2021073 - Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

1. Introduction

This Request for Information (“RFI”) is issued by the University of Ottawa (the “University”) for the purposes of gathering information about the marketplace in order to assist in the determination of future purchasing options or requirements for the implementation of a Unified Communications As a Service (UCaaS) Solution. Participation in this RFI is completely optional and is not a requirement to participate in a potential future RFP.
 

2. Background

Founded in 1848, the University of Ottawa is the largest French-English bilingual university in the world.
The University of Ottawa has an aging legacy telephony infrastructure, including call centres infrastructure, which will not meet existing operational needs for much longer. Due to critical components such as end-of-support and prone to failure with extended outages, it cannot support the development and deployment of advanced functionality required as part of any modern collaboration platform.  The University requires a solution that will meet the current and future needs of its students, faculty and business.  The solution must be scalable and flexible.   Furthermore, the platform is to provide faculties with upgraded tools to teach and collaborate in a collaborative and natural manner.

The University requires an end-to-end UCaaS solution, including design, configuration, planning, system architecture, installation, network analysis, training (administrator and all other users) and post-installation support (including but not limited to maintenance and technical support) for this project.
 

3. Format

The format of the University’s discussions with Respondents will be informally via conference or video calls, on a “1=on-1” basis, between each Respondent and the University. The University anticipates spending about one hour on each call. The content and topics of the strategy discussions are shown in Section 3. The University is NOT requesting a formal written response to these questions or topics (as is common in most RFI’s). All information will be collected via the conference call / video call. The University tentatively plans to schedule the discussions the week of August 30th, 2021.

The University will not disclose (or share) the contents of each discussion with each Respondent (this will not be made public). However, the University does intend to use information gathered from each discussion to help shape the strategy and path forward on a future RFP. The University reserves the right to cap the number of RFI sessions it will hold.
 

4. General requirements

The University needs a full comprehensive, turnkey UCaaS solution using Microsoft Team as a platform that would include the following:

• Integrated solution with Microsoft team will not be considered;
• End users would be using Microsoft Team as their sole platform for any device including desktops, laptops, and mobile;

•Solution for a telephony which includes the following:
o             Soft phones
o             Analogue phones
o             VOIP
o             Hosted FAX service
o             Audio and Video conferencing capability
o             Record, store, forward, and integrate phone conversations with email
o             E911
• Call Centers solution;
• Highly availability and reliability of the Telephony and Call Centre;
• A bilingual cloud-based solution SaaS, including providing physical phones (including analogue phones) on campus, with a goal to limit both where possible; and
• Ability to accommodate concurrent operations during the phased implementation period.

Note that the University may consider putting in place one contract for all requirements or two separate contracts: one for the Telephony and one for the Call center and voice recording.
 

5. Key Considerations

The following are key considerations to provide Respondents with a framework for understanding the University’s requirements:

a. Current Telephony System Infrastructure  

The University provides and supports Mitel-based telephony services for approximately 6,000 employees and 40,000 students with:  

• 6 x SX2000 legacy PBXs, 10 x 3300 MXE IP controllers/servers, and 1 NuPoint 640 platform.  
• multiple calls centres operating on PrairieFyre Contact Center Manager (CCM) and Intelligent Queue (IQ) and Nupoint.  
• peripheral applications for 911 (ERAdvisor), paging (Blazecasat) and remote access (Teleworker).  
• 14 PSTN ISDN PRI circuit in various configurations of incoming and outgoing sessions (23 x 14 = 322 simultaneous calls).  
• analog lines (1FLs); and  

• various third-party applications databases and supplementary endpoints.  

 
There is currently no integration with the University’s Active Directory (for user import) or Exchange (for unified messaging) environments. 

The following table presents a high level of the current Telephony volumes: 
 Item Number Comment 
IP Phone 3,632 Includes polycoms and SIP phones 
Digital Phones 2,556  
Analogue Phones 962 Maintain analogue technology 
Emergency phone 61  
Blue Phone 28 Integration only, a third-party supplier will provide the phones 
Podium 193  
Guardian 4  
Lab 495  
Walker 
 
b. Current call centers infrastructure

The telecommunications infrastructure supports multiple call centres for both faculties and supporting services.  The call centres are deployed on either the PrairieFyre IQ platform or the Nupoint voicemail platform or a combination.  The call flows associated with these lines of business vary with respect to their complexity, their channel options (i.e. in person queue, email queue, phone queue) whether there are agents and supervisors associated with each flow.

The University is currently reviewing the business processes and configuration of the call centres.   The objective is to harmonize and, where possible, combine call centres, in order to improve the efficiency and reduce the operating cost. The project will run concurrently with the implementation of the UCaaS.

The call centres are identified in the table below, along with the services they provide or line of business they represent:

Call Centre Role 
Arts (Faculty of) Faculty of Arts Program Information 
Co-op Program Co-operative Education Program information 
Education (Faculty of) Faculty of Education Program Information 
External Relations Fundraising activities, outbound dialing campaigns. 
Facilities Reporting issues with uOttawa’s physical facilities 
Finances Finance 
ERP 
Financial Aid Financial Aid for Students 
Health Sciences (Faculty of) Faculty of Health Sciences Program Information 
Human Resources Human Resources 
InfoAdmissions Manages the under-graduate admissions program for all faculties except Medicine. 
InfoService Main entry point into uOttawa. 
 uOttawaInfo - General uOttawa information such as contact information, hours, where to eat on campus, where to find the library, the list of faculties, etc. 
 Registration Help Centre 
IT Service Desk Central IT Help Desk – Accessed by staff and students 
Procurement/P-Card Procurement 
Protection/Security Protection Services & uOttawa “911” Emergency Number 
Sciences (Faculty of) Faculty of Sciences Program Information 
Social Sciences (Faculty of) Faculty of Social Sciences Program Information 

c.  Previous RFP:   Please take note that the University had already gone to market before for a solution in 2020 under RFP 2020056-RFP Unified Communication as a Service (Merx ref 0000181210) but decided to cancel the process and return to explore possible alternative approaches which is why this RFI is conducted.

SECTION 2: KEY DATES & RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Key Dates

Issue Date of RFIAugust 5th, 2021
Deadline for QuestionsAugust 18th, 2021 4:00 PM local time
Deadline for AddendaAugust 20th, 2021 4:00 PM local time
Submission DeadlineAugust 25th, 2021 3:00 PM local time
Video / Conference CallTentatively Week of August 30th, 2021
The RFI timetable is tentative. It may be changed by the University at any time, and the University may choose to waive or extend the Deadline for Questions, Deadline for Addenda, and/or the Submission Deadline.
 

2. Submission Instructions

Respondents are asked to submit, (via email), 1 electronic copy, in PDF, of a completed and signed Respondent Submission Form (Appendix A) by the Submission Deadline to the following RFI Contact:

Roger Wills
Senior Procurement Officer | Procurement Services University of Ottawa
Email: rwills@uottawa.ca

All questions, inquires, or communications regarding this RFI or the EMR Project must be directed to the RFI Contact listed above.  Respondents must not contact any other University employee.
 

3. Attendees

The University attendees will include representatives of the UCAAS Project Team (Business Owner, Project Manager, Procurement Representatives, and other key stakeholders within the business).

Respondents should indicate in the Respondent Submission Form (Appendix A) their proposed attendees for the conference or video calls (Names and Job Titles or Areas of Expertise). Attendees are requested to consist of:
 

• The primary point of contact such as an Account Representative.
• At least one representative who can speak to technologies and systems (i.e. a Functional, Systems, or Business Analytics lead who is familiar with the technology and system(s) being discussed)
• At least one representative who can speak to the Respondent’s implementation/deployment capabilities, pathways, and considerations (such as a Project Manager, Deployment Manager, or leader within the Professional Services Group who oversees such individuals)
• Any additional Technical Subject Matter Experts who may have input to help guide the University’s path forward.

4. Respondent Pre-selection

The University reserves the right to pre-select a limited number of Respondents to attend the conference calls but plans to pre-select up to six (6) Respondents. Pre-selection will be at the discretion of the University in order to get a good variety of Respondents with different experiences and based on the Video Call Pre-selection Criteria listed in the Respondent Submission Form (Appendix A). Those not invited for a call may optionally still submit information in writing.

Upon being pre-selected, the University will schedule a timeslot with the Respondent, and provide a link to the conference or video call.

SECTION 3: QUESTIONS FOR VENDORS
The University intends on discussing the following items during the “Strategy Discussions” with each selected Respondent.  A written response is NOT required.
1.            The University wants to use Microsoft Teams as a platform, please share any observations about the impact this may have on the project

2.            Please provide examples of solutions of a similar scope, and Indicate how the solution could leverage Soft phones, VOIP and analogue phones.  Please share any challenges you foresee and approaches which could save the University costs while ensuring service quality.

3.            The University is considering using DID’s vs extension numbers, what problems are anticipated if we use only DIDs. Could a solution leverage both extension numbers and DID. 

4.            Describe how the Call Center solution integration could integrate with Microsoft Team (risks-challenges-alternatives).

5.            The University is considering to launch two RFPs one for Telephony and one for Call Center and voice recording. Do you see any advantages, challenges or concerns risks/disadvantages with this approach vs going to market with a RFP for the overall solution?

6.            How could the solution be provided so that the cost can be charged back to directly to the End User?

7.            Describe how your solution has could meet e911 compatibility, and what will would be the best solution approach for the University?

8.            Based on the scope presented, can you provide us a solution budget range for (a) Telephony solution (b) Call center and voice recording solution and (c) whether or not a combined solution could save the University costs (budget range for combined solution) – please provide range for initial one-time costs and then for yearly operational costs over a 10-year span.

9.            Could you provide us information regarding cost methodologies, preferred costing models, and assumptions utilized to shape pricing (we are open to have sample costing template for discussion purpose)

10.         Regarding the implementation for the solution, can you share elements the university should keep in mind (typical timelines, challenges that are typical in implementation, recommendations to lower project risks, etc…);

11.         In order to enable your firm to prepare a proposal at the RFP stage, can you please tell us what is the most critical information you need regarding our current conditions (current state) and future state vision.  Please feel free to share any further any pertinent information the University should consider.
 

APPENDIX A – RESPONDENT SUBMISSION FORM

1. Respondent Information

Please fill out the following form, naming one person to be the Respondent’s contact for the RFI process and for any clarifications or communication that might be necessary.
Full Legal Name of Respondent:

Any Other Relevant Name under which Respondent Carries on Business:

Legal Status of Respondent:

Street Address:

City, Province/State:

Postal Code:

Phone Number:

Company Website (if any):

Respondent Contact Name and Title:

Respondent Contact Phone:

Respondent Contact Email:

Name of UCAAS Solution

Proposed Attendees for Video Call
NameJob Title or Area of ExpertiseEmail:




















Video Call Pre-selection considerations
Implemented a similar size-scope UCAAS solution within the last 5 years (Yes/No)

Implemented a UCAAS solution in a higher education environment (Yes/No)

Implemented a UCAAS solution in Canada (Yes/No)

What type of UCAAS solution did you implement (Telephony only, Call Center and recording only or both)

Bilingual Implementation Experience (Yes/No)

2. Terms of Reference

In responding to this RFI, the Respondent acknowledges its acceptance of the following RFI Terms of Reference:
 

1. 1. Request for Information Not a Formal Competitive Bidding Process

This RFI is issued for information-gathering purposes and is not intended to be a formal legally binding “Contract A” bidding process. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this RFI will not necessarily result in any subsequent negotiations, direct contract award, invitational tendering process, or open tendering process, and does not constitute a commitment by the University to procure any goods or services.
 

1. 2. RFI Not to Limit the University’s Pre-Existing Rights

This RFI will not limit any of the University’s pre-existing rights. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the University expressly reserves the right, at its discretion, to:
 

1. seek subsequent information or initiate discussions with any potential supplier, including potentials suppliers that did not respond to this RFI;
2. initiate direct negotiations for the procurement of any good or service with any potential supplier or suppliers, regardless of whether the potential supplier or suppliers responded to this RFI;
3. require Respondents or any potential supplier or suppliers regardless of whether the potential supplier or suppliers responded to this RFI to enter into a non-disclosure agreement with the University to protect any sensitive or protected information shared during any discussions or negotiations;
4. contact a limited number of potential suppliers, which may include only those that responded to this RFI or may include potential suppliers that did not respond to this RFI, for the purpose of a competitive process for the procurement of any good or service;
5. elect to proceed by way of open tender call where all potential Respondents, including those that did not respond to this RFI, are eligible to compete for the award of a contract for the supply of any good or service;
6. elect not to procure the good or service that is the subject of this RFI; (vii) elect to modify or cancel this RFI at any time without liability.

These expressly reserved rights are in addition to any and all other rights of the University that existed prior to the issuance of this RFI.
 

1. 3. Pricing Information for General Information Purposes Only

Any pricing information provided by Respondents is for general information purposes and is not intended to be binding on Respondents. Any legally binding pricing or purchasing commitments will be established only where specified by the express terms of a subsequent tender call process or where established through the execution of a written agreement.
 

1. 4. Information in RFI Only an Estimate

The University and its advisers make no representation, warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in the RFI or issued by way of addenda. Any quantities shown or data contained in this RFI, or provided by way of addenda, are estimates provided only as general background information.
 

1. 5. Parties to Bear Their Own Costs

The University will not be liable for any expenses incurred by a Respondent, including the expenses associated with the cost of preparing responses to this RFI. The parties will bear their own costs associated with or incurred through

this RFI process, including any costs arising out of, or incurred in, (i) the preparation and issuance of this RFI; (ii) the preparation and making of a submission; or (iii) any other activities related to this RFI process.
 

1. 6. Accuracy of Responses

The Respondent acknowledges that the information provided is, to the best of its knowledge, complete and accurate.
 

1. 7. Submissions Will Not Be Returned

Except where set out to the contrary in this RFI or expressly requested in the Respondent’s submission, the submission and any accompanying documentation provided by a Respondent will not be returned. The RFI is a video conference call that does not require a bid submission from the respondent, other than the information and signature in Appendix A.
 

1. 8. Confidential Information of the University

All information provided by or obtained from the University in any form in connection with this RFI either before or after the issuance of this RFI (i) is the sole property of the University and must be treated as confidential; (ii) is not to be used for any purpose other than replying to this RFI; (iii) must not be disclosed without prior written authorization from the University; and (iv) must be returned by the Respondent to the University immediately upon the request of the University.

The Respondent may not at any time directly or indirectly communicate with the media in relation to this RFI without first obtaining the written permission of the University.
 

1. 1. Disclosure of Information

The Respondent consents to the University’s collection of information as contemplated under the RFI for the uses contemplated under the RFI. Respondents should not include information in their response that is proprietary or confidential. Information provided by a Respondent may be released in accordance with governing laws. To the extent that a Respondent does include confidential or proprietary information, the Respondent should identify any information in its submission, or any accompanying documentation supplied in confidence for which confidentiality is to be maintained by the University. The confidentiality of such information will be maintained by the University, except where an order by a tribunal or court or other authority having jurisdiction requires the University to do otherwise. The Respondent consents to the disclosure, on a confidential basis, of this submission by the University to advisers retained by the University for the purpose of reviewing this submission.

The Respondent acknowledges that the University may make public the name of any and all Respondents. The Respondent further acknowledges that the University is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Ontario).
 

1. 10. Governing Law

This RFI process will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.