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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 07, 2006 FBO #1684
SOLICITATION NOTICE

D -- Request for Information (RFI)for Backup Power and Environmental Controls to Support Voice over Internet Protocol Services (VOIP)

Notice Date

7/5/2006
 

Notice Type

Solicitation Notice
 

NAICS

517910 — Other Telecommunications
 

Contracting Office

ACA, ITEC4, Directorate of Contracting , 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700
 

ZIP Code

22331-0700
 

Solicitation Number

W91QUZ06DZ0XXX
 

Response Due

8/18/2006
 

Archive Date

10/17/2006
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

1.0 SUBJECT This is a Request for Information (RFI) for methods to provide backup power and environmental controls to support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Responses to this RFI are due by 4:00 PM on August 18, 2006. See section 8.0 for further information. 2.0 INTRODUCTION The United States Army is implementing VoIP at camps, posts, and stations in both the continental United States (CONUS) and outside the continental United States (OCONUS). Operational requirements and user expectations are that the VoIP system(s) will con tinue to operate in the event of a power failure. This means the VoIP system must be carefully designed and deployed, providing appropriate monitoring, power conditioning, and environmental controls (cooling and ventilation). This RFI seeks information r egarding design approaches and technical solutions for addressing the conditions above. 3.0 REQUIREMENTS There are two basic requirements that should be considered 3.1 Reliability. Requirements for reliability and power backup are specified in DISA Generic Switching Center Requirements (GSCR), Appendix 3, (contact Arthur Olson or Neal Dedicatoria, via email at arthur.olson@us.army.mil or neal.dedicatoria@itec4.army. mil for Appendix 3). It states in part, The components that comprise the [Command and Control Voice Grade Local Area Network] systems for [Command and Control] users shall meet the appropriate GSCR switch type backup power requirements (e.g., 8 hours for Multifunction Switch (MFS), Small End Office (SMEO), or End Office (EO) for all devices including the phones. For a PBXl, the backup power requirement is 2 hours. Accordingly, it is expected that if there is a power failure, an entire VoIP system will c ontinue to function for 8 hours if the telephone switch type is a MFS, SMEO or EO. For a Private Branch Exchange (PBX1), the requirement is 2 hours. This requirement also assumes that Internet Protocol (IP) telephones will be getting their power from net work devices. 3.2 Environmental controls. The requirement for environmental controls, cooling and ventilation is to ensure that VOIP services remain operational within the parameters specified in Appendix 3, GSCR . The preferred approach would be the applications of te chnologies and design approaches that would minimize the addition of air-conditioning equipment or structural building changes. 4.0 APPLICATION In a typical camp/post/station, the legacy telephony system has high availability that is provided by built-in battery backup and power generators that are located at the dial central office (DCO) and Area Distribution Nodes (ADN). Bundles of copper wire is distributed from the main distribution frame to intermediate distribution frames or punch-down blocks within the legacy telecommunications rooms at user occupied buildings. Service is extended from the legacy telecommunication room to the user telephone instruments. Since the telephone instruments obtain their power from the dial central office or ADNs, separate power backup is not required at the legacy telecommunications rooms at user occupied buildings. For VoIP the situation is different. The VoIP telephones within user occupied buildings, are powered either by the data lines or by the wall outlets. In-line power does not require power at the desktop as the VoIP telephone draws power from the data switc h, which is the preferred approach. If the VoIP telephone is powered by the wall outlet then power backup is still required. At the dial central office and ADNs the data switches, VoIP servers and gateways are typically protected by modular, redundant battery backup with an internal bypass that is connected to power generator equipment and adequate cooling and ventilation. However, at the user building locations the telecommunication room(s) typically are connection points to telephones and computer workstations, and house passive cross-connect points, patch panels, and punch-down blocks for copper and fiber cable. The rooms usually provide little to no cooling and airflow features or battery backup services. The telecommunication room usually contains 1 to 3 racks of equipment and can draw 500 watts to 4000 watts of single-phase AC power. The AC power, 110-60 Hz, 220-50 Hz is country and location dependent. The configurations typically contain either a single room with a single Layer 2 data switch (figure 1), or multiple rooms with multiple data switches (figure 2). The main communications room entrance to the multiple room configurations is typically a Layer 3 data switch with subordinate rooms containing Laye r 2 data switches tied together via fiber-optic riser cables supporting up to 1000 ports. The user-occupied building generic categories are: " small (48-144 users): 2ea 16amp/220 volt power supplies " medium (145-336 users): 2ea 20amp/220 volt power supplies " large (337-720 users): 2ea 20amp/220 volt power supplies The telecommunications room is normally grounded to the common building ground, and normally has a dedicated electrical circuit(s) from a common user-occupied building electrical distribution panel. The user-occupied building normally has only one power s ource. Figure 1: Example User-occupied Building with One Telecommunications Room (TR) (Contact Arthur Olson or Neal Dedicatoria via email for Figure) Figure 2: Example User-occupied Building with Multiple Telecommunications Rooms (TRs) (Contact Arthur Olson or Neal Dedicatoria via email for Figure) The data switches are envisioned to provide 802.3af-compliant Power over Ethernet (POE) to the IP phones, and by exception, the IP phones may obtain power from a local power supply brick. The subject of this RFI is to provide continuous VoIP service to ma intain operation of the data switches and IP phones during a power failure. 5.0 ISSUES AND CONCERNS The challenge in maintaining VoIP operation in user occupied buildings during a power failure is two-fold. First, adequate backup electrical power must be provided for 2-8 hours, depending on the telephone switch type. Second, all the VoIP-related electr onics must continue to operate. This means that adequate environmental conditions must be maintained, either with HVAC or with technology that consumes less power, thus generating less heat while maintaining services. This is complicated by the nature of typical TR environments where the data switches and POE sources are located. The rooms can be specifically constructed as TRs, but sometimes they are a plywood backboard, an alcove, or an inset. Moreover, Army camps, posts, and stations may be located in hostile environments such as deserts or the Artic. This RFI seeks solutions for solving both problems so that VoIP operation will be maintained in user occupied buildings during power failures. 6.0 SAMPLE RESPONSE OUTLINE Following is a suggested outline with suggested page counts for a response to this RFI. This outline is intended to minimize the effort of the respondent and structure the responses for ease of analysis by the government. Nevertheless, respondents are fr ee to develop their response as they see fit. Section 1  Conceptual Alternatives Briefly describe one or more alternative architecture concepts for backup power and environmental controls, including the reliability and availability characteristics of the alternatives. Discuss the differences between Continental United States (CONUS) a nd Outside Continental United states (OCONUS) concepts or solutions, if any. (2-4 pages per alternative, with one diagram per alternative identifying the brand/type of equipment that would typically be deployed) Section 2  Feasibility Assessment Briefly describe the feasibility of each alternative and the design tradeoffs involved as matched against the functional requirements. (1 page per alternative) Section 3  Cost Estimates Provide a rough order of magnitude cost estima te for each alternative, including non-recurring and annual recurring costs. Also, discuss cost drivers and cost tradeoffs. (1-2 pages) Section 4  Additional Materials Please provide any other materials, suggestions, and discussion you deem appropriate. 7.0 DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returne d. In accordance with FAR 15.202(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. 8.0 CONTACT INFORMATION Following is the Point of Contact (POC) for this RFI: Mr. Neal Dedicatoria Contract Specialist (Intern) Army Contracting Agency, ITEC4 Office: 703-325-3344 Neal.dedicatoria@itec4.army.mil Technical Point of Contact Mr. Arthur Olson (732) 532-6114 arthur.olson@us.army.mil Please submit responses via e-mail in Microsoft Office format by 4:00 PM on August 18 , 2006, to the POC at: (email address). You may also submit supplemental hardcopy materials such as brochures, etc. (5 copies each) to the POC.
 

Place of Performance

Address: ACA, ITEC4 Directorate of Contracting , 2461 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria VA

Zip Code: 22331-0700

Country: US
 

Record

SN01082939-W 20060707/060705225359 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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