Request for Information (RFI) For Network Monitoring & Management (NMC/OMC) Services

Transcription

1 Request for Information (RFI) For Network Monitoring & Management (NMC/OMC) Services 1 Background In February 2012, Congress enacted The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, containing landmark provisions to create a nationwide interoperable broadband network for the police, firefighters, emergency medical service professionals and other public safety officials. The law s governing framework for the deployment and operation of this network, which is to be based on a single, national network architecture, is the new "First Responder Network Authority" (FirstNet), an independent authority within NTIA. FirstNet holds the spectrum license for the network, and is charged with taking all actions necessary to build, deploy, and operate the network in consultation with Federal, State, tribal and local public safety entities, and other key stakeholders. This RFI requests information about potential Network Monitoring (NMC) and Operational Management Center (OMC) services, along with the supporting ecosystems. FirstNet anticipates the need for an NMC/OMC that will support all network management functions to include: fault management (system alarms), network performance, network security, asset management (traffic data), and business continuity. For purposes of simplicity, the term NOC will sometimes be used in this document to represent the full suite of services. This RFI is organized by NOC functional categories first: 1. General Company and Facilities information 2. Personnel Technical Competency 3. Network Surveillance and Performance Management 4. Software Distribution 5. Trouble Ticket and Event Management 6. Asset Management 7. Work-Force Management 8. Reporting Management 9. Business Continuity Subsequent tabs in the RFI spreadsheet then ask the respondent to provide information regarding compliance with FirstNet network standards derived from both technical needs and NPSTC requirements documents. FirstNet is requesting information to help determine future acquisitions, including contract requirements, and potential vendors. Specifically, FirstNet is looking for vendors both with 1 P a g e

2 core competencies and demonstrated experience in developing and sustaining a public safety quality NOC offering including both network management and monitoring services that have, but are not limited to, the following capabilities: Network Surveillance Provide 24x7 monitoring of all RAN and core network elements in the entire FirstNet network. Analyze network performance to identify potential performance degradations and enact proactive measures. Performance Management and Software Distribution - Provide support for central management of software repairs and upgrades across the FirstNet network including deployment, installation, and updates. Fault and Event Management Identification, collection, resolution, and reporting of FirstNet outages across the entire enterprise. Providing live troubleshooting, issue resolution, and alarm clearing functionality for major network events. Asset Management The ability to download data from each network element and to catalogue equipment location, function, model numbers, and serial numbers in an easy to access format. Work force Management The ability of to provide a centralized system to dispatch field resources, track projects, and provide reporting related to field personnel. Reporting Management - The implementation and provision of key network performance reports to approved FirstNet users and stakeholders. Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery The ability of the NOC to survive both an outage of the primary facility and/or the inability of NOC personnel to access NOC tools. 2 Purpose FirstNet is conducting market research as part of its planning for the potential future acquisition of network monitoring and management of the FirstNet Network (FNN). In accordance with FAR (e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government for the basis of forming a binding contract. This RFI is being issued solely for the gathering of information for planning purposes, and it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to a contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Furthermore, the Government is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the Government will not reimburse respondents or any other organizations for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested parties expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in a future RFP, if one is issued. 2 P a g e

3 Submissions will be used by FirstNet to determine the maturity of the market and the state of the industry for applicability to meet FirstNet needs and FNN interoperability. Current public safety networks generally support land mobile radio (LMR or P25) services on networks built and run by or for individual agencies across over 3,000 counties. The FNN will present a broadband alternative, focused initially on data applications but eventually offering an alternative to the LMR/P25 networks as well. The FirstNet mandate is to provide nationwide interoperability while maintaining an appropriate level of local control. To that end, FNN NOC services must be capable of managing both radio access networks and a distributed core that may involve multiple equipment and service providers. This RFI is a request for interested parties to describe their products, services, technical capabilities and demonstrated experience with NOC services along with other sustaining elements for a full FNN user ecosystem. All interested parties are requested to provide written responses to the criteria below. Small businesses to include 8(a), service disabled veteran owned, HUBZone, women-owned, and other small businesses are encouraged to provide timely responses to this RFI. In addition to providing essential information to plan acquisitions, a response to this RFI is necessary in order to assist FirstNet in determining the potential levels of interest and technical capability within the small business community to provide required equipment and/or services. Responses to the RFI will be used to assist FirstNet in establishing the degree to which a small business set-aside is feasible, including the potential for small business/large business team arrangements. In other RFIs, FirstNet is investigating the industry s capability to provide additional services to include, but not limited to, priority, pre-emption, home network treatment for roaming users, class of service and quality of service treatment, application security architectures, and other elements of the FNN architecture that will have network management implications. Information provided in response to this RFI will also be used to assess the viability of technical, managerial, operational, and business models for a complete FirstNet operational environment. Responses may also be used to further specify requirements for future RFPs for NMC/OMC services. 3 Summary of Respondent Capabilities and Anticipated Requirements FirstNet is providing a Microsoft Excel file appendices containing two Question / Answer templates for the respondent to submit with answers. It contains eleven tabs at the bottom of the worksheet which provide these templates: Functional Responses Spreadsheets General Company Information NMC/OMC Facilities and Personnel information Network Surveillance Performance Management & Software Distribution Fault and Event Management Asset Management 3 P a g e

4 Work-Force Management Reporting Management Business Continuity Compliance Matrix Spreadsheets Functional Criteria Mandated Criteria The respondent must use these templates to submit their answers. All submissions must be in combinations of Microsoft Word and Excel formats plus two hard copies in binder form. Additional documentation can be appended to contain related requests, such as high resolution pictures of facilities. Respondents who have multiple NMC/OMC offerings can replicate the entire spreadsheet for each one, or if they have common functional characteristics, the respondent can replicate just the appropriate Functional tabs. The assessment of capability statements will be based on the criteria as submitted via the Functional Responses Spreadsheet and Compliance Matrix Spreadsheet. Responders submitting capability statements for this project should limit submissions to data essential to the assessment. Any and all information obtained for these purposes will be used solely to assist the Government in understanding the capabilities available in the marketplace and thus results will not be disclosed to respondents. 3.1 Functional Responses Spreadsheet This spreadsheet contains a list of questions in one column and an additional column for respondent responses. After inputting responses, the totality of all the pages in this spreadsheet when printed must not exceed the number pages and font requirements described in Section 4 of these directions. Be aware that Microsoft Excel changes the font size that is printed if you force it to print so many pages wide and so many pages tall. To prevent the automatic change of font, it is suggested not to set the width of pages in the page layout. The respondent may set the height of each row of each requirement to fit the respondent s response for the requirement as the respondent sees appropriate without changing font sizes. All electronic submissions must be in Word and Excel format. All submissions shall meet the font, paper orientation, paper size, and number of page requirements described in Section 4 of this RFI. 3.2 Compliance Matrix Spreadsheet To facilitate the understanding of requirements, the two Compliance Matrix tabs of this RFI contain matrices of anticipated NMC/OMC requirements extracted from both the functional tabs and from NTIA requirements documents. The purpose of these matrices is to provide a tool for FirstNet to better understand industry capabilities on an item by item basis. 4 P a g e

5 The requirements listed in this document are subject to change as FirstNet continues to evolve the associated network architectures and business models. The NMC/OMC RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform) column in the Mandated Requirements tab is provided to share the current FirstNet thinking about the roles the NMC/OMC will play in the various requirements. For the purposes of this RFI, the Accountable role means that the NMC/OMC will be solely responsible for that function while the Responsible role signals a potentially shared responsibility. Consult means that the MNC/OMC should be in the planning dialogue when setting up the function while Inform indicates that the NMC/OMC will be notified of planning and/or operational decisions. The NPST source documents are also available via the URLs that are contained in the References tab. There are two steps for the respondent to fill out this spreadsheet: STEP #1 For each requirement, place an X, select a dropdown score, or enter a date as required in the respective columns labeled A, B, C, D, and E that appears after the Source Requirement column that best represents the compliance of your product to meet the requirement. Select only one. Here are the column meanings: A. Meets requirement now B. Meets requirement by the end of 2013 C. Partially meets the requirement If making this selection, you will be asked to pick the most accurate percent completion from the following dropdown options: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. D. Requirement is defined on the company s roadmap with a set date for completion. Enter that date in this field. E. No plans to meet this requirement STEP #2 For each requirement, indicate in the Column Respondent Response column, a brief comment that speaks about what was input in Step #1. If respondent indicates, A. Meets requirement Nothing is required in the respondent response column B. Meets requirement in by End of Year 2013 Nothing is required in the respondent response column C. Partially meets the requirement In the respondent response column, provide a narrative on the part that meets the requirement and when/if/never meeting the remainder. D. Requirement is defined on the company s roadmap In the respondent response column, provide Month and year that the requirement will be met. E. No plans to meet this requirement Nothing is required in the respondent response column 5 P a g e

6 An example appears on a subsequent page herein. The matrix does not count towards the 100 page limit for the Functional Responses spreadsheet indicated in section 3.1, but the respondent must limit responses in the Respondent Response column in this Compliance Matrix spreadsheet indicated in this section 3.2 to 10 lines for each requirement number in accordance to the font and page layout guidelines in section 4 without removing or adjusting the column size of the Respondent Response column. 6 P a g e

7 Figure 1 - Example Notional Matrix Requirement Number Requirement Description Source of Requirement A) B) C) D) E) Respondent Response The matrix does not count towards the 25 page limit 1. Radio bands N/A 1.1 Devices must, at a minimum, include Band 14 for their operation 1.2 Devices should include the option for operating in additional (commercial) bands in the absence of Band Devices must offer support for FIPS 201 VPNs. 1.4 Mobile/wireless server must be configured to disable connections from the mobile device to a network share drive unless PKI authentication is enforced at the share drive. [2] Page 17 X N/A [1] Page 4 1/30/2014 Band 13 will be supported in 1Q2014 [2] Table 24 75% Applications can provide this level of VPN currently. This is on the roadmap for native support in Q DoDD , CTO 07-15Rev1 X This requirement will never be in the scope of our company. 7 P a g e

8 4 Instructions for Submissions 4.1 Format of Responses Responses must be submitted in both hard copy and soft copy (Microsoft Word and Excel) format. Hard copy submissions must be in the form of two binders with labeled section dividers that correspond with the RFI sections and worksheet tabs. Soft copy submissions must be submitted both via and on a thumb drive. FACSIMILE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Submissions must not exceed more than one hundred (100) pages, landscape page layout, onesided, single spaced, 11-point type (Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, or Courier fonts only) with half-inch margins. Respondent must use the MS Excel templates as described in Section 3 for their responses. Responses must include any materials or sources referenced in the RFI response. In addition to the requested responses, submissions should also include additional product and service specifications for FirstNet to reference as needed. These additional materials do not count against the 100 page limit. On all submissions, please include your company's name, point of contact, address, phone number, DUNS number, CAGE Code, and Tax ID. Responders are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this announcement. Responders to this announcement are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. The preferred North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this work is Wireless Telecommunications Carriers. Respondents can recommend an alternative NAICS code that corresponds to the capabilities presented in their response. 4.2 Protection of Marked Proprietary Information The Government acknowledges its obligations under the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. 1905) to protect information qualifying as confidential under this statute. Pursuant to this statute, the Government is willing to accept any proprietary (e.g., trade secret) restrictions placed on qualifying data forwarded in response and to protect it from unauthorized disclosure subject to the following: 1. Clearly and conspicuously mark qualifying data with the restrictive legend (all caps) proprietary with any explanatory text, so that the Government is clearly notified of what data needs to be appropriately protected. 2. In marking such data, please take care to mark only those portions of the data or materials that are truly proprietary (over breadth in marking inappropriate data as proprietary may diminish or eliminate the usefulness of your response - see item 3 below). Use circling, underscoring, highlighting or any other appropriate means to indicate those portions of a single page which are to be protected. 8 P a g e

9 3. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data. Additionally, marked data that is already in the public domain or in the possession of the Government or third parties, or is afterward placed into the public domain by the owner or another party through no fault of the Government will not be protected once in the public domain. Data already in the possession of the Government will be protected in accordance with the Government's rights in the data. 4. Proprietary data transmitted electronically, whether by physical media or not, whether by the respondent or by the government, shall contain the proprietary legend, with any explanatory text, on both the cover of the transmittal and at the beginning of the file itself. Where appropriate for only portions of an electronic file, use the restrictive legends proprietary portion begins and proprietary portion ends. 5. Properly marked proprietary information will only be shared with Government personnel with a need to know and authorized contractor advisory and support personnel who are either statutorily or contractually bound to keep such information confidential and protect it against release to third parties. 4.3 Key Dates Questions or clarifications to this RFI must be received via to the Point of Contact cited below no later than Monday, July 22, 2013 at 5 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time. The opportunity for clarification of this RFI will not change the submission deadline date identified above. All questions and answers will be made available in a FAQ format via an amendment to this RFI. Oral communications are not permissible. FedBizOpps will be the sole repository for all information related to this RFI. Submissions must be received via by the Point of Contact cited below no later than Friday, August 30, 2013 at 5 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time. 4.4 Mailing Address Responses to the RFI must be submitted via to the contact indicated below. Questions concerning submissions should also be directed to: Thomas Dolislager RFI-NMC-OMC@firstnet.gov Binders and thumb drives must arrive within 2 days of submissions and should be mailed to: FirstNet NMC/OMC RFI Attn: Thomas Dolislager 3130 Crow Canyon Place, Suite 210 San Ramon, CA USA 9 P a g e