RBHN HCF RFP FY2024-02
** All proposals are due via email by 11:59:59 PM on 02/20/24 (the day prior to ACSD)
Go to:
https://opendata.usac.org/stories/s/RHC-Posted-Services-Tool/8wan-j4cu
Enter Funding Year 2024 in Filters
Enter HCP Number 17268 in Filters
Scroll to the right
Look under “RFP 1” for a link to download the attached RFP
Look under Section 9 of the RFP document for a link to circuit requests
Look under Section 9.2 of the RFP document for a link to Hardware Requests
Please note the Allowable Contract Sign Date (ACSD) is 02/21/24. No agreements should be signed prior to that date!
Important:
- Proposals must be emailed to RFP@r-ahec.org
- Bids must be received via email by 11:59:59 PM on 02/20/24 (the day prior to ACSD)
Pricing Format:
Bidders must use our standard pricing format for broadband pricing (Section 9.2 equipment pricing may still be proposed in the bidder’s own format):
Follow the instructions on the first tab of the spreadsheet.
Include the finished spreadsheet as a separate file within the electronic bid proposal copy.
Questions about the RFP can be sent to pappleton@r-ahec.org. Any incoming questions and corresponding answers will be posted on this page.
Reminder:
- Proposals must be emailed to rfp@r-ahec.org
- Responses due by 11:59:59 PM on day preceding USAC Allowable Contract Sign Date.
Questions and Answers:
All questions must be submitted by email. Please thoroughly read the RFP before asking questions; your answer may be found within the RFP.
1. When submitting the Pricing Proposal for the Equipment, do we follow the Proposal Format outlined in 3.3? Many of the bullet points do not seem applicable if we are only proposing hardware for one entity on the bid.
A: You need to follow the bullet points which are applicable, in the order shown in the RFP. If you are only responding to equipment, some of these bullet points will not be applicable and therefore you don’t need to follow them (for example, the Description of Proposed Broadband Solution and/or Public Internet Service).
2. How is the RFP actually scored? Who makes the final decision on awarding contracts?
A: The RFP scoring process is a multi-step procedure. First, R-AHEC reviews each bid in its entirety and scores each vendor based on the Scoring Criteria found at the end of the RFP. R-AHEC then creates a proposal summary for each individual organization from the RFP, and sends that summary along with the responses and internal scoring sheet to each respective organization. Each organization then has a chance to score the bidders on their own. R-AHEC then meets with each organization to discuss the bids and select winners based on the organization’s review and feedback. It is ultimately the organization’s decision which bidder is selected.
3. As a bidder can we respond only to portions of the RFP, or must we respond to all requests?
A: You can choose to respond only to certain portions of the RFP if you wish. However, you must follow all the guidelines of the RFP, so it is important to thoroughly read the entire RFP to ensure you are complying with all provisions.
4. After reading over the RFP, please confirm if this is a year to year bid or if multiple years will be quoted.
A: Please see section 3.4.1 of the RFP, we are requesting 12, 24, 36 and 60 months terms to be provided. The 60 month term was specifically added to align with a hardware request that is listed on this RFP.
5. Regarding Orleans Community Health, can you provide additional information to better understand their network needs.
A: The network is structured to enable multiple sites to share data across sites and create a single ingress/egress for Internet traffic for security reasons. The network depends on both MPLS and SD-WAN components being present. The facility would like the current structure to remain the same.
