The project status reports shall set forth the following information, for the Consultant: Current scope of work completion status versus anticipated status Updated project schedule Current contract cost status versus anticipated status Project information and decision needs including the anticipated source, expected response time and any issues or problems that could delay the expected response Anticipated tasks and accomplishments for the coming month Questions, comments, problematic issues and suggestions Identification of out of scope task work Invoicing issues and proposals to address such issues In addition to the aforementioned weekly progress meetings, the Consultant shall conduct periodic coordination meetings as deemed necessary with District staff to explain and receive input on project issues. Prior to payment of the final invoice, the Consultant shall deliver to the District all plans, documents, reports, and memoranda related to the project and as required by the Project Manager, as well as all non-expendable personal property purchased and approved by the District. - 10 -
SECTION III TRANSFER OF RECORDS All records generated during the Core Switch Replacement Project shall be the property of the District and shall be turned over to the District upon completion or as directed, including but not limited to data collected, project reports, data files, meeting notes, project data, graphics originals, etc. SECTION IV - SCHEDULE Project Schedule GJM Core Switch Upgrade The Core Switch Replacement Project is envisioned as a two month effort. A detailed schedule for the RFP evaluation and selection process is as follows: Issue RFP to Consultant Short-List June 9, 2016 Pre-Proposal Meeting / Site Walkthrough (GJM) June 13, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Questions Deadline June 23, 2016 by 4 p.m. Consultant Proposals Due June 30, 2016 by 4 p.m. Consultant Oral Presentations Week of July 18, 2016 Consultant Selection July 25, 2016 Consultant Contract Award Notice to Proceed August 18, 2016 Perform Scope of Work August 22, 2016 to January 31, 2017 Consultants are to include a detailed preliminary project schedule in their technical proposal. The project schedule shall include anticipated completion dates for key task items. Consultants are free to include discussion on any recommended schedule modifications, citing reasons for any recommended schedule modifications. - 11 -
SECTION V DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITY The District has provided several documents for the candidates' use in preparing proposals. Any other readily available documents may be examined by making an appointment with John Healey at (216) 881-6600 ext. 6860 or at webrfp@neorsd.org. District personnel are available to meet with the Consultant teams to discuss the Core Switch Replacement Project. Contact with District personnel shall be coordinated through the Project Manager, John Healey. The District shall not be responsible for any costs incurred in relation to the preparation of the proposals, or regarding presentations and/or interviews. The District reserves the right to reject all proposals. SECTION VI - PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIRED INFORMATION A digital copy of the technical proposal can be emailed to webrfp@neorsd.org or a CD / USB drive can be delivered to 3900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 by the submission deadline. If the proposal is emailed, then the Consultant must call John Healey and state that the proposal was sent. The proposal must be formatted as follows: Cover Letter (1 page) Executive Summary (2 pages or less) Section 1 - Company History (4 pages or less) Section 2 Anticipated Approach to the Project (10 pages or less) Discuss the anticipated approach to the project. Section II - Scope of Work contains a number of requests for items to be discussed in the proposal. In addition, the District invites alternatives to any approaches embodied in the Scope of Work. Any proposed alternatives shall be clearly identified in the technical proposal. In developing the level of effort (hours by tasks), the Scope of Work as provided herein shall be assumed as the base proposal. For each alternative task proposed, a total level of effort for the proposed alternative shall be separately identified and an appropriate deduction or addition of task hours shall be included. The Consultant shall also discuss expected challenges during the project and potential approaches to these challenges. This part of the proposal will be used to evaluate the extent to which the Consultant understands the project, its magnitude and its complexity. Section 3 Consultant Qualifications (6 pages or less) A statement of the Consultant s qualifications, including a list of three (3) of the most recent similar projects completed. The following information shall be included for each project: Start and end dates of project; - 12 -
Consultant s role in the project, and similarities with the Core Switch Replacement Project; Contact information (name, address, phone number) of individual responsible for project at the contracting agency. Section 4 Consultant Personnel and Time Commitment (6 pages or less) Include the résumé of the proposed Project Manager and his or her proposed time commitment to the project. The District reserves the right to approve the proposed Project Manager, and if that individual leaves the firm during the project, to subsequently approve their replacement. Also, include the résumés of key staff members proposed to work on the project. The District fully expects that personnel included in the proposal will be assigned to the project. Any personnel added to the project team or changes of personnel in significant roles shall be subject to advance approval by the District. Describe the availability and commitment of resources for this project. Section 5 Preliminary Schedule (3 pages or less) A preliminary schedule showing the key tasks and activities and anticipated dates necessary to meet the Core Switch Replacement Project deadline identified in Section IV - Schedule. Section 6 Required Forms and Statements (1 page or less) Statements confirming that no personal or organizational conflicts of interest are known to exist between the District and the Consultant. Section 7 Task/Hour/Cost Summary (6 pages or less) Task/Hour/Cost Summary Form (Attachment A) completed for each activity necessary to fulfill the terms of this RFP. An electronic file spreadsheet in Excel format accompanies the RFP for the Consultant to use in their proposal. The Consultant shall break the project down by the tasks identified in the Scope of Work (i.e., Subtask A-1, A-2, etc.). The total of the hours for all tasks shall accurately reflect the total effort needed to perform the entire project as outlined in the RFP. Hours in all tasks shall be identified by labor category for each activity. The District will use these forms to assist in evaluation of the proposals. The District reserves the right to request additional task / hour / cost information. A prompt response of one (1) working day shall be adhered to in these requests. - 13 -
SECTION VII - EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Proposals submitted to the District for the Core Switch Replacement Project shall be evaluated by the Consultant Selection Committee utilizing the following criteria. Pass/Fail Screening Criteria Proposals not in compliance with the following pass/fail criteria will not receive additional consideration: 1. Avoidance of personal and organizational conflicts of interest as prohibited by State and local law. 2. Required information as specified in the RFP. The District will reject incomplete proposals. 3. Proposal conforms to Section VI, Proposal Format and Required Information. Emphasis will be on whether the proposal demonstrates an understanding of the project scope and the District s needs and requirements as specified in the RFP. 4. Proposals must be received on or before the deadline date. Proposals that comply with the above will be scored based upon the criteria presented below. Scoring Criterion I Method of accomplishing the Scope of Work 30% of the total score Scoring will be based on consideration of the following: 1. Proposed organization of the work effort to include the following: Collection, organization and display of data Allocation of project staff to the different tasks and subtasks Project communications Problem definition, alternative development and alternative ranking 2. Innovations, alternatives, and enhancements to the Scope of Work as presented in the proposal. 3. Unique capabilities with likely high-impact applicability to the project. 4. Understanding of the appropriate levels of effort (hours) for various task areas. This evaluation will be based upon the estimated hours of effort for task areas as presented in the proposal. 5. Appropriate project financial and management controls to include the following: Level of effort tracking Quality assurance Scoring Criterion II Experience and past performance of the Consultant on similar projects 20% of the total score - 14 -
This score will be based on: 1. The Consultant s experience in conducting projects of similar nature and complexity. 2. The ability of the firm to draw upon this experience to benefit the project. 3. The Consultant s history of innovations in applicable project areas. Scoring Criterion III Experience, qualifications, and commitment of proposed key project personnel 20% of total score Scoring will be based on consideration of the following: 1. The experience of proposed project personnel. Key project personnel must have held responsible project positions for similar projects. 2. The ability of the Consultant to provide appropriate back-up personnel for key project positions. 3. The degree to which the project personnel and team bring experience in the full range of skills needed to accomplish the Scope of Work. 4. The specific commitments made in the proposal for staffing key project positions, including percent of Project Manager s time dedicated to the project. Scoring Criterion IV Cost 15% of the total score Scoring will be based on consideration of the following: 1. Overall cost 2. Hourly rates 3. Approach to maintaining costs within or under budget Scoring Criterion V Written quality of the proposal 5% of the total score Scoring will consider the responsiveness of the proposal to the requests and requirements of the RFP. Additionally, proposals are expected to be organized, concise and well written. - 15 -
Scoring Criterion VI Quality of the oral presentation of the proposal; clarity 10% of the total score The primary basis for the score will be comprised of the following: Presentation of the selected approach and of the qualifications of key project personnel Answers to questions that may arise from the Core Switch Replacement Selection Committee during the interviews Questions arising from the presentation team Demonstration of the Consultant s project team's understanding of the District's goals for the project SECTION VIII - SELECTION PROCESS Once all proposals have been received, the following steps will be followed to select the Consultant: 1. Technical proposals will be reviewed by the Core Switch Replacement Consultant Selection Committee. Additionally, a phone survey may be conducted to evaluate the past performance of the participating firms on similar jobs. This survey will be limited to the contacts provided in the proposal as required in Section VI, Consultant Qualifications. 2. Each member of the selection committee will evaluate the Consultants based upon the predetermined selection criteria outlined in Section VII of this RFP. All consultants who meet the minimum qualifications and comply with the pass/fail criteria will be scored up to and including the fifth criteria outlined in Section VII. Only the top three proposals, based on score, will be given the opportunity to be evaluated against criteria VI. If you are amongst the top three (3) short-list, you ll be notified by 3 p.m. on July 13, 2016 of your assigned time and the location for the presentations during the week of July 18, 2016. Consultants not selected for the presentation will be notified. After the presentations, the selection committee will then meet to conduct the final steps of the evaluation process. The selected consultant will be notified. 3. Negotiations will be conducted with the highest ranked firm to agree upon a final Scope of Work and the fees for those services as proposed in the Cost Proposal. The District intends to negotiate a not-to-exceed price for this project. After the final Scope of Work and fees have been negotiated, the maximum not-to-exceed price of the contract shall not be increased without written authorization by the District. Upon satisfactory completion of the contract, the District shall retain all remaining unused funds. Negotiations shall adhere to the following guidelines: The cost summaries shall contain a complete breakdown of man-hours for as many classifications as may be required, i.e., Project Manager, Project Associate, Network Engineer, Clerical etc. and the hourly base rate. - 16 -
Reimbursable expenses for traveling, lodging and meals shall adhere to District Guidelines for such expenses. No overtime will be incurred during the project without consent of the District. The District will pay any authorized overtime at straight time rates. 4. The Core Switch Replacement Consultant Selection Committee will report to the Board of Trustees and will make a recommendation to enter into a contract based on the outcome of the selection process. - 17 -
END OF RFP ATTACHMENTS AND APPENDICES TO FOLLOW - 18 -
Attachment A Task/Hour/Cost Summary Form -19-
Attachment B NEORSD Standard Clauses for Professional Services Agreements -20-
Appendix A NEORSD Logical Network Topology -21-
END OF ATTACHMENTS AND APPENDICES -22-