Request for Proposal: Provide and Install Computer Hardware

August 27th, 2012

1. INTRODUCTION

1(A) Background
TCAT, Inc (Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc.) is a not-for-profit corporation that provides public transportation for Tompkins County, a rural county in upstate New York of approximately 100,000 residents. While TCAT serves all parts of the county, the majority of the service focuses on the census-defined Ithaca Urbanized Area (UZA), with a population of approximately 52,000. TCAT serves over 3.5 million passenger trips every year, traveling more than 1.7 million miles over 113,000 hours in revenue service. The fleet currently consists of 55 buses, 8 of which are hybrid-electric diesel buses, 4 of which are gasoline 16-passenger vans, and the remaining 43 vehicles are standard 30'-40' diesel buses. TCAT also offers complimentary ADA Paratransit services through a subcontractor, Gadabout. TCAT exhibits relatively lean staffing levels, with 23 administrative employees, 85 bus operators, and 19 maintenance staff.

1(B) Request for Proposal (RFP) Purpose
TCAT, Inc.'s purpose for RFP 004-2012 is to solicit proposals for computer hardware, labor, travel, and insurance to install applicable computer hardware components within our 737 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, New York location and to define TCAT, Inc.'s requirements for procurement of said computer hardware. In addition TCAT, Inc. is soliciting a quality product and installation combination in an effort to provide upgraded and reliable computer performance.
Currently, for clarification purposes, TCAT, Inc.'s desire is to replace antiquated Personal Computers, Laptops, Servers and all applicable connectivity hardware. Note that TCAT, Inc.'s existing inventory consists of approximately 25 Desktop PCs, 8 Laptops and 2 Servers. All equipment is networked via Category 5 cabling and applicable Network Hubs and Switches.

Q&A

RFP 004-2012 Proposer Question Submittals and TCAT, Inc. Answers

1. Question: For the pricing schedule 5 (B) Labor, what does "Term" refer to? Is this supposed to indicate pricing for labor or time / dates of service?

Answer: Term, for the sake of RFP 004-2012, under Pricing Schedule 5 (B) Labor refers to Labor for the Term of our project. Basically, if Labor is required what are the Time / Dates of installation.

2. Question: For the Pricing Schedule 5 (C) Warranties; id this relating to Manufacturer warranty, or is the Vendor required to provide their own warranty on installed equipment?

Answer: Warranties, for the sake of RFP 004-2012, relates to any applicable warranties (both Manufacturer and Supplier). TCAT, Inc. believes a warranty should be inclusive of equipment and supplier installation.

3. Question: Is an Operating System required for Server equipment, if so, what are the specifications.

Answer: Note that and Operating System is not required for our Server Equipment. Also note that TCAT, Inc. may, however, require assistance installing our Operating System of choice.

4. Question: Upon award what is the invoicing procedure; i.e. 50 percent down once order is placed and remaining 50 percent once equipment is replaced?

Answer: TCAT, Inc.'s Terms are Net 30, but we are willing to negotiate with each Proposer for a "best fit" solution.

5. Question: Will data transfer be required during installation of equipment?

Answer: TCAT, Inc. may require data transfer assistance as our desire is to place all equipment in service in an expedited fashion.

6. Question: Will the awarded vendor be responsible for removal / disposal of old equipment? If so, what is the procedure?

Answer: Awarded Vendor will not be responsible for removal / disposal of old equipment.

7. Question: Will the awarded Vendor be responsible for disposing of old Hard Drives? If so, what is the procedure?
Answer: Awarded Vendor will not be responsible for disposing of old Hard Drives.

8. Question: Can new equipment be shipped directly from Supplier to site location? If so, who is responsible for removal of boxes / shipping supplies?

Answer: TCAT, Inc. prefers equipment not to be drop-shipped to our location. As far as boxes and shipping supplies; TCAT, Inc. will suggest an applicable solution with selected Proposer.

Download the complete RFP  and Q&A below.