Enterprise-Wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) and Commodity Broadband Circu Addendum 1

ATTACHMENT A:

BIDDER RESPONSE FORM

State of Vermont Bidder Response Form

Request for Proposal Name: Enterprise-Wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) Circuits for the State of Vermont

Vendor Instructions:

Provide the information requested in this form and submit it to the State of Vermont as part of your Request for Proposal (RFP) response. All answers must be provided within the form unless otherwise specified.

Important: This form must be completed and submitted in response to this RFP for your proposal to be considered valid. The submission must also include the eight (8) additional artifacts requested within this form (denoted by underlined green font).

See the RFP for full instructions for submitting a bid. Bids must be received by the due date and at the location specified on the cover page of the RFP.

Direct any questions you have concerning this form or the RFP to:

STATE CONTACT

State of Vermont

Office of Purchasing & Contracting

E-mail Address:

Part 1: VENDOR PROFILE

Complete the table below.

Provide a brief overview of your company including number of years in business, number of employees, nature of business, and description of clients. Identify any parent corporation and/or subsidiaries.

Is your organization currently or has it previously provided solutions and/or services to any agency or entity of the Vermont State government within the past five years? If so, include a complete list of the State entities, the solutions and/or services provided, and the dates your organization provided the State with these services in the last five years.

Provide a Financial Statement* for your company and label it Attachment #1. This requirement can be filled by:

A current Dun and Bradstreet Report that includes a financial analysis of the firm;

An Annual Report if it contains (at a minimum) a Compiled Income Statement and Balance Sheet verified by a Certified Public Accounting firm; or

Tax returns and financial statements including income statements and balance sheets for the most recent 3 years, and any available credit reports.

A confidentiality statement may be included if this financial information is considered non-public information

*Some types of procurements may require bidders to provide additional or specific financial information. Any such additional requirements will be clearly identified and explained within the RFP and may include supplemental forms in addition to this Bidder Response Form.

Disclose any judgments, pending or expected litigation, or other real potential financial reversals, which might materially affect the viability or stability of your company or indicate below that no such condition is known to exist. A confidentiality statement may be included if this information is considered non-public information

Provide a list of three references similar in size and industry (preferably another governmental entity). References shall be clients, other than the State of Vermont, who have implemented your Solution within the past 48 months.

Part 2: Vendor Proposal/Solution

Provide a description of the technology solution you are proposing.

Provide a description of the capabilities of the technology solution you are proposing.

If specific software is being proposed, provide a description of the:

Standard features and functions of the software:

The software licensing requirements for the solution:

Maximum number of concurrent users:

Give a brief description of the evolution of the system/software solution you are proposing. Include the date of the first installed site and major developments which have occurred (e.g. new versions, new modules, specific features).

List the total number of installations in the last 3 years by the year of installation.

Provide the total number of current users for the proposed system and indicate what version they are using.

Have you implemented the proposed solution for other government entities? If so, tell us who, when, and how that implementation went?

Provide a Road Map that outlines the company's short-term and long-term goals for the proposed solution/software and label it Attachment #2. (A confidentiality statement may be included if this information is considered non-public information)

Provide a PowerPoint (minimum of 1 slide and maximum of 10 slides) that provides an Executive level summary of your proposal to the State. Label it Attachment #3.

Describe any infrastructure, equipment, network or hardware required to implement and/or run the solution.

What is your recommended way to host this solution? Does the State need to install devices, for example?

Part 3: Functional Requirements

The table below lists the State's Functional Requirements. Indicate the "Availability" for each requirement for your proposed solution. Use the "Vendor Comments" column to provide any additional information or explanations.

Availability Key:

A - Feature is available in the core ("out-of-the-box") solution.

D - Feature is currently under development (indicate anticipated date of availability in the Vendor comments column).

C - Feature is not available in the core solution, but can provided with customization.

N - Feature is not available. Definition: BRANCH location = non- Data Center location.

Part 4: Non- Functional Requirements

The tables below list the State's Non-Functional Requirements. Indicate if your proposed solution complies in the "Comply" column.:

Yes = the solution complies with the stated requirement.

No = the solution does not comply with the stated requirement.

N/A = Not applicable to this offering.

Describe how the requirement is met in the "Vendor Description of Compliance" column.

4.1 Hosting

4.2 Application Solution

4.3 Security

As a solution vendor, you must have documented and implemented security practices for the following and have a process to audit/monitor for adherence. Indicate "Yes" or "No" in the "Comply" column or "N/A" if the requirement is not applicable to this offering. Use the "Vendor Description of Applicable Security Processes" column to describe how you meet the requirement and the "Audit/Monitor" column to indicate how you monitor for compliance. (A confidentiality statement may be included if this information is considered non-public information)

4.4 Other Non-Functional Requirements

For each requirement listed, indicate if and how you comply or type "N/A" if it is not applicable to your offering.

4.5 Data Compliance

Vendors and their solutions must adhere to applicable State and Federal standards, policies, and laws based on the type of data that will be stored, accessed, transmitted and/or controlled by the solution. If the "Type of Data" column is checked below, respond "Yes" or "No" in the "Comply" column and provide an explanation on how you comply in the "Vendor's Description of Compliance" column.

4.6 State of Vermont Cybersecurity Standard Update

Bidder shall certify by checking the box below the Solution shall not include, incorporate, rely on, utilize or be supported by any products or services subject to the limitations provided under State of Vermont Cybersecurity Standard Update, which Bidder acknowledges has been provided to it, and is available on-line at the following URL:

Bidder hereby certifies that in connection with the Request for Proposal, none of the applicable products or services will be included in or used to support State systems in a manner prohibited under the Standard. Note - If you are tracking the eight artifacts highlighted in green as noted in the introduction, this is one of the eight items. Checking the box is mandatory.

Part 5: IMPLEMENTATION/Project Management Approach

Describe the approach you would recommend for project managing this engagement.

Provide a list of the standard project management deliverables that you would normally produce for this type of engagement.

Provide a proposed list of project phases, major milestones, and an implementation timeline. Label this Attachment #4.

What types of difficulties have other clients experienced with implementation of the proposed solution?

Describe the experience and qualifications of the Project Manager you would offer as the resource for this engagement. Provide a copy of their resume and label it Attachment #5.

Part 6: TECHNICAL Services

Describe the technical services included in your proposal (e.g., business analysis, configuration, testing, implementation, etc.).

Provide a list of the standard deliverables for the technical services described above.

Provide a description of the roles/services/tasks the State will be expected to cover as part of this engagement. Describe any additional roles/services/tasks that are optional, but would be beneficial for the State to provide.

Describe your typical conversion plan to convert data from existing systems to your proposed solution (if applicable).

Describe and attach your typical Implementation Plan (label it Attachment #6), which shall include planning for the transition to maintenance and operations.

Describe the experience and qualifications of the technical resources proposed for this engagement. Provide their resume(s) and label them Attachment #7.

Describe the training that is included in your proposal.

Describe the system, administrator, and/or user documentation that is included in your proposal.

Part 7: Maintenance and Support Services

See Attachment F for State SLA

Provide answers to the questions below regarding your company's Maintenance and Support Services:

Describe how adherence to your service levels is measured and what remedies you would provide the State when performance doesn't meet the standard?

See Attachment F for State SLA.

Part 8: PRICING

See and Complete Attachment B: Pricing.

Part 9: Terms and Conditions

Exceptions to the States standard terms, conditions, and templates is strongly discouraged. Accordingly, exceptions may result in a determination that a bidder's proposal is not in the best interest of the State. However, if a bidder does wish to take exception to the State's terms, conditions, or templates they must indicate those objections in the table below. Add lines to the table below as needed. The State considers contractor documents the bidder wishes to append to the contract as exceptions.

Part 10: CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE/Authorized Company Signature

NON COLLUSION: Bidder hereby certifies that the prices quoted have been arrived at without collusion and that no prior information concerning these prices has been received from or given to a competitive company. If there is sufficient evidence to warrant investigation of the bid/contract process by the Office of the Attorney General, bidder understands that this paragraph might be used as a basis for litigation.

CONTRACT TERMS: Bidder hereby acknowledges that is has read, understands and agrees to the terms of this RFP, including Attachment C: Standard State Contract Provisions, and any other contract attachments included with this RFP.

Worker Classification Compliance Requirement: In accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), the following provisions and requirements apply to Bidder when the amount of its bid exceeds $250,000.00.

Self-Reporting. Bidder hereby self-reports the following information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers, that occurred in the previous 12 months.

Subcontractor Reporting. Bidder hereby acknowledges and agrees that if it is a successful bidder, prior to execution of any contract resulting from this RFP, Bidder will provide to the State a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors' subcontractors, together with the identity of those subcontractors' workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), and Bidder will provide any update of such list to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. Bidder further acknowledges and agrees that the failure to submit subcontractor reporting in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54) will constitute non-compliance and may result in cancellation of contract and/or restriction from bidding on future state contracts.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: Climate Change Considerations in State Procurements Certification

Bidder certifies to the following (Bidder may attach any desired explanation or substantiation. Please also note that Bidder may be asked to provide documentation for any applicable claims):

Bidder owns, leases or utilizes, for business purposes, space that has received:

Energy Star(R) Certification

LEED(R), Green Globes(R), or Living Buildings ChallengeSM Certification

Other internationally recognized building certification:

____________________________________________________________________________

2. Bidder has received incentives or rebates from an Energy Efficiency Utility or Energy Efficiency Program in the last five years for energy efficient improvements made at bidder's place of business. Please explain:

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Please Check all that apply:

Bidder can claim on-site renewable power or anaerobic-digester power ("cow-power"). Or bidder consumes renewable electricity through voluntary purchase or offset, provided no such claimed power can be double-claimed by another party.

Bidder uses renewable biomass or bio-fuel for the purposes of thermal (heat) energy at its place of business.

Bidder's heating system has modern, high-efficiency units (boilers, furnaces, stoves, etc.), having reduced emissions of particulate matter and other air pollutants.

Bidder tracks its energy consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. What tool is used to do this? _____________________

Bidder promotes the use of plug-in electric vehicles by providing electric vehicle charging, electric fleet vehicles, preferred parking, designated parking, purchase or lease incentives, etc..

Bidder offers employees an option for a fossil fuel divestment retirement account.

Bidder offers products or services that reduce waste, conserve water, or promote energy efficiency and conservation. Please explain:

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Please list any additional practices that promote clean energy and take action to address climate change:

_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

EXECUTIVE ORDER 02 - 22: Solidarity with the Ukrainian People

By checking this box, Bidder certifies that none of the goods, products, or materials offered in response to this solicitation are Russian-sourced goods or produced by Russian entities. If Bidder is unable to check the box, it shall indicate in the table below which of the applicable offerings are Russian-sourced goods and/or which are produced by Russian entities. An additional column is provided for any note or comment that you may have.

CERTIFICATION REGARDING USE OF CONTRACT FUNDS FOR LOBBYING: The following provision is applicable to the Contractor for contracts over $100,000.00, and Contractor shall include this clause in all its subcontracts over $100,000.00.

1. The prospective contractor certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, under the penalties of perjury under the laws of the State of Vermont and the United States that on behalf of the person, firm, association, or corporation he or she represents, that:

a. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any Federal agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

b. If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any Federal agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions.

2. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by 31 U.S.C. 1352. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

3. The prospective contractor also agrees that they shall require that the language of this certification be included in all lower tier subcontracts, which exceed $100,000 and that all such recipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.

For your bid to be considered valid, this Bidder Response Form must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the bidder, and submitted as part of the response to the proposal.

I am authorized to submit a proposal to the State of Vermont in response to this RFP on behalf of my organization. The information provided as part of my organization's response is a true and accurate representation of my organization's ability to meet the State of Vermont's business needs as expressed in this RFP.

ATTACHMENT B:

PRICING

PRICING SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Vendors must submit clear pricing for each site they can serve and a concise rollup that summarizes coverage by feed type and bandwidth. Delivery timelines are collected separately so schedule risk can be reviewed independently. All figures must be submitted in a spreadsheet instead of inline in the table, and reconcile to the site inventory in Attachment G: State of Vermont Inventory. Note: Please note Section 3 regarding the scoring percentage given to pricing. Pricing is a key component in the State's evaluation of this RFP's responses. Retainage: Vendors should assume a 10% retainage of payment will be held by the State until the successful completion and acceptance of all deliverables, subject to review and verification of performance against contract terms.

Submission instructions:

Complete Table 1: Pricing Rollup Summary to show coverage by bandwidth and by single or dual feed. Format response as a spreadsheet formatted to match Table 1.

Complete Table 2: Delivery Timeline Summary to show installation readiness by timeframe and construction status. Format response as a spreadsheet formatted to match Table 2.

Complete Table 3: Per Site Pricing requirements. Format response as a spreadsheet formatted to match Table 3.

Enter zero for nonrecurring cost when waived and note waived in the comments field.

Identify dual feeds only when the paths are physically diverse and not fed from the same pole line direction, route, or remote office.

Do not combine different transport types on a single line.

Ensure all totals and percentages reconcile to Attachment G: State of Vermont Inventory.

Table 1: Pricing Rollup Summary

Vendors must complete this table as a spreadsheet. Percentages are calculated against the total number of sites in Attachment G: State of Vermont Inventory. Note: The State strongly prefers proposals with zero or minimal NRCs and will evaluate cost competitiveness accordingly. NRC and other terms are defined in Attachment F.

Table 2: Delivery Timeline Summary

Vendors must complete this table as a spreadsheet. Delivery timing is measured in calendar days after receipt of order. Delivery is defined as the point at which the requested service is fully provisioned end to end and accepted by the State, including completion of any required access infrastructure. This includes, as applicable, construction or extension of fiber plant, use of existing provider facilities, or delivery over alternative last mile technologies. A service is considered delivered only when all underlying infrastructure required to support the circuit is complete, the service is installed at the demarcation point, the circuit is active and passing traffic at the contracted bandwidth, all required testing has been successfully completed, and the State has formally accepted the service. Delivery does not include provider ready for service status or partial completion of underlying infrastructure prior to State validation and acceptance.

Table 3: Per Site Pricing Requirements

Vendors must provide the following fields for each site proposed. Submit these fields as a spreadsheet component. Note: This RFP seeks vendors capable of delivering reliable broadband and DIA circuits to State sites across a wide geographic footprint, including support for path diversity at critical locations. Circuits must support SD-WAN integration and must be sourced from a broad mix of providers, including local, regional, wireless, and satellite, depending on site feasibility. It is anticipated that this RFP will have multiple awardees based on this logic.

Site ID.

Address.

Feed type single or dual.

Bandwidth Mbps or Gbps.

Transport type fiber, cable, fixed wireless, LTE, 5G, satellite.

Monthly recurring cost USD.

Nonrecurring cost USD.

Estimated install days after receipt of order.

Path diversity yes or no.

Path diversity description.

Contract term months.

Comments.

Definitions and clarifications:

Dual feed means two independently routed last mile paths with separate physical handoffs where feasible.

Deliverable means the circuit can be installed and made operational within the stated timeframe.

Excluded or unable to serve means the vendor has no viable delivery method for the site or doesn't wish to service.

Optional Time and Materials Services

The State may issue written task orders under the awarded contract for time and materials services within the scope of this procurement. These services are not part of the bid pricing or evaluation.

Typical work performed includes:

Structured wiring work and cable pulls.

Install or relocate data and voice jacks and associated endpoints and telephony equipment.

Extend or relocate the demarcation point.

Mount and secure equipment racks, shelves, and network appliances.

Hang and aim wireless access points and external antennas.

Install cable management, ladder racks, trays, and surface raceway, where required.

Label terminations and patch panels.

Patch cross connect and complete basic continuity testing.

Remove and dispose of decommissioned cabling and equipment.

Name of Bidder:

Signature of Bidder:

Date: