Request for Proposal #408 BROADBAND INTERNET SERVICE

Questions and Answers

Amendment: McGillivray Central Public School will no longer be included in the scope of this RFP. QUESTION 1: Would the boards be amenable to an SD-WAN based solution? ANSWER 1: Both boards currently have fully-deployed SD-WAN based solutions. This RFP is to acquire the internet component of the current SD-WAN solution. TVDSB is using Meraki SD-WAN appliances and LDCSB uses Fortinet appliances. QUESTION 2: Some of the sites on the list will require full-service facility checks that can take 4-6 weeks to complete. Therefore, we request an extension of 4 weeks to allow for these to be completed. ANSWER 2: The boards agree to extend the submission deadline to July 6, 2020. QUESTION 3: Can you confirm that only electronic submissions will accepted? ANSWER 3: We are only accepting electronic submissions. QUESTION 4: What type of WAN network (ex. IP-VPN, MPLS, etc.) do the TVDSB

and LDCSB already have?

ANSWER 4: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 5: How will the new SD-WAN network be integrated with the existent

TVDSB and LDCSB WAN/LANs? Will the new SD-WAN network replace the exist-

ing WAN networks?

ANSWER 5: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 6: How is network security currently provided at the school boards?

ANSWER 6: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 7: Should all traffic from school locations be backhauled to the board

offices or only internal board traffic?

ANSWER 7: Only internal board traffic is backhauled for the TVDSB. For the

LDCSB there is no backhaul.

QUESTION 8: Is inter-school traffic required?

ANSWER 8: For TVDSB inter-school traffic is required. Typical traffic includes

VOIP, Active Directory, Student Information System and Active Deployment. For

LDCSB inter-school traffic is not required.

QUESTION 9: Are the school boards’ services (servers) hosted at the boards’ of-

fices? If so, what type of services?

ANSWER 9: See Answers 1 and 8.

QUESTION 10: Are the school boards already using SaaS services such as MS Of-

fice 365, Azure, AWS, etc.? If so which ones?

ANSWER 10: Yes, both boards are using SaaS from all major providers including

Microsoft, Google and AWS.

QUESTION 11: Will the broadband connectivity carry only transactional traffic, or

might it also carry real-time traffic such as VoIP or videoconferencing?

ANSWER 11: The proposed solution will carry all internet traffic including VOIP, vid-

eoconferencing, and database transactional data.

QUESTION 12: Is it possible to have a network diagram?

ANSWER 12: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 13: Is it possible to have an extension? There is a lot of work to validate

connectivity available on each site.

ANSWER 13: See Answer 2.

QUESTION 14: Can you please confirm the RFP is asking for the bidder to include

the SD-WAN devices as well?

ANSWER 14: No, see Answer 1.

QUESTION 15: Can we include .pdf files in the RFP response?

ANSWER 15: .pdf files of requested documentation (e.g. insurance certificates,

etc.) or that contain supplemental information may be included. However, they

should not be submitted in place of the requested Excel documents.

QUESTION 16: Can we include security and SD-Wan pricing in the Worksheet C

(using additional columns)?

ANSWER 16: Please include this pricing in 3.7.1. QUESTION 17: We would like to provide multiple access options (Coaxial cable, fi-

bre optics, wireless) per site rather than just one single option. These options will

vary in price and their ability to be symmetrical. How would you like to see us pre-

sent these options in Worksheet C?

ANSWER 17: Please prepare and return a separate Worksheet C for each option

that you wish to propose.

QUESTION 18: How will the boards decide which locations will receive which type

of access?

ANSWER 18: Each site’s proposed solution will be evaluated individually and the

highest-ranked solution will be selected.

QUESTION 19: DDoS availability may not be possible on all access types:

A. Will the school board consider purchasing a connection without DDoS pro-

tection at elementary schools or is this a true requirement?

B. Will the school board consider purchasing a connection without DDoS pro-

tection at secondary schools or is this a true requirement?

ANSWER 19: It is expected that DDoS be provided by the vendor. See Item B3 of

the RFP Requirements.

Question 20: If DDoS can be priced as an option how would you like to see this op-

tion presented in the spreadsheet?

ANSWER 20: See Answer 19.

QUESTION 21: Is MNS a requirement or should it be priced as an option?

A. If priced as an option how would you like to see this option presented in

Worksheet C?

ANSWER 21: If MNS means Managed Network Services this is not what we are

seeking. Please see Item B4 of the RFP Requirements.

QUESTION 22: Will the board allow the SP access to their SD-Wan hardware to

poll and retrieve stats for the MNS reporting?

ANSWER 22: See Answer 21.

QUESTION 23: Is the board willing to share what SD-Wan hardware was selected?

ANSWER 23: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 24: We respectfully ask for an extension to the submission return date

deadline of June 8th, 2020 in order to more properly qualify the sites for service.

Would the board consider a submission due date of June 30,2020?

ANSWER 23: See Answer 2.

QUESTION 25: Section 4.5.2 states “The successful proponent will be evaluated

based on the evaluation form - Supplier Occurrence Reports (available upon re-

quest).” May we please have a copy of the evaluation form?

ANSWER 25: Samples of these forms, which are used during the contract period in

the event of non-satisfactory performance, have been included at the bottom of this

document.

QUESTION 26: What is the underlying technology and access types used by the

current network?

ANSWER 26: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 27: In the future state will the network being proposed in this response

be replacing the current network? In other words, will the network proposed in this

response be the only network in place for both the corporate and the student Wifi

traffic at TVDSB/LDCSB or in the future state will there be two networks?

ANSWER 27: These will be the only networks for both boards.

QUESTION 28: If two networks will one be the backup to the other? Will the net-

work being proposed be considered the primary or the secondary network?

ANSWER 28: See Answer 27.

QUESTION 29: Can the Boards supply the actual usage at each site today?

ANSWER 29: No.

QUESTION 30: Will the school board run backups over this network between data

centres? If so, are there special access or bandwidth requirements between these

sites? If so, what are those requirements?

ANSWER 30: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 31: In Worksheet C Column J of 2020Appendices408.xls please con-

firm that the values are in mbps.

ANSWER 31: These values are in mbps.

QUESTION 32: Section B2.5 of 2020Appendices408.xls states “If asymetrical, up-

load must be a minimum of 10% of download speed. Indicate available speed op-

tions.” Column J states the Internet bandwidth required. Column K wants proposed

bandwidth. Using the 10% of download rule, is it necessary for a proponent using

asymetrical access to respond with multiple asymmetrical accesses until the point

where the 10% upload is met?

A. What access types are schools being provisioned with today where down-

load speed of more than 500 Mbps is required? Is this considered ade-

quate for this proposal?

ANSWER 32: The 10% is a minimum requirement. For the answer to Item A see

Answer 1.

QUESTION 33: Section B2.9 of 2020Appendices408.xls states “Identify the backup

or redundancy options that may be available.” Where on Worksheet C would we in-

dicate the redundancy options available by location?

ANSWER 33: The intent of this question was to seek out what potential options are

available for redundancy.

QUESTION 34: Would the boards agree to limit their requirements under 5.1.15 to

when the Supplier is on the boards' premises? In addition, could the boards provide

bidders with such policies, procedures and regulations as they consider applicable

under 5.1.15?

ANSWER 34: Policies, procedures and regulations must be adhered to as they ap-

ply to the contract resulting from this RFP. For a complete listing of TVDSB policies

and procedures please see https://www.tvdsb.ca/en/our-board/policies-and-proce-

dures.aspx. LDCSB policies can be found at https://www.ldcsb.ca/apps/pages/Poli-

cies.

QUESTION 35: “4.1.4: Any material, equipment, service or work ordered which, in

the opinion of the boards, does not completely fulfill the specifications must immedi-

ately be removed.” Are there any compliance documents or specifications guide-

lines that you can provide?

ANSWER 35: This refers to any requirements as per Worksheet B.

QUESTION 36: “4.1.5: The successful proponent must carry out all work to the sat-

isfaction of the boards. All trade work is to be performed by appropriately certified

staff.” What is the definition of appropriately certified staff? Are there specific certifi-

cations required by the boards?

ANSWER 36: Staff must be appropriately certified for any trade work being carried

out under the contract resulting from this RFP.

QUESTION 37: “5.1.12 The successful proponent(s) must not at any time subcon-

tract any portion of it’s contract with the boards nor shall it assign the contract with-

out the written permission of the boards.”

A. Does that mean the proponent can use third party providers or carriers,

however, an approval from the boards need to be conducted first?

B. Are there any specifications regarding what the Boards might approve or

reject? We need to understand if there is a specific carrier or provider or

technology that is not preferred to avoid using that.

C. What if there are site(s) that cannot be serviced other than through a pro-

vider or technology that was not approved by either Board?

ANSWER 37: Proponents may use third-party providers upon board approval.

QUESTION 38: Clear explanation of what service is being offered, is it fiber, DSL,

wireless based; is it symmetrical or asymmetrical, are there limits on usage, is it on

existing technology or is it a new build?

A. Is there a specific technology that is preferred and is there a specific tech-

nology that is not preferred?

B. What if there are site(s) that cannot be serviced by the appropriate tech-

nology to provide the required service, are the boards open to discuss al-

ternatives that might not deliver the same speeds due to technical limita-

tion or geographical location?

ANSWER 38: See Answer 1.

QUESTION 39: Respectfully request an extension to the submission date to be

June 15th instead of June 8th.

ANSWER 39: See Answer 2.

QUESTION 40: A column is required for the pricing to capture one-time charges

(construction etc.) to disclose all up front costs.

ANSWER 40: As per B1.1, all fees including installation are to be included in the

monthly fee.

QUESTION 41:

A. Please clarify the response column maximum bandwidth available.

B. Is the TVDSB looking for maximum bandwidth for future upgrades or max-

imum bandwidth for the initial service at each site?

ANSWER 41: The boards wish to understand the maximum bandwidth available for

future upgrades which may be required due to provincial mandates or student popu-

lation growth.

QUESTION 42: As per section 3.2.5, instead of all the sites awarded, can we state

further discount based on a certain volume commitment per board (i.e. X percentage

of total sites per board)?

ANSWER 42: The boards request that all bidders put forward their best pricing.

QUESTION 43: Will TVDSB or LDCSB entertain wireless (microwave etc.) as an

access technology or do they prefer dedicated fiber?

ANSWER 43: See Item B2.3 of the RFP Requirements.

QUESTION 44: Speed required is assumed symmetrical with associated SLA’s and

we will respond as such.

ANSWER 44: See Item B2 – Service Required in the RFP Requirements.

QUESTION 45: Is there a copy of Worksheet C with postal codes that can be

shared with the proponents?

ANSWER 45: TVDSB location postal codes can be found at https://schooldirec-

tory.tvdsb.ca/. LDCSB location postal codes can be found at the end of this docu-

ment.

Supplier Occurrence Form Page 1 of 2

Purchasing Services

SUPPLIER OCCURRENCE REPORTS (SOR) - to be completed

during the contract period in the event of non-satisfactory performance

SECTION 1 – SUPPLIER DATA

Bid Name: Bid #:

Occurrence #: Date:

Supplier Name: Supplier Phone #:

Supplier Contact: Supplier Email:

SECTION 2 – OCCURRENCE DETAILS – to be completed by board representative

Description of the issue:

Name: Signature:

Title: Date: 2nd level approval (Manager)– Name:

Signature:

Date:

SECTION 3 – SUPPLIER RESPONSE – to be completed by supplier

representative

Corrective action short term:

Corrective action long term:

Name: Signature:

Supplier Occurrence Form Page 2 of 2

Title: Date:

SECTION 4 – TVDSB review

I have reviewed this report for objectivity and accuracy of Section 3 – Supplier Response.

Name: Signature:

Title: Date:

Original – Project File Copy – Purchasing File Copy – to Vendor

This Occurrence Report is being issued pursuant to the terms of the contract

between TVDSB and supplier (ie, delivery, packaging, etc.) Where the Supplier fails to comply with any of its obligations under the Contract, the Board may issue a rectification notice to the Supplier setting out the manner and time-frame for rectification. Within seven (7) Business Days of receipt of that notice or in a timeframe as otherwise agreed to, the Supplier shall either: (a) comply with that rectification notice; or (b) provide a rectification plan satisfactory to the Board. If the Supplier fails to either comply with that rectification notice or provide a satisfactory rectification plan, the Board may immediately terminate the Contract. Where the Supplier has been given a prior rectification notice, the same subsequent type of non-compliance by the Supplier may allow the Board to immediately terminate the Contract and result in the suspension of bidding privileges to the Board for up to two years (at the sole unfettered discretion of the Board).

LONDON DISTRICT CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD - SUPPLIER OCCURRENCE REPORT

SUPPLIER OCCURANCE REPORT SECTION 1 - VENDOR DATA Occurrence No. Project Name Project Description

Supplier Name Email Address

Supplier Contact Phone Number

SECTION 2 - OCCURRENCE DETAILS Occurrence issued by: Issue Date:

Describe the main issue:

Safety Severity: Major ☐ Minor ☐

Location of infraction:

Signature Date of infraction:

SECTION 3 - SUPPLIER RESPONSE Corrective Action Short Term:

Corrective Action Long Term:

Prepared By: Date:

SECTION 4 - LDCSB AUTHORIZATION AND REVIEW I have reviewed this report for objectivity and accuracy of SECTION 3-Supplier Response

Name: Date:

Signature:

Original- Project File copy to Vendor

LDCSB School Addresses

Assumption 42 South St E Aylmer, Ontario N5H 1P6

Blessed Sacrament 1063 Oxford St E London, Ontario N5Y 3L4

Holy Family 329 Hudson Dr London, Ontario N5V lE4

Holy Family French Immersion 177 Oxford St Woodstock, Ontario N4S 6A8

Holy Rosary 268 Herkimer St London, Ontario N6C 4S4

Jean Vanier 1019 Viscount Rd London, Ontario N6K lH5

Monsignor J.H. O’Neil 250 Quarterline Rd Tillsonburg, Ontario N4G 4G8

Monsignor Morrison 10 S Edgeware Dr St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 2H2

Notre Dame 767 Valetta St London, Ontario N6H 4Nl

Our Lady Immaculate 75 Head St N Strathroy, Ontario N7G 2J6

Our Lady of Lourdes 103 Wellington St Delaware, Ontario N0L 1E0

Sacred Heart 148 Ann St Parkhill, Ontario NOM 2KO

St. Anne 1366 Huron St London, Ontario N5V 2E2

St. Anne's 84 Park Ave St. Thomas, Ontario N5R 4W1

St. Anthony French Immersion 1380 Ernest Ave London, Ontario N6E 2H8

St. Bernadette 155 Tweedsmuir Ave London, Ontario N5W lK9

St. Catherine of Siena 2140 Quarrier Rd London, Ontario N6G 5L4

St. Charles 257 Elizabeth St Glencoe, Ontario N0L 1M0

St. David 3966 Catherine St Dorchester, Ontario NOL lGO

St. Francis 690 Osgoode Dr London, Ontario N6E 2G2

St. George 375 Lynden Cres London, Ontario N6K 2J1

St. John Fr Imm 1212 Coronation Drive London, Ontario N6G 0S9

St. Joseph's 31 Frances St Tillsonburg, Ontario N4G 1E8

St. Jude 690 Viscount Rd London, Ontario N6J 2Y5

St. Jude’s 30 Caffyn St Ingersoll, Ontario N5C 3T9

St. Kateri 220 Sunnyside Dr London, Ontario N5X 3R1

St. Marguerite d'Youville 170 Hawthorne Rd London, Ontario N6G 4Z9

St. Mark 1440 Glenora Dr London, Ontario N5X lV2

St. Martin 140 Duchess Ave London, Ontario N6C lN9

St. Mary Choir 347 Lyle St London, Ontario N5W 3R3

St. Mary’s 128 William St West Lorne, Ontario N0L 2P0

St. Michael 926 Maitland St London, Ontario N5Y 2Xl

St. Michael’s 1085 Devonshire St Woodstock, Ontario N4S 2N6

St. Nicholas 1956 Shore Rd London, Ontario N6K 0E8

St. Patrick 33654 Roman Line Lucan, Ontario N0M 2J0

St. Patrick’s 344 Parkinson Rd Woodstock, Ontario N4S 2N6

St. Paul 1090 Guildwood Blvd London, Ontario N6H 4G6

St. Pius X 255 Vancouver St London, Ontario N5W 4R9

St. Sebastian 225 Cairn St London, Ontario N5Z 3W6

St. Theresa 108 Fairlane Ave London, Ontario N6K 3E6

St. Thomas More 18 Wychwood Pk London, Ontario N6G 1R5

St. Vincent de Paul 286 McKellar Street Strathroy, Ontario N7G 2Y5

Sir Arthur Carty 1655 Ernest Ave London, Ontario N6E 2S3

Catholic Central High 450 Dundas St London, Ontario N6B 3K3

Holy Cross Secondary 367 Second St Strathroy, Ontario N7G 4K6

John Paul II 1300 Oxford St E London, Ontario N5V 4P7

Mother Teresa 1065 Sunningdale Rd E London, Ontario N5X 4B1

Regina Mundi College 5250 Wellington Rd S London, Ontario N6E 3X8

Saint André Bessette 2727 Tokala Trail London, Ontario N6G 0L8

St. Joseph's High 100 Bill Martyn Pkwy St. Thomas, Ontario N5R 6A7

St. Mary’s High 431 Juliana Dr Woodstock, Ontario N4V 1E8

St. Thomas Aquinas 1360 Oxford St W London, Ontario N6H 1W2

Center for Life Long Learning 1230 King St London, Ontario N5W 2Y2

Alternative Learning 382 Waterloo St London, Ontario N6B 2N8

Breck Ave Maintenance Yard 4074 Breck Ave London, Ontario N6L 1B5

Catholic Education Center 5200 Wellington Rd S London, Ontario N6E 3X8