Contact Center Solution

The University of Western Ontario

Request for ProposalUWORFP 03-0945

Contact Centre Solution

November 24, 2009

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Table of Contents

......................................................................................................................................................................................1

1INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................................9

1.1 The University of Western Ontario ......................................................................................................................... 9

1.2 The University of Western Ontario Research Park ................................................................................................. 9

1.3 The Windermere Manor .......................................................................................................................................... 9

1.4 Brescia University College ....................................................................................................................................... 9

1.5 Western’s Telephone Service .................................................................................................................................. 9

2RFP OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................................................10

3PROJECT OBJECTIVES..................................................................................................................................................10

Western’s objectives with respect to this project are:..............................................................................................10

1.5.1 Find a Contact Centre solution that is compatible with Western’s architecture and applications. .......... 10

1.5.2 Provide for distributed system administration. ........................................................................................ 10

1.5.3 Increase productivity of the end users. ..................................................................................................... 10

1.5.4 Increase productivity of voice and data staff. ............................................................................................ 10

1.5.5 Provide more efficient and effective use of call centers. ........................................................................... 10

1.5.6 Provide increased customer satisfaction to both internal and external Western customers. .................. 10

1.5.7 Provide scalability of proposed solutions as required. ............................................................................... 10

4PREQUALIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR UWORFP03-0945.........................................................................................10

1.6 RFP Stages ............................................................................................................................................................. 10

1.6.1 Stage One .................................................................................................................................................... 10

1.6.2 Stage Two .................................................................................................................................................... 11

1.7 Stage One: Pre-qualification Procedures ............................................................................................................ 11

1.7.1 To be eligible to respond to UWORFP03-0945 for a Contact Centre Solution, proponents must first be pre-qualified. ....................................................................................................................................................... 11

1.7.2 Proponents interested in pre-qualifying to respond to UWORFP03-0945 must complete and submit six (6) hard copies and six (6) electronic of Appendix A (Acknowledgement) and six (6) hard copies and six (6) electronic copies of Appendix C (Pre-qualification Worksheet) by Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 3:00 pm to Helga Alcorn. ........................................................................................................................................................ 11

Submissions must be in a sealed envelope bearing the name and address of the Proponent clearly marked on the outside of the envelope and the RFP information as follows: ..................................................................... 11

1.7.3 Proposals received after the closing time and date will be returned unopened to the sender. Proposals submitted by facsimile or email will not be accepted. If a Proponent is concerned about timely delivery of their response, they should contact Helga Alcorn via email ([email protected]) BEFORE the deadline (Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 3:00 pm). ........................................................................................................................ 11

1.7.4 Responses to questions will be distributed to all Proponents through the Proponent’s primary contact via e-mail and posted on www.westernbuys.ca under this document. ............................................................. 11

1.7.5 No amendments or change to proposals will be accepted after the closing date and time (3:00 pm on Friday, December 4th, 2009). ............................................................................................................................. 11

The University of Western Ontario Strictly Confidential

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1.7.6 Submissions must be prepared in accordance with the conditions outlined in this and any associated documents. Failure to comply may result in the disqualification of the proposal. ........................................... 12

1.7.7 Proponents will be pre-qualified based on solution, team qualifications and relevant experience and references. ........................................................................................................................................................... 12

1.7.8 The proposed solution should integrate with Western’s existing environment (Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM), PeopleSoft, etc.); reproduce existing services and have potential for additional services as described in Section 7. ..................................................................................................... 12

1.7.9 Proponents are to provide three relevant customer references, including contact name, role, telephone number / email address and description of completed project(s). The project(s) should be of a similar scope and size as identified in this RFP document and from a Higher Education/Research Institution similar to Western. ............................................................................................................................................................. 12

1.7.10 Have a service and a spare parts warehouse facility within four hours of the Western. ........................ 12

1.7.11 State the number of certified technical resources located within two hours of Western. ..................... 12

1.7.12 State any/all partnerships and/or alliances formed to facilitate a project of this scope and size. ......... 12

1.7.13 Provide a sample implementation plan from a previous project of a similar size and scope as specified in this RFP. ............................................................................................................................................................ 12

1.7.14 Proponents must be the Manufacturer(s) authorized Dealer/Distributor with staff duly certified as designers, installers and maintenance technicians for their proposed solution. .............................................. 12

5CURRENT CALL QUEING .............................................................................................................................................12

1.8 Nortel Symposium Call Centre Server 5.0 ............................................................................................................. 12

1.9 Current Applications .............................................................................................................................................. 13

1.10 Automatic Call Distribution (SL-100) ................................................................................................................... 13

1.11 Single Line Queuing (SL-100) ............................................................................................................................... 13

5WESTERN’S TELEPHONE SYSTEMS..............................................................................................................................13

1.12 PBX ....................................................................................................................................................................... 13

1.12.1 Cisco Unified Communications Manager .................................................................................................. 13

1.12.2 Nortel SL-100 ............................................................................................................................................. 13

1.13 VOICEMAIL .......................................................................................................................................................... 13

1.13.1 Cisco Unity ................................................................................................................................................ 13

1.13.2 Avaya Octel 350 ........................................................................................................................................ 13

1.14 OTHER SYSTEMS .................................................................................................................................................. 14

6SCOPE OF WORK.........................................................................................................................................................14

1.15 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 14

1.16 Architecture ......................................................................................................................................................... 14

1.17 System Administration ........................................................................................................................................ 14

1.18 Call Queuing ........................................................................................................................................................ 14

1.19 Reporting ............................................................................................................................................................. 14

1.20 Call Monitoring ................................................................................................................................................... 16

1.21 Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) ............................................................................................................... 16

1.22 Time of Day ......................................................................................................................................................... 16

1.23 Speech Recognition ............................................................................................................................................. 16


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1.24 Interactive Voice Response (IVR) ........................................................................................................................ 16

1.25 Auto Attendants .................................................................................................................................................. 16

1.26 Music on Hold ...................................................................................................................................................... 17

1.27 Real-Time Wait Estimates ................................................................................................................................... 17

1.28 Priority Queuing .................................................................................................................................................. 17

1.29 Agent Devices ...................................................................................................................................................... 17

1.30 Training ................................................................................................................................................................ 17

1.31 Installation and Implementation ......................................................................................................................... 17

1.31.1 Equipment specification and ordering ...................................................................................................... 17

1.31.2 Installation ................................................................................................................................................ 17

1.31.3 Information Technology Services (ITS) Pilot ............................................................................................. 18

1.31.4 Registrar’s Application .............................................................................................................................. 18

1.31.5 System Acceptance and Warranty period ................................................................................................ 18

1.32 Licensing .............................................................................................................................................................. 18

1.33 System Maintenance and Support ...................................................................................................................... 18

1.34 Documentation ................................................................................................................................................... 18

1.35 Additional Functionality ...................................................................................................................................... 18

7INSTRUCTIONS TO QUALIFIED PROPONENTS.............................................................................................................20

Pre-qualified Proponents must provide their primary contact email address to Mona Brennan-Coles ([email protected]) immediately upon receipt of their pre-qualification acceptance notice........................................20

All technical communications regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) must be directed to Mona Brennan-Coles via email. Any other questions regarding this RFP must be directed to Helga Alcorn via email. Violations of this directive will result in the disqualification of the Proponent from the RFP process..................................................20

Six (6) hard copies and six (6) electronic copies in Word, Excel and/or PDF format must be submitted and enclosed in a sealed envelope bearing the name and address of the Proponent clearly marked on the outside of the envelope and the RFP information as follows: ...................................................................................................20

Proposals will be received by Western no later than 3:00 pm on Monday, January 15th, 2010, as indicated by the stamp clock in Support Services Building. .................................................................................................................20

Proposals received after the closing time and date will be returned unopened to the sender. Proposals submitted by facsimile or email will not be accepted. If a Proponent is concerned about timely delivery of their response, they should contact Helga Alcorn via email ([email protected]) BEFORE the deadline (3:00 pm on Friday, January 15th, 2010)..................................................................................................................................................................20

Proponents must acquaint themselves with the terms and conditions of this document and respond to all sections of the RFP by completing Appendix E (UWORFP03-0945 Response) and Appendix F (UWORFP03-0945 Pricing). Failure to do so will be deemed that all the terms and conditions have been accepted by your organization. Submitting your organization’s standard terms and conditions will not be acceptable to fulfill this requirement................................................................................................................................................................20

Questions pertaining to this RFP must be received no later than Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 12:00 pm. All questions will be answered and distributed as described in Section 5.8 no later than Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 12:00 pm........................................................................................................................................................20

Responses to questions will be distributed to all Proponents through the Proponent’s primary contact via e-mail and posted on www.westernbuys.ca under this document. .....................................................................................21


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No amendments or change to proposals will be accepted after the closing date and time (3:00 pm on Friday, January 15th, 2010). ...................................................................................................................................................21

Submissions must be prepared in accordance with the conditions outlined in this and any associated documents. Failure to comply may result in the disqualification of the proposal. .......................................................................21

8GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS...........................................................................................................................21

Western is not responsible for any expenses incurred by Proponent(s) in preparing and submitting a response to this RFP........................................................................................................................................................................21

Proponents may not use Western’s name or markings for any external marketing purposes without the express written permission from Western..............................................................................................................................21

Unit prices will govern where arithmetical errors may occur in the extension of prices. Where it appears a major mistake in calculation has been made, Western shall consider the intent of the Proponent and may accept the proposal for consideration and subsequent correction.............................................................................................21

Proposal pricing shall be irrevocable for ninety (90) days following the closing date of the RFP. ...........................21

Western intends to issue purchase order(s) to the Proponent whose submission offers the best value to Western. .....................................................................................................................................................................................21

The lowest cost Proposal or any other Proposal may not necessarily be accepted. ................................................21

Western is not under any obligation to award a contract and reserves the right to terminate the Request for Proposal process prior to award and to withdraw from discussions with any or all of the Proponents who have responded, without liability being incurred by Western for any expense or cost incurred by the Proponent(s).....21

The successful Proponent will be notified of their award and will be required to provide:.....................................21

1.35.1 Proof, from the Broker, of commercial liability insurance of at least $2 million per occurrence and The University of Western Ontario its Board of Governors, trustees, officers, employees and agents named as Additional Insureds. Such provision shall apply in proportion to and to the extent of the negligent acts or omissions of the non-University party or any person or persons under the non-University parties’ direct supervision and control. The liability insurance should include personal injury and property damage, non-owned automobile liability, owners and contractors’ protective coverage and contractual liability coverage. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 21

1.35.2 Provide thirty (30) days advance written notice to the Western of any modification, change, or cancellation of any of the insurance coverage. ................................................................................................... 21

1.35.3 Proof, from the Broker, of automobile liability insurance with coverage of at least $ 2 million per occurrence for liability arising at law for damages caused by reason of bodily injury (including death) or damage to property by employees or sub contractors. ...................................................................................... 21

1.35.4 A current Certificate of Clearance from The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or equivalent. http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/home_e. ........................................................... 21

1.35.5 Provide information, such as company policy, relating to construction safety measures. The data centre where many of the legacy systems are located may be a posted construction zone during building renovations in 2009/2010. ................................................................................................................................... 22

All workers on Western property must be covered by WSIB for the duration of the contract and that a Certificate of Clearance or equivalent is maintained in good standing throughout the contract by the successful Proponent(s). .....................................................................................................................................................................................22

Western reserves the right to request proof of coverage at any time throughout the term of the contract. . . 22

The successful Proponent(s) shall not assign or sub contract any portion of its contract without the written consent of Western.....................................................................................................................................................22

Western reserves the following rights:......................................................................................................................22

All submissions must be signed by an authorized company representative (refer to Appendix A)..........................22


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Any terms or conditions, which cannot be fulfilled, should be clearly stated in your submission...........................22

Western’s RFP03-0945, the successful Proponent(s) complete submission documents and any attachments shall become part of any contract entered into between the successful Proponent(s) and Western...............................22

Any conflict in the wording of the successful Proponent(s)’ invoice and/or sales agreement and the wording of the terms and conditions of this proposal, shall be resolved in favour of Western and shall be deemed to be incorporated into the Proponent(s)’ invoice and/or sales agreement.......................................................................22

The laws of the Province of Ontario shall govern in any dispute the may arise as a result of the successful Proponent’s submission and the subsequent contract awarded to the successful Proponent(s).............................22

If the successful Proponent(s) fails to carry out the agreement satisfactorily in accordance with the terms, Western will, by giving written notice, specify the default(s) requiring remedy. In the event that the specified default(s) is/are not remedied within two weeks from giving such notice, Western reserves the right to terminate the agreement immediately........................................................................................................................................22

All plans, materials and electronic or digital files paid for by Western or its Associated Companies are the property of Western or its Associated Companies. ...................................................................................................22

The Proponent(s) shall treat the contract and all documents, drawings, specifications and information connected with this Request for Proposal as confidential and shall not disclose any information or documents acquired by it or its employees, agents or sub-contractors to any third parties, nor use, or copy the information, except as required to perform the Proponent(s) obligations in fulfilling the terms of this contract. .......................................22

The successful Proponent(s) shall indemnify and hold harmless Western, its directors, employees, students and agents from and against all actions, suits, claims, causes of action, demands, penalties, fines, costs and expenses including legal fees or other proceedings of any kind or nature directly or indirectly arising out of performance of the Work or Supply of Goods, including but not limited to personal injuries to anyone, breach or alleged breach of intellectual property laws, environmental non-compliance, product liability or property damage. .......................23

The acceptance of the successful Proponents’ bid(s) and the subsequent award of the contract contemplated by this bid document is subject to Western’s internal approval processes, approval of external funding and/or budgets........................................................................................................................................................................23

9SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO QUALIFIED PROPONENTS...............................................................................................23

Proponents are to provide three relevant customer references, including contact name, role, telephone number / email address and description of completed project(s). The project(s) should be of a similar scope and size as identified in this RFP document and from a Higher Education/Research Institution similar to Western. ...............23

Western may conduct site visits of the short listed proponents and/or may require a presentation from the Proponents. Proponents will be given sufficient time and an agenda to prepare for this presentation...................23

Proponents must be the Manufacturer(s) authorized Dealer/Distributor with staff duly certified as designers, installers and maintenance technicians for their proposed solution.........................................................................23

Proponent(s) shall obtain, and deliver, as part of the RFP response, a support letter from the manufacturer designating the Proponent as an authorized dealer/distributor of the proposed System, that the manufacturer will provided spare parts to support the System for five years, and in the event that Western determines that the Proponent is no longer acceptable as a service company, that the manufacturer will assume the responsibility for finding an acceptable service company or service the installed System on a direct basis.........................................23

1The proponent(s) shall provide evidence of their financial standing and stability by including their most current audited financial statements as part of their bid submission. Proponents shall provide the above information at their own expense. .....................................................................................................................................................23

1The proponents (s) must identify the team who will be assigned to the project including Project Manager and any technical resources. The proponents shall include a brief summary of the each team members’ education and experience in the installation and commissioning of a Contact Centre Solution similar to the size and scope of the proposed solution.......................................................................................................................................................23

10PARTNERING.............................................................................................................................................................23


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Western is interested in participating with the selected supplier in any initiatives that are mutually beneficial and can give Western strategic or economic advantages in the areas of administration, research or teaching. Initiatives that would benefit the student and graduate populations would also be valued. Proponents should provide any evidence of previous "partnering" arrangements where they have collaborated on mutually beneficial initiatives with clients providing them with strategic or economic value beyond the narrow scope of the supply arrangement. ..............................................................................................................................................................23

11QUALITY ASSURANCE................................................................................................................................................24

No substitutes shall be permitted without the express written consent of Western...............................................24

All equipment must meet legislated standards and externally bear a mark or label approved by the Standards Council of Canada or equivalent. (I.e. ULC, CSA, FDA)................................................................................................24

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and appropriate labels must accompany all hazardous products as defined under the Hazardous Products legislation and provincial WHIMIS legislation...........................................................24

Proponents 1must include a statement outlining your company’s quality assurance philosophy and program. This statement should detail how your company will respond to:....................................................................................24

The proposed System must be the current production model for ALL components. State the market release date of the proposed System and the number of systems currently in operation in Canada............................................24

Provide your company’s policies on identifying end of life cycle or product obsolescence, how and in what timeframe this will be communicated to Western.....................................................................................................24

The proposed System shall allow for a seamless transition from the current environment and shall allow for additional application modules as required...............................................................................................................24

Describe details on upcoming software and hardware releases on all systems and applications within the next 12-18 months and indicate any benefits that may be realized by Western as a result.............................................24

Proponents must specify if any of the new version or release ,either the hardware or software, as identified in their RFP submission will be provided to Western free of charge if a new version or release is brought to market within 120 days after acceptance of the hardware or software by Western. ...........................................................24

1The acceptance criteria will be developed in conjunction with Western and the successful Proponent(s)...........24

No software and/or hardware will be accepted without Western conducting acceptance testing and the title to the supplied product shall remain with the successful Proponent(s) until testing has been completed. The equipment will be deemed accepted once the equipment has been set up and has performed as warranted or as stated in the published specifications. If the equipment does not function as warranted or as stated in the published specifications, Western will notify the successful Proponent(s) in writing of the deficiencies which shall be corrected in the same manner as set out in Section 15.2. ...................................................................................24

12PRICING.....................................................................................................................................................................24

Pricing must be in Canadian dollars and must include all costs associated with providing maintenance. Proponents are required to complete Appendix F. ...................................................................................................24

Prices must be guaranteed for duration of the contract...........................................................................................24

Western would like to take advantage of any promotions, rebates, incentives, discounts, price decreases or new technologies that become available during the term of the contract. Proponents should state their policy related to future pricing and technology releases..................................................................................................................24

The successful Proponent(s) guarantees that all pricing offered and agreed to in this contract is (are) as low or lower than any being paid to date by any institution in Canada, including the Federal Government, for goods and services identical on this contract and sold by the successful Proponent(s) during the last 12 months. Should the successful Proponent(s) offer to sell goods and services identical to those on the contract to any institution in Canada at a lower price than those being paid for by Western; the successful Proponent(s) will adjust all prices for goods covered by this contract to the lower prices being offered elsewhere. ........................................................25

13PAYMENT TERMS/INVOICING...................................................................................................................................25


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Payment terms are net 30 days after delivery of goods and/or services. Please specify in your proposal any payment terms that may differ e.g. 2% 10 days. ......................................................................................................25

Western will not consider any prepayment terms. Western will issue a purchase order for specific work and the successful Proponent(s) will invoice against these purchase orders once services are rendered.............................25

Where applicable, PST and GST must be shown as separate lines on all invoices....................................................25

All packages, packing slips, correspondence, customs documentation and freight bills must quote the Western purchase order............................................................................................................................................................25

All invoices must quote the Western purchase order number. Failure to include the purchase order number will result in invoices being returned and delays in payments. .......................................................................................25

The payment schedule of this project will follow the project milestones : ..............................................................25

14TERMINATION OF CONTRACT ..................................................................................................................................25

Western reserves the right to terminate this contract with thirty (30) days written notice if, in its opinion, the successful proponent fails to meet the terms and conditions of the contract. Notwithstanding the termination of the contract, the successful proponent shall remain responsible for its obligations under this contract up to the date of termination. Western reserves the right to commence an action in a court of competent jurisdiction against the successful proponent for damages that result from the breach of the terms and conditions of the contract by the successful proponent. ......................................................................................................................25

1Deficiencies identified by Western will be handled as follows:...............................................................................25

1correct the deficiency with its own force or forces retained by it and back charge the successful Proponent(s) for all costs incurred; or ................................................................................................................. 26

terminate the contract with the successful Proponent(s). .............................................................................. 26

15EVALUATION PROCESS AND AWARD........................................................................................................................26

1As described in section 4.1.1, an invited proposal submission list of three to five proponents will be chosen from the most qualified Proponents. Western reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine which proponents meet the pre-qualification requirements. .................................................................................................................26

Please refer to Appendix E for the scorecard that will be used in evaluating the responses and selecting the successful Proponent. ..............................................................................................................................................26

Western reserves the right to enter into negotiations prior to award with the Proponent(s) who offer the best overall value to them. During such negotiations, the scope may be refined, responsibilities will be designated, implementation issues clarified and the final terms and conditions of any contract will be determined.................26

If negotiations with the selected Proponent are unsuccessful, Western reserves the right in its sole discretion to enter into negotiations with any other Proponent.....................................................................................................26

The successful Proponent awarded the contract will be contact by telephone. The RFP status and final award decision will be posted on WEsternBUYs (www.westernbuys.ca). ...........................................................................26

APPENDIX B: SCORECARD FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION....................................................................................................28

APPENDIX C: PRE-QUALIFICATION WORKSHEET..........................................................................................................29

APPENDIX D: SCORECARD FOR RESPONSES TO UWORFP03-0945...............................................................................30

APPENDIX F: RESPONSE WORKSHEET...........................................................................................................................31

APPENDIX F: PRICING WORKSHEET..............................................................................................................................32


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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 The University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario (Western), the third largest university in Ontario, has a full and part-time enrollment of more than 33,329 graduate and undergraduate students and includes affiliate University Colleges. The Western campus covers 487 hectares and is located about 4 km north of the centre of London. There are approximately 3200 Full-Time Staff and Faculty. An additional 5,000 Part-Time Staff and Faculty represent approximately 3,800 Full-Time equivalents.

Residence accommodation is currently provided for approximately 4,300 students in 9 buildings located around the perimeter of Western's campus.

Western’s web site is www.uwo.ca/ A campus map is available at www.uwo.ca/maps.

1.2 The University of Western Ontario Research Park

The University of Western Ontario Research & Development Park (UWO Research Park) is located across Windermere Road, at the northwest corner of Western's campus. Several independent firms are located in the Gordon J. Mogenson Building and the Stiller Centre for Biotechnology Commercialization.

The UWO Research Park’s web site is www.uwo.ca/researchpark.

1.3 The Windermere Manor

The Windermere Manor, located at the UWO Research Park, is a conference facility with 11 meeting rooms, 48 suites/rooms, the Grand Hall for banquets and receptions and Windermere’s Café.

Windermere's web site is www.windermeremanor.com.

1.4 Brescia University College

Brescia University College (Brescia), founded in 1919 as a Catholic college, is Canada’s only university-level women’s college. Affiliated with The University of Western Ontario and located across from the Western Road gates of Western, Brescia College has approximately 1100 full-time and part-time students with residence accommodation for approximately 160 students. Brescia College has approximately 92 Full-Time Staff and Faculty, 60 Part-Time Staff and Faculty and 5 sisters.

Brescia's web site is www.brescia.uwo.ca.

1.5 Western’s Telephone Service

Western provides telephone service to Western’s staff and faculty, the student residences, The University of Ontario Research Park, Brescia University College and Windermere Manor (February 2010) with a Nortel SL-100 telephone switch, Symposium Call Centre Server, Octel 350 voicemail, Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco Unity Voicemail. Western is moving users from the legacy telephone systems to VoIP in a multi-year project that will be completed in 2011. Western provides telephone system maintenance to London Hall Residence (Nortel Option 11) and Windermere Manor (Nortel Option 11, Meridian Mail).

Western’s telephone service is provided by Information Technology Services (ITS) through the combined efforts of several teams:

• Network & Systems is responsible for the overall system design and functioning, non-Windows server support, networking services including design and installation (in conjunction with the Cabling Infrastructure Team) and second and third level support to other TIS teams and the University Community.

• The Customer Support Centre provides first level support to the University Community


http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/

http://www.windermeremanor.com/

http://www.uwo.ca/researchpark

http://www.uwo.ca/maps

http://www.uwo.ca/

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including Order Taking and problem resolution.

• The Cabling Infrastructure Team provides MAC services including cable design and installation.

• Operations & Server Support maintain Windows servers and provide monitoring services.

As a member of INSIGHT 100 inc, Western provides access to an experienced community of SL-100 users.

2 RFP OVERVIEW

Western is interested in proposals/solutions from qualified firms/individuals to submit proposals to supply and install an IP Contact Centre solution (connected to the CUCM) to provide inbound call queuing services (basic and, skills based routing) to the University community. In addition to replacing existing services, Western plans to expand their service offering to include call recording, voice/speech recognition, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Computer Telephony Integration (CTI).

3 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Western’s objectives with respect to this project are:

1.5.1 Find a Contact Centre solution that is compatible with Western’s architecture and applications.

1.5.2 Provide for distributed system administration.

1.5.3 Increase productivity of the end users.

1.5.4 Increase productivity of voice and data staff.

1.5.5 Provide more efficient and effective use of call centers.

1.5.6 Provide increased customer satisfaction to both internal and external Western customers.

1.5.7 Provide scalability of proposed solutions as required.

4 PREQUALIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR UWORFP03-0945

This RFP process consists of two stages:

1.6 RFP Stages

1.6.1 Stage One

Proponents must submit Pre-qualification proposals to determine which submission(s) best meets the needs of Western as identified in Section 7. Proponents are not to respond to the RFP Stage 2 at this time.

An invited proposal submission list of three to five proponents will be chosen from the most qualified Proponents. Please refer to Appendix B for the Pre-Qualification Scorecard.

Western reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine which proponents meet the


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pre-qualification requirements. These Proponent(s) will be at liberty to submit responses to UWORFP03-0945.

Qualified Proponents will receive a formal invitation to proceed with Stage 2 to Submit their proposal/submissions for UWORFP03-0945 Contact Centre Solution.

1.6.2 Stage Two

Western is requesting proposals/solutions from pre-qualified firms/individuals.

1.7 Stage One: Pre-qualification Procedures

1.7.1 To be eligible to respond to UWORFP03-0945 for a Contact Centre Solution, proponents must first be pre-qualified.

1.7.2 Proponents interested in pre-qualifying to respond to UWORFP03-0945 must complete and submit six (6) hard copies and six (6) electronic of Appendix A (Acknowledgement) and six (6) hard copies and six (6) electronic copies of Appendix C (Pre-qualification Worksheet) by Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 3:00 pm to Helga Alcorn.

Submissions must be in a sealed envelope bearing the name and address of the Proponent clearly marked on the outside of the envelope and the RFP information as follows:

RFP – Contact Centre SolutionRFP NUMBER - UWORFP03-0945

Delivery address if Proponents are hand delivering RFP Response Documents:The University of Western OntarioPurchasing DepartmentSupport Services Building, Suite 61001393 Western RoadLondon ON N6G 1G9Attention: Helga AlcornEmail: [email protected]

Delivery address if Proponents are using Couriers to deliver their RFP Response Documents:The University of Western OntarioPurchasing DepartmentSupport Services Building, Dock 191393 Western RoadLondon ON N6G 1G9Attention: Helga AlcornEmail: [email protected]

1.7.3 Proposals received after the closing time and date will be returned unopened to the sender. Proposals submitted by facsimile or email will not be accepted. If a Proponent is concerned about timely delivery of their response, they should contact Helga Alcorn via email ([email protected]) BEFORE the deadline (Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 3:00 pm).

1.7.4 Responses to questions will be distributed to all Proponents through the Proponent’s primary contact via e-mail and posted on www.westernbuys.ca under this document.

1.7.5 No amendments or change to proposals will be accepted after the closing date and time (3:00 pm on Friday, December 4th, 2009).


http://www.westernbuys.ca/

mailto:[email protected]



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1.7.6 Submissions must be prepared in accordance with the conditions outlined in this and any associated documents. Failure to comply may result in the disqualification of the proposal.

1.7.7 Proponents will be pre-qualified based on solution, team qualifications and relevant experience and references.

1.7.8 The proposed solution should integrate with Western’s existing environment (Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM), PeopleSoft, etc.); reproduce existing services and have potential for additional services as described in Section 7.

1.7.9 Proponents are to provide three relevant customer references, including contact name, role, telephone number / email address and description of completed project(s). The project(s) should be of a similar scope and size as identified in this RFP document and from a Higher Education/Research Institution similar to Western.

1.7.10 Have a service and a spare parts warehouse facility within four hours of the Western.

1.7.11 State the number of certified technical resources located within two hours of Western.

1.7.12 State any/all partnerships and/or alliances formed to facilitate a project of this scope and size.

1.7.13 Provide a sample implementation plan from a previous project of a similar size and scope as specified in this RFP.

1.7.14 Proponents must be the Manufacturer(s) authorized Dealer/Distributor with staff duly certified as designers, installers and maintenance technicians for their proposed solution.

5 CURRENT CALL QUEING

1.8 Nortel Symposium Call Centre Server 5.0

• Platform: Dell 2650• Operating System: Windows 2000 Standard• Software Version: 05.00.00• Connected to: Nortel SL-100• IVR: 48• Licensing: 150• Agent Positions: Configured = 150; System Value =6,000

• Configured PurchasedSkillsets 100 1,000Calls per Hour 100 25,000DNIS 500 10,000CDN 240 750Applications 240 505RAN Routes 25 300Music Routes 25 213Activity Codes 250 1,000Agent Events per Day 32 10,000NODES 1 30


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1.9 Current Applications

Registrar ITS Help Desk 73 15Number of Agents 117 38

1.10 Automatic Call Distribution (SL-100)

• 10 groups including the two backup groups for the Registrar and Helpdesk Symposium applications should the connection between Symposium and the SL100 is lost

• Excluding the Registrar and Helpdesk ACD groups, there are 10 groups with 28 agents – averaging 4 to 6 per ACD.

• Sample applications include o Sport Medicine clinic – 6 agents answering main number for Clinic and handling

walk-in traffic – making appointments o RezNet – 6 agents housing support staff – helping student population living in

Residences with their network connectso UWO Switchboard – 2 agents Callers time out from the main Auto Attendant for

the University to this queue application if they require further assistance or if they are not calling from a touch tone telephone.

1.11 Single Line Queuing (SL-100)

This option provides users with the ability to queue calls against a single directory number. It is configured on a button on the phone and allows the user to activate or deactivate the feature with a single keystroke – 8 applications – 5 Science Academic Counselors, 1 telecom support, 1 Brescia University College main reception and 1 Brescia University College Registrar.

5 WESTERN’S TELEPHONE SYSTEMS

1.12 PBX

1.12.1 Cisco Unified Communications Manager

A Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) with a publisher and a subscriber was installed in May 2008. Service is provided to approximately 2,000 faculty and staff growing to approximately 6,000 in 2011. The CUCM is at Release 6.1.3.3213-1 with current patching.

1.12.2 Nortel SL-100

A Nortel Meridian SL-100 with a BRISC processor was installed in the second half of 1999. Current software version is SE09 installed in November 2007. Service is provided to residence students and those faculty and staff who have not yet migrated to VoIP. The SL-100 will be retired in 2011.

1.13 VOICEMAIL

1.13.1 Cisco Unity

Cisco Unity, installed in the first half of 2008, provides voicemail services to approximately 5,000 faculty and staff through connections to the CUCM and the SL-100. Current version of software is 5.0(1) with current patching.

1.13.2 Avaya Octel 350

An Octel Aria 350 provides voicemail services to student residence users of the SL-100 as well as menu applications and auto-attendants including the main University auto-attendant. Current version of software is 3.11.05-1 installed in May 2001. The Octel will be retired in June 2011.


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1.14 OTHER SYSTEMS

Other systems provide a variety of specialized services to the Western Community. E.g. a Nortel Remote Office 9150 provides telephone service to Western Continuing studies. An Option 11 provides intercom and 911 services to London Hall Residence.

6 SCOPE OF WORK

1.15 Introduction

Western plans to purchase and install an IP Contact Centre solution (connected to the CUCM) to provide inbound call queuing services (basic and, skills based routing) to the University community. In addition to replacing existing services, Western plans to expand their service offering to include call recording, voice/speech recognition, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Computer Telephony Integration (CTI).

1.16 Architecture

The proponents are required to describe in detail how their proposed solution would accomplish the following

• Open standards

• Expandability/Scalability

o Total number of users

o Single agent queuing to multiple agent call centres

• Resiliency/Fault Tolerance

o Redundancy

o Failover

• Security

• SIP Compliance

• Integration with Western’s CUCM

1.17 System Administration

Proponents are required to describe in detail how distributed administration is accomplished in their proposed solution for

• ITS staff• For end-users

1.18 Call Queuing

Proponents are required to describe in detail how their proposed solution will provide queuing services to

• Single line queues• Queues (2 to ??) without skills based routing. Please state maximum queue size.• Queues with skilled based routing

1.19 Reporting

Proponents are required to describe in detail how reporting is accomplished using

• “canned” reports included with the proposed solution


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• “ad hoc” reports through an interface provided with the proposed solution

• External reporting tools e.g. crystal reports

Proponents are required to provide a list of “canned” reports included with their proposed solution.


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1.20 Call Monitoring

Western plans to install and implement call recording for the proposed contact centre solution. Western may choose to use the call recording solution recommend by the Proponent or purchase a second Eventide recorder.

Proponents are required to describe in detail how call monitoring/recording (real time, historical review) is accomplished in their proposed solution.

Western’s Campus Community Police Service (CCPS) records all calls (digital, analog, radio) to the CCPS dispatch centre using an Eventide ATLAS VR725 recorder (software version 1.8.3[256]) connected to the SL-100. The MediaWorks software client is version 1.8.1 build 31. When the CCPS telephone service is migrated to the Cisco VoIP, this recorder will be integrated with Western’s CUCM.

Proponents are required to describe in detail how their proposed solution could interface with an Eventide ATLAS CR725 recorder integrated to Western’s CUCM.

1.21 Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)

Western requires CTI to interface with Western’s PeopleSoft systems and Java based customer developed applications.

Proponents are required to describe in detail how CTI is accomplished in their solution with particular emphasis on available interfaces.

Proponents are required to describe in detail what information accompanies a transferred call when CTI is involved.

Western has deployed the following Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications: • Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions v8.9 running PeopleTools 8.46• Oracle PeopleSoft HRMS v9.0 running PeopleTools 8.49• Oracle PeopleSoft Financials v8.8 running PeopleTools 8.45

Western’s preference is to exploit web services for all necessary integration. Proponents are required to

• explicitly confirm that PeopleTools specific integrations will support the PeopleTools releases 8.45, 8.46 and 8.49

• describe in detail how the proposed solution will be kept current with future PeopleTools releases

1.22 Time of Day

Time of Day (TOD) applications can be driven from the CUCM or the proposed solution. Proponents are required to describe in detail how TOD is accomplished in their proposed solution and how their proposed solution could integrate with CUCM TOD.

1.23 Speech Recognition

Proponents are required to describe in detail how speech recognition is accomplished in their proposed solution.

1.24 Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Proponents are required to describe in detail how Interactive Voice Response is accomplished in their proposed solution.

1.25 Auto Attendants

Western uses a number of auto attendants including one associated with the main University telephone number. A number of these auto attendants are administered by the end-users. In addition, the main University auto attendant is used for emergency notification.


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The proponents are required to describe in detail how auto attendants in their proposed solution are administered with particular emphasis on changing the greetings and the use of speech recognition.

1.26 Music on Hold

Proponents are required to describe in detail how “music on hold” is provided in their proposed solution.

1.27 Real-Time Wait Estimates

Proponents are required to describe in detail how real-time wait estimates are accomplished in the proposed solution.

1.28 Priority Queuing

Western serves an international community and requires the ability to give priority to callers depending on where they are located (international, North America, Local). Proponents are required to describe in detail how priority queuing is accomplished in the proposed solution – not only for caller location but other parameters.

1.29 Agent Devices

Western currently deploys Cisco 7911, 7931, 7941, 7942, 7961, 7962 telephone sets and will be deploying Cisco IP Communicator.

Proponents are required to describe in detail

• which of these Cisco telephone sets could be used with the proposed solution as agent devices

• any other agent devices that Western could use with the proposed solution and the CUCM

1.30 Training

Western requires that designated ITS staff are trained prior to design of the contact centre solution.

Proponents are required to provide details of appropriate training for system maintainers, system administrators and end users including, but not limited to,

• Training Company• Instructor qualifications• Course names with description, target audience (e.g. system maintainer, system

administrators), number of hours, location• Any associated costs not included in the base System pricing.

1.31 Installation and Implementation

Western plans to convert • the Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk as the pilot for the new contact centre

solution in May/June 2010• the Registrar to the new contact centre solution in October 2010

1.31.1 Equipment specification and ordering

Proponents are required to describe in detail the equipment required to implement their proposed solution. Please include details of time required between ordering and delivery.

1.31.2 Installation

Proponents are required to describe in detail • the installation process for their proposed solution• knowledge transfer to the appropriate ITS personnel

• escalation process if installation/implementation issues cannot be resolved


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The successful proponent is required to provide onsite consulting for the Contact Centre Solution for technical issues related to, but not limited to, compatibility, connectivity and interfacing during the ITS Pilot. Proponents are to include details of costs of this service if it is not included in the base solution price.

1.31.3 Information Technology Services (ITS) Pilot

Proponents are required to • describe in detail how the ITS Pilot would be accomplished including, but not

limited to, design, personnel, on-site support, training, documentation, cutover• provide a high level project plan

1.31.4 Registrar’s Application

Proponents are required to • describe in detail how the Registrar’s application and cutover would be

accomplished including, but not limited to, design, personnel, on-site support, training, documentation, cutover

• provide a high level project plan

1.31.5 System Acceptance and Warranty period

Proponents are required to describe in detail the system acceptance process and the associated warranty period for their proposed solution.

Western requires access to the Lead Designer/Engineer for a three month period after installation of the contact centre solution. Please describe how this access would be accomplished and any associated costs.

1.32 Licensing

Proponents are required to describe in detail ALL licensing associated with the use of their proposed solution including, but not limited to hardware, software, agents and agent devices.

1.33 System Maintenance and Support

Western plans to provide system maintenance with access to technical support. Proponents are required to describe in detail

• transition from warranty support to “routine” technical support• monitoring• preventative maintenance• technical support services including, but not limited to,

o dedicated support person(s) who thoroughly understand Western’s environmento formal escalation process to resolve technical issues that are not resolved to

Western’s satisfaction• updates

o frequencyo processo cost

1.34 Documentation

Western requires the successful proponent to provide the following documentation:

• As designed/as built• Best practices in system maintenance• Best practices in system administration

1.35 Additional Functionality


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While UWORFP03-0945 is focused on in-bound contact centre services for voice callers, Proponents are requested to describe how other functionality such as a variety of communications channels and outbound contact centre services could be added to the proposed solution.


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7 INSTRUCTIONS TO QUALIFIED PROPONENTS

Pre-qualified Proponents must provide their primary contact email address to Mona Brennan-Coles ([email protected]) immediately upon receipt of their pre-qualification acceptance notice.

All technical communications regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) must be directed to Mona Brennan-Coles via email. Any other questions regarding this RFP must be directed to Helga Alcorn via email. Violations of this directive will result in the disqualification of the Proponent from the RFP process.

Six (6) hard copies and six (6) electronic copies in Word, Excel and/or PDF format must be submitted and enclosed in a sealed envelope bearing the name and address of the Proponent clearly marked on the outside of the envelope and the RFP information as follows:

RFP – Contact Centre SolutionRFP NUMBER - UWORFP03-0945

Proposals will be received by Western no later than 3:00 pm on Monday, January 15th, 2010, as indicated by the stamp clock in Support Services Building.

Delivery address if Proponents are hand delivering RFP Response Documents:The University of Western OntarioPurchasing DepartmentSupport Services Building, Suite 61001393 Western RoadLondon ON N6G 1G9Attention: Helga AlcornEmail: [email protected]

Delivery address if Proponents are using Couriers to deliver their RFP Response Documents:The University of Western OntarioPurchasing DepartmentSupport Services Building, Dock 191393 Western RoadLondon ON N6G 1G9Attention: Helga AlcornEmail: [email protected]

Proposals received after the closing time and date will be returned unopened to the sender. Proposals submitted by facsimile or email will not be accepted. If a Proponent is concerned about timely delivery of their response, they should contact Helga Alcorn via email ([email protected]) BEFORE the deadline (3:00 pm on Friday, January 15th, 2010).

Proponents must acquaint themselves with the terms and conditions of this document and respond to all sections of the RFP by completing Appendix E (UWORFP03-0945 Response) and Appendix F (UWORFP03-0945 Pricing). Failure to do so will be deemed that all the terms and conditions have been accepted by your organization. Submitting your organization’s standard terms and conditions will not be acceptable to fulfill this requirement.

Questions pertaining to this RFP must be received no later than Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 12:00 pm. All questions will be answered and distributed as described in Section 5.8 no later than Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 12:00 pm.






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Responses to questions will be distributed to all Proponents through the Proponent’s primary contact via e-mail and posted on www.westernbuys.ca under this document.

No amendments or change to proposals will be accepted after the closing date and time (3:00 pm on Friday, January 15th, 2010).

Submissions must be prepared in accordance with the conditions outlined in this and any associated documents. Failure to comply may result in the disqualification of the proposal.

8 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Western is not responsible for any expenses incurred by Proponent(s) in preparing and submitting a response to this RFP.

Proponents may not use Western’s name or markings for any external marketing purposes without the express written permission from Western.

Unit prices will govern where arithmetical errors may occur in the extension of prices. Where it appears a major mistake in calculation has been made, Western shall consider the intent of the Proponent and may accept the proposal for consideration and subsequent correction.

Proposal pricing shall be irrevocable for ninety (90) days following the closing date of the RFP.

Western intends to issue purchase order(s) to the Proponent whose submission offers the best value to Western.

The lowest cost Proposal or any other Proposal may not necessarily be accepted.

Western is not under any obligation to award a contract and reserves the right to terminate the Request for Proposal process prior to award and to withdraw from discussions with any or all of the Proponents who have responded, without liability being incurred by Western for any expense or cost incurred by the Proponent(s).

The successful Proponent will be notified of their award and will be required to provide:

1.35.1 Proof, from the Broker, of commercial liability insurance of at least $2 million per occurrence and The University of Western Ontario its Board of Governors, trustees, officers, employees and agents named as Additional Insureds. Such provision shall apply in proportion to and to the extent of the negligent acts or omissions of the non-University party or any person or persons under the non-University parties’ direct supervision and control. The liability insurance should include personal injury and property damage, non-owned automobile liability, owners and contractors’ protective coverage and contractual liability coverage.

1.35.2 Provide thirty (30) days advance written notice to the Western of any modification, change, or cancellation of any of the insurance coverage.

1.35.3 Proof, from the Broker, of automobile liability insurance with coverage of at least $ 2 million per occurrence for liability arising at law for damages caused by reason of bodily injury (including death) or damage to property by employees or sub contractors.

1.35.4 A current Certificate of Clearance from The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or equivalent. http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/home_e.


http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/home_e


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1.35.5 Provide information, such as company policy, relating to construction safety measures. The data centre where many of the legacy systems are located may be a posted construction zone during building renovations in 2009/2010.

All workers on Western property must be covered by WSIB for the duration of the contract and that a Certificate of Clearance or equivalent is maintained in good standing throughout the contract by the successful Proponent(s).

Western reserves the right to request proof of coverage at any time throughout the term of the contract.

The successful Proponent(s) shall not assign or sub contract any portion of its contract without the written consent of Western.

Western reserves the following rights:

1. To open submissions privately, 2. To award different items to different Proponents or one Proponent based upon Western’s

evaluation of proposals,3. To reject any or all submissions received,4. To, in its sole discretion, request clarification and/or further information from one or more

Proponents after closing without becoming obligated to offer the same opportunity to all Proponents.

5. To request proof of WSIB coverage or equivalent at any time throughout the term of the contract,

6. To waive irregularities and/or minor non-compliance by any Proponent(s) with the requirements of this Request for Proposal. An irregularity and/or minor non-compliance affects form, rather than substance, does not affect price, quality, quantity or delivery of the bid, and if corrected the Proponent(s) would not gain an unfair advantage over competitors.

All submissions must be signed by an authorized company representative (refer to Appendix A).

Any terms or conditions, which cannot be fulfilled, should be clearly stated in your submission.

Western’s RFP03-0945, the successful Proponent(s) complete submission documents and any attachments shall become part of any contract entered into between the successful Proponent(s) and Western.

Any conflict in the wording of the successful Proponent(s)’ invoice and/or sales agreement and the wording of the terms and conditions of this proposal, shall be resolved in favour of Western and shall be deemed to be incorporated into the Proponent(s)’ invoice and/or sales agreement.

The laws of the Province of Ontario shall govern in any dispute the may arise as a result of the successful Proponent’s submission and the subsequent contract awarded to the successful Proponent(s).

If the successful Proponent(s) fails to carry out the agreement satisfactorily in accordance with the terms, Western will, by giving written notice, specify the default(s) requiring remedy. In the event that the specified default(s) is/are not remedied within two weeks from giving such notice, Western reserves the right to terminate the agreement immediately.

All plans, materials and electronic or digital files paid for by Western or its Associated Companies are the property of Western or its Associated Companies.

The Proponent(s) shall treat the contract and all documents, drawings, specifications and information connected with this Request for Proposal as confidential and shall not disclose any information or documents acquired by it or its employees, agents or sub-contractors to any third


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parties, nor use, or copy the information, except as required to perform the Proponent(s) obligations in fulfilling the terms of this contract.

The successful Proponent(s) shall indemnify and hold harmless Western, its directors, employees, students and agents from and against all actions, suits, claims, causes of action, demands, penalties, fines, costs and expenses including legal fees or other proceedings of any kind or nature directly or indirectly arising out of performance of the Work or Supply of Goods, including but not limited to personal injuries to anyone, breach or alleged breach of intellectual property laws, environmental non-compliance, product liability or property damage.

The acceptance of the successful Proponents’ bid(s) and the subsequent award of the contract contemplated by this bid document is subject to Western’s internal approval processes, approval of external funding and/or budgets.

9 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO QUALIFIED PROPONENTS

Proponents are to provide three relevant customer references, including contact name, role, telephone number / email address and description of completed project(s). The project(s) should be of a similar scope and size as identified in this RFP document and from a Higher Education/Research Institution similar to Western.

Western may conduct site visits of the short listed proponents and/or may require a presentation from the Proponents. Proponents will be given sufficient time and an agenda to prepare for this presentation.

Proponents must be the Manufacturer(s) authorized Dealer/Distributor with staff duly certified as designers, installers and maintenance technicians for their proposed solution.

Proponent(s) shall obtain, and deliver, as part of the RFP response, a support letter from the manufacturer designating the Proponent as an authorized dealer/distributor of the proposed System, that the manufacturer will provided spare parts to support the System for five years, and in the event that Western determines that the Proponent is no longer acceptable as a service company, that the manufacturer will assume the responsibility for finding an acceptable service company or service the installed System on a direct basis.

1The proponent(s) shall provide evidence of their financial standing and stability by including their most current audited financial statements as part of their bid submission. Proponents shall provide the above information at their own expense.

1The proponents (s) must identify the team who will be assigned to the project including Project Manager and any technical resources. The proponents shall include a brief summary of the each team members’ education and experience in the installation and commissioning of a Contact Centre Solution similar to the size and scope of the proposed solution.

10 PARTNERING

Western is interested in participating with the selected supplier in any initiatives that are mutually beneficial and can give Western strategic or economic advantages in the areas of administration, research or teaching. Initiatives that would benefit the student and graduate populations would also be valued. Proponents should provide any evidence of previous "partnering" arrangements where they have collaborated on mutually beneficial initiatives with clients providing them with strategic or economic value beyond the narrow scope of the supply arrangement.


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11 QUALITY ASSURANCE

No substitutes shall be permitted without the express written consent of Western.

All equipment must meet legislated standards and externally bear a mark or label approved by the Standards Council of Canada or equivalent. (I.e. ULC, CSA, FDA).

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and appropriate labels must accompany all hazardous products as defined under the Hazardous Products legislation and provincial WHIMIS legislation.

Proponents 1must include a statement outlining your company’s quality assurance philosophy and program. This statement should detail how your company will respond to:

• Service related problems

• Quality problems

• Escalation process available to Western.

The proposed System must be the current production model for ALL components. State the market release date of the proposed System and the number of systems currently in operation in Canada.

Provide your company’s policies on identifying end of life cycle or product obsolescence, how and in what timeframe this will be communicated to Western.

The proposed System shall allow for a seamless transition from the current environment and shall allow for additional application modules as required.

Describe details on upcoming software and hardware releases on all systems and applications within the next 12-18 months and indicate any benefits that may be realized by Western as a result.

Proponents must specify if any of the new version or release ,either the hardware or software, as identified in their RFP submission will be provided to Western free of charge if a new version or release is brought to market within 120 days after acceptance of the hardware or software by Western.

1The acceptance criteria will be developed in conjunction with Western and the successful Proponent(s).

No software and/or hardware will be accepted without Western conducting acceptance testing and the title to the supplied product shall remain with the successful Proponent(s) until testing has been completed. The equipment will be deemed accepted once the equipment has been set up and has performed as warranted or as stated in the published specifications. If the equipment does not function as warranted or as stated in the published specifications, Western will notify the successful Proponent(s) in writing of the deficiencies which shall be corrected in the same manner as set out in Section 15.2.

12 PRICING

Pricing must be in Canadian dollars and must include all costs associated with providing maintenance. Proponents are required to complete Appendix F.

Prices must be guaranteed for duration of the contract.

Western would like to take advantage of any promotions, rebates, incentives, discounts, price decreases or new technologies that become available during the term of the contract. Proponents should state their policy related to future pricing and technology releases.


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The successful Proponent(s) guarantees that all pricing offered and agreed to in this contract is (are) as low or lower than any being paid to date by any institution in Canada, including the Federal Government, for goods and services identical on this contract and sold by the successful Proponent(s) during the last 12 months. Should the successful Proponent(s) offer to sell goods and services identical to those on the contract to any institution in Canada at a lower price than those being paid for by Western; the successful Proponent(s) will adjust all prices for goods covered by this contract to the lower prices being offered elsewhere.

13 PAYMENT TERMS/INVOICING

Payment terms are net 30 days after delivery of goods and/or services. Please specify in your proposal any payment terms that may differ e.g. 2% 10 days.

Western will not consider any prepayment terms. Western will issue a purchase order for specific work and the successful Proponent(s) will invoice against these purchase orders once services are rendered.

Where applicable, PST and GST must be shown as separate lines on all invoices.

All packages, packing slips, correspondence, customs documentation and freight bills must quote the Western purchase order.

All invoices must quote the Western purchase order number. Failure to include the purchase order number will result in invoices being returned and delays in payments.

The payment schedule of this project will follow the project milestones :

• 30 % upon delivery of the hardware/software

• 30 % upon installation

• 30 % upon acceptance by Western

• 10 % holdback of payment after acceptance payable upon delivery of all manuals, as built drawings and training sessions have been completed.

14 TERMINATION OF CONTRACT

Western reserves the right to terminate this contract with thirty (30) days written notice if, in its opinion, the successful proponent fails to meet the terms and conditions of the contract. Notwithstanding the termination of the contract, the successful proponent shall remain responsible for its obligations under this contract up to the date of termination. Western reserves the right to commence an action in a court of competent jurisdiction against the successful proponent for damages that result from the breach of the terms and conditions of the contract by the successful proponent.

1Deficiencies identified by Western will be handled as follows:

• The deficiency will be communicated in writing to the successful Proponent(s) indicating the location, the device that is deficient, the timing to correct this deficiency and the corrective actions required so that the defective device performs as warranted or as stated in the published specifications.

• If the successful Proponent(s) fails to fulfill the aforementioned requirements, Western will provide written notice to the successful Proponent(s) of the deficiency, requiring that the deficiency be corrected by a specified date.

• If the deficiency has not been corrected by the specified date, UWO shall have the option at its sole discretion to:


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o 1correct the deficiency with its own force or forces retained by it and back charge the successful Proponent(s) for all costs incurred; or

o terminate the contract with the successful Proponent(s).

15 EVALUATION PROCESS AND AWARD

1As described in section 4.1.1, an invited proposal submission list of three to five proponents will be chosen from the most qualified Proponents. Western reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine which proponents meet the pre-qualification requirements.

Please refer to Appendix E for the scorecard that will be used in evaluating the responses and selecting the successful Proponent.

Western reserves the right to enter into negotiations prior to award with the Proponent(s) who offer the best overall value to them. During such negotiations, the scope may be refined, responsibilities will be designated, implementation issues clarified and the final terms and conditions of any contract will be determined.

If negotiations with the selected Proponent are unsuccessful, Western reserves the right in its sole discretion to enter into negotiations with any other Proponent.

The successful Proponent awarded the contract will be contact by telephone. The RFP status and final award decision will be posted on WEsternBUYs (www.westernbuys.ca).



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APPENDIX A: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

SUBMITTED BY (Company): _____________________________________________________

Name: __________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Telephone: __________________________________________________________________

Facsimile: __________________________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________________

I/We the undersigned are duly authorized to execute this Proposal on behalf of:

Name of Prospective Supplier

Authorized Signature


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APPENDIX B: SCORECARD FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION

Supplier Name:

Possible Score

Supplier Score

Comments

SOLUTION

• Integration with Western’s Environment

• Ability to reproduce existing services

• Potential for additional services

50

INSTALLATION/SUPPORT/SERVICE

• Qualifications of Project Team and technical resources

• Location of technical resources

• Sample implementation plan from previous project of similar size and scope

35

REFERENCES

• Satisfaction with solution and vendor

15


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APPENDIX C: PRE-QUALIFICATION WORKSHEET

Supplier Name:

Please complete and submit the UWORFP03-0945 Pre-Qualification Worksheet.


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APPENDIX D: SCORECARD FOR RESPONSES TO UWORFP03-0945

Supplier Name:

Possible Score

Supplier Score

Comments

VALUE

• Growth

• Initial Purchase

• Installation

• Support/Maintenance

• Training

• Value Added Services

40

ARCHITECTURE

• Disaster Recovery/Business Resumption

• Interoperability

• Innovation

• Open Standards

• Scalability

30

INSTALLATION/SUPPORT/SERVICE

• Maintenance

• Migration

• Professional Services

• References

• Support

• Training

25

VALUE ADDED SERVICES/CONTRIBUTIONS 5


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APPENDIX F: RESPONSE WORKSHEET

Supplier Name:

Please complete and submit the UWORFP03-0945 Response Worksheet.


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APPENDIX F: PRICING WORKSHEET

Supplier Name:

Please complete and submit UWORFP02-0945 Pricing Worksheet.


Contact Center Solution

Education

Transcript of Contact Center Solution