Wireless services RFP submission deadline set for December 1

Offering a calling-party-pays system is one of the key provisions wireless carriers will have to provide as part of a series of Government of Canada (GoC) contracts up for tender. The contracts come from a request for proposals (RFP) issued on October 19, which solicits bids to provide wireless devices and services for all government departments. The RFP is divided into six streams covering a wide range of products and services (see box on page 2 for highlights of the streams). This includes domestic and international services for both voice and data communications, as well as push-to-talk services, and wireless priority service. The contracts are for a minimum of two years, but can be extended by one year on two separate occasions. The first stream, which covers all voice and data communications in Canada and the United States, represents by far the largest portion of the overall RFP. The government isn’t prepared to award this contract to a single company and has instead decided to award two contracts for this stream. The company judged to be the best – the top-ranked supplier – will get as much as 60% of the work, while 20% will be reserved for the second contractor. The remaining 20% will be allocated to "track ordering patterns during the contract period and make adjustments to ensure the 60% and 20% commitments are respected." PWGSC will select a single supplier for each of the remaining five streams. The winning bidders will also have to provide per-second billing on all digital calls – a measurement method the carriers moved away from a few years ago. For analog calls, per-minute billing will suffice, but in the event that the supplier begins offering per-second billing on analog calls "the contractor must begin billing on a per-second basis." The government has also set some high standards with respect to coverage and network and email availability. The minimum network availability is 99.95% in any given month with voicemail being 99.99%. In the event that the network isn’t available 99.95% of the time, the supplier will suffer financial penalties. "The contractor will provide every client with an account credit in the amount of 10% of that client’s total monthly recurring charges in the next monthly invoice," reads the RFP. The same formula will be applied to inadequate voicemail availability and in cases where too many voice and data calls are dropped. The winning contractors will be responsible for making sure their network provides the required service in areas where it claims to have coverage. In the event that service quality is inadequate "it will be the sole responsibility of the contractor at its own cost to upgrade its infrastructure to provide the required services." If the contractor has to give credits in three consecutive months or in four months in any 12-month period, the government will require the supplier to submit a plan with corrective measures. The contractor has five business days to submit the plan and then 20 business days to rectify the underlying problem," states the RFP. The government will conduct customer satisfaction surveys as well. If a contractor scores less than 70% from a survey of at least 20% of the authorized administrator, "the contractor will be considered in default of this contract," reads the RFP. The contractor has three months to implement corrective measures that if aren’t fully implemented, or the supplier continues to receive satisfaction survey scores below 70%, the government will have the right to terminate the contract for default. Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility have until December 1 to submit their proposals for these potentially lucrative government contracts covering wireless services. The government expects to award the contract in March 2007. There are approximately 100,000 mobile devices already in use by the federal government – a figure that includes some estimates. The contracts only cover new device activations.

Wireless services RFP submission deadline set for December 1

News | November 17, 2006

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