BOARD MEETING DATE: May 10, 1996
AGENDA NO. 5

Proposal:

Approve Purchase of AQMD's Telecommunication Services

Synopsis:

On November 17, 1995, the Board approved release of an RFP for Telecommunications Services. Dividing the purchase of required telecommunications services among GTE (local phone services), L.A. Cellular (cellular phone services), and MCI (long distance and other telecommunication services) would provide the lowest cost services. These services are funded from the District General communication account. For the remainder of FY 1995-96, $110,000 has been allocated and for FY 1996-97, $638,000 is budgeted for these telecommunication services.

Committee:

Administrative, April 19, 1996, Recommended for Approval

Recommended action:

Approve a three-year purchase order for local phone and PBX maintenance services from GTE Telephone Operations; approve a three-year purchase order for cellular phone service from L.A. Celluar; and approve a three-year purchase order for long-distance telephone services from MCI Telecommunications Corp.

James M. Lents, Ph.D.
Executive Officer

Background

On November 17, 1995, the Board approved the release of an RFP for Telecommunication Services. The purpose of this RFP was to solicit and identify vendor(s) capable of providing all local and wide-area telecommunications services to the AQMD, to reduce current expenses for voice communication services, and to optimize use of the installed voice communications network.

In accordance with the District's Consultant Selection Policy and Procedure, a public notice inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, Riverside Press Enterprise, San Bernardino Sun, L.A. Sentinel, La Opinion, AQMD BBS, AQMD's Internet Home Page, The M/W/DVBE Source, Rafu Shimpo, Chinese Daily News, Korea Central Daily, Eastern Group Publishers, Precinct Reporter, El Chicano, The Black Voice News, The Excelsior, and the RFP/Bid Information Line. Copies of the RFP were requested by and mailed to 55 telecommunication vendors (Attachment A).

Bid Evaluation

When the bidding closed on December 22, 1995, responses had been received from five firms. No MBE/WBE/DVBE companies responded to this RFP. Of the five respondents, four were judged technically qualified. Since none of the bidders could offer all services, the bid evaluation was split into three parts: local telephone service, cellular phone service, and long distance and other telecommunication services. Proposals were evaluated by a five-member evaluation panel consisting of three females and two males; one Hispanic, one Asian American and three Caucasians; all AQMD staff.

Only GTE currently is able to offer local telephone service. GTE was the only bidder to include maintenance services on the District's Meridian SL1 PBX switch as well as local phone services and combination of 250 Analog phone lines into 9 GTE T1 lines to reduce the costs associated with phone line facility charges. Both MCI and L.A. Cellular offered cellular phone services. The evaluation results for cellular services are shown in Attachment B. Both Sprint and MCI offered long distance phone service and various combinations of additional services such as InterLATA and Interstate access, Frame Relay, Internet access, ISDN, 800 numbers, and Calling Card service. The evaluation results for these vendors are shown in Attachment C, with MCI ranked first. Four T1 lines from ACLA and Sprint will be replaced with three MCI T1 lines for long-distance and network access services, and thirteen 800 phone numbers (five lines from GTE, one from AT&T, and seven from MCI) will be replaced with a single 800 phone number (1-800-CUT-SMOG). All 800 lines will be rolled over to MCI to ensure full advantage of volume discounts. Attachment D details the proposed change in 800 phone numbers and lines.

Resource Impacts

For the remainder of FY 1995-96, $110,000 has been allocated and for FY 1996-97, $638,000 is budgeted for these telecommunication services.

Attachment (Down Load self-extracting compressed attachment package for this letter in M.S. Office 4.2.)

A. List of Companies that requested RFP 9596-26

B. Evaluation of Bids for Cellular Phone Services

C. Evaluation of Bids for Long Distance and Other Telecommunication Services

D. Summary of 800 Number Consolidation