HomeMy WebLinkAbout06. Telecom Board Agenda Packet - May 03, 2023BOARD
MEMBERS
Andrew
Van Fleet
Theodore
Batemon
Rich
Kurtenbach
Mike
Young
Amy
Wienands
City
Council
Liaison:
Rob
Nichols
May 3, 2023
Harold E. Getty Council Chambers
4:00 p.m.
1. Roll call.
2. Approval of agenda as presented.
3. Approval of minutes of April 19, 2023, as proposed.
4. Public Hearing: FY2023 Construction of a Fiber-to-the-Premise
Feeder/Distribution and Backbone Network Project, Contract No. 1080.
a. Motion to receive and file proof of publication of notice of
public hearing.
b. HOLD HEARING - No comments on file.
c. Motion to close the hearing and receive and file oral and
written comments.
d. Resolution confirming approval of specifications, bid
documents, form of -contract, etc., and authorizing to proceed.
e. Motion to receive, file, and instruct the City Clerk to read the
bids and refer to consultants for review.
5. Motion approving an agreement with COS Systems Zones Software,
and authorizing the Boar Chair to execute said document.
6. Motion approving an RFP for Network Equipment and Services.
7. General update from consultants and board member comments.
8. Closed session to discuss a confidential draft document and
competitive utility information, pursuant to Iowa Code Sections 388.9
and 21.5(1)(a).
9. Adjourn.
Kelley Felchle
Board Secretary
WATERLOO
Telecommunications Utility Board of Trustees
TELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Harold E. Getty Council Chambers
City Hall
April 19, 2023
4:00 p.m.
Members present: Van Fleet, Batemon, Kurtenbach, Young.
Mr. Batemon and Mr. Van Fleet joined via Zoom.
Moved by Young seconded by Van Fleet, that the Agenda, as presented, be approved. Voice-vote
Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Moved by Young seconded by Van Fleet, that the minutes of March 22, 2023, as proposed, be
approved. Voice-vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Resolution fixing date for a meeting on May 17, 2023, on the authorization of a loan agreement
and the issuance of not to exceed $4,000,000 Taxable Communications Utility Revenue Capital
Loan Notes of the City of Waterloo, State of Iowa, and providing for publication of notice
thereof.
Steve Nagel, Attorney for the Board, commented that this process was performed for the tax
exempt financing for capital construction of the utility in a much larger amount, and this is a
comparable process. This is the first step for setting a hearing date for the taxable communication
utility revenue. This revenue will be used for working capital such as salaries, marketing, etc.
Maggie Burger, Speer Financial, explained that the plan would be to issue taxable revenue notes
in the near future. This would be used with the hiring of a Director and the utility needs working
capital and marketing dollars. We are considering this as a type of loan that could have funds
drawn as needed. Because the funds are taxable there is no spin-down requirement. The accrual
of interest would begin with the specific draw of funds. This would be the first issuance of debt,
which would be coming in the next couple of months or so.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned the timing.
Maggie Burger explained that this may begin as soon as the public hearing is held, but we are just
waiting on the hiring of somebody and any idea of the cost of marketing. The budget over the first
few months will also be a consideration and that discussion will need to take place with whomever
the lender is. Quarterly draws in set amounts will likely be the expectation based on projections.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if this would be our operating funds for the first year.
Maggie Burger clarified that this could be operating funds ties out to the pro forma, so it could go
out as far as two to three years, until operational funds begin to flow in.
Mr. Van Fleet questioned if this was tied to a percentage under or over the pro forma.
Maggie explained the projection is a little higher than what may be needed. There was a
conservative approach taken with the pro forma from Magellan.
Mr. Young commented on the current costs such as legal fees, and eventually the general manager
costs and basic startup.
Maggie Burger explained that there have likely been some sort of agreements for the sharing of
Board Secretary type positions. Any of those sources, such as the City, are waiting for the funds
to be issued so that you can begin to meet those obligations.
Moved by Van Fleet seconded by Young. Roll call-vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution
No. 2023-007.
Public Hearing: FY2023 Construction of a Fiber-to-the-Premise Feeder/Distribution and
Backbone Network Project, Contract No. 1080.
Mr. Kurtenbach stated that the public hearing was cancelled and rescheduled for May 3, 2023.
Page 2
Courtney Violette, Magellan Advisors, provided an overview of the reason to postpone. He
explained that the size of the project warranted allowing more time to allow for a better overall
response.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if the bid opening would still be held on April 27th.
Courtney Violette confirmed the bid opening would take place on the 27th of April.
Resolution approving preliminary plans, specifications, form of contract, etc., resetting date of bid
opening as April 27, 2023, and date of public hearing as May 3, 2023, in conjunction with the
FY2023 Construction of a Fiber-to-the-Premise Feeder/Distribution and Backbone Network
Project, Contract No. 1080, and direct the Board Secretary to publish notice.
Moved by Young seconded by Van Fleet. Roll call-vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution
No. 2023-008.
Motion approving partnership with the City of Waterloo on an RFP for auditing services, and
authorizing the City of Waterloo Finance Manager to facilitate said RFP process on behalf of the
Telecommunications Utility Board of Trustees.
Bridgett Wood, Finance Manager, provided an update on the item. She explained that the City
audit will include the Telecommunications Utility for the first six months of its FY24, therefore
auditing services will continue through December 31, 2023. In discussion with Steve Nagel, it
was agreed that the Utility should set a budget this fall, so that it may begin a new FY beginning
on January 1, 2024. At that time, the Utility can begin searching for its own auditors.
Maggie Burger explained that a budget would need to be approved through December 31, 2023,
and then in the fall another budget would need to be set for the next calendar/FY24.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned how soon the board would have access to that budget information.
Steven Nagel commented that he is unsure if the budget information would be ready yet for the
regular May meeting, but the resolutions for that should be ready this spring or early summer.
Maggie Burger reiterated that the first six months have been included in the City’s FY24 budget,
but that budget would still need to be approved by the board. She suggested that the approval of
said budget be added to the May 3rd, special board meeting, so it can begin July 1st and run through
December 31st.
Mr. Van Fleet concurred.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if the RFP process is standardized.
Bridgett Wood explained that it is based on the size of the city on whether an annual audit is
required or just an examination by the state. Waterloo is required to do an annual audit.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if workers compensation, liability insurance, etc. is included in all
contracts.
Bridgett Wood confirmed.
Maggie Burger explained that from a funding standpoint, federal funds do require audits, even if
you were in a city that didn’t have an audit requirement.
Moved by Van Fleet seconded by Mr. Batemon. Voice-vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Motion approving use of the name Waterloo Fiber Internet for the telecommunications utility and
use of a logo.
Page 3
Mr. Van Fleet shared images of the new logo with the inclusion of the word Internet and a variety
of uses, such as on a polo short and utility truck. He explained that Magellan has taken the logo
and applied it to a number of marketing uses.
Mr. Young stated that it looks great.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned how soon would it be before the website is up and running.
Courtney Violette explained that it should be within the next few weeks.
Mr. Van Fleet commented that the website, Facebook page and Instagram account should all be
up within the next couple of weeks.
Moved by Van Fleet seconded by Young. Voice-vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Mr. Van Fleet questioned the process to set in place any protection rights.
Steve Nagel commented that he would be happy to discuss this whenever the board is ready.
General update from consultants and board member comments.
Courtney Violette commented that there was a good turnout for the pre-bid meeting and anticipates
the same for the bids next week. He explained that they are currently coordinating calendars to
visit with the Mayor and Andy some time the first week of May.
Steve Nagel commented that most items were covered in today’s meeting, but they will continue
to work on any financing as things come up.
Maggie Burger explained that bid packets to lenders will go out in the next few days looking for
commitments, not interests rates at this point. These packets are going to local, national and
regional banks.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if there was an update on the General Manager position.
Mr. Van Fleet commented that as of a couple of weeks ago, there had been no applicants. He will
follow up with Kelley Felchle when she returns from vacation. In the meantime, he has reached
out to Curtis Dean of IAMU to request assistance in promoting the position.
Mr. Kurtenbach requested that this be an item for discussion at the May 3rd meeting.
Mr. Young questioned if there is an update or guidance on the Middle Mile grant.
Maggie Burger explained we are still waiting.
Mr. Kurtenbach commented that he had recently met with the General Manager with Osage
Municipal Utility yesterday and she offered to visit with this board to share her experience.
With no further business before the board, it was moved by Young seconded by Batemon that the
meeting be adjourned at 4:32 p.m. Voice-vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
After the meeting adjourned, Bridgett Wood shared that she inquired with Human Resources and
that five applications have been received.
Nancy Higby
Administrative Secretary
FY 2023 Fiber-to-Premise Feeder/Distribution and Backbone
Network Project, Contract No.1080
April 27, 2023 Bid Tab
Engineer's Estimate: $
Bidder Bid Security Bid Amount
Quanta Telcom Solutions 5%79,660,051.38
Loganville, GA
API, Maple Lake, MN 5% 103,972,204.34
Michels Power Neenah
WI
S% 110,132,352.00
ITG Communications,
5%83,414,108.91
LLC,
COS Service Zones
Subscription Sales Order
Customer Name and Address:
Andrew Van Fleet
City of Waterloo,IA
715 Mulberry St,Waterloo,IA 50703
Email address for invoice:
andy@vlgux.com
Contact person for invoicing (Name/email/phone no):
Andrew Van Fleet /andy@vlgux.com /
Contact person for system (Name/email/phone no):
Andrew Van Fleet /andy@vlgux.com /XXX
Customer Purchase order no for COS Service Zones Fees:
Date:4/13/23
Prices are good through:July,1,2023
COS Service Zones monthly subscription on [TBD].servicezones.net
ONE-TIME FEES/PRODUCTS/SAAS Qty Fee per Unit Total Fee
COS Service Zones one-time fee for initial setup 1 $2,500 $2,500
Payment terms:To be paid by credit card on COS secure payment site prior to initial
setup
Subtotal $2,500
Tax $0.00
ONE TIME FEE $2,500
MONTHLY PROGRAM FEES/PRODUCTS/SAAS Qty Fee per Unit Total Fee
COS Service Zones monthly subscription fee Phase 1/Year 1 (June
2023 to 2024)
1 $550 $550
COS Service Zones monthly subscription fee Phase 2/Year 2 (June
2024 to 2025)$
625
COS Service Zones monthly subscription fee Phase 3/Year 3 (June
2025 onward)$
750
COS Speed Test Module monthly fee -Optional*1 $250 $250
The bill for each month will go out at the beginning of the same month.For this
contract,the first billable month will be June 2023 and the first invoice will go out
in the beginning of June 2023.
Payment terms:Net 30 days.
Subtotal $825
Tax
TOTAL MONTHLY FEE $550
2011-2023,COS Systems,All Rights Reserved www.cossystems.com
Additional Services,Maintenance and Suppor t:
SERVICE/SUPPORT FEES Qty Fee per Unit Total Fee
Premium support and professional services.Advanced Product
support or consultancy work.Min.1h per suppor t ticket/work item.$195/hour $195 /h
Standard support.Email support.Response within 24 hours on
business days (response requires less than 15 minutes to prepare).1 Included Included
Payment terms:Net 30 days SERVICES,SUPPORT &
MAINTENANCE FEE
All prices in US Dollars
All prices are excluding VAT and any other sales taxes or fees (customer is responsible for any such taxes)
All prices are reviewed annually from January 1st.
All items not displayed here are sold at list price unless otherwise agreed to in a new sales order
All travel expenses and any overtime compensation are paid for by the customer.No travel or overtime work will be performed without the
Customer’s written approval.
2011-2023,COS Systems,All Rights Reserved www.cossystems.com
THIS CONTRACT IS SUBJECT TO THE ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THE
MASTER AGREEMENT INCLUDING ANY 3RD LICENSES DELIVERED AS PART OF OUR SERVICES.
LEGAL CONTRACT –READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SIGNING
Additional terms and conditions:
1.The price of COS Service Zones consists of a minimum one-time fee per network project including setup,
and a monthly recurring subscription fee for using COS Service Zones.Any further training and services
can be purchased under the terms of a separate services agreement.
2.The Software subject to subscription in this Sales order is only valid for use in USA and [Black Hawk
County]with a maximum of [140]Service Areas.Expansion into additional counties will incur an
additional one-time fee as described in this Sales Order.
3.All sales contracts are subject to acceptance by COS Systems prior to payment of one-time fee and
monthly fees.COS Systems reserves the right to reject any sales order deemed not to be a suitable use of
COS Service Zones in its own discretion.
4.Prices shown in this agreement are exclusive of any sales or usage taxes that may result from the
purchase of services under this agreement.Customer shall pay any applicable value added,goods and
services,sales,or applicable taxes that are owed with respect to any order placed under this agreement
and which must be collected from Customer under applicable law.Customer shall be responsible for any
applicable taxes due that Customer is legally obligated to pay resulting from the purchases under these
agreements.
5.The Customer agrees to be listed on COS System’s website and/or other sales and marketing material as a
COS Service Zones customer.
6.All prices are to be treated as confidential and must not be shared.
7.The minimum commitment is twelve (12)months from the signature date on this contract.Thereafter the
cancellation period is three (3)months.
8.Additional Terms of this agreement can be found at http://www.cossystems.com/master-us.Customer
acknowledges that they have reviewed the terms of the applicable agreements on the above mentioned
COS Systems website and by accepting this agreement acknowledge the acceptance of the terms of these
agreements by signing below.
COS Systems,Inc.:
Signature Printed Name Title Date
Customer:
2011-2023,COS Systems,All Rights Reserved www.cossystems.com
Signature Printed Name Title Date
2011-2023,COS Systems,All Rights Reserved www.cossystems.com
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
WATERLOO FIBER EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES
City of Waterloo IA
May 2023
Commented [ML1]: This is a template cover sheet to be
modified or replaced by the City as needed.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
3. FORM AND CONTENT OF PROPOSALS
4. SCOPE OF WORK
5. SPECIFICATIONS
6. EVALUATION AND SELECTION
7. CONTRACTUAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Commented [ML2]: Needs to be converted to a real ToC...
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
The Municipal Telecommunications Utility of the City of Waterloo (MTU) d/b/a Waterloo Fiber
WF), is seeking proposals from qualified value-added resellers (VARs) to provide network
hardware, software, and installation services to implement a new Communication Service Provider
CSP) network to be operated by the MTU (Owner). The Owner has begun implementation of its
Broadband Business Plan for WF, which provides for construction of a carrier-class passive optical
network (PON) passing approximately 26,367 commercial and residential premises. The Owner is
seeking a turnkey go-live ready system including all required hardware, software, installation
materials, and professional services to implement the WF network described in this RFP, sufficiently
deployed to provision test customers for Internet service by November 1, 2023. Proposed Solutions
that cannot commit to meet this deployment schedule may be disqualified.
The Owner desires to establish, where possible, a direct relationship with all equipment and
software manufacturers in the Proposed Solution. Therefore, any components in the Proposed
Solution that are available for direct purchase by the Owner from the manufacturer must be quoted
to allow for direct purchase. All manufacturer lead times for equipment must be included in the
Proposed Solution.
The Owner wishes to contract with a Seller able to provide the turn-key go-live ready system
specified in this RFP. The Owner intends to partner with seven (7) other Iowa communities for joint
use of hardware, software, content resources, and operational support located within the Cedar
Falls Utilities data center (CFU 28E). The CFU 28E serves to reduce both individual operating costs
and complexity for all participating members. Furthermore, the Owner currently has equipment
from Cisco deployed within their enterprise network and employs staff who are experienced in Cisco
operations. Therefore, Proposed Solutions that provide operational compatibility with the CFU 28E
network and build on the Owner’s existing Cisco expertise are preferred.
Scope of work service requirements are more particularly identified in Section 4 of this RFP.
Specifications and compatibility requirements are more particularly identified in Section 5 of this
RFP.
The City of Waterloo IA has contracted the services of Magellan to manage the selection,
procurement, and integration of their new network. All references to “WF”, “Waterloo Fiber”, and
Waterloo Fiber personnel” include City and Magellan staff by extension. The Seller is solely
responsible for ensuring all equipment, software, and services required to fully commission the
network as described by this RFP and its supporting documents are included in their Proposed
Solution.
Commented [KS3]: Is the telecommunications board
handling this procurement? Or is the city managing this?
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
1.2 Definitions
The City of Waterloo IA has made every effort to use industry standard terminology throughout this
RFP and to provide clear definitions unique to the context. If the prospective Seller has questions
on terminology or context, it is the responsibility of the Seller to request clarification in writing.
Likewise, the Seller should define terms that may be unclear in their proposal. The following
definitions and clarifications are provided:
Term Definition
CSP (Communication Service Provider) A commercial telecommunications provider
offering some combination of information,
entertainment, and/or application services to retail
and/or wholesale customers over a network by
leveraging the infrastructure as a rich, functional
platform.
MTU (Municipal Telecommunications
Utility)
The new retail CSP created by the City of Waterloo,
IA.
WF (Waterloo Fiber) The marketing brand of the broadband system
operated by the MTU (MTU dba/WF).
RFP (Request for Proposal) Consists of this requirements document with all its
exhibits and attachments.
Proposed Solution Defined as all materials, software, licensing, and
labor necessary to implement the turn-key system
described and required by this RFP.
Shall Designates a requirement of the Proposed
Solution.
Owner The Waterloo MTU d/b/a WF to include their
designated project managers, staff, and
consultants.
VAR (Value Added Reseller) An IT vendor providing a turnkey solution for the
Owner including multi-vendor hardware and
software along with significant pre-sale and post-
sale services.
Seller A VAR submitting a Proposed Solution purported
to satisfy the requirements of the RFP.
CFU 28E (Cedar Falls Utility 28E
Agreement)
An existing 28E agreement between seven (7) Iowa
communities for joint use of hardware, software,
content resources, and operational support located
within the Cedar Falls Utilities data center.
Contract The contract(s) entered into with the successful
Seller(s) as described in Section 7.1.
Qualified Seller A Seller that has the capability in all material
respects to perform the scope of work and
specifications of the Contract. In determining
whether a Seller is a Qualified Seller, the Owner
may consider various factors including, but not
limited to, the Seller’s competence and
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
qualifications to provide the goods or services
requested, the Seller’s integrity and reliability, the
past performance of the Seller and the best interest
of the Owner.
Qualified Proposal A Proposal that complies with the material
provisions of this RFP.
CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) Provider edge equipment located on a subscriber
premise to deliver CSP services.
ISP (Inside Plant infrastructure) All racks, cable management, power, cooling,
electronics, and installation components located
inside an environmentally controlled structure.
OSP (Outside Plant Infrastructure) Fiber optic cable, vaults, cabinets, pedestals, splice
enclosures, and installation components located
underground and/or aerially on poles.
Project Completion Defined as the time when the Seller has:
delivered, installed, configured, and
successfully tested the proposed network, and
provided all required documentation and
training, and
received final acceptance from the Owner
General Terms and Conditions The General Terms and Conditions for Services
Contracts.
1.3 Overview of the RFP Process
This RFP is designed to provide Sellers with the information necessary to develop a Proposed
Solution. The RFP process is for the Owner’s benefit and is intended to provide the Owner with
competitive information to assist in the selection process. It is not intended to be comprehensive.
Each Seller is solely responsible for determining all factors affecting the design, configuration, and
implementation of a comprehensive proposal that will accomplish the technical and business goals
described by this RFP.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
1.4 RFP Schedule
The Owner will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule leading to the award of a
contract; however, this schedule is subject to change. Sellers will be notified of significant schedule
changes:
Action Responsible Party Target Date
Issuance of RFP Owner 5/4/23
Non-mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference via Microsoft
Teams video conference, Meeting ID: <MID>,
Passcode: <PC> https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft
teams/join-a-meeting
Owner 5/9/23
Submission of Questions Sellers 5/16/23
Submission of Proposals Sellers 6/1/23
Evaluation of Proposals Owner 6/15/23
Contract Award (anticipated) Owner 6/19/23
Test customer turn-up Seller/Owner 11/1/23
1.5 Proposal Submission
The Seller shall submit a digital copy of their completed and signed Proposal to the Project contact
no later than 12:59 p.m. CT on the designated due date. The Owner reserves the right to reject any
and all proposals that are deemed out of compliance with the RFP requirements and to waive any
irregularities within a particular proposal. Proposals received after the deadline for submission of
proposals as stated herein shall not be considered and shall be returned to the late proposer
unopened.
1.6 Project Acceptance
The Seller must demonstrate to the Owner full and complete compliance with all requirements in
the RFP and successfully complete an Acceptance Test Plan (ATP) to validate the operational
performance of the installed network to receive final acceptance for Project Completion. The
Owner reserves the right to withhold final payment until the Seller meets all requirements in this
RFP to the Owner’s satisfaction.
The Seller shall provide as part of their proposal a list of acceptance tests in addition to those in
Section 4 that they believe best demonstrate the operation and performance of the WF network as
described in this RFP. The specific ATP tests and procedures to perform them will be developed
jointly by the Owner and Seller during implementation of the network.
After completion of the network implementation, the Owner will review the scope of work in
Section 4 to determine if the Proposed Solution as installed satisfies the RFP requirements. The
Owner will document in writing any deficiencies discovered, and upon the Seller’s completion or
correction of these items, the Owner shall authorize final payment to the Seller.
Commented [KS4]: Include name and address here where
proposals are to be received.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
1.7 Deployment Strategy and Schedule
Construction of WF outside plant (OSP) is estimated for the following phases and schedules:
Phase Point of Presence Estimated Schedule
Phase 1 Fire Station 6 (primary data center) June 2023- September 2024
Phase 2 Linden Tower October 2024 - October 2025
Phase 3 Fletcher November 2025- December 2026
Phase 1 construction is organized to provide for turn-up of test customers by November 1, 2023.
Sellers who cannot commit to this date may be disqualified. WF understands this is an aggressive
schedule and that incremental and/or temporary equipment installation may be necessary to meet
this requirement.
To reduce storage space, preserve manufacturer warranties, and prevent premature maintenance
expenses, the Seller shall align shipment of the Proposed Solution with the estimated construction
phasing schedule and incremental subscriber growth projections. Project Completion shall require
the Proposed Solution to be fully configured for go-live ready operation with all access equipment
installed in the primary data center and customer premise equipment scheduled for quarterly
shipment following the subscriber forecast. The Owner will install, power, and cross-connect the
Phase 2 and 3 access equipment in tandem with the OSP construction. The Seller shall work with
the Owner to ensure that the necessary site preparations are made to support the November 1,
2023 test customer turn-up and that the necessary equipment and services are shipped/delivered
in a timely manner. The Seller shall provide in their Proposal an estimated timeline relative to the
contract award date with projected milestones including equipment delivery, high level design,
equipment installation, acceptance testing, and Project Completion.
No equipment shall be shipped or invoiced without prior written approval from the Owner.
1.8 Project Contract Requirements
The Owner understands that the solution set for WF can be provided in multiple configurations with
differing costs and will therefore evaluate proposals using criteria included in this RFP to select a
Seller and award a contract. This RFP with all stated requirements, Seller responses, and
clarifications will become part of the final contract. Deviations to the above listed terms and
conditions may be considered cause for immediate disqualification of the Seller’s proposal from
further consideration, at the Owner’s discretion.
The Owner desires to establish, where possible, a direct relationship with all equipment and
software manufacturers in the Proposed Solution. Therefore, any components in the Proposed
Solution that are available for direct purchase by the Owner from the manufacturer must be quoted
to allow for direct purchase. All manufacturer lead times for equipment must be included in the
Proposed Solution.
1.9 Bid Bond Requirements
The Owner does NOT require a Bid Bond for this project.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
1.10 Performance Bond Requirements
The Owner does NOT require a Performance Bond for this project.
1.11 RFP Attachments and Exhibits
The Proposed Solution should be developed to incorporate the network architecture, subscriber
counts, service integrations, and traffic capacities described and required by this RFP. A list of
Attachments and Exhibits accompanying this RFP to assist the Seller include:
Attachment A - Waterloo Fiber High Level Network Architecture - provides a high-level
conceptual diagram showing the network components, their connectivity, the minimum
link speeds, and estimated fiber distances of the WF network.
Attachment B - Video Service Architecture - provides a high-level conceptual diagram of
the wholesale video service interconnection, traffic flows, and components including
hardware to be installed and integrated in the Owner’s local data center.
Attachment C - VoIP Service Architecture - provides a high-level conceptual diagram of the
wholesale VoIP service interconnection, traffic flows, and components including hardware
to be installed and integrated in the Owner’s local data center.
Exhibit A - Point by Point Response – provides for the Seller’s description and point-by-
point response to the RFP requirements and specifications.
Exhibit B - Proposal Materials and Pricing – provides the format and tab structure for
submission of Seller’s detailed bill of materials, services, and pricing for the Proposed
Solution.
Some sections of this RFP require a description of the Proposed Solution and a point-by-point
response to the specifications. The Seller shall describe their Proposed Solution for each section and
identify its level of compliance with each specification with a brief explanation if applicable in Exhibit
A - Point by Point Response. Compliance, exceptions, and clarifications to the RFP shall all be clearly
identified and summarized. Compliance shall be indicated with “Y” = Yes, “P” = Partial, or “N” = No
for each item. The terms “Understood” and “Read and Understood” are unacceptable.
The point-by-point response provided by the Seller shall be for the system as proposed and shall
reflect the costs included in Exhibit B – Proposal Materials and Pricing. The Seller shall only indicate
Compliant to items qualified with “Support” if the Proposed Solution includes all the necessary
components to satisfy the requirement. The Seller shall only indicate Compliant to Items qualified
with “Option” if it is generally available from the manufacturer. Otherwise, they shall indicate “P”
or “N” as the case may be to that requirement.
Commented [KS5]: The city could require a performance
and payment bond for this project. That is not unusual. Up to
the city to decide. I assume that is what is being referred to
here.
Commented [ML6R5]: It is, but I've never seen one
required or provided for electronics so don't know how that
would work.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 2 ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
2.1 Restriction on Communication
From the issue date of this RFP until a Notice of Intent to Award the Contract is issued, Sellers may contact
only the Issuing Officer. The Issuing Officer will respond only to written questions regarding the
procurement process. Questions related to the interpretation of this RFP must be submitted as provided
in Section 2. Oral questions related to the interpretation of this RFP will not be accepted. Sellers may be
disqualified if they contact any City of Waterloo employee or official other than the Issuing Officer about
the RFP.
This section shall not be construed as restricting communications related to the administration of any
contract currently in effect between a Seller and the City of Waterloo.
2.2 Downloading the RFP from the Internet
The RFP document and any addenda to the RFP will be posted at http://bidopportunities.iowa.gov/. The
Seller is advised to check the website periodically for Addenda to this RFP, particularly if the Seller
downloaded the RFP from the Internet as the Seller may not automatically receive addenda. It is the
Seller’s sole responsibility to check daily for addenda to posted documents.
2.3 Procurement Timetable
The dates provided in the procurement timetable within this RFP are provided for informational and
planning purposes. The Owner reserves the right to change the dates. If the Owner changes any of the
deadlines for Seller submissions, the Owner will issue an addendum to the RFP.
2.4 Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference
The MTU will receive sealed proposals for the above-named project until 4:00 PM CT on <DATE> at the
office of the <NAME> in the <PURCHASING OFFICE>. Any sealed proposal received after the specified time
and date will not be considered. A Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 10:00 am local time
on <DATE> at the office of <PURCHASING OFFICE> in person or join via Microsoft Teams video conference,
Meeting ID: <MID>, Passcode: <PC> https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams/join-a-meeting
Inquiries For Information Should Be Directed to: <PURCHASING AGENT>, via email only at: <AGENT
E_MAIL>. All questions must be submitted via e-mail before 5:00 pm, Thursday, <DATE>. RFP documents
may be examined at the <PURCHASING OFFICE>. Electronic copies of RFP documents in PDF format are
available for download on the <IOWA E-PROCUREMENT SITES>.
It shall be the responsibility of the Seller to monitor the City’s website and above noted e-procurement
websites for published addenda. All fully executed addendum must be returned to the Owner with
proposal submission. The Owner will not accept faxed or emailed addenda.
In Compliance with this RFP and to All the Conditions Imposed Therein and Hereby Incorporated by
Reference, the Undersigned Offers, And Agrees to Furnish Services requested in the solicitation.
Commented [ML7]: Most of this is template information
which should be modified by the City or deleted.
Commented [KS8]: Specify a point of contact for questions
related to the RFP.
Commented [KS9]: Same comment.
Commented [KS10]: Same comment.
Commented [KS11]: Revise as appropriate. Where will the
RFP be available for distribution?
Commented [KS12]: City or MCU handling this
procurement?
Commented [KS13]: Revise to reflect where the RFP will
be available.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
The pre-bid conference may be recorded. Questions asked at the conference that cannot be adequately
answered during the conference may be deferred. A copy of the questions and answers will be sent to
Sellers who submit a letter of intent to propose and will be posted in the form of an addendum at:
http://bidopportunities.iowa.gov/.
2.5 Questions, Requests for Clarification, and Suggested Changes
Sellers are invited to submit written questions and requests for clarifications regarding the RFP. Sellers
may also submit suggestions for changes to the specifications of this RFP. The questions, requests for
clarifications, or suggestions must be in writing and received by the Issuing Officer on or before the date
and time listed within the RFP. Oral questions will not be permitted. If the questions, requests for
clarifications, or suggestions pertain to a specific section of the RFP, Seller shall reference the page and
section number(s). The Owner will send written responses to questions, requests for clarifications, or
suggestions received from Sellers before the date listed within the RFP. The Owner’s written responses
will become an addendum to the RFP and be provided to all potential Sellers. If the Owner decides to
adopt a suggestion that modifies the RFP, the Owner will issue an addendum to the RFP.
The Owner assumes no responsibility for oral representations made by its officers or employees unless
such representations are confirmed in writing and incorporated into the RFP through an addendum.
2.6 Amendment to the RFP
The Owner reserves the right to amend the RFP at any time using an addendum. The Seller shall
acknowledge receipt of all addenda in its Proposal. If the Owner issues an addendum after the due date
for receipt of Proposals, the Owner may, in its sole discretion, allow Sellers to amend their Proposals in
response to the addendum.
2.7 Amendment and Withdrawal of Proposal
The Seller may amend or withdraw and resubmit its Proposal at any time before the Proposals are due.
The amendment must be in writing, signed by the Seller and received by the time set for the receipt of
Proposals. Electronic mail and faxed amendments will not be accepted. Sellers must notify the Issuing
Officer in writing prior to the due date for Proposals if they wish to completely withdraw their Proposals.
2.8 Proposal Opening
The Owner will open Proposals at 1pm CT on the Proposal due date. The Proposals will remain confidential
until the Owner has issued a Notice of Intent to Award a Contract. However, the names of Sellers who
submitted timely Proposals will be publicly available after the Proposal opening. The announcement of
Sellers who timely submitted Proposals does not mean that an individual Proposal has been deemed
technically compliant or accepted for evaluation.
2.9 Costs of Preparing the Proposal
The costs of preparation and delivery of the Proposal are solely the responsibility of the Seller.
2.10 No Commitment to Contract
Commented [KS14]: Revise as appropriate.
Commented [KS15]: Identify appropriate person.
Commented [KS16]: Identify appropriate person.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals received in response to this RFP at any time
prior to the execution of the Contract. Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the
Owner to award a contract.
2.11 Rejection of Proposals
The Owner may reject outright and not evaluate a Proposal for reasons including, without limitation:
2.11.1 The Seller fails to deliver a complete Proposal.
2.11.2 The Seller acknowledges that a mandatory specification of the RFP cannot be met.
2.11.3 The Seller’s Proposal changes a material specification of the RFP or the Proposal is not
compliant with the mandatory specifications of the RFP.
2.11.4 The Seller’s Proposal limits the rights of the Owner.
2.11.5 The Seller fails to include information necessary to substantiate that it will be able to meet
a specification of the RFP as provided in Section 5 of this RFP.
2.11.6 The Seller fails to timely respond to the Owner’s request for information, documents, or
references.
2.11.7 The Seller presents the information requested by this RFP in a format inconsistent with the
instructions of the RFP or otherwise fails to comply with the specifications of this RFP.
2.11.8 The Seller initiates unauthorized contact regarding the RFP with a City employee or official
other than the Issuing Officer.
2.11.9 The Seller provides misleading or inaccurate responses.
2.11.10 The Seller’s Proposal is materially unbalanced.
2.11.11 There is insufficient evidence (including evidence submitted by the Seller and evidence
obtained by the Owner from other sources) to satisfy the Owner that the Seller is a
Qualified Seller.
2.12 Reference Checks
The Owner reserves the right to contact any reference to assist in the evaluation of the Proposal, to verify
information contained in the Proposal and to discuss the Seller’s qualifications and the qualifications of
any subcontractor identified in the Proposal.
2.13 Information from Other Sources
The Owner reserves the right to obtain and consider information from other sources concerning a Seller,
such as the Seller’s capability and performance under other contracts, the qualifications of any
Commented [KS17]: Identify appropriate person.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
subcontractor identified in the Proposal, the Seller’s financial stability, past or pending litigation, and
other publicly available information.
2.14 Verification of Proposal Contents
The content of a Proposal submitted by a Seller is subject to verification. If the Owner determines in its
sole discretion that the content is in any way misleading or inaccurate, the Owner may reject the Proposal.
2.15 Proposal Clarification Process
The Owner reserves the right to contact a Seller after the submission of Proposals for the purpose of
clarifying a Proposal. This contact may include written questions, interviews, site visits, a review of past
performance if the Seller has provided goods and/or services to the City of Waterloo or any other political
subdivision wherever located, or requests for corrective pages in the Seller’s Proposal. The Owner will
not consider information received from or through Seller if the information materially alters the content
of the Proposal or the type of goods and/or services the Seller is offering to the Owner. An individual
authorized to legally bind the Seller shall sign responses to any request for clarification. Responses shall
be submitted to the Owner within the time specified in the Owner’s request. Failure to comply with
requests for additional information may result in rejection of the Proposal.
2.16 Disposition of Proposals
All Proposals become the property of the Owner and shall not be returned to the Seller. Once the Owner
issues a Notice of Intent to Award the Contract, the contents of all Proposals will be public records
available for inspection by interested parties.
2.17 Copyright Permission
By submitting a Proposal, the Seller agrees that the Owner may copy the Proposal for purposes of
facilitating the evaluation of the Proposal or to respond to requests for public records. By submitting a
Proposal, the Seller consents to such copying and warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of
any third party. The Owner shall have the right to use ideas or adaptations of ideas that are presented in
Proposals.
2.18 Release of Claims
By submitting a Proposal, the Seller agrees that it will not bring any claim or cause of action against the
Owner based on any misunderstanding concerning the information provided in the RFP or concerning the
Owner’s failure, negligent or otherwise, to provide the Seller with pertinent information in this RFP.
2.19 Evaluation of Proposals Submitted
Proposals that are timely submitted and are not rejected will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance
with Section 6 of the RFP. The Owner will not necessarily award a Contract resulting from this RFP to the
Seller offering the lowest cost. Instead, the Owner will award the Contract(s) to the Qualified Seller(s)
whose Qualified Proposal the Owner believes will provide the best value to the Owner.
2.20 Award Notice and Acceptance Period
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
Notice of Intent to Award the Contract(s) will be sent to all Sellers submitting a timely Proposal and may
be posted at the website listed within the RFP. Negotiation and execution of the Contract(s) shall be
completed no later than thirty (30) days from the date of the Notice of Intent to Award or such other time
as designated by Owner. If the successful Seller fails to negotiate and deliver an executed Contract by
that date, the Owner, in its sole discretion, may cancel the award and award the Contract to the remaining
Seller the Owner believes will provide the best value to the Owner.
2.21 No Contract Rights until Execution
No Seller shall acquire any legal or equitable rights regarding the Contract unless and until the Contract
has been fully executed by the successful Seller and the Owner.
2.22 Choice of Law and Forum
This RFP and the Contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Iowa. Changes in applicable laws
and rules may affect the award process or the Contract. Sellers are responsible for ascertaining pertinent
legal requirements and restrictions. Any and all litigation or actions commenced in connection with this
RFP shall be brought in the appropriate Iowa forum.
2.23 No Minimum Guaranteed
The Owner does not guarantee any minimum level of purchases under the Contract.
Commented [KS18]: Is the city okay with using the
proposed seller's contract form, or does the city want to
propose its own form of contract?
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 3 FORM AND CONTENT OF PROPOSALS
3.1 Instructions
These instructions prescribe the format and content of the Proposal. They are designed to facilitate
a uniform review process. Failure to adhere to the Proposal format may result in the rejection of
the Proposal.
3.2 Submission of Proposals
The Seller shall submit an electronic copy of their proposal that includes:
an executive summary of the Proposed Solution
a diagram of the Proposed Solution showing the components, connectivity, and link speeds
proposed rack elevations showing equipment power connections and breaker requirements
a completed copy of Exhibit A - Point by Point Response
a completed copy of Exhibit B – Proposal Materials and Pricing
any other pertinent documentation such as data sheets, diagrams, and training catalogs
references and contact information
A digital copy of the proposal shall be included with the submission in the most appropriate format
of each item including MS Word, MS Excel, MS Visio, and/or Adobe Acrobat formats. All Exhibits
required in the submission shall be completed and submitted in the format they were provided in
the RFP. Sellers submitting incomplete or materially deficient proposals may be disqualified.
3.3 References and Contact Information
The Owner requires sufficient corporate, financial, and reference information to adequately assess
the qualifications of the Seller to sell, install, and support the Proposed Solution. The reference
information will be used by the Owner to differentiate between Sellers with similar Proposed
Solutions, and shall be provided in a separate document including the following information:
Corporate Information
The Seller shall provide an overview of their corporate structure. The overview should address the
following specific items:
Name, address, and contact information of the Company and representative
Company History and Formation
Ownership (Public or Privately Held)
Number of Employees
Organizational chart of the management and implementation teams for the project
A detailed history of all mergers or acquisitions (if applicable).
Seller’s financial condition and supporting documentation (ie. audited annual reports, etc.)
Implementation Experience
Commented [ML19]: I have only modified Section 3.2 and
3.3. The remainder is template information which should be
modified by the City or deleted.
Commented [ML20]: Prefer digital proposal submissions
with exhibits filled in using the native MS Word and Excel
documents. Hardcopies of complex technical solutions are
extremely difficult to evaluate.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
WF will operate in a competitive marketplace with experienced incumbent CSP’s, therefore the
Seller’s experience implementing and supporting CSP networks will be crucial to the successful
launch and ongoing operation of WF. To this end, the Seller shall provide a brief summary of their
experience implementing and supporting carrier-class networks for CSP customers. The summary
should address the following specific experience:
Implementations of municipal and/or commercial CSP networks
Implementations of similar network architectures
List of certifications relative to the Proposed Solution held by the implementation team
List of partner certifications relative to the Proposed Solution held by the Seller
Sellers with specialization in the proposed equipment manufacturers’ service provider architecture
are preferred. Copies of formal manufacturer-conferred certifications including the certification
name, description, requirements, and date of award/renewal should be provided in the Seller’s
response.
The Seller shall submit a list of three (3) CSP references who have deployed similar architectures
within the last five (5) years. The reference information shall include the company name with dates
of implementation along with the name, address, and phone number of the individual(s) that may
be contacted at the company. Seller shall omit all homogenous enterprise IT deployments (i.e.,
private corporate-centric networks) from their response and references.
3.4 Payment Methods
3.4.1 Termination, Litigation, Debarment The Seller must provide the following information for
the past five (5) years
3.4.2 Has the Seller had a contract for goods and/or services terminated for any reason? If so,
provide full details regarding the termination.
3.4.3 Describe any damages or penalties assessed against or dispute resolution settlements
entered into by Seller under any existing or past contracts for goods and/or services.
Provide full details regarding the circumstances, including dollar amount of damages,
penalties and settlement payments.
3.4.4 Describe any order, judgment or decree of any Federal or State authority barring,
suspending or otherwise limiting the right of the Seller to engage in any business, practice
or activity.
3.4.5 A list and summary of all litigation or threatened litigation, administrative or regulatory
proceedings, or similar matters to which the Seller or its officers have been a party.
3.4.6 Any irregularities discovered in any of the accounts maintained by the Seller on behalf of
others. Describe the circumstances and disposition of the irregularities.
3.4.7 Failure to disclose these matters may result in rejection of the Proposal or termination of
any subsequent Contract. The above disclosures are a continuing requirement of the Seller.
Seller shall provide written notification to the Owner of any such matter commencing or
Commented [KS21]: Does the city want to specify any
particular method of payment? Progress payments, monthly
invoices etc?
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
occurring after submission of a Proposal, and with respect to the successful Seller, following
execution of the Contract.
3.5 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions
By submitting a Proposal, Seller acknowledges its acceptance of the terms and conditions of the RFP
and the General Terms and Conditions without change except as otherwise expressly stated in its
Proposal. If the Seller takes exception to a provision, it must identify it by page and section number,
state the reason for the exception, and set forth in its Proposal the specific RFP or General Terms
and Conditions language it proposes to include in place of the provision. If Seller’s exceptions or
responses materially alter the RFP, or if the Seller submits its own terms and conditions or otherwise
fails to follow the process described herein, the Owner may reject the Proposal, in its sole discretion.
3.6 Firm Proposal Terms
The Seller shall guarantee in writing the goods and/or services offered in the Proposal are currently
available and that all Proposal terms, including price, will remain firm for the number days indicated
on the RFP cover sheet 90 days following the deadline for submitting Proposals.
3.7 Proposal Shall Include Only Generally Available Equipment and Software
a) All Seller supplied programs and software must be field operational before the date the
proposal is submitted.
b) Demonstrations must utilize the proposed equipment, programs or software precisely as
proposed.
c) Unless otherwise specified in the specifications, all items on which a Seller submits a proposal
must be new, of the latest model or manufacture, and be at least equal in quality to that
specified in the bidding documents.
3.8 Seller Required to Identify Patented Items, and Copyrighted Text, Information, Data, or Software
Included in Its Proposal; Seller Required to Include with Its Proposal any Licenses that Owner
Will be Expected to Execute.
Sellers shall identify any patented equipment, processes, materials, or hardware, or any copyrighted
text, information, data, or software that it proposes to supply as part of the goods or services it is
required to provide under the RFP. Every Seller shall likewise identify the licensing agent for the
patented or copyrighted items, and shall provide with its proposal a copy of any licensing or user
agreement that the Owner will be expected to execute for the use of patented equipment,
processes, materials, or hardware, or copyrighted text, information, data, or software included in a
proposal, as well as the anticipated cost to the Owner, if any, for use under a license or agreement.
The Seller to whom the contract is awarded warrants that the intellectual property rights of third
parties (e.g. copyright, trademark, or patent) will not be violated by the Seller's or the Owner's use
of any equipment, process or service provided in response to the RFP.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 4 SCOPE OF WORK
The Seller shall provide the services to the Owner in accordance with the requirements as provided in
this Scope of Work (SoW) and shall indicate its compliance with each of the requirements in Exhibit A –
Point by Point Response. Pricing to perform this SoW shall be entered into Exhibit B – Proposal
Materials and Pricing. All planning and tasks required by this section shall begin upon award of a
contract to the Seller. The Proposed Solution must include professional services to fully commission the
network including, but not limited to:
4.2 Pre-installation Planning (Onsite)
Review readiness of sites for equipment installation and power
Make arrangements for site access
Evaluate rack elevations
Evaluate power, distribution, and receptacle types
Evaluate fiber distribution panel locations and connector profiles
Identify required fiber strands/ports
Verify schedule for IP transit services, ASN, IPv4/IPv6 addressing
Develop a list of installation materials and procurement plan
o Fiber and copper jumper cables
o Equipment power wiring, fusing, and grounding components
o Equipment mounting hardware
o Determine sourcing for procurement
o Assist WF in creating BoM for procurement of installation materials
4.3 High Level Configuration Design – (Remote)
Conduct interactive design sessions with WF and their service providers
Define OTT video and VoIP integration requirements
Define WF subscriber services and QoS requirements
Define requirements for SR-MPLS and VRF architecture
Define requirements for L2/L3 services and BNG architecture
Define IPv4/v6 subnets, numbering plans, and address assignments
Define requirements for CG-NAT IP pools, oversubscription, and services
Define subscriber service profiles for access network
Define BGP configuration requirements
Define business network and OSS requirements
Create high level design using inputs from interactive network design session
Validate and finalize high level design with WF
4.4 Equipment Installation and Configuration Loads – (Onsite)
Rack/Stack/Power equipment
Install fiber jumpers and cabling as required by the low-level design
Coordinate with IP transit providers to configure BGP and advertise networks
Coordinate with CFU to install local servers and integrate OTT video service
Commented [ML22]: This SoW is not a set of detailed tasks
with dates and times. Rather, it is a set of activities that must
be accomplished to deploy the WF network, and presumes on
the experience of the Seller to bid the level of effort required to
accomplish them. Other than the required "test customer live
date", we can't define timelines for each item until we can
conduct detailed meetings with the selected Seller. This SoW
WILL* have a price component in the bid based on the
Seller's expected level of effort which can be compared with
other Sellers.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
Coordinate with iMon to integrate VoIP service
Develop low level configurations and documentation
Install latest stable release software
Create and load individual device configurations
Validate and test low-level design and device configurations
Install out-of-band management and telemetry systems
4.5 Acceptance Testing Plan (ATP) – (Onsite)
Deploy local speed test server on business network VM
Verify performance of network relative to the low-level design
Simulate component and link failures to ensure proper operation of hardware and software
redundancy mechanisms
Verify operations of all L2/L3/services failover and high availability functionality
Configure and test IP transit service failover and verify BGP route updates
Perform end-to-end testing to validate network performance through gateways
Verify performance of subscriber CPE and services
o Test Internet service
o Test video service
o Test VoIP service
o Specific acceptance tests to be developed cooperatively by WF and Seller
4.6 Training – (Onsite and/or Remote)
Basic network training on:
o hardware configuration
o as-built MPLS L2/L3 configuration
o IP pool management
o CG-NAT configuration
o DDoS management
o high-level troubleshooting techniques
o in-band and out-of-band management access
Basic subscriber and service training on:
o creation and modification of subscribers
o creation and modification of service packages
o management of subscriber gateways
o high-level subscriber and CPE troubleshooting
o static IP address assignment
Business network training on:
o firewall management
o overview of business network software
o DDI configuration and management
o network and service performance monitoring
4.7 Documentation – (Deliverables)
Cable, panel, and equipment labeling
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
Provide comprehensive documentation (format to be determined)
Rack elevations
Power, fiber, copper cross-connects
Detailed L2 and L3 network diagrams
Shelf level diagrams
IP address and subnet assignments
Subscriber IP address pools for DHCP
Electronic backups of all element configurations on portable media
For purposes of this proposal, tasks marked “Onsite” should include travel in the professional services
pricing. Owner reserves the right to coordinate with the Seller to modify the services and their
delivery to reduce their overall cost.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 5 SPECIFICATIONS
5.1 Overview
The Proposed Solution must include all the equipment, software, and services necessary for the Seller
to provide to the Owner a turnkey, tested, operational-ready network complete with documentation
and staff training. The successful Seller shall provide the goods and services to the Owner in
accordance with the specifications as provided in this RFP. Proposals must identify any deviations
from the specifications of this RFP or specifications the Seller cannot satisfy. If the Seller deviates
from or cannot satisfy the specification(s) of this RFP, the Owner may reject the Proposal.
The Owner desires to benefit from the shared operational infrastructure and technical expertise that
exists within the CFU 28E partner networks. Exhibit B – Proposal Materials and Pricing, tab
Compatibility contains a list of components deployed by several CFU 28E partner networks that will
facilitate shared hardware interoperability and operational support. The Seller shall mark Y for each
item that contains a compatible component in the Proposed Solution and N for each item that does
not on the tab in Exhibit B.
The Seller shall be solely responsible for validating the Proposed Solution is sufficiently configured
with the components and capacity required to serve the subscriber growth and service mix described
in this RFP. Furthermore, while the Owner understands the provisioned bandwidth of the access
network may be oversubscribed in relation to the total bandwidth of the access uplinks and IP service
edge; the Seller shall be responsible for engineering all link capacities and hardware configurations to
ensure acceptable service performance and subscriber experience on the WF network.
5.2 Architecture
The WF network will pass approximately 26,367 premises with an XGS-PON centrally split distribution
system connecting three access points of presence (PoP) to a central data center for access to IP-
based services. The physical outside plant (OSP) architecture consists of multi-count single mode fiber
rings connecting the data center, its collocated access POP, and two remote access PoPs to optical
distribution networks (ODN) serving subscriber premises. The ODNs contain multiple convergence
cabinets housing splitters in a 1:64 configuration. All prefabricated shelters contain a -48v DC power
system, 7’ x 19” equipment racks, HVAC, cable ladder, and fiber distribution panels (FDPs) with SC/APC
connector profiles.
The logical network architecture will consist of SR-MPLS core/aggregation routers connecting XGS-
PON optical line terminals (OLTs) in the 3 access PoPs to a multi-homed IP edge for access to Internet,
VoIP, and over-the-top (OTT) unicast video services. Subscriber services will be terminated and
provisioned on distributed broadband network gateways (BNG) within each access POP and delivered
to the customer premise through residential gateways (RGs) connected to optical network units
ONUs). A secured business network will provide virtual compute/storage resources to host
applications for service provisioning, DDI, DDoS mitigation, network monitoring, and alarm/logging
services. All network links, protocols, and services shall be configured for redundant fault-tolerant
operations in the event of an individual link or component failure.
Commented [ML23]: This content is crucial to the RFP
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
WF will collocate one 1/10/25/40/100GE capable switch in the South Front Networks (SFN) Waterloo
data center for protected transport interconnection of wholesale IP transit over a 100GE link. The
interconnection will be configured using appropriate L2/L3 protocols for protected transport of all
wholesale services.
WF will collocate two 1/10/25/40/100GE capable switches in the CFU data center for protected
transport interconnection of wholesale IP transit, video, and VoIP services over diversely routed
100GE links. The interconnection will be configured using appropriate L2/L3 protocols for protected
transport of all wholesale services. IP transit service will be configured on multi-homed BGP
interfaces.
IP transit service will be configured on multi-homed BGP interfaces. WF will procure a public ASN and
IPv6 block from ARIN, and a routable IPv4 block from the open market. The ASN, IPv4/IPv6 blocks,
and IP transit services will be procured separately by the Owner and made available to the Seller for
the network implementation.
Video service will be delivered by CFU through the CFU interconnect to local caching servers in the
Owner’s primary data center and distributed as both HD and 4K unicast adaptive bit rate (OTT)
streams to WF-provided set-top boxes, commercially available streaming devices, and mobile apps at
the subscriber premise. CFU will perform onboarding of the wholesale service and will coordinate
with the Seller to install the local caching servers and integrate the service into the Proposed Solution.
The Seller shall be responsible for engineering the Proposed Solution with appropriate capacity and
performance to support the video transport and distribution service.
VoIP service will be provided by iMon through the CFU interconnect to ONU POTS ports, PRI
interfaces, and IP phones. iMon will perform onboarding of the wholesale service and will coordinate
with the Seller to integrate the service into the Proposed Solution. The Seller shall be responsible for
engineering the Proposed Solution with appropriate capacity and performance to support the VoIP
transport and distribution service.
The estimated total subscriber and service mix for design of the Proposed Solution is shown below:
Service Subscribers
2Gb res/bus data 10,935
2Gb res/bus data 760
ABR Video (HD and 4K) 5,571
Voice (G.711/G.729) 4,765
5.3 IP Service Edge
The IP service edge shall be configured to support the link types, capacities, and configurations shown
in Attachment A and the additional specifications in this section. The IP service edge will be
configured as an autonomous system (AS) with multi-homed BGP advertising both IPv4 and IPv6
routes. The WF network will be configured as dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 to simultaneously support IPv4
and IPv6 services. The IP service edge shall include functionality for CALEA IP session intercept and
reporting by WF staff when required by law enforcement.
Commented [ML24]: Need to discuss/verify connectivity
into SFN, including potential collo of edge device.
Commented [ML25]: Need to discuss/verify connectivity
into CFU, including potential collo of edge device for 100G
links to save them 9910 $$$.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
The edge routers shall have a non-blocking full-duplex minimum throughput of >= 800Gbps and a
minimum of 24x SFP+, 16x SFP28, 6x QSFP28, and 2x QSFP-DD ports. The routers shall be configured
with redundant DC power supplies, route processors, and fans.
Carrier grade network address translation (CG-NAT) will be used for mapping private subscriber IPv4
sessions to public address pools using an oversubscription configuration engineered by the Seller. The
CG-NAT solution will be provided as a separate appliance in a high-availability configuration.
Security of the network will be accomplished using access control lists (ACL’s) for the network
elements and a distributed denial of service (DDoS) solution to detect and mitigate volumetric, TCP-
state exhaustion, and application layer attacks.
5.4 Core/Aggregation Network
The core/aggregation network shall be configured to support the link types, capacities, and
configurations shown in Attachment A and the additional specifications in this section. The
equipment shall consist of a pair of aggregation routers connecting WF’s three access POPs, the IP
edge, the business network, and the video content servers. The routers shall have a total system
throughput of >= 2.4Tbps and shall include a minimum integrated port capacity of 48x 1/10/25Gb and
8x 100Gb. Each router shall be configured with redundant DC power supplies, route processors, and
fans. The software shall include support for SR-MPLS connectivity to the edge routers, a minimum of
8 VRF’s for L3 service differentiation, and EVPN for active-active link protection and E-LINE/E-LAN
support.
The routers shall connect the three access PoPs on diversely routed 100 Gbps links in a multi-chassis
active-active EVPN configuration terminating one set of links on each router. The core/aggregation
network will be protected by access control lists. The Seller shall provide a summary of their Proposed
Solution for this section and indicate its compliance with each of the requirements in Exhibit A – Point
by Point Response.
5.5 Access Network
The access network shall be configured to support the link types, capacities, and configurations shown
in Attachment A and the additional specifications in this section. The access network will connect
subscriber ONU devices to OLT equipment supporting layer 3 routing, BNG functionality, and ITU
G.984 GPON, G.9807.1 XGS-GPON, G.989 NG-PON2, and MEF-compliant Ethernet services.
Subscribers and services shall be terminated and managed on a BNG within each OLT that provides
DHCP services, subscriber authorization, and service configuration.
The Proposed Solution shall support 32 XGS-PON ports per line card using high density SFP-DD optics
and provide simultaneous Multi-PON Module (MPM) optic support for coexistence of GPON and XGS-
PON services. The Proposed Solution shall support 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE uplink ports, and shall be
configured with a minimum of 2 x 100GE uplinks. The Proposed Solution shall include distributed
BNG functionality within each OLT for integrated subscriber and service management and shall have
generally available support for NG-PON2 services to accommodate future service expansion.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
The OLTs shall be configured with sufficient XGS-PON ports and uplink capacity to support the
following estimated subscriber counts and data service mix:
Access PoP Subs
PONs
1:64)
2Gb
data
2Gb
data
Video
Fire Station 6 5,192 82 4,673 415 2,744
Fletcher 2,883 46 2,595 231 1,518
Linden Tower 2,474 39 2,227 198 1,309
5.6 Content and Subscriber Services
Data, video, and VoIP subscriber services shall be differentiated, secured, and managed using MPLS
VRF and EVPN services in addition to L2/L3 VLAN and routing protocols. Subscriber service packages
shall be configured for provisioning by templates through both a manufacture-supported GUI
interface and through an API to a flow-through billing and operational support system (B/OSS). The
network shall be configured to support VRF’s for network services as follows:
Public IP edge
Private CG-NAT
OTT video service
VoIP service
Management network
Global routes
Additional VRF’s may be defined during the Seller’s high level design engagement with the Owner.
IP transit service will be configured on multi-homed BGP interfaces. WF will procure a public ASN and
IPv6 block from ARIN, and a routable IPv4 block from the open market. The ASN, IPv4/IPv6 blocks ,
and IP transit services will be procured separately by the Owner and made available to the Seller for
the network implementation.
Wholesale adaptive bit rate (OTT) video service will be supplied by CFU as represented in Attachment
B - Video Service Architecture through an interconnection with their Minerva Networks video
headend in the CFU data center. The Seller shall be responsible for ensuring the Proposed Solution
is configured with the appropriate components for connection to the CFU network and engineered to
the performance requirements necessary for support of the projected WF video subscribers. CFU
requires three (3) Ateme content distribution servers to be installed in the WF data center for
implementation of the video service. WF will procure these separately for the Seller to install,
connect, and power as part of the Proposed Solution. CFU will perform all technical configuration of
the local servers and video service. The Seller shall be responsible for creating the video VRF and
access profiles required to provision video service for WF subscribers and performing the video ATP
for Project Completion. CFU will support the Seller in these tasks, and the WF projected subscriber
growth is provided for use in development of the Proposed Solution.
Wholesale VoIP service will be supplied by iMon as represented in Attachment C - VoIP Service
Architecture through an interconnection with their session border controller (SBC) in the CFU data
center. The Seller shall be responsible for ensuring the Proposed Solution is configured with the
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
appropriate components for connection to the iMon network and engineered to the performance
requirements necessary for support of the projected WF voice subscribers. The Seller shall be
responsible for creating the VoIP VRF and access profiles required to provision voice service for WF
subscribers and performing the voice ATP for Project Completion. iMon will support the Seller in
these tasks, and the WF projected subscriber growth is provided for use in development of the
Proposed Solution.
5.7 Business Network
The business network shall be configured with the components, capacities, and link types shown in
Attachment A and the additional specifications in this section. The network will consist of a pair of
switches containing 1/10/25/40/100GE interfaces connecting the local CFU video servers and the
virtualized compute/storage servers containing the OSS applications for element provisioning, DHCP,
DNS, and network management. The network will be protected by a pair of firewalls in a high-
availability configuration to allow granular control of IP host access, application protocols, and data
flows. The firewall will provide remote virtual private network (VPN) access for WF personnel, with
client software supported by all major PC and mobile operating systems.
The business network will require software to perform syslog collection, SNMP alarm/performance
monitoring, and contact telemetry for certain data center systems. The Proposed Solution shall
include a secure out-of-band (OOB) network management solution with an IP-based telemetry system
supporting serial console access and alarm monitoring.
The proposed business network equipment must be AC powered and the Seller shall include a UPS
sized sufficiently to bridge the generator start-up period during a power outage. Both 120v 5-15R and
240v L6-30R receptacles are available for UPS and equipment power.
5.8 Optical Network Unit/Residential Gateway Equipment
The Proposed Solution shall include separate indoor XGS-PON Optical Network Units (ONU) and
802.1ax Wi-Fi 6 compliant residential gateways (RG). The proposed ONU manufacturer shall support
XGS-PON with options for both 2.5Gbps and 10 Gbps service delivery to the subscriber. The proposed
gateway manufacturer shall support options for 1GE, 2.5GE, and 10GE WAN interfaces.
Subscriber/service provisioning and gateway management shall be provided through a user-friendly
web-based interface.
The Proposed Solution shall include ONUs supporting options for 2.5GE and 10GE LAN interfaces with
a single analog POTS port. The Proposed Solutions shall include IEEE 80211ax Wi-Fi 6 compliant
gateways supporting options for 1GE and 2.5GE WAN interfaces, 2.4GHz/5GHz MIMO Wi-Fi, and dual
band mesh extenders to increase Wi-Fi coverage. Subscriber provisioning and gateway management
shall be provided through a user-friendly web-based interface.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
All subscriber-based license pricing and ONU/RG shipping forecasts shall be based on the following
estimated subscriber growth:
Total
Connections
2Gb 2Gb
FY 23/24 418 36
FY 24/25 1,350 117
FY 25/26 2,954 257
5.9 Warranty, Maintenance, and Technical Support
For all critical non-CPE components, WF shall require 24x7x365 next business day (NBD) hardware
maintenance, access to technical support center services, and software updates for patches and
feature releases. Maintenance and support services shall be quoted for a 3-year term. Seller shall
include spare components for all critical equipment, a complete spare OLT chassis, and one
manufacturer-branded spare for each type of transceiver in the Proposed Solution.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 6 EVALUATION AND SELECTION
6.1 Introduction
This section describes the evaluation process that will be used to determine which Proposal(s)
provides the greatest benefit to the Owner. Owner will not necessarily award the Contract to the
Seller offering the lowest cost to the Owner. Instead, the Owner will award to the Seller whose
Qualified Proposal the Owner believes will provide the best value to the Owner.
6.2 Evaluation Committee
The Owner will conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of Proposals received in
response to this RFP. The Owner will use an evaluation committee to review and evaluate the
Technical Proposals. The evaluation committee will recommend an award based on the results
of their evaluation to the Owner or to such other person or entity who must approve the
recommendation.
6.3 Proposal Evaluation and Scoring
The evaluation of the proposals and any requested oral presentations will be based on the
following criteria:
1. Overall Price (lowest cost / proposal cost)
0-30
points
2. Exhibit A - Point by Point Response Compliance Score
Y=1; P=0.5; N=0 sum of all items / total items)
0-30
points
3. Section 1 response thoroughness (-1 point for each unfulfilled
requirement)
0-10
points
4. Section 3 response thoroughness (-1 point for each unfulfilled
requirement)
0-10
points
5. Seller committed to November 1, 2023 deployment of friendly test
customers (-2 point for each week beyond target date)
0-20
points
TOTAL POINTS AWARDED
0-100
points
Commented [ML26]: Other than Section 6.3, the remainder
of this is template to be modified or deleted by the City.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
SECTION 7 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
7.1 Contract Terms and Conditions
The Contract that the Owner expects to award as a result of this RFP shall comprise all or the
specifications, terms and conditions of the RFP, written clarifications or changes made by the
Owner to the RFP through an amendment to the RFP in accordance with the provisions of the
RFP, the General Terms and Conditions, the offer of the successful Seller contained in its Proposal,
and any other terms deemed necessary by the Owner. No objection or amendment by a Seller
to the provisions or terms and conditions of the RFP or the General Terms and Conditions shall be
incorporated into the Contract unless Owner has explicitly accepted the Seller’s objection or
amendment in writing.
The Owner reserves the right to either award a Contract(s) without further negotiation with the
successful Seller or to negotiate Contract terms with the successful Seller if the best interests of
the Owner would be served.
7.2 Contract Length
The term of the Contract will be for three (3) years. The Owner shall have the sole option to renew
the Contract upon the same or more favorable terms and conditions.
7.3 Insurance
The Contract will require the successful Seller to maintain insurance coverage(s) in the minimum
amounts set forth below, unless otherwise required by the Owner.
Type of Insurance LIMIT AMOUNT
General Liability (including
contractual liability) written on an occurrence basis
General Aggregate
Products –
Comp/Op Aggregate
Personal injury
Each Occurrence
2 million
1 Million
1 Million
1 Million
Automobile Liability (including contractual liability)
written on an occurrence basis
Combined single limit $1 Million
Excess Liability, Umbrella Form Each Occurrence
Aggregate
1 Million
1 Million
Errors and Omissions Insurance Each Occurrence $1 Million
Property Damage Each Occurrence
Aggregate
1 Million
1 Million
Workers Compensation and Employer Liability As Required by Iowa
law
A required by
Iowa law
Acceptance of the insurance certificates by the Owner shall not act to relieve Seller of any
obligation under this Contract. It shall be the responsibility of Seller to keep the respective
insurance policies and coverages current and in force during the life of this Contract. Seller shall
Commented [ML27]: Need to verify this.
Commented [KS28]: The city's insurance advisor should
review these requirements.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
be responsible for all premiums, deductibles and for any inadequacy, absence or limitation of
coverage, and the Seller shall have no claim or other recourse against the Owner for any costs or
loss attributable to any of the foregoing, all of which shall be borne solely by the
Seller. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Contract, Seller shall be fully responsible and
liable for meeting and fulfilling all of its obligations under this section of the Contract.
7.4 Termination and Adjustment
A. If Seller fails to fulfill its obligations under this Contract, the Owner may terminate this
Contract after giving the Seller ten days written notice to cure such failure. The ten day cure
period will begin on the date shown on the written notification from the Owner. If within the 10
day period Seller fails to cure to the reasonable satisfaction of the Owner, then the Owner may
give notice that it is terminating this Contract and Seller shall cease all activity associated with
this Contract at such time as the notification is received. The Owner has the right to set off the
cost of procuring another contractor to perform or complete the Scope of Work in the event
Seller fails to perform the Work satisfactorily.
B. At any time prior to completion of the Work, the Owner may, in its sole discretion,
terminate the contract by providing the Seller written notice of its intention to terminate.
Unless the notification provides otherwise, Seller shall cease all activity associated with this
Contract at the time the notification is received. If the termination is without fault of the Seller,
the Owner shall pay for Work satisfactorily performed to the date of termination and reimburse
Seller for unrecoverable expenses Seller incurred prior to receiving the notification.
7.5 Indemnification Requirements
For purposes of this section 7.5, the term “Owner” means the City of Waterloo and its elected
and appointed officials, agents, employees, volunteers, and others working on its behalf. To the
fullest extent permitted by law, Seller agrees to defend, pay on behalf of, indemnify, and hold
harmless the Owner against any and all claims, demands, suits, damages or losses, together with
any and all outlay and expense connected therewith including, but not limited to, attorneys’
fees and court costs that may be asserted or claimed against, recovered from or suffered by the
Owner by reason of any injury or loss including, but not limited to, personal injury, bodily injury
including death, property damage, including loss of use thereof, and economic damages that
arise out of or are in any way connected or associated with Seller’s work or services under this
Contract, including that of its officers, agents, employees, subcontractors and others under the
control of Seller, except to the extent caused by or resulting from the sole negligence of the
Owner.
Seller’s obligation to indemnify the Owner contained in this Contract is not limited by the
amount or type of damages, compensation or benefits payable under any workers’
compensation acts, disability benefit acts, or other employee benefits acts.
The Owner shall not be liable or in any way responsible for any injury, damage, liability, claim,
loss or expense incurred by Seller arising out of or in any way connected or associated with
Seller’s work or services under this Contract, including that of its officers, agents, employees,
subcontractors and others under control of Seller, except to the extent caused by or resulting
from the sole negligence of the Owner.
The City of Waterloo IA Waterloo Fiber Network Equipment and Services RFP
Seller expressly assumes responsibility for any and all damage caused to Owner property arising
out of or in any way connected or associated with Seller’s work or services under this Contract,
including its officers, agents, employees, subcontractors and others under the control of Seller.
7.6 Ownership of Documents
The Seller agrees that the Owner is the sole and exclusive owner of all designs, design plans,
images, drawings, models, survey notes, reports, specifications, studies, records and other data
and documents, in whatever form, prepared under this Contract (the "Design Documents"). The
Seller hereby irrevocably assigns, transfers and conveys to the Owner all right, title and interest
in and to the Design Documents and all intellectual property rights and proprietary rights arising
out of the Design Documents, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, and derivative works
and interests. The Seller warrants to the Owner that the Design Documents will be free from
any claims or encumbrances of intellectual property or proprietary rights of the Seller and any
third party, including any employee, agent, contractor, sub-Contractor, subcontractor,
subsidiary or affiliate of Seller. Upon completion or termination of this Contract, the Seller shall
immediately turn over to the Owner all Design Documents not previously delivered to the
Owner.
To the extent any of the Seller's rights in the Design Documents are not subject to assignment or
transfer, including any moral rights and any rights of attribution and integrity, the Seller hereby
irrevocably and unconditionally waives such rights, and the enforcement of them, and agrees
not to challenge the Owner's rights in and to the Design Documents.