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MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Minnesota State University, Mankato

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) # 63793 FOR

VoIP Phone Emergency Broadcast Application

SPECIAL NOTE: This Request for Proposal (RFP) does not obligate the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, its Board of Trustees or MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR to award a contract or complete the proposed project and each reserves the right to cancel this RFP if it is considered to be in its best interest. Proposals must be clear and concise. Proposals that are difficult to follow or that do not conform to the RFP format or binding specifications may be rejected. Responding vendors must include the required information called for in this RFP. MnSCU reserves the right to reject a proposal if required information is not provided or is not organized as directed. MnSCU also reserves the right to change the evaluation criteria or any other provision in this RFP by posting notice of the change(s) on the Facilities Purchasing web site, http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas/ . Any questions must be submitted in writing on the Facilities Purchasing web site, the questions are linked to the project representative’s e-mail. The answers to questions will be posted on the web site on the day listed in the RFP. For this RFP, posting on the captioned web site above constitutes written notification to each vendor. Vendors should check the site daily and are expected to review information on the site carefully before submitting a final proposal.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Section I Background Information 2 Section II Project Overview and Goal 5 Section III Specifications and Requirements 7 Section IV Procedures for Responding 10 Section V Evaluation 15 Section VI General Requirements 17 Section VII Vendor Information 20 Section VIII Financial Requirements 21 Section IX Evaluation Worksheet 23 Table 1 Costs 22 Attachments: PUR009, Affidavit of Non-collusion MnSCU001, Professional/Technical Services Contract Form PUR010, Affirmative Action Data Page

Disabled Individual Clause 06 Reimb Exp Contractor Commissioner’s Plan Form

Section I: Background Information Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is the seventh-largest system of higher education in the United States. It is comprised of 32 two-year and four-year state colleges and universities with 53 campuses located in 46 Minnesota communities. The System serves approximately 240,000 students annually in credit-based courses, an additional 130,000 students in non-credit courses, and produces 32,000 graduates each year. For more information about Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, please view its website at www.mnscu.edu. Minnesota State University, Mankato, a comprehensive university in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, is located on a 303 acre campus in Mankato, Minnesota, a community of approximately 42,000 situated in the Minnesota River Valley of south central Minnesota. The University

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offers a full range of undergraduate and a broad selection of graduate programs, and as such, has statewide responsibilities for the articulation of and providing access to professional programs not available at other colleges and regional universities. The University also has a major obligation to provide leadership in applied research important to the economy and quality of life in the state. Baccalaureate programs are offered in the liberal arts and sciences, the fine arts, social science, human services, health sciences, nursing, teacher education, business, engineering and technology. Several pre-baccalaureate programs are also offered. Minnesota State University, Mankato offers 80 graduate programs in such areas as arts and humanities, business, natural sciences, allied health and nursing, education, science, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, and fine arts. Founded in 1868, Minnesota State University, Mankato, has evolved from its beginnings as a normal school, to become in 1921 Mankato State Teachers College when it was authorized to offer a four-year curriculum. Because of its increasing commitment to providing more than teacher preparation, the name was changed to Mankato State College in 1957. The institution continued to grow in size and its reputation for academic excellence led to university status in 1975. Mankato State University became Minnesota State University, Mankato, in September 1998, giving further prominence to its growth to an institution recognized nationally. The University is under the control and management of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Board of Trustees, an agency of the State of Minnesota. Minnesota State University, Mankato, is fully accredited by the following, among others: — North Central Association of Colleges and Schools — The American Association of University Women — National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education — Minnesota Board of Nursing — National League for Nursing — American Dental Association — National Association — School of Music — Board for Engineering Technology, Inc.

— Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology — American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) —International Association for Management Education Total on-campus “headcount” enrollment for the fall beginning August 30, 2005 was 12,352 undergraduate and 1,462 graduates. Off-campus enrollment for the same period was 331 undergraduate and 188 graduates. The full-time equivalency (FTE) for Fall Semester was 12,938 (undergraduate on-campus). On-line and/or web Enhanced Learning generated 2,225 credit hours, a growing component of our enrollment statistical base. Nature of RFP Information Technology Services, Minnesota State University, Mankato requests quotes from qualified companies to provide and install a software application that can broadcast emergency messages to all Cisco VoIP phones on campus as well as tie into audio interfaces on some fire alarm systems. Detailed project specifications, equipment models/descriptions/specifications, and itemized materials costs are required. Vendors must also include what warranty on equipment/programming/labor/software is included as well as the cost of any non-warranted follow-up/maintenance that may be required on the systems. MSU reserves the right to determine the final award of this project/contract based on the equipment configuration, installation, warranties and service provisions that will best serve the needs and criteria of this university.

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Any questions asked during or after the walk through must be submitted in writing. Any verbal explanations of instructions or discussion of any aspect of this RFP provided to a vendor before the award of a contract shall be nonbinding. To submit questions, refer to the contact information in Section IV – Procedures for Responding. All answers to written questions will be available to all participants at the RFP web site. Once again, any questions answered verbally will be considered nonbinding. All questions must be submitted in writing and all answers will be provided to all participants at the RFP web site. The contact person for questions regarding this RFP is listed below in Section IV – Procedures for Responding. Questions and answers will be shared with all vendors at the RFP web site: http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas/. General Selection Criteria Selection of vendors shall be based on Minnesota State University, Mankato’s evaluation of responses and will be listed in SECTION VI and SECTION IX below. While vendors must respond to Minnesota State University, Mankato pricing specifications (Table 1), they are also encouraged to offer alternative pricing strategies. Minnesota State University, Mankato intends to enter into a contract with the selected vendor, and this contract will contain all the terms and conditions required by this request for proposals (RFP), as well as further terms and conditions negotiated between Minnesota State University, Mankato, the Office of the Chancellor's General Counsel and/or the Office of the Attorney General, and the selected vendor. Proposals must be clear and concise. Proposals that are difficult to follow or that do not conform to the RFP format or binding specifications may be rejected. Responding vendors must include the required information called for in this RFP. Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves the right to reject a proposal if required information is not provided or is not organized as directed. Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves the right to change the evaluation criteria or any other provision in this RFP by posting notice of the change(s) on the RFP web site at http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas/ For this RFP, posting on this web page constitutes written notification to each vendor. Vendors should check this site daily and are expected to review information on this site carefully before submitting a final proposal. This RFP does not obligate Minnesota State University, Mankato to award a contract, purchase products or to complete the proposed project, and Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves the right to cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest.

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Section II: Project Overview and Goals Minnesota State University, Mankato has a Cisco Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system currently running CallManager 4.1(3)sr3a. Phone models are as follows: Cisco Model Number Count 7940 1370 7960 215 7970 5 7912 150 7920 20 TOTAL CISCO VoIP PHONES: 1760 Primary functionality that is needed is a way to broadcast an audio alert to ALL phones simultaneously in case of emergencies such as a tornado warning. Additional functionality is desired such as the ability to push text messages to the displays on the phones in case of important messages such as an Internet outage. Additional information and a list of mandatory and desired functionality is included in Section III. This document, including attachments, constitutes a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) and is a competitive procurement. Therefore a responding vendor shall carefully follow the instructions herein in order to be considered fully responsive to the RFP. Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves the right to reject a proposal that is determined to be incomplete or which does not follow the required structure and format. However, when such statements, omissions or deviations are innocent or inadvertent in the opinion of Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota State University, Mankato further reserves the right to waive them as informalities. Vendor is also responsible for the following;

1. All hardware, software components and modules necessary to provide functionality presented in the RFP.

2. Minimum one-year warranty on all installations and manufacturers defects. 3. Description of correct procedure or inclusion of equipment to tie the audio broadcast

capability to existing fire alarm and public address systems. At the completion of this RFP, the following system is expected.

1. A quick easy way for campus security to trigger a prerecorded audible alert to all VoIP phones and devices that interface with the VoIP phone system for these alerts.

2. A secure solution that requires authentication and will log who triggered an alert and preferably which devices received the alert message.

3. All equipment and programming must be visually and operationally simple to use. 4. Reliability of this system is essential. This will be the primary notification system for

public emergencies such as tornados and bomb threats. Any problems with stability, usability or reliability may affect human safety.

5. The system must have the capability for departmental voice paging over Cisco VoIP phones.

6. The system must be compatible with Cisco CallManager version 4.1 and future upgrades of CallManager within a reasonable time that an update or security patch is released. For security patches, reasonable time is within 14 days. For major releases, reasonable time is

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45 days. What this means is that the system must be current and compatible with Cisco security patches to ensure that the phone system is protected from vulnerabilities while remaining compatible and functional with the emergency broadcast system. A desire by the University to upgrade the phone system to additional functionality should not be delayed for an unreasonable amount of time while the emergency notification system is made compatible.

7. Security should have multiple ways to trigger an alert such as by web browser or directly on a telephone via PIN number.

8. Training sessions are held to help security and IT staff become comfortable with the equipment.

9. The system must be maintainable by the University’s IT Services staff. All support and update costs over five years must be disclosed.

Current VoIP Phone System and Facilities: The Cisco VoIP phone system was installed in 2005 and is running on a clustered CallManager (two CallManager servers) running version 4.1(3)sr3a. The University utilizes Active Directory for authentication and uses this for ccmuser. Employees have an address attribute set for their building and dynamic groups for buildings and departments. Administrative Phones: Most employees have 7940 or 7960 phones and there are a few 7920 WiFi phones distributed throughout 20 buildings. Phones use SCCP protocol and no phones use SIP. Hallway and Classroom Phones: 7912 emergency phones are being installed in most classrooms and hallways. Resident Hall Phones: Students living in resident halls (1500 rooms) are provided one analog phone jack per room. These room do not contain a voice over IP phone. Rather, they are supplied analog dial tone through Cisco VG248s. Since most students have cell phones, not all rooms have analog phones in use (they must provide their own phone). This RFP will not require the ability to ring all phones and play a recorded emergency announcement; however, vendors should indicate if their proposal includes or has an option for this capability. The RFP will ask for vandalism resistant speakers for hallways in resident halls for emergency notification in resident halls and other occupied areas where phone notifications are not practical.

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Section III Specifications And Requirements: INSTRUCTIONS FOR RFP RESPONDERS: This section identifies specific requirements. Requirements are marked as either mandatory (M), desirable (D), or Optional (O). In responding to this section, the following MUST be provided:

1. Vendors must be able to meet the mandatory requirements and indicate in the affirmative that they comply with the requirement.

2. Vendors should clearly indicate if they are able to provide desirable features. If they do, they should indicate who the feature is activated or implemented. Cost for the desirable feature (if not included in the cost tables) should be provided separately. If the vendor identifies that they can provide the desirable feature but does not include associated cost, the University will assume that there is not cost for the feature and if the vendor is selected, they will be required to provide the feature at no cost. Optional items are left up to the vendor to provide or propose at their discretion.

3. Vendors MUST provide answers to specific questions asked and responded to request for description. Simply indicating that they comply is not sufficient. Lack of a response to a question or request for additional information may impact the evaluation of a vendor’s proposal. Evaluations will be based in part on complete answers and solid proposals. Answers should be clearly identifiable by choosing a font color different than black.

3.1 Emergency Broadcast Capability (M) The system must be able to send the broadcast to the speaker on all Cisco VoIP phones and other devices that interface with the broadcast system simultaneously. Messages may be prerecorded voice or the sender may need to use intercom-type paging. Ease of use is critical since during an emergency situation campus security will not only have to use this system, but also handle calls and monitor everything else happening at that time.

a) Vendors must submit a typical step by step process below explaining the steps involved in sending a prerecorded message to all phones and devices.

b) Vendors must explain the end-users experience if they are either on the phone or off the phone at the time an alert is sent to the phone.

c) Vendors must explain the volume setting of the alert i.e. if the software uses the ring volume setting or if a volume pre-set override can be configured for the speaker.

It is also mandatory to be able to send emergency alerts to phones in a particular building. A bomb threat may be one example where both an audible alert and a text message explaining that a bomb threat was received and the building must be evacuated immediately. These messages must be as easy to send to a particular building’s phones as it is to send to all phones. The buildings where phones are provisioned within a building device pool in CallManager. It is desirable to have the capability to expire the text messages so someone doesn’t come into a room at a later time and see the message that they need to evacuate the building immediately.

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d) Vendors must explain the steps involved in sending a message to a particular

building or buildings.

e) Vendors must explain how their system expires a message and removes the text message from the phone’s display.

Security and logging of the system is essential since the University don’t want malicious or inadvertent false alarms. The system must require an authorization code or password to trigger an alert, and be capable of logging which device was used and who to triggered the alert. A system that is able to log which devices received the alert is desirable.

f) Vendors must explain security and logging capabilities. 3.2 Departmental Paging Capability (M) The system needs the capability to provide departmental paging to the speaker of the Cisco phones by pressing one button on a 7940 or 7960 phone. Paging groups will need to be predefined for the department. Vendors must explain how to initiate a page and explain the end-user’s experience when they are either on or off the phone at the time the page is sent to them. 3.3 Text Message on Phone (M) The system needs to be able to send a text message to the phones regardless of the screen size (i.e. 7940 vs. 7912) with a single message. For example, in cases where the student record system might be down the University wants the capability to send a message to all staff phones that the student record system will be down until 11:00am. The University may find it desirable to have urgent message delivery accompanied by an audible tone on the phone and a way to remove or expire the message on the phone rather than have the message there for days until the user clears that message.

a) Explain the steps involved in sending text messages to groups of phone. Please explain how groups can be pre configured aside from by building and how the system handles text messages to different types of Cisco phones.

b) Explain how messages can be expired or removed from the phone. 3.5 Hallway Speaker Support (M) The Residence Halls use analog phones rather than VoIP phones. Therefore, a solution is needed to simultaneously notify students of emergencies that live in these halls. The University is interested in Power Over Ethernet (PoE) speakers to do this. Vendors may propose different solutions, however detailed explanation of how this will interface with their system and pricing must be included. The University recommends a tamper or vandalism resistant speaker enclosure for the resident halls, and potentially more standard speakers for other places on campus that are not near a phone. Detailed pricing and specifications are required including db level. Please

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indicate how your system is able to predefine the volume level of these speakers. Vendors must also include tear sheets, photos and drawings of the speakers. Drawings of Gage Complex, Crawford Complex and McElroy Complex are available in PDF form at www.mnsu.edu/facmgmt/roomindex.html. 3.6 Interface To Fire Alarm Systems (M) The University has several fire alarm systems in place that have audio capabilities:

- Simplex 4100 enhanced series fire panels in Taylor Center, Myers Fieldhouse and Highland/Otto athletic buildings (assume three alarm panels). According to the manufacturer, these will require an external contact closure and a delayed audio input. The audio is a low signal amplitude as of a condensed mic input.

- Gamewell FCI 72 Series Panel with a Fire Vac 3 audio panel in Gage Hall. - Peavey Media Matrix Mini Frame 208nt with a Peavey Media Matrix Sound

Reinforcement MM-8840 digital interface sound system in the Student Union. This system is currently set up with the following inputs:

o Emergency mic to all speakers o Announcement mic to all speakers o Announcement mic to public corridor speakers o Satellite, CD and tape capabilities to any combination of selected speakers.

Vendors will need to propose how their system can tie into these existing fire alarm and P.A. systems. This may require vendors to contact Simplex, Gamewell and Peavey for specifications and recommendations. Additional questions must be sent in writing to Bryan Schneider (contact information below). All questions and their answers will be posted on the purchasing web site so vendors should check back frequently for answers to their questions as well as to view answers to other vendor’s questions. Vendors will need to explain how their system will work, what additional equipment / software will be needed, and include all licensing and equipment costs. The University will assume that if no additional pricing is specified and no additional equipment is listed, there will be no additional cost and the chosen vendor will be responsible to furnish all equipment software and licenses to tie their solutions into these fire panels and P.A. systems. Vendors should also propose if this will require on-site technical support to make this work and should propose what will happen if the proposed solution is not able to work with the existing equipment. 3.7 Additional Capabilities (D) Please describe any additional capabilities that the proposed system includes. For example, application development support, ability for daily calendar to be displayed on phone as an idle screen, student time clocks, ability to display RSS messages on idle screen, etc. Additional capabilities beyond emergency communication are desired. Pricing for additional capabilities must be included with the description (if any). Additional capabilities that are described without disclosing a price will be assumed by the University to be included in the base cost and yearly maintenance/support cost and the Vendor will be obligated to provided this functionality at no cost.

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3.8 Hardware Requirements (M) Describe what server hardware will be required for the proposed solution. The University is able to receive educational pricing on equipment and prefers to provide its own equipment. 3.9 Maintenance/Support Cost (M) Vendors must provide maintenance costs for the system over the next five years. Year one must be included in the purchase price. Costs for years two through five must be included along with purchase options such as discounts for paying maintenance/support in advance, although support is typically paid on a year-by-year basis. Reference Table 1. 3.10 References (M) Vendors must provide reference accounts, preferably within the state of Minnesota that the University may contact or visit. Major accounts with the similar size and scope are also desired if nothing similar exists within the state. Educational institutions with around 20 buildings and around 2000 phones and more are recommended references. Section IV: Procedures for Responding Schedule, Contacts and Questions Schedule RFP advertised and released May 17, 2006 Publish RFP in State Register Last day for questions May 25, 2006 All questions must be submitted in

writing. Responses to questions May 26, 2006 on website

http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas Proposals Due May 31, 2006 at 2:00 pm Vendor selection announced June 6, 2006 Any verbal explanations of instructions or discussion of any aspect of this RFP provided to a vendor before the award of a contract shall not be binding. All questions must be submitted in writing and all answers will be provided to all participants at the RFP web site http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas/. The contact person for questions regarding this RFP is listed below:

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Contact Person Questions regarding this RFP need to be submitted in writing, and submitted through the web site under submit questions. The questions are linked to the contact person below. Name: Bryan Schneider Title: Director of Technical Services Address: Memorial Library 3010 Other persons are not authorized to discuss RFP requirements before the proposal submission deadline and MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR shall not be bound by and responders may not rely on information regarding RFP requirements obtained from non-authorized persons. Questions must include the name of the questioner and his/her telephone number, fax number and/or e-mail address. Anonymous inquiries will not be answered. Questions received after the time scheduled may not receive responses. Other Minnesota State University, Mankato personnel are NOT allowed to discuss the RFP with anyone, including vendors, before the proposal submission deadline. Questions must include the name of the questioner, as well as a phone number, email address and/or fax number. Anonymous questions will not be answered. All substantive responses to vendor queries will be made available to all vendors by posting the question, with the name of the vendor submitting the question and the answer on the RFP website. For purposes of this RFP, posting on this website constitutes written notification to all vendors. Vendors are expected to check this web site daily for updated information and the answers to questions submitted will be posted on May 26, 2006. Web site address: http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas/

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Proposal Delivery

All proposals must be sent to and received by: Institution: Minnesota State University, Mankato Name: Jean Hardel Title: Facilities Purchasing Coordinator Address: 358 Wiecking Center 415 Malin Street Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-389-5016 not later than 2:00 pm, May 31, 2006, as indicated by the date and time recorded on each response package by the front desk at 358 Wiecking Center. Fax and e-mail responses will not be considered. Late proposals will not be considered. Responses received after 2:00 pm, May 31, 2006 will be returned to the vendor.

All costs incurred by a vendor in responding to this RFP shall be borne by the vendor. Submit 2 copies of proposal. Proposals are to be sealed in mailing envelopes or packages with the responding vendor’s name and address clearly written on the outside along with RFP number and title. Each copy of the proposal must be signed in ink by an authorized member of the company. Proof of authority of the person signing shall be furnished upon request. Prices and terms of the proposal as stated must be valid for the length of any resulting contract. Contract Costs A. Proposals are irrevocable for 180 days following May 31, 2006. This period may be

extended by written agreement between the responding vendor and Minnesota State University, Mankato.

B. Proposals made in pencil shall be rejected. Alterations in cost figures used to determine the lowest priced proposal shall be rejected unless initialed in ink by the person responsible for or authorized to make decisions as to the price quoted. Proof of authorization shall be provided upon request. The use of “white out” is considered an alteration.

C. RFP submissions which added together total $25,000 or more must be accompanied by a

CERTIFIED CHECK FOR AT LEAST 5% OF THE TOTAL RFP SUBMISSION, UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, OR A CORPORATE SURETY BOND of a surety company duly authorized to do business in Minnesota in the same amount conditioned that the bidder will enter into a contract in accordance with this proposal. It is agreed that certified check of successful bidder will constitute liquidated damages for failure of bidder to enter into contract and make a delivery in accordance with this proposal.

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D. Not withstanding anything to the contrary, Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves its right to:

1) Reject any and all proposals received in response to this RFP;

2) Cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest. This RFP does not obligate Minnesota State University, Mankato to award a contract or complete the proposed project.

3) Select a proposal for contract negotiation other than the one with the lowest cost. 4) Waive or modify any informalities, irregularities, or inconsistencies in proposals received and/or accept a written modification submitted after 2:00 pm, March 2, 2006 requested by Minnesota State University, Mankato if the original proposal was submitted on time and the modified proposal is more favorable to Minnesota State University, Mankato; 5) Negotiate any aspect of the proposal with any vendor.

6) Terminate negotiations and select the next most responsive vendor for contract

negotiations; 7) Terminate negotiations, and prepare and release a new RFP; or 8) Terminate negotiations and take such action as deemed appropriate.

Completion Date

The University would like this system tested and in service as soon as possible. Contract Term MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR desires to enter into a contract with the successful vendor(s) effective June 6, 2006. The length of such contract(s) shall be 1 Year. If MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR and the vendor is unable to negotiate and sign a contract by June 30, 2006, then MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR reserves the right to seek an alternative vendor(s). Parties to the Contract Parties to this contract shall be the “State of Minnesota, acting through its Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities on behalf of MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR and the successful vendor(s).

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Contract Termination The State of Minnesota, acting through its Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, may cancel the contract(s) upon 30 days written notice, with or without cause. The vendor(s) may cancel the contract(s) upon 181 days written notice, with or without cause. Applicable Law A contract entered into as a result of this RFP shall be governed and interpreted under the laws of the State of Minnesota. Contract Assignment A contract or any part hereof entered into as a result of this RFP shall not be assigned, sublet, or transferred directly or indirectly without prior written consent of the Director of Technical Services at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Entire Agreement A written contract and any modifications or addenda thereto, executed in writing by both parties constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to the contract. All previous communications between the parties, whether oral or written, with reference to the subject matter of this contract are void and superseded. The resulting contract may be amended at a future date in writing by mutual agreement of the parties. Deviations and Exceptions Deviations from and exceptions to terms, conditions, specifications or the manner of this RFP shall be described fully on the vendor's letterhead stationery, signed and attached to the proposal submittal page(s) where relevant. In the absence of such statement the vendor shall be deemed to have accepted all such terms, conditions, specifications and the manner of the RFP. A vendor's failure to raise an issue related to the terms, conditions, specifications or manner of this RFP prior to the proposal submission deadline in the manner described shall constitute a full and final waiver of that vendor's right to raise the issue later in any action or proceeding relating to this RFP. Duration of Offer All proposal responses must indicate they are valid for a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from the date of the proposal opening unless extended by mutual written agreement between MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR and the vendor. Prices and terms of the proposal as stated must be valid for the length of the resulting contract. Authorized Signature The proposal must be completed and signed in the firm's name or corporate name of the vendor, and must be fully and properly executed and signed in blue or black ink by an authorized representative of the vendor. Proof of authority of the person signing must accompany the response.

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Proposal Rejection and Waiver of Informalities This RFP does not obligate the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, its Board of Trustees or MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR to award a contract or complete the proposed project and each reserves the right to cancel this RFP if it is considered to be in its best interest. MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR also reserves the right to waive minor informalities and, not withstanding anything to the contrary, reserves the right to:

1. reject any and all proposals received in response to this RFP; 2. select a proposal for contract negotiation other than the one with the lowest cost; 3. negotiate any aspect of the proposal with any vendor; 4. terminate negotiations and select the next most responsive vendor for contract negotiations; 5. terminate negotiations and prepare and release a new RFP; 6. terminate negotiations and take such action as deemed appropriate.

Section V: Evaluation Proposal Evaluation

All proposals received by 2:00 pm, May 31, 2006 will be evaluated by representatives of Minnesota State University, Mankato. In some instances, an interview may be part of the evaluation process. Factors on which proposals will be judged include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Expressed understanding of proposal objectives.

B. Comprehensiveness of the proposal. Vendors who do not respond to each item in Section III, or who simply inserts “Comply” may receive an evaluation score as those who fully explain how their solution meets or exceeds required or desired capabilities.

C. Cost of solution including first year maintenance/support and four more years.

D. Qualifications of company providing the solution, product, support, customer

satisfaction with the product and overall impression of the proposed solution. E. Completeness, detail, and thoughtfulness of response as reflected by the proposal’s

discussion and coverage of all elements of work listed above.

F. Consistency of the proposed solutions to Minnesota State University, Mankato present and future needs. Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves the right to determine the final award of this project/contract based on the equipment configuration, installation, warranties and service provisions that will best serve the needs and criteria of this institution.

G. Cost in relation to level of service to be provided.

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Minnesota State University, Mankato reserves the right to name a date with two weeks’ notice at which all responding vendors or selected finalists will be invited to present demonstrations and/or participate in an interview. Minnesota State University, Mankato does not agree to reach a decision by any certain date; however, it is hoped that the evaluation and selection will be completed within seven business days after June 1, 2006. A proposal may be rejected if Minnesota State University, Mankato determines that any product's ability to work with existing infrastructure will be too limited or difficult to manage. Low-bid is not the single most critical factor in our selection of the final bids. We need to consider the best bid for the University: a balance of reasonable pricing, quality software and a level of follow-up service and availability. The desirable bid will demonstrate how a vendor has evaluated the project needs and is therefore suitable to propose options and costs. Please be detailed and specific about the service and support that will be provided. All shipping and delivery charges for all equipment and parts required to complete the installation and scope of this RFP must be included in the proposal. Be very specific about the length of all Warranties, including coverage of installs and all parts/equipment. Minnesota State University, Mankato and the Office of Information and Technology Services shall bear none of the costs incurred in their preparation of the proposal documents or any visits to the campus.

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Section VI: General Requirements

Problem Resolution Process A formal problem resolution process will be established in the contract to address issues raised by either MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO/OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR or the vendor.

Affidavit of Non-Collusion A responding vendor must complete the attached Affidavit of Non-Collusion (Attachment 1) and include it with the proposal.

Conflicts of Interest A responding vendor must provide a list of all entities with which it has relationships that create, or appear to create, a conflict of interest with the work that is contemplated in this RFP. The list should indicate the name of the entity, the relationship, and a discussion of the conflict.

Disposition of Responses All materials submitted in response to this RFP will become property of MnSCU and will become public record in accordance with Minnesota Statutes section 13.591 after the evaluation process is completed and an award decision made. Pursuant to this statute, the completion of the evaluation process occurs when the government entity has completed negotiating the contract with the selected vendor. If a responding vendor submits information in response to this RFP that it believes to be trade secret materials, as defined by Minnesota Statutes section 13.37, the vendor must: • Clearly mark all trade secret materials in its response at the time the response is submitted, • Include a statement with its response justifying the trade secret designation for each item, and • Defend any action seeking release of the materials it believes to be trade secret, and

indemnify and hold harmless MnSCU, its agents and employees, from any judgments or damages awarded against MnSCU in favor of the party requesting the materials, and any and all costs connected with that defense. This indemnification survives MnSCU's award of a contract. In submitting a response to this RFP, the vendor agrees that this indemnification survives as long as the trade secret materials are in possession of MnSCU.

Minnesota State University, Mankato will not consider the prices submitted by a responding vendor to be proprietary or trade secret materials.

Contingency Fees Prohibited Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 10A.06, no person may act as or employ a lobbyist for compensation that is dependent upon the result or outcome of any legislation or administrative action.

Sample Contract The selected vendor and Minnesota State University, Mankato will enter into a standard MnSCU Contract. Therefore, responding vendors should be aware of MnSCU's standard contract terms and conditions in preparing a response. A sample MnSCU Professional/Technical Services Contract is attached. Much of the language reflected in the contract is required by statute. If a responding vendor takes exception to any of the terms, conditions or language in the

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contract, it must indicate those exceptions in its response to the RFP. Certain exceptions may result in a proposal being disqualified from further review and evaluation. Only those exceptions indicated in a response to the RFP will be available for discussion or negotiation. Preference to Targeted Group and Economically Disadvantaged Businesses and Individuals In accordance with Minnesota Rules 1230.1810, subpart B and Minnesota Rules 1230.1830, certified Targeted Group Businesses or Individuals submitting proposals as prime contractors will receive up to six percent preference in the evaluation of their proposals. For information regarding certification, contact the Department of Administration, Materials Management Helpline at 651.296.2600, TTY 651.282.5799 Insurance Requirements A. Minnesota State University, Mankato will require that a certificate of insurance for each

type of insurance required will be filed with Minnesota State University, Mankato authorized agent within 30 days of execution of the contract and prior to commencement of any work under this contract. Each policy must contain a 10 day notice of cancellation, nonrenewal, or material change to all named and additional insured.

B. The selected vendor will be required to maintain and furnish satisfactory evidence of the

following insurance policies:

1. Loss by any means, of all data furnished to the contractor by Minnesota State University, Mankato, and for partially completed data for which Minnesota State University, Mankato has made payment.

2. Workers' Compensation Insurance: The contractor must provide workers’

compensation insurance for all its employees and, in case any work is subcontracted, the contractor will require the subcontractor to provide workers’ compensation insurance in accordance with the statutory requirements of the State of Minnesota, including Coverage B, Employer’s Liability, at limits not less than $100,000.00 bodily injury by disease per employee; $500,000.00 bodily injury by disease aggregate; and $100,000.00 bodily injury by accident.

3. Commercial General Liability: The contractor will be required to maintain insurance

protecting it from claims for damages for bodily injury, including sickness or disease, death, and for care and loss of services as well as from claims for property damage including loss of use which may arise from operations under the contract whether the operations are by the contractor or by a subcontractor or by anyone directly or indirectly employed under the contract. Insurance minimum amounts will be as follows:

$1,000,000.00 - per occurrence $2,000,000.00 - annual aggregate

In addition, the following coverages should be included:

Bodily Injury and Property Damage Products and Completed Operations Liability

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Blanket Contractual Liability Name Minnesota State University, Mankato as an Additional Insured

4. Commercial Automobile Liability: The contractor will be required to maintain

insurance protecting the contractor from claims for damages for bodily injury, including sickness or disease, death, and for care and loss of services, as well as from claims for property damage including loss of use which may arise from operations under the contract whether such operations were by the contractor or by subcontractor or by anyone directly or indirectly employed under the contract. Insurance minimum amounts will be as follows:

$1,000,000.00 - per occurrence Combined Single limit for Bodily Injury and Property Damage In addition, the following coverages should be included:

Owned, Hired, and Non-owned Name Minnesota State University, Mankato as an Additional Insured

5. Professional/Technical, Errors and Omissions, and/or Miscellaneous Liability

Insurance:

The contractor will be required to carry the following minimum amounts:

$1,000,000.00 - per claim $2,000,000.00 - annual aggregate

The contractor will be required to submit a certified financial statement which provides evidence that the contractor has adequate assets to cover any deductible which applies to this policy.

This policy will provide coverage for all claims the contractor may become legally obligated to pay resulting from any actual or alleged negligent act, error, or omission related to the contractor’s professional services required under the contract. Contractor will be required to:

∃ Include legal defense fees in addition to its liability policy limits, with the exception of

B.5. above; and ∃ Obtain insurance policies from an insurance company having an "AM BEST" rating of

A-, VII or better. C. Minnesota State University, Mankato will reserve the right to immediately terminate the

contract if the contractor is not in compliance with the insurance requirements and retains all rights to pursue any legal remedies against the contractor. All insurance policies must be open to inspection by Minnesota State University, Mankato, and copies of policies must be submitted to Minnesota State University, Mankato authorized agent upon written request.

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The selected vendor will be required to submit acceptable evidence of insurance coverage requirements prior to execution of the contract. Section VII: Vendor Information A responding vendor must answer each of the following questions. If the answer to any question is in the affirmative, all relevant circumstances must be explained in detail, including the current status and ultimate disposition of each matter: A. Has the vendor been declared in default of any contract? B. Has the vendor forfeited any payment of a performance bond issued by a surety company

on any contract? C. Has an uncompleted contract been assigned by the vendor's surety company on any

payment or performance bond issued to the vendor arising from its failure to fully discharge all contractual obligations thereunder?

D. Within the past three (3) years has the vendor filed for reorganization, protection from

creditors, or dissolution under the bankruptcy statutes? E. Is the vendor now the subject of any litigation in which an adverse decision might result

in a material change in the company's financial position or future viability? A responding vendor should describe the history of the company and the history of its specific involvement with voice communication industry.

A responding vendor should demonstrate long-term viability of the product and company that it is proposing and future development with a description of the products long-term development strategy and plans to ensure that the proposed broadcast system and the vendor as a business company remain viable in the market. A responding vendor will provide information on its background, long-term viability, and experience with similar projects. Include any company affiliations to other corporate entities. Include information on general organization and staffing, scale of operations, and the company's proven market for voice communication system installations.

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Section VIII: Financial Requirements A responding vendor will clearly indicate the terms and period for any applicable warranty. In preparing a response, vendors should be aware of the following required MnSCU contract terms and conditions: A. Compensation will be for ALL services performed, unless a specific payment schedule is

mutually agreed upon. Minnesota State University, Mankato DOES NOT make regular payments based on the passage of time and only pays for services performed or work delivered AFTER it is accomplished in a satisfactory way.

B. Payment is only made after the submission of an authorized invoice. C. Reimbursement for travel and subsistence expenses actually incurred in performance of a

contract is limited by the provisions of “Commissioner’s Plan” promulgated by the Commissioner of Employee Relations. Generally, meals have a dollar limitation and reasonable and necessary travel and lodging is paid for at cost. Travel outside of Minnesota must receive written approval BEFORE it takes place.

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Table 1 - One Time and Annual Recurring Cost for VoIP Phone Emergency Broadcast Application

Item Cost Note

1. Cost of Software including 1-year of maintenance/support.

Include all components required for mandatory system operation.

2. Annual recurring Cost of maintenance/support.

Costs for years 2 – 5.

3. Price for high-end tamper-resistant speaker for residence halls.

4. Price for less tamper-resistant speaker.

5. Price for equipment to connect to Simplex fire alarm system

6. Price for equipment to connect to Gamewell fire alarm system

7. Price for equipment to connect to Peavey PA system

8. Price for optional capabilities Included a list and cost of each option.

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Section IX: RFP Evaluation Worksheet

Please fill the form out as you look over the bids. Our decisions will be based on overall score and expressed understanding of the objectives we have outlined in the RFP. Company Name: Bid Price: Reviewer Name: Date: Vendor Information: Did the vendor show that they had valid industry experience in this particular area? □ Did the vendor show a good understanding of the project? □ Did the vendor seem to offer any insights or good ideas? □ If so, list them: Notes: Proposal: (Scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best) Does the proposal fulfill University needs? Explain how you rated it. I rated this: _______ Does the bid contain the software and equipment asked for? Explain how you rated it. I rated this: _______ Do you feel that this system will be intuitive and easy to use? Will the security dispatcher be able to quickly and easily trigger an alert and does adequate security exist to prevent false alarms? Explain how you rated it. I rated this: _______ After reading over this bid do you feel that you have a good understanding of how the system will work? Were all of the explanations laid out clearly and explained well. Explain how you rated it. I rated this: _______

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Did the vendor address the ability, equipment and steps needed to interface hallway speakers, fire alarms and PA systems into this system? Explain how you rated it. I rated this: _______ Did the vendor explain support for future upgrades of CallManager in their proposal? Did they offer any insight into some possibilities? Explain how you rated it.

I rated this: _______

Did their bid contain information additional functionality and capabilities? Explain how you rated it. I rated this: _______ Are there any distinct advantages to this proposal? Disadvantages?