CIARA NASPO ValuePoint Response - CIARA WSCA€¦ · CIARA has documented their manufacturing...

Request for Proposal Response to Minnesota WSCA - NASPO Master

Agreement for Computer Equipment (Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Servers,

Storage and Ruggedized Devices, including Related Peripherals & Services)

Ciara Technologies USA, Inc.

A Hypertec Group Company

10601 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Suite 100

Scottsdale, Arizona 85259

Direct: (480) 626-9000

E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.ciaratech.com

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ciaratech.com/

Table of Contents

A. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: BUSINESS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

1. PROPOSED BANDS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

2. MANUFACTURER VERIFICATION. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

3. THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

4. PRODUCT RESTRICTIONS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

6. WARRANTY AND MAINTENANCE. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

7. LEASING. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

8. DELIVERY. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11

9. FREIGHT. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11

10. VENDOR PERFORMANCE MEETING. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11

11. AUDITING. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12

12. SELF AUDIT. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

13. PREFERENCE PROGRAMS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14

14. GEOGRAPHIC OFFERING. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

15. MASTER AGREEMENT TERMINATION. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15

16. PREMIUM SAVINGS PACKAGE PROGRAM. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

17. PROMOTIONS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

B. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL------------------------------------------------------------- 18

1. ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PURCHASING COMMITMENT. ------------------------------ 18

2. EPEAT REGISTRATION. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21

3. TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21

4. ENERGY STAR COMPLIANT PRODUCTS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. ------------------------------------------------------------ 23

C. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: QUALIFICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------- 24

1. COMPANY HISTORY. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24

2. CONTRACT VENDOR RESPONSIBILITY. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

3. PARTNER UTILIZATION. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

3 10601 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Suite 100 Scottsdale, AZ 85259

4. EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES OVERVIEW. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 29

5. REFERENCES. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

6. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

D. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND MASTER AGREEMENT

MANAGEMENT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34

1. ORDERING AND PAYMENT PROCESS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34

2. SALES SUPPORT TRAINING. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34

3. CONTRACTING PERSONNEL. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

4. PRIMARY ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 37

5. COMPLAINT RESOLUTION. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 38

6. REPORTING. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

7. COMMERCIAL OFF THE SHELF AND OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE. ---------------------- 40

8. EMARKETCENTER. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 42

9. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND MARKETING METHODOLOGY. ------------------------------------- 42

10. ECOMMERCE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45

11. EMPLOYEE PURCHASE PROGRAM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45

EXHIBITS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 46

Exhibit 1 - ROHS Certificate of Compliance ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 47

Exhibit 2 - Certificate of Energy Star® Qualification (Mini-Tower Computer) ----------------------- 48

Exhibit 3 - Certificate of Energy Star® Qualification (Desktop Computer) --------------------------- 49

Exhibit 4 - EPEAT Enterprise (1) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50

Exhibit 5 - EPEAT Enterprise (2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51

Exhibit 6 - System Sound Power & Sound Pressure Acoustic Test Report------------------------- 53

Exhibit 7. Regional Sales Territories --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69

Exhibit 8 - Organizational Charts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 71

Exhibit 9. References (Overview) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 74

Exhibit 10 - Customer Satisfaction------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 77

Exhibit 11. Technical Certifications & Competencies -------------------------------------------------------- 78


December 18, 2013

Ms. Susan Kahle, Acquisition Management Specialist 50 Sherburne Avenue

112 Administration Bldg. St. Paul, Minnesota 55155

Re: RFP 19512 - Minnesota WSCA-NASPO Master Agreement for Computer Equipment Dear Ms. Kahle & Solicitation Review Committee, On behalf of the executive management and staff of Ciara Technologies USA, Inc., a Hypertec Group Company, we are pleased to submit our response to RFP 19512 – Minnesota WSCA-NASPO Master Agreement for Computer Equipment.

Ciara is a leading manufacturer of computer systems and resells into various markets around the globe. Ciara is known as the industry experts for building and offering top-tiered support on multiple bands, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and servers that deliver performance, reliability and long life. Our mission emphasizes our promise to deliver industry standards on leading technologies allowing our customers maximum flexibility and openness in their infrastructure planning and business deployments.

Ciara is a leading supplier to Canada’s National Master Standing Order (NMSO) contract, and is well-versed in sales and business development to government and education customers. Our references demonstrate Ciara’s commitment to the timely delivery of products and services to customers of every size, across a range of consumers in government and education industries.

Ciara has an ambitious goal to hire 70-100 people through to 2015, and because we are committed to growth in the US, these jobs will be housed in the US and will be solely-dedicated to US markets. Our customers will work with dedicated US teams for orders and support services.

Thank you for your consideration of our response. Our ability and expertise supporting customers of all sizes and industries, combined with our line-up of world-class computer systems, will make Ciara an excellent partner to WSCA customers. Sincerely,

Mike Marracino Vice President Ciara Technologies USA


A. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: BUSINESS

1. PROPOSED BANDS. Responders may respond to any or all bands. Responder must identify the

bands they will be proposing (check all that apply):

Band 1: Desktop

Band 2: Laptop

Band 3: Tablet

Band 4: Server

Band 5: Storage

Band 6: Ruggedized Devices

Responder must verify they are a manufacturer of each band proposed and describe their

manufacturing process and facilities.

Ciara’s Response: Meets, understands, & compliant

CIARA Technologies, USA is a subsidiary of The Hypertec Group, a global manufacturing

and service company which distributes desktops, laptops, tablets and servers worldwide. As one of Canada s industry leaders, and with a growing customer base in the United States, the CIARA brand is quickly becoming known for systems that are high in quality, long on

life and strong on value.

Bands

CIARA Technologies USA, Inc.,(referred to as C)ARA , is a leading and certified manufacturer of personal computers, mini PCs, thin clients, servers, personal clusters,

datacenters, and workstations. For the purposes of this Request for Proposal, CIARA is

bidding on the following bands:

Band 1: Desktops

Band 2: Laptops

Band 3: Tablets

Band 4: Servers

Facilities

The CIARA Technologies Global Headquarters is located within a 725,000 sq. ft. facility

in Saint-Laurent, Québec. The facility has the capacity to build and deliver up to eight

thousand (8,000) computers per day to customers worldwide. CIARA is developing a

150,000 sq. ft. facility in the Phoenix, Arizona (United States) metro area. This facility is

being designed to replicate (on scale) the capabilities of the headquarter facility in Saint-


Laurent for the products included in the proposed bands of this RFP. This facility will serve

as the manufacturing and distribution point for all United States customers, as well as the

depot for the takeback and recycling programs.

Each manufacturing plant has Procedure and Environmental Quality Assurance Documents

written and maintained per the ISO 9001 and 14001 specifications. Relevant procedures

are referenced below and are available for review.

Manufacturing Process

CIARA has documented their manufacturing processes per ISO guidelines. According to ISO

requirements, the process calls for strict adherence to these manufacturing procedures:

Chassis Unpacking and Receiving: Incoming shipments are unpacked per the standard

operating procedure; quantities are validated, parts are physically inspected, and either

received into inventory or sent to the assembly line for testing and installation. Any non-

conforming product is tagged and segregated for troubleshooting. Packing lists,

certifications, and any other documentation is dated, signed, scanned and archived within

the Orinos ERP Tracking Software, where it is available for audits, tracking and/or

verifications.

Handling of Components: CIARA has highly trained and skilled technicians who are aware of

the sensitive nature of electronic parts. Electrostatic discharge and other handling

concerns are outlined and documented for strict adherence. (Reference CIARA Procedure

Doc 112-02). CIARA Technology Manufacturing Facilities also include Clean Areas designated strictly for the assembly and testing of sensitive components.

Sub Assembly and Assembly: Orders are released from the Orinos Tracking System, a state

of the art tracking software used throughout the facilities. These orders may include

assemblies for stock or assemblies for immediate shipment to customers. The assembly

process is tracked through assigned paperwork, which includes: a complete work order

(which stays with the assembly throughout the manufacturing process), relevant serial

numbers of parts for tracking, an order follow up form, and quality control reports.

Quality Assurance: Quality assurance is top priority in the CIARA assembly process. All

CIARA technicians, including Production Technicians, Testing Engineers, and Quality

Technicians, are highly trained and certified per CIARA Training Requirements. Each

assembly goes through several different inspection and testing processes, all of which are

documented and reported. Inspection points include: initial assembly parts inspection, final

assembly testing, and software installation and testing.

Test and Integration: All CIARA desktop products go through a 24-hour rigorous testing cycle to

ensure mechanical reliability. Software is then loaded per customer specifications, and the system is

again tested by trained technical floor engineers who work out any anomalies on the system prior to


shipping. Servers undergo even more rigorous testing and after a 48-hour minimum field test,

servers are tested for reliability, heat disbursement, and noise level output. When a system has

passed testing, it is stamped with a ship date code and the customer order number (if

required). Once a system has passed testing, a CIARA logo is placed on the front of the

chassis as the final stamp of approval.

Shipping: Once an assembly has been cleared through testing, it is packaged with the

appropriate accessories and delivered to shipping. Accessories may include: certifications,

warranty information, system instructions, customer services contact information,

information on recycling systems, as well as the packing list, which reflects customer

purchase order number and other details of the purchase. Each assembly is packed per the

Internal Packing Procedure which is strictly adhered to by the Shipping Manager and staff

personnel. All assembly personnel, engineers, and technicians are trained on the internal

control procedures and ISO guidelines

2. MANUFACTURER VERIFICATION. The manufacturer’s name shall appear on the computer equipment. The Contract Vendors shall provide the warranty service and maintenance for equipment

on a Master Agreement. Describe proposed warranty in accordance to WSCA-NASPO warranty

term.


Each product manufactured by CIARA bears the CIARA logo. CIARA also includes a limited

service and warranty statement with each product manufactured and delivered to

customers.

Description of Warranty

Please refer to Section 3A6

3. THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS. Products offered may be manufactured by a third party; however,

Contract Vendor must provide the warranty service and maintenance for all third party products on

the Master Agreement. Contract Vendor may not offer another manufacture’s product holding a Master Agreement without prior approval. Warranty documents for Products manufactured by a

third party are preferred to be delivered to the Participating Entity with the Products. Contract

Vendor can only offer third party products in a band they have been awarded. Describe proposed

warranty in accordance to WSCA-NASPO warranty term.


CIARA will provide the customer with third-party warranty information and contact

information to facilitate warranty services from the third-party manufacturer.

Description of Warranty


Please refer to Section 3A6

4. PRODUCT RESTRICTIONS. Responder must agree to adhere to the restrictions in the Scope of

Work throughout the life of the Master Agreement. Describe thoroughly how Contract Vendor will

manage product restrictions for Participating States.

Ciara’s Response: Meets, understands, & will comply

CIARA agrees to adhere to the product restrictions described in the Master Agreement, as

well as those defined by any additional and/or forthcoming Participating Addendums.

Software: All software supplied will meet the requirements related to the procurement of

equipment. Software will be pre-loaded at the CIARA manufacturing facility, and will be restricted to operating systems and commercial off the shelf COTS software. Services: The services CIARA provides will relate to the procurement of equipment. CIARA

will arrange service limits with each Participating State.

Third Party Products: CIARA will honor the Scope of the Master Agreement, and will not

offer third party products in bands they are not awarded. Additionally, CIARA will not offer competitors products per the Scope of the Master Agreement.

Additional Adherences: CIARA will adhere to any other product restrictions, such as

restrictions on Wide Area Networks (WAN) operation and management, cell phone,

Internet, managed print services, and other restrictions noted in the Scope of the Master

Agreement.

The controls for ensuring compliance will start with a product profile used to filter the

Products & Services Schedule (PSS), based on the requirements set forth by the Master

Agreement.

The product profile can include information such as product type, specific manufacturer or

keywords, as well as other notated criteria.

Processes will be customized per the customer as the Participating Addendum requires,

ensuring additional customer-defined qualifications are added to the PSS publishing

process in order to preclude publication of disallowed products to the PSS for that

customer.

The PSS for each customer will be manually tested every quarter by the appointed team

assigned to that customer, then spot-checked by administering the contract manager.

Adjustments will be made if needed and when required.

5. MAINTAINING THE PRODUCT AND SERVICE SCHEDULE (PSS). Contract Vendors will

develop and maintain an electronic Product and Service Schedule (PSS) which identifies a complete

listing of all products and services included in the awarded Master Agreement as well as individual

Participating State’s PSS’s. It is understood that manufacturer’s pricing models will vary and final


negotiation of how the PSS is presented will be finalized upon award. The PSS will be available for

audit purposes and end users to verify pricing based on the minimum discounts withcategorized

exceptions provided off a designated base line price list. The minimum discounts with categorized

exceptions and designated price list must be provided upon request. The PSS may contain the

following information:

Band number

Category

Product Brand

Item number

Item description

List Price

Discount provided

Discounted price

PSS is to be maintained as follows:

1. The PSS prices for Products and services will conform to the guaranteed minimum discount

with categorized exception levels

2. The Contract Vendor may make model changes; add new Products, and Product upgrades or

Services to the PSS.

3. The Contract Vendor agrees to delete obsolete and discontinued Products from the PSS

4. The Contract Vendor will work with each State to develop a satisfactory PSS reflecting the

individual States restrictions.


CIARA will maintain a Products & Services Schedule to reflect, per awarded band, all

required information on each product listed. Where a Participating Addendum (PA) requires

limitations in addition to those required in the Master Pricing Agreement, a separate PSS will

be created to support that PA. The PSS will be available for audit purposes, and for customers

to verify pricing based on the minimum discounts. Minimum discounts and designated list

pricing will be provided and made available upon request.

Each PSS will be updated and maintained. Examples of this include the following:

The PSS prices for Products and services will conform to the guaranteed minimum

discount levels

CIARA may add new products, upgrades, or services

Ciara will request changes to the PSS by using an Action Request Form (ARF).

6. WARRANTY AND MAINTENANCE. The Contract Vendor shall ensure warranty service and

maintenance for all equipment, including third party products provided. Describe in detail how the

responder will secure warranty for all products and services. The Contract vendor agrees to

facilitate the Manufacturer or Publisher warranty and maintenance of third party products furnished

through the Master Agreement. Describe in detail how the responder will secure warranty for all


products and services.


CIARA includes a limited warranty statement with each product manufactured and

delivered to a customer, or upon request.

Warranty

The warranty period commences the date the order is delivered and/or installation services

are completed, where installation is part of the original purchase order. In the event

customer delays include installation services, the warranty will be effective the date of

delivery, unless the agreement to reschedule the services includes a specific statement

overriding the warranty start date.

Warranties are transferrable where the party is otherwise eligible to purchase the product

in question; and where CIARA is notified within thirty (30) days of the change of possession.

CIARA and or its affiliated corporations, including CIARA Technologies USA, Inc.,

Hypertec Group Company, CIARA Technologies USA, Inc. is not obligated to provide

warranty services under the following circumstances:

Improper use, installation, modification or maintenance by the customer or third-parties

not authorized under the Participating Addendum of the original agreement

Improper site preparation or adherence to environmental specifications for proper

operation of the equipment

Non-compliance with specified product updates or calibration requirements

Viruses, worms or other malicious code not introduced by CIARA

Any damage caused outside of normal use, including but not limited to; transfer, fire,

water, abuse, negligence, electrical anomaly, or other causes outside CIARA control.

Warranties and remedies referenced here are exclusive to this agreement. No other

warranty, written or oral, is expressed or implied by CIARA, or authorized

representatives authorized to work under this agreement.

7. LEASING. Individual Participating States and Participating Entities may enter in to lease

agreements for the products covered in the Master Agreements resulting from the RFP, if they have

the legal authority to enter into these types of agreements. The Participating Addendum by each

State will identify if and how leasing agreement terms will be conducted.


CIARA currently provides and oversees lease activities with over 30% of its customers.

Individual Purchasing Entities may enter into lease agreements for the products covered in

this Master Price Agreement, where their PA provides legal authority to enter into these

types of agreements without going through a competitive process


Prior to entering into a contract CIARA performs corporate credit checks, as well as

reference checks, to ensure the company can comply to the terms and agreement of the

contract. Because every state has its own rules on the lease process, CIARA must follow the State s governing rule to ensure processes are followed.

8. DELIVERY. Delivery of ordered product should be completed within thirty (30) calendar days

after receipt of an order, unless otherwise agreed to by the ordering agency.


CIARA stocks over twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) worth of inventory, and over

130,000 parts in their global warehouse. CIARA standard delivery lead-time for

Participating States will be within 2-4 weeks of receipt of a purchase order, unless

otherwise agreed to by the ordering agency and CIARA.

9. FREIGHT. All prices shall be FOB Destination, prepaid and allowed (with freight included in the

price), to the address, receiving dock or warehouse as specified on the ordering agency’s purchase order, In those situations in which the “deliver-to” address has no receiving dock or agents, the Contract Vendor must be able to deliver to the person specified on the PO without additional cost. If

there is a special case where inside delivery fee must be charged, the Contract Vendor will notify

the customer in advance in order for the customer to determine if the additional cost will affect the

decision to utilize the Contract Vendor.


CIARA will include all applicable standard shipping costs in the prices of the product. Freight will be notated as FOB Destination and other methods will be noted as prepaid and standard shipping. All products will be shipped to the agency s address, receiving dock, or warehouse as specified on the ordering agency s purchase order per the customer s request. C)ARA will also deliver to the person and/or department specified on the PO without additional cost, and within the receiving processes of the purchasing

organization. It is to be understood that on occasion, customers/agencies may require special shipping services. )n these instances, C)ARA s customer service policy calls for any special rates/charges or fees above the standard rates to be included in the quote to the

customer and reflected in the subsequent PO.

10. VENDOR PERFORMANCE MEETING. An annual vendor performance meeting may be held

each year with the WSCA-NASPO Sourcing Team. Participation by the Contract Vendor is

mandatory. Historically vendor performance meetings have been held in the State of Minnesota.

Ciara’s Response: Understands & will comply


CIARA understands the importance of monitoring performance of the participating vendors,

and will be available to attend any and all performance meetings held throughout the life of

the contract.

11. AUDITING. Contract Vendors agree to audits, including but not limited to the Lead State or 3rd

party to ensure products sold, pricing and administrative fees are compliant with Master Agreement

terms and conditions. Responders must describe:

• how the responder regularly self audits the Master Agreement to ensure compliance

• how an end user will be able to self audit to ensure quotes provided are at the minimum

discount off list price

• how often the web pricing and invoicing is audited to insure contractual compliance.

• reporting mechanisms available such as Invoice reports which will assist in State’s ability to audit the Master Agreement through vendor supplied reporting tools.

• how the responder ensures that States with multiple Master Agreements are monitored to

ensure purchases are correctly booked with the correct Master Agreement


CIARA welcomes and will comply with all audit inquiries from the WSCA Lead State, or any

Participating Entities with a current Participating Addendum with CIARA, or their

designated agents.

Record Maintenance

CIARA will maintain books, records, documents, and other evidence relating to this Master

Agreement and orders placed by Purchasing Entities. These records will reflect the

performance and administration of payments and fees. CIARA will permit the Lead State, a

Participating Entity, a Purchasing Entity, the appointed Federal Government agency or any

other duly authorized agent of a governmental agency, to audit, inspect, examine, copy

and/or transcribe C)ARA s books, documents, papers and records that are directly related to

this Master Agreement, or orders placed by a Purchasing Entity. This access will be solely for

the purpose of making audits, examinations, excerpts, and transcriptions. CIARA will extend

this right for a period of five (5) years following termination of this Agreement and/or final

payment for any order placed by a Purchasing Entity against this Agreement.

External Audit Requests

Audits performed by outside parties will require notification in writing of at least ten (10)

business-days and the presence of the WSCA Contract Manager and/or corporate

officer. Such requests will detail the information needed to support the audit and cite

authority under the applicable contract in order to ensure CIARA provides appropriate and

applicable information is available during the auditing period. All audit activities will be completed at a designated site at C)ARA s location during normal business hours.


Self-Auditing Procedure

To maintain an audit trail, all contract pricing presented to the customer will be derived

from a single source database for that contract. Products included in the database will be

filtered based on an authorized contract band and approval by the WSCA Master Agreement

Administrator and the Participation Addendum Administrator, or their designees before

being published to the Products & Services Schedule.

12. SELF AUDIT. Vendors are required to conduct at a minimum a quarterly self-audit, unless

approved by the Lead State. The audit will sample a minimum of one tenth of one percent (.001) of

orders with a maximum of 100 audits per quarter conducted. For example: Up to 1,000 sales = 1

audit; 10,000 sales = 10 audits; Up to 100,000 sales = 100 audits. This will be a random sample of

orders and invoices and must include documentation of pricing. Summary findings are to be

reported to Lead State with actions to correct documented findings.


To ensure compliance and consistent customer service, CIARA adopts the following self-

audit procedures:

Self-Audit Procedures

As part of the scheduled reporting processes, CIARA will assemble detailed data on .001

percent of quotes generated and on all orders placed and invoices issued.

The samples of quote and order data, and another 10 percent sample invoice details will be

compared to the information included in the pricing source database to ensure:

The item was listed on the Products & Services Schedule

The selling price did not exceed the published contract price

The audit results will be produced in a report to include the following:

Quote Number

Number of Quote Samples Taken

Product Manufacturer Part Number

Customer State

Customer Name

Customer )D internal and unique to C)ARA s customer database

Product PSS Status; Listed/Not Listed

Product Pricing Compliance; Yes / No

Price Offered at

Contracted Price Published


Corrective Action (if applicable)

If result is from an order or invoice, the report will also include the following:

Customer purchase order number

Date of order

Date of invoice

Actual contract fee(s) calculated

Required contract fee percentage

Recalculated fee amount for comparison

Audit reports will be e-mailed to the WSCA Master Agreement Administrator, the

Participation Addendum Administrator (as required), or their designees, and to all CIARA

team members involved in the sales and support processes of the contract.

13. PREFERENCE PROGRAMS. Describe experience and capacity to meet minority and women

business enterprises and other local purchasing preferences that vary among potential Participating

Entities, including but not limited to the use of these businesses in their partner relationships.

Ciara’s Response:

Experience

CIARA has developed, fostered, and maintained strong business partnerships with

minority business enterprise (MBEs) consumers. Within the past ten (10) years, CIARA

and multiple sovereign Indian nations, including Chickasaw Indian Nation (Oklahoma),

Pala Band of Mission Indians (California), and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa (Arizona)

Indian communities worked under a memorandum of understanding which offered local

purchasing preferences and discounted rates on desktops, laptops, and servers. By having

this memorandum of understanding in place, it allowed for support and encouragement of

continuing education and business development services to tribal members and

businesses.

Capacity

CIARA has the capacity to build, develop, and grow other relationships with women

business enterprises (WBEs) and other MBEs. A long-term goal is to create supplier

diversity programs which would leverage the manpower of WBEs and MBE vendors as the

consumer/end-user supplier. This would further enhance the supply chain diversification

process with quicker and more direct access to target markets.

14. GEOGRAPHIC OFFERING. While the primary purpose of this solicitation is to select a

Responders who can offer all products and services within a band for all Participating States, to

encourage small business participation Responders are permitted to submit a proposal on more

limited geographical areas.

Clearly describe the geographical limits (e.g. by State name) if proposing a geographical area

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.palatribe.com%2F&ei=NHFrUt3GK4PUiwK-9YGYCA&usg=AFQjCNGcH1SAkHanTR4BSoD_cfszxWzp9Q&sig2=VQfkL0nFa3k1j652dn0Tmg&bvm=bv.55123115,d.cGE


less than that of all Participating States. Identify at least one State. If a Proposer elects to submit

a Proposal for a single State then the Proposer will be willing to supply the entire State. The

option to grow the business to other States may be allowed upon approval of the WSCA-NASPO

Management Board.

The proposer will be evaluated on the same criteria as all other vendors and referred to the

identified State for consideration of a Master Agreement.

Ciara’s Response:

CIARA will not be geographically limited, in servicing this contract; other than to the States, territories and districts served by the WSCA MPA and subsequent Participating Addendums.

15. MASTER AGREEMENT TERMINATION. Upon termination or expiration of the Master

Agreement awarded from this RFP the following will occur:

• All websites, on-line offering systems and Electronic Catalog functions supported and/or

available as part of the Master Agreement will cease and be removed from public viewing

access without redirecting to another website.

• If approved by the Lead State, Customer data/user accounts acquired during the term of the

Master Agreement shall be destroyed or returned to the State at the request of the

Participating State’s administrator unless required to maintain per audit.

• No references to the Master Agreement shall be made on the Contract Vendor’s commercial website without permission by the Lead State.

• If approved by the Lead State, hard copy catalogs and promotional literature shall be

destroyed or returned to the Participating State at the end of the Master Agreement term upon

the request of the Participating State.

Ciara’s Response: Meets, understands, and will comply

Upon termination or expiration of the awarded contract, CIARA will adhere to any and all

requests made by the Master Agreement to disengage from the contract. These requests may

include:

• To cease all websites, on-line offering systems and Electronic Catalog functions

supported

• To destroy customer data/user accounts acquired during the term of the Master

Agreement

• To eliminate any references to the Master Agreement on the CIARA website or other

published materials

• To destroy or return any hard copy catalogs and promotional literature


• Keeping records intact for up to three years or as required by WSCA

16. PREMIUM SAVINGS PACKAGE PROGRAM. Contract Vendors who participate in the PSP

program commit to maintain and upgrade (keep pace with the advance of technology) the standard

configurations for a stated period of time or intervals, as determined by the Participating Entities.

Provide marketing plan of the PSP Program including leading with PSP Program and displaying

prominently on websites to market aggressively to all States.


Marketing Plan for the PSP Program

CIARA intends to participate in the Premium Savings Package Program. To market the

program CIARA will adhere to all requirements of the program, plus:

Design a web page dedicated to the PSP program that displays the base

configurations and shows the savings over normal contract pricing

Display PSP ads, linking to the dedicated PSP page, on pages where like systems

are described or can be configured by the customer

Display banners on the main contract page that link to the dedicated PSP page

Prominently mention C)ARA s participation in the PSP program on all initial marketing for new Participating Addendums

Use recurring marketing efforts to maintain visibility of the CIARA PSP offering

Train salespeople on the benefits (i.e. exceptional product, more savings, faster

delivery) of ordering PSP configurations when they are requesting quotes for

system configurations similar to the PSP offering

Solicit customers to submit their own suggestions on how to improve C)ARA s PSP offering and will consider their ideas for submission to the WNPSP Team

17. PROMOTIONS. Contract Vendors are allowed to provide promotions for deeply discounted

products based on their inventory and sales. Promotions will also provide increased savings to

States. The Contract Vendors will be responsible to market these offers. Describe what kind of

promotions will be available and how marketing will be conducted.


CIARA offers discounted products to their customers whenever possible. These discounts

could be due to discontinued product, overstock or third party manufacturer promotions.

Description of Promotions

CIARA will follow this tradition of passing on savings to customers by offering discounts,

when available to Participating States via website, social media, regional technical sales


personnel, and e-mailed announcements. CIARA will list promotional pricing when

available on a web page dedicated for that intended purpose. Links to this page will be

included in marketing communications and on a different area of the dedicated website to

ensure easy exposure. Customers will be able to subscribe to regular e-mails that will notify

them of current and upcoming promotions. This will allow them to pre-schedule purchases

and maximize savings whenever possible. CIARA will also work with manufacturers of

third-party products offered, to include similar information on those products.

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B. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL

1. ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PURCHASING COMMITMENT. Explain commitment

to environmentally preferable purchase specifically in the areas below.

Ciara’s Response: Meets, understands, & is compliant

CIARA Principles On Environmental Management

CIARA specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of computer systems, certified ISO

9001-2000 and CIARA supports the following principles for the management of the

environment:

• To reduce, recover and reuse materials and equipment • To promote and encourage recycling in a responsible manner and extend these programs as services to our customers • To avoid, whenever possible, repackaging products for delivery to our customers • To maximize environmental responsibility at the lowest possible cost • To maintain coordinated relationships to reduce environmental impact across all facets of

our operations • To prepare for and manage urgent situations with consideration of potential

environmental impacts • To perform environmental evaluations and monitoring of distribution and usage of electricity • To consider environmental concerns of our customers relating to C)ARA logistical activities • To promote and share environmental best practices with the public, our employees,

customers and partners • To accept and deal with any environmental concerns of our customers • To inform and train CIARA employees with respect to these company principles regarding

the environment

a. End of life management: Include detailed information regarding takeback, recycling and trade

in programs available

CIARA offers several programs that address end of life management. Customer will

pay any fees incurred by CIARA for the items recycled. There will be no recycling fee where C)ARA refurbishes the item. Customer pays freight to C)ARA s Arizona facility.

Takeback / Recycling / Disposal


Type of Equipment to be taken back:

Computers (desktop, notebooks, tablets, servers, etc.)

LAN/WAN hardware

Computer components

Batteries (only those properly installed the unit intended for or packaged

separately)

Printers & other peripherals

Displays (additional fees may apply)

Most other IT-related products, regardless of manufacturer

CIARA will provide a Certificate of Lawful Disposal for the equipment

disposed/recycled and agrees to partner with recycling vendors that are e-Stewards Certified Recyclers and comply with Zero Landfill and Zero Export of (azardous Waste policies. Electronics products shipped to CIARA under our Take-Back program will be

sorted, evaluated for re-use, then either recycled or refurbished for resale.

Refurbished/remanufactured products will be offered to WSCA-eligible

customers first, with a priority given to customers in the state the equipment

was reclaimed from. These projects require additional planning, which must be

in place before the equipment is shipped to CIARA to be recycled. The customer

buying the refurbished systems must agree to the purchase in advance.

Refurbished products placed into stock will be available on a first-come-first-

served basis.

Hard drives and any data storage media will be destroyed in accordance with

Department of Defense standards.

CIARA does not currently offer a trade-in program on computers we

manufacture. Typically, they have no value after 5 to 7 years, except as cores for

refurbishing through takeback. This is due to the fact that we maintain strict

adherence with industry standards, allowing the systems to be upgraded

instead of replaced. This not only offers great savings to the customer, it also

extends the useful life of the systems we manufacture.

Any trade-in program offered by third-party manufactures of products we offer

will be passed-thru to the customer.

b. Environmental solutions: Provide detail on how additional value is provided regarding environmental solutions such as selling refurbished/remanufactured toner and equipment. Outline how your company is willing to work with the State and the manufacturers to minimize impact on the environment. Specifically address:


MATERIALS - manufacturer declaration on reduction / elimination of hazardous materials

i.e.; mercury and lead.

IEEE standard 1680, the basis of the EPEAT registration, calls for the elimination

or reduction of Cadmium, mercury, lead and certain plastics in the manufacture

of desktops and personal computers. As a registered EPEAT manufacturer,

CIARA process calls for adherence to these guidelines, and works with suppliers

who also work within the IEEE Standard 1680.

Vendors are required to submit certifications with their products that declare

their compliance. In addition, CIARA assemblies are designed and tested to

comply with regulatory standards such as UL, cUL, CSA, CE, TUV, NOM, and FCC.

In addition to the EPEAT criteria, CIARA complies with international

environmental directives such as Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE or REACH. CIARA is

an associate member of EPSC, the Electronic Product Stewardship Canada.

PRODUCT – In general how does the responder identify product longevity, percent of

packaging and packing materials that are recycled/reusable, availability of replacement parts

for life extension, cost, and complication to upgrade? C)ARA s use of the highest quality components that maintain industry standards

allow our customers maximum product longevity. Obsolescence is not part of

the CIARA marketing plan; the customer should have more control over

lifecycles. Because we do not implement proprietary architecture or design

elements, the customer has more options, for a longer period of time, for

upgrade and repair parts.

Responsible selection of packaging materials, eliminating whatever is

unnecessary and using more green or environmentally-friendly materials

wherever possible, reduces landfill waste, shipping weight and energy use.

CIARA develops the same technology platforms for markets in North America,

Asia and Europe. Standards for how we select and re-use packaging materials

are determined by the highest common denominator of the market with the most

stringent requirements or standards.

Our customers are invited to share their environmental targets, or consult with

the CIARA Production team to develop a standard, for computer equipment put

into service at their facilities.

We also invite customer involvement through our takeback program; where the

customer returning equipment wishes to direct the sale of the refurbished

product to WSCA-eligible customers in their State; CIARA can manage the entire

process, including on-site services to reduce shipping and packaging costs and

environmental impact.


CORPORATE – detail if company has in place regarding sell/procurement of

refurbished/remanufactured products.

Customers should be encouraged to use refurbished products whenever possible.

Avoiding poor experiences caused by inferior products is an important key to

building and maintaining interest in refurbished product of any type.

CIARA will only offer refurbished products of acceptable quality. Where the

customer expresses concerns about performance or quality CIARA will

encourage select third-party suppliers to provide samples or evaluation units to

the customer.

As part of the Hypertec Group, CIARA is able to work with their sister company,

Hypertec Direct/Systems who refurbishes and remanufacturers CIARA products.

This relationship extends the life cycle of all CIARA products, thus reducing

waste, while offering additional options to our customer.

c. Environmental certifications. Describe how certifications/registrations are identified

on the website; as well as labels on equipment and/or packing list.

Product detail pages on all CIARA websites will identify all applicable

environmental certifications awarded that product, or line of products.

Product descriptions included in quotes and subsequent invoices will also

include environmental certifications.

Labels may be affixed to equipment per customer request or requirement. An

additional cost may apply.

2. EPEAT REGISTRATION. Responder agrees that applicable products offered that have EPEAT

Standards provided under the Master Agreements resulting from this RFP are to have achieved a

minimum EPEAT Bronze registration.


CIARA strives to produce systems that are EPEAT Gold certified. All products will achieve the

minimum of EPEAT Bronze. Products failing to reach design specification will undergo

additional development and testing to meet the design standard of EPEAT Bronze or better.

Please see Exhibits 1 through 6 for more information on EPEAT and other certifications of

CIARA products.

3. TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP. Describe how your company can provide users information to

assist in evaluating the Total Cost of Ownership in utilizing products. E.g. equipment that runs

more efficiently, with less supplies, etc.


CIARA systems are available with different programs and core technologies (as described in

Section 3, Part B, Items 1-5), to offer the customer options for IT and energy management, to

help reduce the cost of operating and supporting the systems they purchase from CIARA.

Understanding & Using Technology

CIARA will configure systems to include customer preferences for energy management

technologies included.

Upon request, CIARA will make training materials (downloads, webinars, conference calls)

available to help the customer gain more understanding on the benefits of energy efficient

technologies and how to deploy these features to best fit their energy management

strategies.

One place to begin a TCO discussion is with a tool Intel makes available online

www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/business-intelligence/pc-total-cost-of-ownership-estimator-

demo.html

From there, the customer is invited to share their TCO goals and technical capabilities to

allow our production engineering team to customize systems to best fit their needs.

Fully Burdened TCO

Most formulas for estimating TCO include initial cost, repairs and maintenance, and the cost

to operate the equipment efficiently. Beyond the use of advanced design, and the

implementation of energy efficient technologies, the primary influence any manufacturer can

have on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) begins with the architecture of the product itself.

CIARA designs technology products around components that are 100% industry standard

and, when applicable, include management technologies such as Energy Star and )ntel s vProTM technology. No attempt is made toward proprietary design unless that design offers a

distinct performance benefit to the customer. An example of this would be the Industrial

Grade High Performance Liquid Cooling System in the CIARA NEXXUS C line of Personal

Clusters.

One of the critical considerations in calculating TCO is the expected life-cycle of the equipment. C)ARA s open design concepts offer our customers a choice when unforeseen circumstances, like software upgrades, make it advantageous (or necessary) to consider new systems. )n many cases, the rip-and-replace approach can be avoided with a simple chip-

swap of the system CPU. This is a viable option on CIARA-built systems because the

motherboard, RAM, power supply and case were selected to support future technology

upgrades. Simply put: Upgrading a CIARA desktop up from an Intel® Core™ i5, to compatible

i7, should be as simple as replacing the processor alone.

These approaches allow CIARA customers more control over their refresh cycles because

CIARA products are not engineered to include planned obsolescence- other than what is

common to all technology products. Adherence to industry standards helps our customers

avoid issues where upgrade components become more difficult to source- simply because

the product was designed toward that end.

4. ENERGY STAR COMPLIANT PRODUCTS. Describe manufacturer commitment to EnergyStar

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/business-intelligence/pc-total-cost-of-ownership-estimator-demo.html

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/business-intelligence/pc-total-cost-of-ownership-estimator-demo.html


Program.


All CIARA products requiring Energy Star certification are tested and the results posted on

www.EnergyStar.gov.

CIARA embraces Energy Star as an important aspect of our efforts to be environmentally

friendly; and to help reduce the total cost of ownership for our customers.

Please see Exhibits 1 through 6 for more information on Energy Star and other certifications of

CIARA products

5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. Describe Product environmental

improvement program for products that have not yet received the applicable standards or

certification. In addition, describe environmental efforts in each of the following areas:

reduction/minimization/avoidance of the use of toxic and hazardous constituents (cadmium,

chromium, mercury, and/or lead); compliance with international directives such as the European

Union’s WEEE Directive on reduction of chlorinated plastics (PVC) and brominated flame retardants.

CIARA strives to produce systems that are EPEAT Gold certified. All products will achieve the

minimum of EPEAT Bronze. Products failing to reach design specification will undergo

additional development and testing to meet the design standard of EPEAT Bronze or better.

Please see Exhibits 1 through 6 for more information on EPEAT and other certifications of

CIARA products.

Our standardized compliance process includes to have all CIARA platforms designed and

tested to comply with regulatory standards such as UL, cUL, CSA, CE, TUV, NOM, FCC and

international environmental directive such as EPEAT, Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE or REACH.

CIARA is an associate member or EPSC, the Electronic Product Stewardship Canada.

Back to Top


C. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: QUALIFICATIONS

1. COMPANY HISTORY. Responders must provide a brief history and description of their company

detailing how they will support this Master Agreement:

CIARA’s Response

CIARA Technologies USA (CIARA) is the manufacturing arm of Hypertec Group, a leading

provider of technology products and services. Hypertec Group consists of four strategic

divisions that serve more than 3,000 customers in over 60 countries.

Hypertec Direct – provides customers access to over 130,000 IT and software products, all of which are readily available to the company s global customers via its websites and technical

sales support teams.

Hypertec Systems – is a Value Added Reseller (VAR) and systems integrator that provides

customers with a full range of computing products, consulting expertise and after-sales

service.

Hypertec BCDR – provides business continuity and disaster recovery services

CIARA Technologies - an information systems manufacturer that specializes in the concept,

design, development, integration and manufacturing of technology products.

For more than a decade, CIARA has been a key supplier to government agencies across

Canada. CIARA Technologies USA was added to the Hypertec Group network in 2006 with

the establishment of its USA headquarters in Arizona. This US presence is expanding in

2014 with the addition of a 150,000 square foot configuration & recycling center, and

distribution warehouse which will serve all US based customers.

How Ciara Will Support this Master Agreement

Offering Manufacturing and Distributing from US based Facilities: CIARA Technologies USA

will support all Participating States customers by distributing its desktops, laptops, tablets

and servers out of the US Headquarters in Arizona.

Sales Support: CIARA Technologies USA will appoint a WSCA Sales Manager who will lead a

team of dedicated technical sales support personnel available for servicing and processing

customer orders during normal business hours (8 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday). Customers

will have access to service and technical personnel 24/7, emergency shipments, and on-site

technical staff within 24 hours.

CIARA is strategically increasing its sales force across the US, and will continue to add

support as the Participating States are identified.

Facilities. Responders must indicate number and location of manufacturing plants, distribution

outlets, and support centers, as appropriate. Provide information on facility production volume in

http://www.hypertec.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=71





Calendar Year 2012. Please indicate which facilities have been ISO 14001 certified.

Manufacturing and Distribution Outlets

CIARA Technologies has two manufacturing and stocking locations:

The Global Headquarters is located in Saint-Laurent, Canada. The state of the art 350,000 sq.

ft. manufacturing and distribution facility serves as the main hub for manufacturing and

distribution across Canada.

The US Headquarters is located in Arizona. Arizona hosts two separate facilities: the US Sales

and Technical Support Teams in Scottsdale, and the Distribution Center that is in

development in Tempe, Arizona. The Distribution Center will boast over 150,000 sq. ft. of

manufacturing and distribution space, and will be completed by summer 2014.

The construction plans for the plant include 5 dock bays, technical support facilities, 50,000

sq. ft. of secured component parts inventory space, and 25,000 sq. ft. dedicated to the testing

and assembly of CIARA product. All CIARA products shipping to US based customers will be

supported at this US Central warehouse facility.

In addition, Sales Support Centers are located in Boston and Florida and Field Engineers

available for dispatch across the United States.

Facility Production Volume

Since its inception in 1984, CIARA Technologies has increased its sales steadily, becoming

the largest supplier of integrated systems in Canada. CIARA is able to produce over 900,000

units per year, with that capacity growing in 2014 when the US manufacturing plant is

completed.

In 2012, CIARA Technologies shipped 95,234 units to North American customers and a total

of 120,000 units worldwide. These sales include $20,000,000 worth of customized and off

the shelf desktops, laptops, tablets and servers,

Both distribution points are, or will be, ISO14001 certified, as well as ISO 9001 and 13485.

The Canadian facility is also CTPAT registered.

Personnel. Responders must include a map or other documentation that indicates by state the number and

type of sales, support personnel, or other resources that are employed to service purchase orders and/or

equipment for non-federal governmental customers.

For sales and marketing, CIARA will launch the new WSCA MPA with a team of 12


salespeople, 3 sales/contract supervisors, a marketing specialist, two sales

assistants/trainees and a WSCA Contract manager.

The market will be divided into 6 regions, with teams of sales and contract specialists

assigned to each.

Technical Services will have two technical specialists and a production consultant to assist

customers with value added services integration (e.g. imaging, asset tagging, etc.)

Onsite dispatches, if needed, will be deployed through the same partner network CIARA

currently employs to support our customers across North America, Europe, Asia and other

markets CIARA is present in.

Customers will have the full support of the accounting and logistics teams; including credit,

supply chain and other specialists; from CIARA and its parent organization, Hypertec

Group.

Please see map: Exhibit 7

Please see technical competencies: Exhibit 11

Please see resumes: Resumes Tab

Organization. Responders must include an organization chart and a thorough narrative describing how the

Master Agreement will be supported from senior management down to field technicians including the use of

any wholly owned subsidiaries or subcontractors.

The CIARA Technologies senior management is dedicated to providing the highest level of

customer service, quality production and service available. CIARA achieves this by

working closely with its parent and sister companies, as well as by hiring only the highest

skilled technicians and support staff.

The customer will normally interact with a single point of contact at CIARA, the account

representative assigned to them. This person will be fully trained to assist the customer in

most transactions and customer support activities; and be empowered with 100% of the

resources needed to uphold the high level of support CIARA customers are accustomed to. These may include resources from C)ARA s sister companies within (ypertec Group. The account representative will be backed by an immediate supervisor, trained to help

solve contract, sales and support issues, the WSCA contract manager, accounting

specialists and the technical support and production planning staff.

Technical Services Specialists will be supervised by the Technical Services Manager, to

provide complete coordination and improved communication.

Where onsite services are required, CIARA deploys industry certified technicians via a

world-wide network of services providers. The same network we deploy to support

customers in Europe, Asia and other markets CIARA serves around the world.

The WSCA contract manager will have immediate oversight with the Vice President of

CIARA Technologies USA being the final decision-maker. CIARA minimizes the number of

layers a customer must climb through to solve any issue.

Please see organizational charts: Exhibit 8


2. CONTRACT VENDOR RESPONSIBILITY. Contract Vendors shall be responsible for

successful performance of the Master Agreement and also for the successful performance of any

and all of their partners. The Contract Vendor is to be the sole point of contact as applicable by

Master Agreement with regard to contractual matters, payment of any and all charges resulting

from the purchase of the equipment and maintenance of the equipment for the term of the Master

Agreement unless otherwise specified by a Participating State in a Participating Addendum

and/or the Master Agreement.

The Contract Vendor must be able to receive, process, and invoice orders unless the Participating

State has agreed to assign these functions to a partner. The Contract Vendors will be responsible

for compliance with requirements under the Master Agreement, even if requirements are

delegated to partners. The Contract Vendors and partners must not in any way represent

themselves in the name of the Lead State, WSCA-NASPO or Participating States.


As a contract vender, CIARA will be responsible for the performance of the Master

Agreement and will be the sole contact for all payments, maintenance and execution of the

Master Agreement. Any exceptions specified by Participating States will be honored and

noted in an addendum to either the Master Agreement or Participating Addendums, as

required

3. PARTNER UTILIZATION. If utilizing partners, the Contract Vendor is responsible for the

partners providing products and services, as well as warranty service and maintenance for

equipment the partner provides. Each state represented by WSCA-NASPO that chooses to

participate in this Master Agreement independently has the option of utilizing partners. Only

partners approved by the Participating State may be deployed. The participating State will define

the process to add and remove partners in their participating addendum.

If partners are proposed, describe:

• process to qualify partners and sales personnel to represent the product.

• business relationship between partners and the manufacturer and services to be performed;

for example, if partners will only be used for assistance in locating products/services; or if

partners will be used to accept orders and payments (with the agreement of the Participating

State).

• how partners are certified


• how partners are contractually bound to the Master Agreement terms and conditions; and

how partner sales will be accurately tracked and reported.

• Remedy plan if the partner or sales personnel are not in compliance.


CIARA will recruit partners whenever it raises the level of service for the customer, or where

the customer has an existing relationship and requests the third-party be involved.

All partnerships will be in adherence with the Master Agreement and applicable

Participating Addendum.

Process to Qualify Partners

CIARA will qualify partners based on the following criteria:

Industry relevant certifications

Background checks as required

References from other customers

Interview process with CIARA engineers and product managers

Approval of the Participating Addendum Administrator (or their designee)

Partners will be reviewed through customer satisfaction surveys and any feedback offered

by the customer.

A partner may be removed by either the Participating Addendum Administrator (or their

designee), or CIARA.

Business Relationship with Partners

CIARA Sales Management Team will determine the level of involvement by the qualifying

partner based on the needs of the customers in that territory or the requirements of the

Participating States.

Responsibilities of the partner may include:

Supplying technical on-site assistance

Identifying sales opportunities

Working as a liaison between the customer and the CIARA Technologies USA

headquarters, in

Arizona.

How Partners will be Bound to Agreement


All partnerships will be required to be in adherence with the Master Agreement and

applicable Participating Addendum.

This adherence will be monitored closely by quarterly internal reviews conducted by the

WSCA Government Contract Sales Manager. These reviews will include: evaluation of

customer satisfaction surveys, sales volume goals, returned or rejected systems, and number

of on-site repair calls.

In the rare instance of a partner not being in compliance, the WSCA Contract manager may

visit the territory and follow up with customers to bring resolution to any complaints of non-

performance. The partner, and WSCA contract officer(s) for the state(s) involved, will receive

a written explanation of the results of this visit and a detailed plan of action which must be

agreed upon before they are allowed to continue to represent CIARA. Any partner that

remains non-compliant will be removed from the approved partners list, and may be

replaced with another certified partner.

4. EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES OVERVIEW. Describe ability to provide computer equipment

and the services related to supporting the equipment. Include an overview of how the equipment is

delivered and serviced. Thoroughly describe offerings and the ability to provide these services

(not all services may be applicable to each band):

CIARA manufactures an award winning line of technology products for markets across North America, Europe and Asia. )t is C)ARA s mission to provide information technology products,

services, and solutions of the highest quality, focused on delivering the best customer

experience to the market.

Overview

Manufacturing: CIARA currently boasts more than three-hundred-thousand (300,000) sq ft

of manufacturing space, including 24 production lines, in Canada. With our new Arizona

facility opening in 2014, our manufacturing capacity will increase greatly, allowing CIARA to

remain comfortably ahead of the demand for high-quality technology products our planned

growth will generate.

Customers choosing CIARA have selected a technology integrator with nearly three decades

of manufacturing experience; placing a high-level of emphasis on quality, reliability and

lifecycle; all key considerations in the determination of Total Cost of Ownership.

CIARA manufacturing capabilities include:

365 days 24 hour energy redundant facility

8,000 systems per day capacity (planned to increase with the opening of the AZ

facility)

GREEN environment (RoHS / WEEE compliance)

Reduced total cost of ownership emphasis

ISO 9001:2008

ISO 14001:2004

C-TPAT Registered


RoHS, REACH and WEEE compliant

Quality: Our commitment to quality workmanship and efficient business operations are

governed by its compliance to ISO 9001-2000, ISO14001 and ISO 13485-2003 (Medical).

This ensures customers receive highly reliable products and services that meet or exceed

industry expectations.

Logistics: CIARA is a C-TPAT registered company. This benefits our customer by eliminating

customs delays where manufacturing could be performed at our Canadian facility for

customers in the USA. We offer a team of dedicated logistics specialists; shipping from 14

loading docks via ground, air or rail in Canada alone; to ensure your single item, or

container-sized order, is delivered on schedule and without additional shipping delay. An added benefit of C)ARA s C-TPAT registered status will be an ability to source distribution

outlets throughout North America in support of our customer s needs. Services

CIARA offers a full range of services to our customers, deployed by the CIARA Technical

Services Department and extended through a network of CIARA authorized partners and

service providers.

Services include, but are not limited to:

Support

Maintenance

Warranty – Break Fix – Non-Warranty

Whether the customer chooses to utilize CIARA on-site services, or has the technical

capability to handle repair services in-house, CIARA has warranty options available.

All CIARA systems come with a standard 3 year limited warranty, against defects, on all

CIARA desktop, workstation, notebook and server products. CIARA tablets include a 1 year

limited depot warranty. Damage is not covered under the base warranties.

Customers with staff qualified to perform repairs may choose to become CIARA Factory

Certified and receive parts-only support. This option will apply to all systems purchased for

any site identified as CIARA Factory Certified. Standard overnight freight out, as well as

shipping for the return of defective parts, is included. Customer is liable for all freight costs

incurred through incorrect troubleshooting & diagnostics.

Customers opting for on-site services provided by CIARA will have the option, at time of

purchase, to include coverage for a period of one to five years. Standard onsite is NBD

response and included overnight shipping on any components necessary to facilitate repairs.

Warranty extensions are available at each level. CIARA also offers service agreements for

third-party desktops, workstations, notebooks, servers and printers.

On-site Service Requests


Requests for service and any subsequent dispatches will be handled by C)ARA s in-house

technical services department. Dispatch, as required, will be provided through a national

network of Certified CIARA service providers. In all cases CIARA will manage the service

activity and follow-up.

CIARA will provide a toll-free number and web page for service requests. During the initial

response by CIARA Technical Services a service case will be opened and tracking number

issued. A link to the CIARA Technical Services website will be emailed to the person

reporting the service issue. This link connects the customer to a web page displaying

current status of the service case and allows them to share the information with the people

they designate for updates.

The CIARA Technical Services representative the customer speaks with initially will be

trained to handle the issue to the customer s satisfaction. Where any case requires escalation the customer will be required to talk with no more than one additional member of

the CIARA Technical Services team. The customer always has the option of escalating the

service case by asking to speak to a senior technician or service manager.

Once the issue is diagnosed, a technician will be scheduled, with priority, and replacement

parts will be shipped for next-day arrival. Shipping cut-off times apply and any parts

shipped after cut-off will arrive on the second business day.

CIARA will follow-up on repair activities within ten working days of the close of the service

request as a matter of quality assurance and to solicit feedback from the customer.

Value-add Services for All Bands

Asset Tagging

Image Loading & Consulting

Onsite Training

Recycling / Disposal

Staging/Deployment

CIARA offers many services to help our customers optimize the use and management of their

technology infrastructure.

Value-add Services such as asset tagging, image loading, image consulting and

staging/deployment planning will insure a smooth start to the lifecycle of new technology

purchases from CIARA.

Asset Tagging


Asset tags can be applied to each system as part of the production process. A report will be

provided to the customer to cross-match the CIARA serial number from each system, to the

asset tag applied.

Image Loading & Consulting The customer can provide an image, specify a generic image to match the customer s current licensing requirements, or work with C)ARA s production management to design a custom image to suite the customer s needs. Onsite Training

CIARA encourages our customers to get the most value out of the investment they make in technology. Where training is requested C)ARA s Customer Support Team will help design and quote a training program to fit the customer s need. Recycling / Disposal

Type of Equipment to be taken back:

Computers (desktop, notebooks, tablets, servers, etc.)

LAN/WAN hardware

Computer components

Batteries (only those properly installed the unit intended for or packaged separately)

Printers & other peripherals

Displays (additional fees may apply)

Most other IT-related products, regardless of manufacturer

CIARA will provide a Certificate of Lawful Disposal for the equipment disposed/recycled and

agrees to partner with recycling vendors that are e-Stewards Certified Recyclers and comply with Zero Landfill and Zero Export of (azardous Waste policies. Electronics products shipped to CIARA under our Take-Back program will be sorted,

evaluated for re-use, then either recycled or refurbished for resale.

Hard drives and any data storage media will be destroyed in accordance with Department of

Defense standards.

Staging & Deployment

CIARA, as stated above, offers a very high-level of logistics expertise to our customers.

Combining this service with our ability to place technical personnel wherever our customer

requires, CIARA can offer staging & deployment services for any project, regardless of scale.

Custom Services for Server Band & Clusters


System and Server Configuration

Rack and Stack Configuration

Custom Service Solutions

Standard configuration choices for servers, advanced workstations and clustered systems are

available.

Services like Rack & Stack, wide-scale refresh activities including removal of old gear for

disposal, as well as any other project or need the customer has; are available from CIARA.

Please contact your sales representative with a project outline.

Custom services are also available. Customers are encouraged to engage our sales team with

their needs, goals and ideas; to utilize the manufacturing resource CIARA represents.

Whether the project is highly-customized system design, logistical challenges or any other

special project or service need, CIARA can provide the technical, management and

engineering expertise necessary to complete any IT project the customer offers as an

opportunity.

5. REFERENCES. Submit five (5) examples of current or previous states or other larger

governmental entities and/or large educational institutions that have or are currently receiving

similar products and services to those proposed by the Responder for this solicitation. List any

contracts where the responder has been awarded a statewide price agreement for computer

equipment by a central purchasing authority. These must be for Contracts that have been in place

during the past three years. The information required in response to this specification should

include the name and telephone number of the Contract Administrator, the dollar value of the

Contract, plus the effective dates of the contract(s). The State reserves the right to contact these

entities.

Please reference Exhibit 9.

6. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. Describe success in customer satisfaction. This could include

current customer satisfaction statistics or survey results concerning the quality of the Products

and services offered.

C)ARA invests many resources into preventing problems on the customer s side of our business. We understand that this saves us money across all aspects of our business:

Customer acquisition

Operational costs

Labor costs

Customer confidence

CIARA solicits feedback from our customers in key areas. These include:

1. The account representative


2. Shipping accuracy

3. Billing accuracy

4. Support performance & expediency

5. Plans to continue utilizing CIARA

Without excellence in these areas we cannot expect customers to rely on CIARA for their

needs, nor trust us to help them develop plans for future growth and expansion.

For the WSCA MPA, CIARA will solicit surveyed feedback from each customer ordering from

us during a reporting period. We will also survey those customers we quoted, but did not

win the order. Open and constant communication is a key part of C)ARA s strategy to grow our business, with government and education customers, using WSCA as our vehicle of choice.

Please see recent customer satisfaction survey results: Exhibit 10

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D. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS: CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND

MASTER AGREEMENT MANAGEMENT

1. ORDERING AND PAYMENT PROCESS. The ordering and payment process for Products or Services is

to be defined in the Participating Addendum. This process may be unique to each State.

Ciara’s Response: Understands and will be compliant

CIARA Technologies USA, Inc. (CIARA) intends to simplify any customer process where it is

possible and reasonable to accommodate the needs of the customer

2. SALES SUPPORT TRAINING. Detail how the responder will train sales staff and partners to ensure

they are well versed in the terms and conditions of the WSCA-NASPO Master Agreement. Detail a remedy

plan for sales staff and partners who do not comply with Master Agreement terms and conditions.


The CIARA Contract Manager has three years of experience with the WSCA PC contract and

will oversee all training and compliance assurance.


The CIARA WSCA sales team (including partners, if any) will spend the 30 days prior to

launch familiarizing themselves with the WSCA contract terms and conditions, the contract s relationship to other WSCA tech contacts (such as telecom), company policies regarding sales

via WSCA, and their territorial assignments (identifying eligible customers within their

territory). CIARA employees involved in pre-launch training will be expected to grow to become team leaders, contributing to the training and guidance of new hires as the C)ARA s WSCA sales team grows.

Training

New hires for the WSCA team will have training included in their initial two-week new

employee training.

Initial training will cover:

Relationship between the MPA and the Participating Addendums, the Terms & Conditions defined by each, and how those two documents enable C)ARA s sales and service activities. The PSS, contracted discounts and compliant methods for offering added value to the

customer.

Reporting requirements and how internal audits relate to continued involvement with C)ARA s WSCA contracts.

Creating compliant quotes for customers and how that document relates to the PSS and

compliance

Simulated quotes, orders, communications and other activities related to servicing the WSCA

contract.

Once they complete their initial training they will join a WSCA sales team where their Team

Lead will monitor their performance and see to their ongoing training.

New partners will be given training materials to read and required to attend a webinar or

teleconference for questions and answers. They will then be required to pass an interview

with the CIARA Contract Manager, prior to signing any agreement with CIARA regarding

WSCA.

Oversight

It is important that all personnel understand the purpose of the limitations outlined by the

WSCA contract. A weekly contract meeting will be held to compare notes and other

information that might help strengthen proficiency across the team. Partners will be required

to attend at least one meeting per month, either in person or by phone.

The best way to remedy any problem is to avoid it in the first place. Quoted pricing will

always originate from the same data that produces the Products & Services Schedule. No

manual product entries will be permitted by account representatives or partners. Where the

product is listed on the PSS but not available through the quote module, the WSCA Contract


Manager, WSCA Team Lead, or other authorized manager will manually insert the product

into the quote. The WSCA Contract Manager will be notified and correct the issue as needed.

Where a product is not listed, the team member creating the quote will be instructed to

request the Contract Manager add the product at the earliest opportunity. The Contract

Manager will either accept their request, or reject it and explain why (product is out of scope,

not authorized, discontinued, etc.).

Statistics will be gathered during the self-audit processes and team members will be scored

on how many back/change-orders they create, as well as any potential compliance issues they

are responsible for.

Remediation

Should any member of the CIARA WSCA team be non-compliant in their performance, the

employee and their immediate supervisor will be required to discuss the issue with the WSCA

Contract Manager to learn reason for the non-compliance, ensure familiarity with CIARA

processes and policies, and to reinforce C)ARA s desire to be % compliant. The supervisor and employee will be emailed an Incident Summary.

All Incident Summaries will be filed and used to evaluate the employee for a period of one

year from the date of the incident.

A repeat incident, involving either the same employee or immediate supervisor within 90

days of the first incident, will result in a meeting involving the two parties plus a senior

manager and the WSCA Contract Manager. Again, the issue will be discussed to learn reason

for the repeated non-compliance, ensure familiarity with CIARA processes and policies, and to reinforce C)ARA s desire to be % compliant. The employees will be notified that any non-

compliance issue involving either party may result in them being barred from involvement

with WSCA customers under the CIARA agreement.

Where an employee has numerous compliance issues and demonstrates a lack of ability or

willingness to prevent further incidents, they will be removed from the WSCA team.

Willful violation of any part of the contract will be grounds for termination of employment.

3. CONTRACTING PERSONNEL. Responder must provide contracting personnel to assist states with the

completing and processing Participating Addenda. Experience has shown that an adequate number of

trained contracting personnel are key to the success of a Master Agreement. Detail how many personnel

will be dedicated to provide support to States in securing Participating Addendums with contracting

personnel who understand the cooperative purchasing concepts and challenges of signing participating

addendums with States who have a variety of additional terms and conditions. Detail how the Contract

personnel are chosen and provided training.

Ciara’s Response: Meets, understands, and will be compliant

The CIARA Contract Manager has negotiated Participation Addendums and Partner

Agreements within the scope of a WSCA MPA, and is aware of the flexibility that a


Participating State/Entity has available through their Participating Addendum. (e.g. leasing

or product restrictions and variances to per-unit prices within a band)

CIARA, through corporate relationships with other holdings of Hypertec Group, has a deep

well of resources for contracting with government entities. These will include contract

specialists and a legal team.

Sales Support Personnel

WSCA Sales Team Leads will be chosen based on past experience with government contracting, other relevant experience and their ability to adapt to changes in the rules of engagement in sales. Upon award CIARA will implement a training program, specific to the WSCA MPA, to

familiarize the WSCA Team with the MPA and Participating Addendum. Training will be led by the WSCA Contract Manager and members of C)ARA s legal and contracting team. WSCA Team Leads (3), the Operations Manager, Sales Managers (2) and the Vice President overseeing C)ARA s US operations will attend these training sessions.

Sales staff will use the actual Participating Addendums from the current contract as study

materials, to demonstrate the potential for conflicting regulations and the legal imperative

CIARA faces to remain compliant.

At launch, CIARA will have a team of 8 leads and managers familiar with the process of

negotiating and executing Participating Addendums. An internal website, available to all

WSCA Team members for customer service purposes, will be available to all members of

the WSCA Team. This portal will offer basic information on the customer and list any

limitations included in the applicable Participating Addendums.

In order to service all participating states effectively, CIARA employs a regional sales

support territory strategy that calls for a lead sales support person and a technical support

person to represent different regions throughout the US.

Please reference Exhibit 7

4. PRIMARY ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE. Responders must provide a Primary Account

Representative to work with the WSCA-NASPO Master Agreement Administrator on all aspects of the

Master Agreement. This account representative is responsible for the performance of the Master

Agreement and must provide timely response to all requests from WSCA-NASPO Master Agreement and

Participating State. Detail how the account representative is chosen and provided training.

Ciara will assign Mr. Mark Bradley as the WSCA Contract Manager reference Mr. Bradley s enclosed resume for a summary of experience). Mr. Bradley has years of experience in

managing top producing sales teams, working with government contracts, and developing

national sales strategies.

Primary Contact: Mr. Mark Bradley, WSCA Contract Manager

E-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Phone: (480) 626-9000, extension 4218

Cell: (602) 487-3665

5. COMPLAINT RESOLUTION. Responders must thoroughly describe their procedures for addressing and

resolving customer problems and complaints regarding service, equipment, or billing. Include timelines

and escalation process.

In keeping with our management structure, every CIARA account representative will be empowered to handle issues on behalf of the customer. Provided is C)ARA s Complaint Resolution process for service, equipment, and billing along with the timelines to respond

based on the severity of the issue or anomaly.

Complaint Resolution

Customer/Consumer Point of Entry

Customers may either call a toll-free number or e-mail [email protected] for

assistance with service, equipment, and billing, or reach support directly through the

website, www.CIARA-tech.com/contact-en.html.

Note: CIARA is an international manufacturer and supplier, and remains committed to

assisting customers and consumers who speak languages other than English and

Spanish. CIARA employs representatives who, in addition to speaking English, can also

support customers speaking Spanish, French, German, Swahili, and Mandarin.

Initial Report

Upon initial report of any customer concern, a Customer Service ticket will be opened on the

CIARA Technical Services web site. The nature of the issue (accounting, service, order

accuracy, HR, etc.) will be defined and a detailed description of the issue will be entered and

time-stamped.

Responding to Equipment Service Complaints

When possible, CIARA works to resolve equipment related complaints immediately. In the

event of equipment failure or technical issues, the CIARA information technology specialist

performs an analysis by phone with the caller. If the issue is resolved during the initial call,

the ticket is closed. (Calls of this nature are the most common. Approximately 90% of

problems and complaints are resolved during the first level of technical support.) If the

issue needs to be escalated, the ticket and the caller are transferred to the second level agent

to perform an in-depth analysis and resolution.

Each department, regardless of the nature of the issue, will be notified and have visibility to

all information entered as the complaint is worked toward a resolution. As applicable,

departments will offer information to help resolve the issue, or take corrective action and

report back to the account representative.

http://www.ciara-tech.com/contact-en.html


The account representative will be responsible for all responses to the customer, other than

when the complaint concerns the actions of the account representative. In that circumstance,

the following procedure is followed:

Where the complaint concerns the actions of the account representative, the complaint

will be sent to the Contract Manager, Sales Manager responsible for the account

representative and HR. The responsible Sales Manager will handle the response to the

customer and implementation of any corrective action taken.

The WSCA Contact Manager will be responsible for ensuring open issues are resolved in a

timely manner and that follow-up surveys are sent to the customer.

Most second level issues will be resolved in one to three business days. Where they are not,

the issue may be escalated, at the request of the customer, or where the account

representative determines escalation to be the necessary next step in resolving the

complaint.

Escalation

Where the account representative is unable to solve the issue the matter will be turned over

to the WSCA Contract Manager.

Where the WSCA Contract Manager is unable to solve the issue within two business days the

issue will be escalated to the Vice President of CIARA Technologies USA, Inc. Once the

anomaly has been fixed, the ticket is closed and the customer/consumer receives a customer

service satisfaction survey requesting feedback about customer service.

6. REPORTING. Describe how Contract Vendor adheres to reporting requirements as stated in the Terms

and Conditions and ensure accurate reporting to each State. The goals of reporting include:

1) Summary Reporting to calculate Administrative Fees to WSCA-NASPO and as required by

Participating Entities

2) Detailed Product Reporting to manage contract to WSCA-NASPO and as required by Participating

Entities


To ensure compliance to all reporting requirements, Ciara adopts the following report

generation procedures:

As part of the scheduled reporting processes Ciara will assemble detailed data on all orders

placed and invoices issued

All sales activity detail will be sorted by state, customer, date of invoice and PO number

Transactional data falling on or between the first and last dates of the reporting period will

be included in the report


A pre-defined fee factor, per the entity demanding the report, will be multiplied by the amount in each line under the column named Total Price

That result will be entered on the line, under the column named Admin Fee

At the bottom of the report the columns for Total Price and Admin Fee will be totaled respectively. The total for the Total Price column will be multiplied by the pre-defined fee factor, and that amount will be compared to the total for the Admin Fee column as a cross-

check

If the amounts match the report is issued. If they do not match, the report will be

examined to find the cause of the discrepancy

Report will be output in the format defined under the Master Agreement, or to a different

layout, if defined by the Participating Addendum

All reports will be archived. For the life of the contract, plus any additional required

length of time

All reports will be delivered to the demanding entity as specified in the Master Agreement

or Participating Addendum

The main contact person designated will be Mark Bradley, 480-626-9000, x4218

7. COMMERCIAL OFF THE SHELF AND OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE. Upon request the

Software License Agreement is to be presented to the ordering agency at the time of quote. Provide

updated releases of licenses originally purchased through the entire contract term if applicable. Provide

details regarding operating system and maintenance updates on products sold and detail process to

communicate updates to users.


All Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) and Operating System software license

information is available to the customer upon request. This includes updates to earlier

license versions.

All security patches and service updates are provided by the publisher and delivered

online. Revisions or version upgrades would not be included in most cases.

Update schedules are controlled by the customer. Systems can be enabled to update

automatically as updates are available, or on a pre-set schedule.

Updates for servers can be enabled similarly or, in some cases, the customer s )T Management may install management software (sometimes integrated with network

and desktop security) to manage vulnerabilities and patches/updates. This approach is


preferred where the customer has COTS software from multiple publishers and wants

better management and oversight of updates.

8. WEBSITE. Describe commitment to maintaining a website in adherence to the items provided below.

Vendors shall develop and maintain a URL to a web site specific to the awarded Master Agreement

that MAY provide:

Copy of Solicitation & Response

Signed Master Agreement

Signed Participating Addendums

Designated Baseline price list (MSRP, List, Education)

Product and Service Schedule (PSS)

Product specifications, pricing, and configuration aids for the major product categories

proposed that can be used to obtain an on-line quote,

Online ordering capability with the ability to remember multiple ship to locations if

applicable to product

Service options, service agreements

Contact information for order placement, service concerns (warranty and maintenance),

problem reporting, and billing concerns

Sales representatives for participating entities

Purchase order tracking

Links to environmental certification, including but not limited to take-back/recycling

programs, EPEAT, Energy Star, etc.

Information on accessibility and accessible products

If elements of the website require a secure log-in, Responder to provide listing of item that would

require a secure sign-in option e.g. reprinting of invoices, or purchase order tracking.

THE REQUESTED WCAG VPAT APPLIES TO THE RESPONDER’S WEBSITE TO BE OFFERED UNDER THE CONTRACT. Responder to provide completed VPAT forms found in the FORMS section

of the RFP.

The Master Agreement website shall offer twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week

availability, except for regularly scheduled maintenance times. The website must be separate from

the Contract Vendor’s commercially available (i.e., public) on-line catalog and ordering systems.

No other items or pricing may be shown on the website without written approval from the Lead State

Within 30 calendar days of Master Agreement award, the Contract Vendor must provide a sample

URL of the Master Agreement webpage to the Lead State for review and approval. The Lead State

will review and determine acceptability of the website format and data. If the information is

determined to be unacceptable or incorrect, the Contract Vendor will have 15 calendar days to

provide revisions to the Lead State. Once the website is approved, the Contract Vendor may not make

material changes to the website without notifying the Lead State and receiving written approval of the

changes.


Ciara’s Response: Meets, understands, & will be compliant

CIARA will develop and maintain a separate URL to a secure website that will reflect the

Master Agreement. This website will include password protected areas as well as public facing

pages. This website will be separate from any of the Hypertec Group websites, and will exclusively feature products eligible under C)ARA s WSCA Master Agreement. This website will be maintained by internal CIARA staff, and will be available 24/7 with limited

down time for updates or service. CIARA will provide a sample of the website within 30 days

after award of contract for review.

Secure Pages

Items that would require a secure login will be those where customer information must be

handled. These may include:

Creation of a quote

Processing of an order

Updating/Adding customer info

Review of customer purchase history and documents

Completed VPAT Forms

Completed VPAT forms are included with the other forms located in Section 2.

8. EMARKETCENTER. The Contractor agrees to cooperate with WSCA-NASPO and SciQuest (and any

authorized agent or successor entity to SciQuest) with uploading a hosted catalog or integrating a

punchout site. Review the eMarket Center requirements provided on next page and confirm adherence.

Ciara’s Response: Meets and understands

CIARA has reviewed the eMarket Center requirements. CIARA will adhere to the

requirements.

9. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND MARKETING METHODOLOGY. Describe a thorough

implementation rollout plan for the first year as part of the proposal. At a minimum, the response

should include a description of the methodology (mailings, meetings, seminars, press releases,

personal contacts) proposed, estimated dates and location of activities, including tasks to be performed

and the timeframe for the completion of each task. Include sample rollout and follow-up marketing

materials with their proposals. Responders are reminded that once a statewide participating addendum

is in place, nearly every governmental entity, public school and university within the state may use the


Contract Vendor’s Master Agreement.


Since 1984, CIARA, as part of the Hypertec Group of companies, has been involved with

rolling out new offerings to markets worldwide. The CIARA team of marketing and sales

professionals work together to provide quality CIARA products and services to our customers

around the globe.

Methodology

For the states participating in the WSCA Agreement, CIARA will implement a roll-out plan*

utilizing all available communication technologies, including:

Email

Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Mazree, Reddit, Instagram, etc.)

Microsites

Newsletters (including product literature)

Telephone

Webinars

*If permitted, marketing (without sales promotions or pricing) will commence earlier than the

effective date of the MPA.

CIARA will create a series of releases, webinars and microsites to support all marketing

activities. Releases and webinars will either be linked to or embedded in the microsites and

any posts to social media. The themes for the microsites will be based on:

WSCA Advantages

CIARA Capabilities

Total Cost of Ownership

CIARA Team Introductions

Each communication will include a link to the CIARA WSCA website.

Two contact lists will be created; one for state-level contract officials; another for targeted

customer contacts at WSCA-eligible entities.

There will be two marketing phases: Initial introduction, followed by the customer-focused

efforts that will be implemented through the end of the first year.

Initial Introduction

This phase begins with an introduction to the state-level contact for the WSCA contract. Each

person will be contacted by phone and introduced to CIARA. An inquiry into a Participation


Addendum for that state will be made and marketing materials emailed to them in order to enable them to share information about C)ARA s WSCA offering. Other Objectives of Initial Contact are:

Learn more about how the customer plans to utilize and share access to WSCA

Request referrals to C-level IT decision makers, or any state-level IT consortiums that

set standards or write purchasing guidelines.

Follow up activities will be scheduled twice per month. These may be to call and ask for

clarifications or additional information, or to share more info about CIARA as a technology

partner.

Time To Complete: Three weeks after launch

Customer Focused Efforts

After the state-level WSCA contact has been made, efforts will turn to entities eligible to use

the contract in that state. WSCA Sales team members will begin calling on customers within

their area of specialty; K12, HED, Local and State.

The effort with customers will be to begin working relationships where we demonstrate C)ARA s willingness to be a reliable source of industry information. Primary objective will be

to demonstrate the value of CIARA as a vendor and inspire the customer to contact the state and request access to C)ARA s WSCA offering. Where a PA is already in place, the conversation will be more focused on opportunities to

meet influencers, project managers, and other drivers of purchasing, and to demonstrate the

value of CIARA-built technology products.

Additionally, where a PA is in place, any authorized employee purchasing program will be

marketed as well.

Marketing directed to customers will be an ongoing process that will adapt to market

conditions and customer attitudes over time.

Time To Complete: 1 Attempt per 10 business days until completed

Marketing Efforts after Initial Contact

The WSCA sales representative will make contact with each customer/department they are

responsible for, at a minimum of once every 15 business days. These contacts may be a phone call or personalized email contact. )nformation about C)ARA s WSCA offering will be


shared and questions asked about current or future projects where CIARA might be of

assistance to the customer.

Message Delivery

Electronic communications will each be linked back to a landing page (microsite) dedicated to

a single marketing message that matches the topic/theme of the email or tweet the customer

clicked in from. Customers that click through to the microsite will be given the information

they expect to receive with no other content pushed.

Customers interested in learning more about CIARA will have links to additional information

available on the microsites they visit.

10. ECOMMERCE. Thoroughly describe the ability or commitment to accept and process purchase

orders electronically, as well as online payment via a purchase card. The ability to provide electronic

funds transfer and/or a seamless electronic interface to governmental accounting systems should be

thoroughly described.

Ciara’s Response: Understands and will be compliant

CIARA is fully capable of implementing purchases in any standard manner. These include

the ability to use credit cards, bank transfers, purchase orders delivered electronically and

other methods.

The in-house CIARA IT Department is capable of creating punch-outs and other interfaces

necessary to support the customer. Customers desiring such an interface should consult

CIARA for evaluation and potential implementation. CIARA may not agree to adopt every

request for a payment interface, but will always strive to make working with CIARA as

simple a process as possible, for all sides.

11. EMPLOYEE PURCHASE PROGRAM. Employee purchase programs are within the scope of this

procurement. If provided for by an Entity's Participating Addendum, the Contractor may offer

discounted products, within the scope of the contract, to employees of that WSCA participating entity

as Individual Liable (IL) accounts ("Employee Purchase Program"). This may include, but not limited

to Bring Your Own Devise (BYOD) programs. All terms and conditions, related to the Employee

Purchase Program will be detailed in the entities Participating Addendum.

CIARA is open to Employee Purchase programs and will honor such purchases where the

Participating State/Entity is placing the order and responsible for payment

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EXHIBITS


Exhibit 1 - ROHS Certificate of Compliance


Exhibit 2 - Certificate of Energy Star® Qualification (Mini-Tower Computer)

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to Top


Exhibit 3 - Certificate of Energy Star® Qualification (Desktop Computer)


Exhibit 4 - EPEAT Enterprise (1) Back to Top


Exhibit 5 - EPEAT Enterprise (2)


Exhibit 6 - System Sound Power & Sound Pressure Acoustic Test Report


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Exhibit 7. Regional Sales Territories


Exhibit 8 - Organizational Charts


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Exhibit 9. References (Overview)


Exhibit 10 - Customer Satisfaction

Ciara invests many resources into preventing problems on the customer’s side of our business. We understand that this saves us money across all aspects of our business:

Customer acquisition Operational costs Labor costs Customer confidence

Ciara solicits feedback from our customers in key areas. These include:

6. Their account rep 7. Shipping accuracy 8. Billing accuracy 9. Support performance

& expediency 10. Plans to continue

utilizing Ciara Without excellence in these areas we cannot expect customers to rely on Ciara for their needs, nor trust us to help them develop plans for future growth and expansion. For the WSCA MPA, Ciara will solicit surveyed feedback from each customer ordering from us during a reporting period. We will also survey those customers we quoted, but did not win the order.

Survey Area Ciara's Performance

Order Accuracy Very Satisfied

On Time Delivery Very Satisfied

Invoice Accuracy Very Satisfied

Account Rep Very Satisfied

Technical Issues Very Satisfied

Continue Using Ciara Definitely

By The Numbers

Number of Responses 67

Period Surveys Taken Third Quarter 2013

Responses Lower Than 'Satisfied'

1

Issues Reported 2 Separate Shipping Errors

Issues Unresolved 0

Open and constant communication is a key part of Ciara’s strategy to grow our business, with government and education customers, using WSCA as our vehicle of choice.

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Exhibit 11. Technical Certifications & Competencies

Technical

Specialist A+

PD

I+

Win

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CC

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MC

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PC

Cia

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HP

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Cis

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Lex

ma

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VN

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Martin Lavoie

Yan Gaudreau

Pascal Cormier

Mustapha

Haddallah

Sorin Dumitru Deac

Jean Mourtzanakis

Pawel Augustyniak

Dave Findlay

Roma Dadieux

Joseph Andraos

Selu Sandelescu

Luke Weibe

Martin Gilbert

Marc Tremblay

Jacques Belanger

Cristian Stanciu

Marc Oswald

Darcy Letemplier

Atif Khan

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MARK BRADLEY

Experience 2012–NOW Government IT Sales Scottsdale, AZ

SLED Team Lead

Joined existing department as Team Lead supporting sales of IT products to State, Local and Education customers.

Built a marketing database of K12 education customers. Contacted all K12 districts in 11 states to introduce company and establish a business relationship.

Instrumental in writing the response to the current Minnesota WSCA-NASPO Computer Equipment RFP.

2009–2012 Government IT Sales Phoenix, AZ

WSCA/SLED Operations Manager

New department start-up supporting new contract vehicle for sales of IT products to State, Local and Education customers

Expanded sales territory, including contract negotiations, from 4 states to 15 states, plus 2 additional political sub-divisions

Developed partnerships with third-party manufacturers, including Hitachi, Motorola, General Dynamics, Samsung, Xirrus and Isilon, to add their products; teaming with their resellers to expand service capabilities for contract customers.

Managed relationships, negotiated margins, and created agreements for/with resellers and partners.

Generated reports per state and for the managing body

Create and post contract updates

1.5M revenues in year 2009, 5M in 2010, 11M in 2011, 16M in 2012.

2002–2009 Toyota / Scion Sales Phoenix, AZ

Sales / Sales Manager

Sales of new and pre-owned vehicles

Launched Scion department at Camelback Toyota in 2004

Developed online community for Scion owners as a grassroots marketing venue for Scion store

Trained and mentored new salespeople to Scion sales processes (no negotiation, 100% compliance)

Worked/negotiated with aftermarket suppliers to fill out our accessories menu

Coordinated aftermarket product sales and related services pricing with finance and service departments at the dealers.

Developed Scion community web application into a Scion dealer web platform still in use at former employer

1998–2002 USConnect.net Phoenix, AZ

Owner / General Manager / Web Developer

Launched ISP offering dial-up and dedicated services

Strengthened familiarity with telecom industry and services

Consulted with national food bank network for their network needs

Developed and deployed web applications for various small businesses

602-487-3665 [email protected]


1996–1999 COI Computers Phoenix, AZ

Owner / Sales Manager

Launched company with $25,000 on a three-year note in July 1996. Sales of 250K in 1996, One million in 1997. Over two million in 1998.

Vendor of the year with Intuit Corporation / Tucson

COI was featured on cover of CRN in fall of 1998.

Designed and implemented network topology to 5 apartment complexes in two states. Deployed dedicated Internet access to each campus to be resold to residents by the management company.

1995–1996 Impact Computer Technology Phoenix, AZ

Consultant (Agreed to purchase retail computer store from Impact PC in 1996)

Designed and built first web site for Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

1992–1995 Insight-Arizona Phoenix, AZ

Director of Sales - Arizona

Managed over 20 sales and technical employees.

Developed “Value Center” to eliminate yearly “Sale” and increased revenues on dead inventory from fifteen to seventy cents on the dollar.

Launched Insight Onsite, a PC services and networking company.

Skills

Education

Good with people. Strong familiarity with Microsoft Office, SQL, Coldfusion, Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

1975-1977 Parkland High School El Paso, TX

1980-1985 US Air Force Worldwide

Interests

Additional Info

Family, music (learning guitar / bought a piano), reading, college and pro sports, restoring my Ranchero, travel by car (no problems flying, just love the road).

US Passport, willing to travel. Speaks English only. Currently working on a project to help school-based groups with fundraising (StandForKids.com)

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5015 B U Bowman Drive Buford, GA 30518 USA Voice: 770-831-8048 Fax: 770-831-8598 www.acstestlab.com

Certificate of ENERGY STAR® Qualification

Issued to: Hypertechnologie Ciara Inc. 9300 Trans Canada Highway Montreal QC Canada H4S 1K5 Product Type: Mini-Tower Computer

Brand Name Model Name Model Number

Specification Version Number

Ciara Enterprise DQ77CP 5.2

Date: January 8, 2013

I hereby attest that the subject equipment was tested and found in compliance with the above‐noted specification. This certificate is the manufacturer’s authorization to use the ENERGY STAR name and mark with this product in accordance with the EPA Partner Commitments.

Jeff Woods ACS CB Manager

ACS Project No.:CBE-12-0269 Rev.A

5015 B U Bowman Drive Buford, GA 30518 USA Voice: 770-831-8048 Fax: 770-831-8598 www.acstestlab.com

Certificate of ENERGY STAR® Qualification

Issued to: Hypertechnologie Ciara Inc. 9300 Trans Canada Highway Montreal QC Canada H4S 1K5 Product Type: Desktop Computer

Brand Name Model Name Model Number

Specification Version Number

Ciara Discovery DQ77CP 5.2

Date: January 8, 2013

I hereby attest that the subject equipment was tested and found in compliance with the above‐noted specification. This certificate is the manufacturer’s authorization to use the ENERGY STAR name and mark with this product in accordance with the EPA Partner Commitments.

Jeff Woods ACS CB Manager

ACS Project No.:CBE-12-0270 Rev.A

PRODUCT: CIARATECH ENTERPRISE DQ77CP

PRE: EPEAT, Inc.

COUNTRY: Canada

PRODUCT TYPE: Desktops

MANUFACTURER: CIARA-TECH

URL:

RATING:

REGISTRATION DATE: 1/9/2013

MONITOR TYPE:

MONITOR SIZE:

PRODUCT STATUS: Active

EXCEPTIONS:

CIARATECH ENTERPRISE DQ77CP

Criteria Category Sum m ary Optional Points

4.1 Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials 5/5

4.2 Materials selection 1/3

4.3 Design for end of life 5/5

4.4 Product longevity/life cycle extension 2/2

4.5 Energy conservation 0/2

4.6 End of life management 0/1

4.7 Corporate performance 1/2

4.8 Packaging 4/4

Total Optional Points: 18/24

This Product is also registered in:

none Ciara

PRODUCT DETAIL

Page 1 sur 2EPEAT

2013-01-09

PRODUCT: CIARATECH DISCOVERY DQ77CP

PRE: EPEAT, Inc.

COUNTRY: Canada

PRODUCT TYPE: Desktops

MANUFACTURER: CIARA-TECH

URL:

RATING:

REGISTRATION DATE: 1/9/2013

MONITOR TYPE:

MONITOR SIZE:

PRODUCT STATUS: Active

EXCEPTIONS:

PRODUCT DETAIL

Page 1 sur 2EPEAT

2013-01-09

Criteria Category Sum m ary Optional Points

4.1 Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials 5/5

4.2 Materials selection 1/3

4.3 Design for end of life 5/5

4.4 Product longevity/life cycle extension 2/2

4.5 Energy conservation 0/2

4.6 End of life management 0/1

4.7 Corporate performance 1/2

4.8 Packaging 4/4

Total Optional Points: 18/24

This Product is also registered in:

none

Page 2 sur 2EPEAT

2013-01-09

Report: CiaraFMAT082812-4 Page 1 of 19

System Sound Power & Sound Pressure

Acoustic Test Report Tested For: Hypertechnologie Ciara Inc. * Product Name/Sku: Enterprise DQ77MK* Report Number: CiaraFMAT082812-4 Tested By: Sharon Day Test Approved By: Stephen Eastman Date Test Completed: August 28, 2012

Testing Performed at:

Intel Folsom Acoustic Laboratory 1900 Prairie City Road

Folsom, CA 95630


Legal Disclaimer INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROVISION OF INTEL SERVICES TO YOU WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PRODUCTS. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT TO ANY INTEL PROODUCTS. INTEL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER CONCERNING THE REPORT CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT. THIS TEST REPORT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER. INTEL BEARS NO RISK OR LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE OF CUSTOMER'S EQUIPMENT DURING SHIPMENT OR TESTING. CUSTOMER BEARS ALL RISK OF LOSS IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF EQUIPMENT. INTEL ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERRORS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND HAS NO LIABILITIES OR OBLIGATIONS FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT. This document may contain information on products in the design phase of development. Intel processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor numbers differentiate features within each processor family, not across different processor families: Go to: Learn About Intel® Processor Numbers Intel, Intel Corp, Core, Celeron, Atom Intel NetBurst, Intel SpeedStep, Intel vPro, Pentium, and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. * Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright © 2012, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number

http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number


TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 4

Overview ........................................................................................................... 4 Sound Power Test Summary ............................................................................ 4 Sound Pressure Test Summary ........................................................................ 4

CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 5

Comments ........................................................................................................ 5 Summary .......................................................................................................... 5

ACOUSTIC TEST RESULTS ................................................................................ 6

Comparative Results ........................................................................................ 6 Sound Power (LWA) & Pressure (LPA) ................................................................ 6 Supplemental System Data Recorded During Acoustic Tests .......................... 7

SYSTEM UNDER TEST (SUT) ............................................................................. 8

SUT Configuration ............................................................................................ 8 SUT Fan and Venting Configuration ................................................................. 8 SUT Picture ...................................................................................................... 9

ACOUSTIC LANDING ZONE COMPARISON .................................................... 10

Acoustic Landing Zone Chart ......................................................................... 11

DETAILED SOUND POWER & PRESSURE 1/3 OCTAVE GRAPHS ................ 12

ACOUSTIC TEST SETUP .................................................................................. 13

Sound Power Test Setup ................................................................................ 13 Sound Pressure Test Setup ............................................................................ 15

ACOUSTIC TEST METHOD ............................................................................... 17

Sound Power & Pressure ............................................................................... 17

ACOUSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT ......................................................................... 18

ACOUSTIC DOCUMENTATION ......................................................................... 18

ACOUSTIC TEST SOFTWARE .......................................................................... 19


INTRODUCTION

Overview This report provides system level acoustic comparative results performed on a specific system submitted to Intel Corporation and only apply to the unit(s) tested. The testing provides engineering data to the customer based on the submitted system configuration. The testing detailed herein is meant to assist the customer in their selection / configuration of system ingredients. This report details the configuration of the system under test (SUT), the test methods and test equipment used to test the SUT, and any relevant modifications to the SUT or to the test procedure where appropriate. The tests carried out were in compliance of the following ISO specifications:

ISO* 7779:2010 Acoustics – Measurement of airborne noise emitted by information technology and telecommunication equipment

ISO* 3744:2010 Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels and sound energy levels of noise sources using sound pressure – Engineering methods for an essentially free field over a reflecting plane

ISO* 11201:2010 Acoustics – Noise emitted by machinery and equipment -- Determination of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions in an essentially free field over a reflecting plane with negligible environmental corrections

Any exceptions to meeting the above ISO specifications are as follows:

Chamber temperature & humidity measured using a non-calibrated device

Sound Power Test Summary The Sound Power test involves using the dome method, where 10 microphones are placed in a hemispherical measurement surface (1m or 1.5m radius, depending on system size) with the system at the geometric center of the hemisphere. The data is collected over the 100 Hz to 20 kHz range and sound power level determined is expressed in A-weighted Bels (BA). The A-weighting sound power is a single number value for the overall sound power level of the device that is adjusted for the frequency response of the human ear.

Sound Pressure Test Summary The Sound Pressure Test involves setting up the SUT with microphones placed in positions to represent the operator and bystander positions. Computer systems can be placed in the center of a table (to simulate a desk) or placed in the center of the floor. The data is collected over the 100 - 20 kHz range and represented as A-weighted sound pressure levels in decibels (dBA).


CONCLUSION

Comments Based on the data collected, in Idle mode the Chassis fan is the loudest fan in the system. The quietest fan at Idle mode is the PSU fan. The fan speed did not change between Idle, CPU-50%, and HDD stress. Therefore, the acoustic noise did not change for these operating conditions. There is a noise at 1000 Hz that is driving the overall acoustic value for these measurements. The acoustic value was less for CPU Stress 50% because the noise at 1000 Hz was lower. This could be a PSU noise change with a different load on the PSU. This assumption follows in the CPU – Thermal Test also is lower in the 1000 Hz band, but is higher in other frequencies to drive the overall noise level higher.

Summary The Enterprise* DQ77MK* system, according to the Acoustic Landing Zone Targets, most closely falls into the “Target” category for a CE- PC. The Enterprise* DQ77MK* system, according to the Acoustic Landing Zone Targets, most closely falls into the “Outstanding” category for a Standard PC.


ACOUSTIC TEST RESULTS

The SUT was not tested to have a pass / fail criteria. The purpose of the tests is to demonstrate the difference in sound levels as the system operates in different states or to show a difference after the SUT has been modified to make less noise. The numbers cannot be taken as absolute as ambient noise levels vary. All Sound Power and Sound Pressure data in this report are measured LwA / LpA data according to ISO 7779:2010 & 3744:2010 standard. All values are rounded the nearest 0.01 BA or 0.1 dB. The Measured values in this report are for use in planning or in determining declared values. They are not to be confused with the declared values.

Comparative Results Sound Power (LWA) & Pressure (LPA)

The following environmental variables were measured at a point during the testing, but can sometimes vary slightly between test runs:

Temperature (C): 21.3

Barometric Pressure (kPA): 1000.7 Relative Humidity: 52 % Background Noise Level (dBA): 8.9 SUT Broadband Noise Level – 10 Microphone LWA Measurement

Operating Mode Description

Sound Power - (BA)

Sound Pressure – Operator Position (dBA)

Idle Mode 3.67 21.9

CPU Operating Max Power @50%

3.56 23.9

CPU Operating “Thermal Test” 3.67 24.1

Optical Operating 4.17 29.3

HDD Operating 3.68 22.9

Idle – CPU HS & PSU Fan

3.37 20.5

Idle – Chassis & PSU Fan

3.11 18.0

Idle – PSU Fan Only 2.71 15.0


Supplemental System Data Recorded During Acoustic Tests

Some data was collected during Acoustic Testing by AIDA 64, the Intel PTU program, Intel Desktop Utilities, and/or Fan Speed command prompts. This data shows how the individual system components were operating during the acoustic tests.

Sound Power (LWA) & Sound Pressure (LPA)

SUT


Tinlet (C)

CPU Temp

(C)

HDD Temp

(C)

CPU Fan Speed (RPM)

System Fan Speed (RPM)

Idle 20.4 31 32 1112 1250

CPU Operating – Max Power @ 50%

20.5 47 32 1103 1254

CPU Operating – “Thermal Test” 20.7 73 32 1802 1267

Optical Operating 20.7 33 32 1114 1250

HDD Operating 20.8 33 35 1112 1245

SUT w/ Various Fans Removed


Tinlet (C)

CPU Temp

(C)

HDD Temp

(C)

CPU Fan Speed (RPM)

System Fan Speed (RPM)

Idle – CPU HS & PSU Fan

20.9 34 35 1112 --

Idle – Chassis & PSU Fan

20.9 47 34 -- 1241

Idle – PSU Fan Only 21.0 64 34 -- --


SYSTEM UNDER TEST (SUT) SUT Configuration

Component Qty Manufacturer Model Notes

Total System 1 Ciara * Enterprise DQ77MK System 2

Chassis 1 Foxconn* TW001

Chassis Fan Rear 1

Thermal Control*

DF0922512SELN

Power Supply 1 FSP* FSP350-60EGA

Motherboard 1 Intel* DQ77MK Rev. 301

Processor 1 Intel Core i5-3550 4 Cores, 3.3 GHz

CPU HS 1 Intel E97378-001

Memory 2 Kingston* KVR1600D3E11S/2G Total Mem. = 4 GB

Video Card 0 N/A

Hard Disk Drive 1 Seagate* ST250DM000

DVD / CD-RW 1 LG* DH18NS40

BIOS Version MKQ7710H.86A.0034.2012.0320.2026

O/S Microsoft* Win7 Pro 64 bit SP 1

SUT Fan and Venting Configuration Document the system fan configurations (pressurizing/evacuating, size, location, current draw, RPM), CPU vent size, and any additional vent sizes.

Chassis Fan(s): 90mm x 90mm x 25mm, evacuating rear of chassis CPU Heatsink Fan: blowing down on CPU CPU vent size: 11cm x 15cm Additional vent size: 8cm x 8cm front of chassis, 3cm x 8.5cm rear of chassis,


SUT Picture Sound Power (LWA)


ACOUSTIC LANDING ZONE COMPARISON Acoustics have become more important for system designers in recent years. A framework of acoustic test conditions and targets were developed. Two classes of devices are distinguished: the standard PC and the CE-PC. The standard PC is a system that will be used in a standard computing usage model in a home or office use. The CE-PC is a system that will be used like a home CE device, e.g. DVD player or digital video recorder. The acoustic conditions for the CE-PC are much more stringent because of its usage model. The test conditions include the industry standard “idle” condition and definitions for typical use. Different usage scenario’s were developed and quantified using industry benchmarks. The Max condition is provided as a guideline only, as the system will not operate under that condition during significant periods of time. Sound power targets were given for the standard PC and the CE-PC. A large variety of data sources were used to establish the targets: eco-label requirements, OEM feedback and design targets, CE manufacturer design targets, emissions of current systems, emissions of CE devices, World Health Organization guidelines for environmental noise, and background noise level data. These landing zones are not driven by technical feasibility, but by end user expectations. For every category, landing zones are given for “Outstanding”, “Target”, and “Min”. This is a standard landing zone format and it allows for product differentiation. Another Intel® Study was conducted to determine what sound power level of PC type noise is annoying to people. In the chart below this is represented on the left hand side. For more detail on this study see the whitepaper titled “Acoustic Optimization for Desktop Platforms”. This document is available upon request. The data collected from the SUT is then mapped over these landing zones and annoyance scale by the horizontal lines in the charts below. This data is provided as guidance only and not certification or validation of market positioning of this system. This information will provide comparison of what market position this system is designed to be sold into. The system tested is compared against the Standard PC or CE-PC Acoustic Landing Zones on the next page.


Acoustic Landing Zone Chart


Detailed Sound Power & Pressure 1/3 Octave Graphs

0

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

510

0

12

5

16

0

20

0

25

0

31

5

40

0

50

0

63

0

80

0

1,0

00

1,2

50

1,6

00

2,0

00

2,5

00

3,1

50

4,0

00

5,0

00

6,3

00

8,0

00

10

,000

12

,500

16

,000

20

,000

Lw

a (

BA

)

So

un

d P

ow

er

[B(r

e 1

E-1

2W

)]

1/3 Octave Band Center Frequency [Hz]

DUT Sound Power

Idle CPU-50% CPU-Thermal HDD Optical No Fans


ACOUSTIC TEST SETUP

Measurements were taken in a hemi-anechoic chamber free from reflecting objects (other than the test table and the floor). No other noise producing equipment was present in the room other than the SUT. All microphones were calibrated using either the primary or backup handheld calibrators listed under the Acoustic Test Equipment. This calibrator produces an acoustic tone of 114db @ 250 Hz or 94 dB @ 1000 Hz. The acoustic chamber background noise was then measured with the calibrated microphones.

Sound Power Test Setup

A hemispherical array of ten microphones was set up around the SUT, aimed at its geometric center. See the diagram below for a representation of the hemispherical microphone array and its associated table for the X-Y-Z positions:

Hemispherical Microphone Array Positions for Sound Power

Position X Y Z Position X Y Z

1 0.16 -0.96 0.22 6 -0.83 -0.40 0.38 2 0.78 -0.60 0.20 7 -0.26 -0.65 0.71 3 0.78 0.55 0.31 8 0.74 -0.07 0.67 4 0.16 0.90 0.41 9 -0.26 0.50 0.83 5 -0.83 0.32 0.45 10 0.10 -0.10 0.99

Table 1. Hemispherical microphone array locations for sound power test setup. All dimensions are in radius units, typically 1 m. The origin is at the horizontal center of the reference box surface that is coplanar with the room floor.


If it was determined that a high amount of directional noise is coming from the SUT, a 20 microphone measurement was taken. This is accomplished by rotating the system 60° in the chamber to make the microphone be at different locations. The measurement from both the first 10 and second 10 microphone locations are combined to create one 20 microphone measurement. Below are the microphone locations for all 20 microphones of a 1 meter dome.


Sound Pressure Test Setup The SUT noise can be measured from both operator and bystander positions. The two operator positions change depending on whether the EUT is a table top PC with or without a keyboard, or a floor standing PC. The Bystander Positions are consistent for all systems. See the diagram below and its associated table (on the next page) for details about the positions:

Form Factor Standing Operator Position

Seated Operator Position

Bystander Position

Table Top – Desktop (w/o keyboard)

n/a Centered front of DUT, 0.25 m away from edge, 1.2 m from floor, 30° angle from horizontal

1.0 m from edge of DUT, 1.5 m from floor

Table Top – Mobile/AIO (w/ keyboard)

n/a Centered front of DUT, 0.5 m away from edge, 1.2 m from floor, 30° angle from horizontal


Floor Standing

Centered front of DUT, 0.25 m away from edge, 1.5 m from floor, 30° angle from horizontal

Centered front of DUT, 0.25 m away from edge, 1.2 m from floor, 30° angle from horizontal


Rack Mount & Servers

No measurement required. No position defined

No measurement required. No position defined



ACOUSTIC TEST METHOD

Sound Power & Pressure The SUT was activated to an idle operating level and measurements were taken from the microphones. Once complete, software was activated one at a time to add a constant load to different system components. Below is a list of standard operating conditions:

Idle o Wait at least 20 minutes for stabilization once OS load is

complete o Meets ECMA 74-Annex C.15

CPU Stress – 50% o Use Intel PTU for specific processor, then wait at least 20 minutes

for stabilization of system component temperatures & fan speeds o Meets ECMA 74-Annex C.15

CPU Stress – Thermal Test option o Use Intel PTU for specific processor, then wait at least 20 minutes

for stabilization of system component temperatures & fan speeds o not required by ISO or ECMA – but ADC recommends as worse

case CPU stress HDD Stress

o Use IOMeter for Max Seek stress of platter drives o Meets ECMA 74-Annex C.9

Optical Drive Stress o Use Optidrive and special weighted, unbalanced (2.5g/cm) CD for

max RPM stress o Meets ECMA 74-Annex C.19

Unplugging Fans o Same as Idle condition without 20 minute wait since fans are

being unplugged o not required by ISO or ECMA – but ADC recommends to fine

loudest fans in the system The measurements were then recorded over 30 seconds. Measurements can also be taken at specific fan speeds or other operating conditions at the request of the customer and capability of the system. Sound Power measurements were taken directly from the microphones via measurement equipment software in third octave bands. The final result is an amalgamated calculation of all 10 microphone measurements as weighted by the sound weighting system. A-weighted results are depicted by an “A” suffix. Sound Pressure measurements were taken directly from the microphone at the locations described in the test setup. Results are reported as A-weighted values.


If only one Sound Pressure measurement is reported then the measurement was done at the exact same time as the Sound Power measurement, since ADC Lab does a standard 10+1 measurement for all tests. The extra “+1”, is normally the Operator position unless requested differently by the customer.

ACOUSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT

Equipment Type Manufacturer Model

Number

Calibration # /

Serial Number

Calibration

Date

Calibration

Due Mic Calibrator (Main) G.R.A.S. 42AP 61-6734 04/25/2012 04/24/2013 Mic Calibrator (backup)

Larson Davis LDCAL200 61-5771 07/25/2012 07/24/2013

RSS Acculab RSS -101 0599-261 12/29/2006 N/A Temp, Humidity Device (Chamber)

Omega iBTHX-W 6451207 N/A N/A

Temperature (System Inlet)

Fluke 54II 60-5214 04/06/2012 04/05/2013

Trident Software (Main Control SW)

Nelson Acoustics

NAE-TRI-MB V6.3.18 N/A N/A

Sound Quality Analyzer

Nelson Acoustics

NAE-SQA V2.0 N/A N/A

Low Noise Mics G.R.A.S. 40HH (Qty=11) N/A N/A Standard Mic G.R.A.S. 40AE/26CA 58047 N/A N/A Power Module for Low Noise Mics (10)

G.R.A.S. 12HM 65080 N/A N/A

Power Module for Low Noise Mics (single)

G.R.A.S. 12HF 113068

DAQ (between Power Module and PC)

National Instruments

PXI-1031 (12 Channel)

115FD8D N/A N/A

ACOUSTIC DOCUMENTATION ISO* 7779:2010 Acoustics – Measurement of airborne noise emitted by information technology and telecommunication equipment ISO* 3744:2010 Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels and sound energy levels of noise sources using sound pressure – Engineering methods for an essentially free field over a reflecting plane ISO* 11201:2010 Acoustics – Noise emitted by machinery and equipment -- Determination of emission sound pressure levels at a work station and at other specified positions in an essentially free field over a reflecting plane with negligible environmental corrections


ACOUSTIC TEST SOFTWARE One or more of the following programs may have been used in the testing:

ITEM DESCRIPTION

Power Thermal Utility for Intel® Processors

This utility is run from within the Windows* Operating System. The utility can increase the power dissipated by Intel® processors, and possibly other components in the system.

Everest (AIDA)

This utility gives temperature and sometimes fan speed control of devices in the system. This is only used if an Intel program does not read the same information.

Burn-In Pro This can sometimes be used to stress the Hard Drive or Optical Drive in the system.

Intel® Desk Top Utilities

This application can only be run on Intel® Desktop Boards. It monitors system power, temperatures, and fan speeds.

IOmeter

This utility will test the drive seek performance of the hard disk which is used for the operating part of the Acoustic Test.

OptiDrive

This utility is used to stress the CD-ROM, DVD, or Blu-ray Drive in the operating part of the Acoustic Test. The operating mode with this utility consists of searching for text on a standard unbalanced CD. The disk unbalance of 2.5g·mm ± 10% is specified as “typical of average end use” and is also consistent with reliable acoustical measurements, since this degree of unbalance avoids causing some drives to slow down.

Exhibit 7 - Regional Sales Territories

Current Staffing:

• Three salespeople

• One team lead

• One sales/admin assistant

• One marketing coordinator

• One buyer/Operations manager

• One accounting specialist

• Two technical service specialists

Projected WSCA start-up staffing:

• Twelve salespeople (two per region)

• Three sales/contact supervisors (2 regions

per supervisor)

• Two sales assistants (trainee)

• One contract manager

• Two technical service specialists

• One production manager

Exhibit 9 - References

While Ciara serves markets around the world, our roots are in Canada. The six references we offer are from customers

we service on the National Master Standing Offer (NMSO) contract, from Public Works and Government Services

Canada. Over the past three fiscal years Ciara has participated, the NMSO has been utilized to procure over six-

hundred-sixty million dollars (660,000,000.00) in computer and storage systems, from all vendors combined.

During the first 3 quarters of calendar 2013, Technologie Ciara (the Canadian sibling of Ciara Technologies USA, Inc.)

has delivered nearly $15,000,000.00 in products and services to NMSO customers.

Industry Canada $1,235,809.00

Treasury Board of Canada $145,588.65

Canadian National Defence $4,514,506.55

Bruce Bakun – RVD Coordinator 235 Queen Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0H5 Tel: 613-941-1165 Fax: 613-941-3848

Dave Kight 140 O’Connor Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0G5 Tel: 613-995-8256 Fax: 613-943-2077

Ian Merlo Ottawa ON K1A 0K2 Tel : 613-998-4552 Fax: 613-998-8060

Ministère de l’éducation Ministère du Revenu Université du Québec à

Montréal

Stéphane Lehoue (418) 643-4256 Depuis 12 ans Parc de 2000 PC Conseils Vente Maintenance

Nicole Faucher (418)652-5658 #8696 Depuis 5 ans Parc de 14 000 PC Conseils Vente Maintenance

Alain Guimond (514)987-3120 Depuis 10 ans Parc de 12 000 PC Conseils Vente Maintenance

Additionally, Ciara provides mission-critical servers and workstations to technology companies that, in turn, use them to develop/deploy services to their customers

ExaGrid Systems – Please see Exhibit 24b

Arbor Networks – Please see Exhibit 24c

Ciara has also begun establishing our reputation as a resource and partner to

customers in the USA. Here are a few references from government and

education customers, and the nature of our business relationship with them.

Desktop Refresh Networking Gear Creative Financing

Sean Hire Missoula County I.S. Missoula County, MT [email protected] Office: 406-258-4759

Andreeves Ronser Director, Information Technology Mercer Island School District [email protected] Office: 1-206-236-3404

Jaime Madrid Lamar School District No. RE-2 Lamar, CO [email protected] Office: 719-688-2846

Exhibit 10 - Customer Satisfaction

Ciara invests many resources into preventing problems on the customer’s side of our business. We

understand that this saves us money across all aspects of our business:

• Customer acquisition

• Operational costs

• Labor costs

• Customer confidence

Ciara solicits feedback from our customers in key areas. These include:

1. Their account rep 2. Shipping accuracy 3. Billing accuracy 4. Support performance &

expediency 5. Plans to continue utilizing

Ciara Without excellence in these areas we cannot expect customers to rely on Ciara for their needs, nor trust us to help them develop plans for future growth and expansion. For the WSCA MPA, Ciara will solicit surveyed feedback from each customer ordering from us during a reporting period. We will also survey those customers we quoted, but did not win the order.

Survey Area Ciara's Performance

Order Accuracy Very Satisfied

On Time Delivery Very Satisfied

Invoice Accuracy Very Satisfied

Account Rep Very Satisfied

Technical Issues Very Satisfied

Continue Using Ciara Definitely

By The Numbers

Number of Responses 67

Period Surveys Taken Third Quarter 2013

Responses Lower Than 'Satisfied'

1

Issues Reported 2 Separate Shipping Errors

Issues Unresolved 0

Open and constant communication is a key part of Ciara’s strategy to grow our business, with

government and education customers, using WSCA as our vehicle of choice.

Exhibit 11 - Technical Certifications & Competencies

Technical Specialist A+

PD

I+

Win

do

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CC

NA

MC

SE

PC

Cia

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rox

HP

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shib

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Cis

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Lex

ma

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Sa

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VN

Wa

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No

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Martin Lavoie

Yan Gaudreau

Pascal Cormier

Mustapha Haddallah

Sorin Dumitru Deac

Jean Mourtzanakis

Pawel Augustyniak

Dave Findlay

Roma Dadieux

Joseph Andraos

Selu Sandelescu

Luke Weibe

Martin Gilbert

Marc Tremblay

Jacques Belanger

Cristian Stanciu

Marc Oswald

Darcy Letemplier

Atif Khan

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