Question and Answers for ITB Systems Department Technology Enhancements:
Q. Regarding the CITY OF HARTFORD-INVITATION FOR BIDS-CONTRACT NO. 1580-10-Systems Department Enterprise Technology Enhancements, is the city requesting Dell brand name hardware only (Dell PowerVault MD3000i iSCSI RAID Array, Dell PowerConnect 5424 24-port GbE Switch - iSCSI optimized, Layer 2 Managed Switch, Dell PowerVault ML6010 Tape Library - LTO-4 2-Drive SAS, 5U SAS 5/E HBA, PCI-Express 2X4),or will they accept or equal specification requirements?
A. As stated in the Request for Proposal, “The materials and services are listed as the minimum specifications. Should you choose to quote alternate hardware, software, or services, please be prepared to discuss why you chose them and how the equipment meets or exceeds the current specifications.”
Q. Would the Housing Authority of the City of Hartford be willing to receive and review, in addition to the original request, an alternate proposal for a Dell EqualLogix for RFQ - Systems Department Enterprise Technology Enhancements?
A. As stated in the Request for Proposal, “The materials and services are listed as the minimum specifications. Should you choose to quote alternate hardware, software, or services, please be prepared to discuss why you chose them and how the equipment meets or exceeds the current specifications.”
Q. Are all users local? Or do some reside in remote offices?
A. The Housing Authority has 9 locations throughout the City of Hartford that are connected by P2P T1. Approximately 1/3 of our users work from the 8 locations outside of our main office.
Q. What version of Novell is in use? What is the purpose of the Novell Servers?
A. The Housing Authority is utilizing version 6.0 of Novell. This singe server currently serves as the primary login and file server.
Q. Is the existing virtual server running VMWare or Hyper-V?
A. VMWare
Q. Is the same Virtual Machine running both as an AD Controller and as a Citrix Server?
A. No, there is one VM serving as the DC, and one as the Citrix Server.
Q. What server or servers will be utilized for providing file and print services?
A. The Dell PowerVault SAN will be the file server. It is to be determined in this RFP how best to utilize the servers.
Q. Is it part of the scope to hire the electrical contractor to relocate and reactivate the 2-3 receptacles?
A. It will be necessary for these receptacles to be relocated as stated in the RFP. However, the Housing Authority will hire the electrical contractor to relocate the receptacles. Each RFP response should include a budget line for this work not to exceed $1000.
Q. Is the current “NT Domain” being controlled by an NT4 PDC? If so, are there any Windows 2000 Domain Controllers?
A. Yes, the NT Domain is controlled by an NT4 Domain Controller. There are no Windows 2000 DCs.
Segment 1:
Q. Is there a planned host server for the AV solution? Is this a currently active server
A. No. It is to be determined by this RFP how best to utilize the servers.
Q. Task 5 in Segment 1 reads “Setup Backup Server Hardware and vendor-selected software and connect to SAN”. However, there is no server hardware listed under System Components for Segment 1. Does HHA already own the backup server hardware? If so, what are the technical specifications for that server?
A. This is a new Dell PowerEdge 2900 with Windows Server 2003 preloaded. It has never been configured, but the licensing is available. It contains (2) Xeon 5150 Processors and 4 GB of RAM.
Q. Is it part of the scope to provide the rough-in and electrical?
A. It will be necessary for these receptacles to be relocated as stated in the RFP. However, the Housing Authority will hire the electrical contractor to relocate the receptacles. Each RFP response should include a budget line for this work not to exceed $1000.
Segment 2:
Q. Should the equipment list reflect 2 Dell R610 servers for hosts?
A. Yes. This was an error on the document and has been corrected.
Q. Will existing hardware be used for the vCenter software?
A. The Housing Authority will be utilizing VSphere, not VCenter.
Q. Is the SAN from Segment 1 going to be shared with non-ESX servers?
A. Yes, it will be shared with all devices in the domain.
Q. Task 7 reads “Install Windows Server 2008 or 2008-R2 on new virtual servers (see attached)” – Where is the attachment located?
A. This was an error on the document and has been corrected.
Segment 3:
Q. Will a new SSL Certificate be needed for Securing remote Exchange connections?
A. Yes
Q. Will a new SSL Certificate be required for https: access to the Sharepoint Server from remote locations?
A. Yes
Q. What is the average size of the users’ pst files?
A. Although inventory has not been taken on these files, we would assume that they are between 50 and 250 MB.
Q. When do you anticipate having the smartphone model decision made?
A. Although the decision process is ongoing, a final determination may not be available until after this RFP has been awarded. Therefore, it is requested that all respondents include budgeting for the Blackberry Server and service.
Instructions to Bidders for Contracts Public and Indian Housing Programs:
Q. Per HUD 5369, Item 9 - Is a bid guarantee required for this project?
A. No, a bid guarantee is not required for this project. However, each bidder will be responsible for providing a letter of bonding to be included with their response to the RFP.
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