City of Prairie Village

Request for Proposals

Telecommunications Systems Consulting Services

September 2022

Introduction & Background Information

The City of Prairie Village, Kansas is soliciting proposals for consulting services to assist the City in the replacement of its telecommunications system in all City facilities.

The City is planning on replacing its current Mitel system as it is aging and there are concerns about ongoing maintenance, parts availability and support since the manufacture will no longer produce and support this equipment.

The respondent chosen for this proposal will be reviewing future proposals and providing input to the City on procurement of a new system. For that reason, the successful respondent for this request and any person or entity in which the respondent has a financial or ownership interest will be ineligible to bid on the future RFP.

Prairie Village is one of 20 incorporated cities in Johnson County and has the seventh largest population. It is completely surrounded by other cities, sharing its border with Kansas City, Missouri, Leawood, KS, Fairway, KS, Overland Park, KS, Mission Hills, KS, and Mission, KS. The City has a residential population of approximately 22,957 within its 6.2 square mile city limits.

Current Phone System

Mitel phone system – MiVoice Office 250 System Administration & Diagnostics; 132 Devices – 110 physical phones, 6 ATA’s, 70 Phantoms & Hot Desk Profiles, AT&T IP Flex plan with 46 Call Paths

Objectives and Scope of Services

The end result desired from this project is a comprehensive report recommendation which will serve as the basis for a subsequent purchase of a new telecommunications system. This document will identify the top candidates for addressing the voice and unified communications for the City of Prairie Village.

The selected consulting firm will be required to provide the following services to Prairie Village. This list is not intended to be comprehensive or to prohibit Respondents from proposing other Services that the Respondent believes to be necessary and chooses to propose. The actual scope of the services provided by the Successful Respondent will be mutually agreed upon by both parties during contracting.

• Perform an in-depth analyses of the City’s current telecommunications infrastructure and deliver a design for a new telecommunications system. Prepare a cost/benefit summary for optional features.
• Conduct a needs assessment through surveys and/or interviews with key users. Identify telecommunications features they use now, and want in the future.
• Write specifications for a future RFP to procure a new system.
• Evaluate and provide input on those proposals, to include attending all demonstrations of new equipment.
• In consultation with City staff provide a recommendation for a replacement telecommunications system.
• Project management for implementation of the new system.

Minimum Qualifications

All respondents must meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. Respondent is a professional telecommunications consulting firm or division that provides consulting for non-profit and local government telecommunications systems.
2. The principal account representative who will be responsible for providing consulting services to the City has documented experience consulting governmental and non-profit clients on telecommunications systems.
3. The proposal must be signed by the principal consultant and must state the name, title, address, phone number, and email address of the contact person who is authorized to provide clarification on the proposal should it be necessary.

Firm History and Operations

Respondents should provide the following information about the firm’s history and operations in the proposal:

1. Provide the number of years the firm has been providing telecommunications consulting services.
2. Advise if the firm provides telecommunications consulting services for governmental agencies.
3. Identify the location of the primary office of the firm and the location of the office that will provide services to Prairie Village.
4. Identify the individual or individuals who have overall responsibility of the firm’s operations.
5. Identify the principal consultant and other representatives employed by the firm who are qualified to telecommunications consulting services and their number of years of experience with such systems. Please include any professional certifications held by these individuals.
6. Provide the total number of employees and a list of those that will be responsible for services to Prairie Village under this proposal, showing names and professional designations or other credentialing.
7. Provide a description of the firm’s data security policies and procedures.

Content of Proposals

The proposal for consulting services should include all rates and fees associated to specific ad hoc services as well as overall telecommunications consultation. The City of Prairie Village may elect to accept and contract on an individual proposal, multiple proposals separately, or a combination of proposals under a single contract. The City may also elect to award to more than one firm based on an evaluation of proposed services.

1. Minimum qualifications – please provide information as outlined in the Minimum Qualifications section of this RFP
2. Firm history and operations – please provide the requested information as outlined in the Firm History and Operations section of this RFP
3. Deliverables – list and describe anticipated reports and other documentation to be provided to Prairie Village based on the City’s scope of services and other recommended services provided by the consultant. Attach samples of representative deliverables.
4. Timing – provide a description or tentative schedule detailing tasks and services to be completed, including analysis of the current telecommunications system.
5. Fees and Billing – please provide information as outlined in the Fees and Billing section of this RFP.
6. References – please provide a list of five previous clients as outlined in the References section of this RFP.
7. Supplementary information – respondents are encouraged to provide information relevant to any options, alternatives, or other opportunities not addressed in the RFP that, in the respondent’s opinion, would strengthen the benefits and viability of Prairie Village’s telecommunications system.

References
Please provide a list of at least five (5) clients the firm has provided consulting services for telecommunications systems. Include municipal clients, if possible, and clients who are comparable in size and/or structure to Prairie Village for whom the firm has provided consulting services within the last two years. For each reference listed, please include:

1. Name of the client
2. Client’s physical address
3. Contact name and title (if the contact for installation is no longer employed at the agency, please provide both the contact name during installation and current contact with the agency.)
4. Contact telephone number
5. Contact email address
6. Approximate number of employees included in project
7. Services provided
8. Other pertinent information

Fees & Billing

Please include the following information regarding fees and billing:

1. Provide a cost estimate of the firm’s fees based on the scope of services
2. State the basis of the firm’s fees, including hourly rates
3. Estimate the hours of work needed based off the scope of services and similar work provided to other clients.

Please include all charges, such as travel time, or other fees not identified above, if applicable.

In addition to providing fee quotes for services in the proposal, please explain how special services will be identified and billed.

Submission of Proposals

Please submit all proposals electronically to Tim Schwartzkopf, Assistant City Administrator, at tschwartzkopf@pvkansas.com by 5:00 p.m. on October 21, 2022

No exceptions to this deadline will be permitted unless Prairie Village extends the deadline, whereupon it will notify recipients of the RFP.

Any firm that wishes to correct, amend, or supplement their proposal must do so prior to the filing deadline and must do so by withdrawing its proposal in its entirety and submitting a complete, corrected proposal package. Modification in any other manner will not be accepted.

All costs for developing proposals are entirely the responsibility of the firm and shall not be chargeable to the City.

Questions about the RFP must be submitted by email to Tim Schwartzkopf at tschwartzkopf@pvkansas.com by October 3, 2022. All questions and answers provided will be posted to the City’s website for all respondents to view.

Evaluation Criteria

Only proposals received on time and that meet the minimum qualifications will be evaluated by a Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will determine the most qualified and responsive respondent(s) for the RFP to include the possibility of an interview process. The evaluation criteria will also include:

1. A strong understanding of Prairie Village’s needs
2. Professional staff
3. Firm organizational background and resources
4. Breadth of telecommunication consulting services able to be provided
5. Fees

Final acceptance of a proposal will be determined on best match for the City based on the above criteria and will not solely be based on lowest fees.

The Selection Committee will notify all respondents of the decision as soon as possible and no later than November 4, 2022.

Timeline

Key Dates and Times
September 19, 2022	City issues RFP
October 3, 2022	Last date for respondents to submit questions
October 13, 2022	Responses to all questions will be posted on City website
October 21, 2022 at 5 p.m.	Due date for proposals to be submitted
October 24, 2022	Review of proposals will begin
November 2, 2022	Interviews with finalists will be scheduled
December 5, 2022	Recommended consultant with proposed agreement goes to City Council for approval
Dec 2022/Jan 2023	Work begins

Miscellaneous

The City reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time and reject any and all proposals submitted in response to this RFP. The City also reserves the right to request clarification on any submission, modify or alter the Scope of Services and solicit new submissions, and waive immaterial irregularities in any submission. Selection by the City staff does not constitute a contract. The firm(s) selected will be expected to enter into a written contract with the City, and it is only upon the mutual execution of the written contract document that a contract will be formed. Prior to execution of a written contract, the selected firm(s) will be required to provide proof of adequate and customary insurance.