Summary of Specifications:
Abilita has been contracted by City of Monroe to assist in the requirements definition and bid assessment process for selecting a new telephony system. This Request for Proposal (RFP) is intended to provide a standard base from which to evaluate alternatives for the new system and services. Responses are requested in a standard format (see Section 6) to allow efficient comparison. At the same time, we encourage bidders to supplement their response with any information, including alternative system design, optional features and additional functionality they deem relevant and which may not have been requested in the other sections of our standard format. Responses to this proposal must be sealed, marked “IP Telephony System Proposal”, and be delivered to the City of Monroe Clerk/Treasurer, 120 East 1st Street, Monroe, MI 48161 by 10:00 a.m. on February 27, 2017. At that time, proposals will be opened and the name of each respondent will be read aloud in the City Council Chambers. Responses should also be sent by email to Dan Aylward and Paul Anker at Abilita. Their email addresses are daylward@abilita.com and panker@abilita.com. Responses will be judged on how well they satisfy the stated requirements, by differentiating factors in system and vendor capabilities presented in the proposal, by system and life-cycle pricing, and other relevant factors which may come to light. The schedule for this bid and implementation cycle is set forth in Section 5 of this RFP. The City reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality, to modify quantities and to make award in the best interest of the City. The acceptance of a proposal does not obligate the City of Monroe to purchase a system from any bidding vendor, nor is the City of Monroe obligated to accept the lowest bid. All costs for proposal preparation are the responsibility of the bidder. After receipt of the proposal and prior to entering into any agreement, the City of Monroe reserves the right to modify the system requirements. Bidders should use their knowledge and creativity to recommend a solution that will meet or exceed the City of Monroe’s requirements. This creativity may extend to suggesting an alternative approach to specific requirements, if the alternative is supported by solid rationale. Please see attached documents for additional information and instructions.
