Description
This courtesy general notice is provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide industry further information regarding market research activities supporting its anticipated Headquarters (HQ) Traditional Voice requirements. HQ Traditional Voice requirements are currently in draft and under development. At this time DHS intends on, when finalized, setting aside those draft requirements referenced within this general notice for small business. This general notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. This notice does not constitute a Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP), or a commitment on the part of the Government to conduct a solicitation in the future. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not at this time seeking quotation and/or proposal responses and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Further, DHS is not at this time requesting industry responses associated with the content of this general notice. Any such response activities taken shall be done so at the vendors full expense with the knowledge and understanding that such a response has not been requested by DHS and may not be addressed and/or accepted by DHS. In conducting market research activities supporting the subject HQ Traditional Voice requirements, DHS may further engage industry as necessary through various methods including requests for information (RFI), project forecasting publications, innovation acquisition roundtables, and/or one-on-one industry engagement sessions. Market research activities selected, and those parties involved in such activities will be at the sole discretion of DHS for information and planning purposes pursuant to FAR Part 10. In effectively conducting market research supporting those draft requirements referenced within this general notice, DHS reserves the right to engage industry as necessary through those various methods represented immediately above. In addition to the below draft, still in-development HQ Traditional Voice requirements information, industry may also find project details in DHS Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS) record F2021052798, published October 27, 2020. HQ Traditional Voice Background - Draft Across the Federal Government, multiple network services contracts are set to expire in May 2023, including General Services Administration (GSA) Networx, Washington Interagency Telecommunications System 3 (WITS 3), and the Local Service Agreements (LSA). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must transition before the GSA contracts expire to avoid potentially leaving DHS without a contracted network services provider. The DHS, Enterprise Network Modernization Program Office (ENMP) is at this time exploring the potential use of a managed services solution in efficiently and effectively transitioning current traditional voice services in support of DHS HQ and its Components. Transitioning traditional voice services represents a large-scale effort which includes covering CONUS and OCONUS consisting of more than two thousand sites in urban and rural communities. DHS has a need for traditional voice services to be able to conduct critical missions that range from national security incidents and natural disasters through declared conditions of National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP). Phone number portability is a key requirement for any new service selections in an effort to maintain a seamless transition without impacting ongoing operational missions. Under the scope of this anticipated requirement, DHS has several analog circuits which comprise the largest segment of traditional voice services such as local and long-distance plain old telephone service (POTS) line, Elevator Phones, Alarm circuits, E911, and Out-of-band/Emergency Remote Access, of which are at facilities across the United States and the Territories. DHS has a need for phone system service to manage incoming and outgoing phone calls as well as support internal users with unique extensions. Additionally, DHS requires PRI (Primary Rate Interface) and Basic Rate Interface (BRI) Services for connectivity with an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). DHS has a large community of audio-conferencing users to engage in a multi-point audio conference call. Under the scope of this anticipated requirement, DHS has a need for voice circuits capable of carrying one telephone conversation. Outgoing voice calls must be capable of direct station-to-station dialing from on-net and off-net locations worldwide, including calling cards. The calls must be capable of being initiated from many types of telephony equipment, including single-line and multi-line key sets and traverse trunks to PBX and Centrex equipment and terminate in a variety of telephony equipment which may include secure telephone units and connection to Inmarsat mobile satellite devices. Additionally, under the scope of this anticipated requirement, DHS has a need for Toll Free inbound voice services with advanced features and routing capabilities that can be used to provide enhanced customer service. The Toll-Free services are used primarily for help desks and call centers, to provide access to recorded announcements, or voice mail service. DHS has a requirement for Circuit Switched Data Service (CSDS) to provide a synchronous, full duplex circuit-switched service at multiple data that is interoperable with the Public Switched Telephone Network. DHS also has a requirement for Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers that route calls to existing telephone lines. Managed Services Solution DHS is anticipating the support for the services above being provided by an industry partner with experience serving as a Managed Service Provider (MSP) with a wide geographical reach administrating large national /worldwide programs to accomplish the transition. Referenced experience should at a minimum demonstrate the ability to negotiate, coordinate, and manage appropriate regional telecommunication providers to deliver the services previously noted above. DHS has specific Service Level Agreements (SLA), Performance Key Indicators (PKI) and other Federal regulations and guidelines which must be strictly enforced during both the transition and execution of provided services, all of which the MSP should reasonably be expected to satisfy without operational interruption. Additionally, the MSP is expected to have an in-depth knowledge of large, diverse, and complex programs, extensive background in transitioning voice systems, and possess strong and robust program management capabilities. The MSP solution should expertly manage the transition and delivery of traditional voice services. Review processes to schedule, communicate, implement, and document configuration changes, maintenance, and repairs. This will also include effective support in placing service orders, all business processes related to ordering and billing requirements, and any detailed requirement related to ordering. The MSP solution should be able to provide design management that will maintain effective configuration control measures capable of restoring or reverting to a prior 'known good' configuration for software, devices, and services that affect, or have the potential to affect, DHS services or operations. Additionally, a successful MSP solution is fully expected to effectively maintain, and make available for Government review upon request, maintenance and inventory records for all services, and circuits and made. There are approximately 167,000 traditional voice services, across approximately 1344 locations. A modernization plan for advancing traditional voice services at DHS into the future is currently in development.