The Transportation Agency’s current agreement for computer and network services with Alvarez Technology Group expires January 31, 2017. On October 26, 2016 the Transportation Agency Board of Directors authorized staff to release a Request for Proposals for Computer & Network Services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $48,000.
On October 27, 2016, staff sent the solicitation to relevant firms listed in the Agency's consultant database as well as the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce business directory. Agency staff received three submittals by the required due date and time of December 1, 2016, and one submittal that was received after the solicitation had closed. As such, the review committee comprised of Agency staff reviewed the three responsive submittals and agreed that the top three firms are as follows, in ranked order:
- Alvarez Technology Group
- Rayne Technology
- Knight Communications
The rationale from the review committee for this recommendation is that for Alvarez Technology Group, they are located near the Transportation Agency office in Salinas, and are able to respond promptly to on-site emergencies. They also have a clear understanding of our office needs and are very qualified to provide the specified services. Their quoted cost, while more than the not-to-exceed amount, was less than the other competitors and is within six percent of the not-to-exceed amount.
Also, Agency staff checked the references for Alvarez Technology Group and found that they provide good work, are responsive to the needs of their clients, and they have a flexible structure that allows them to respond to help tickets with remote services. Overall, the references were positive and indicated that they had also selected Alvarez Technology Group through a competitive bidding process and would continue working with them.
The proposed agreement for services with Alvarez Technology Group would be for a three-year time period, terminating on December 31, 2019. The proposed scope of work covers maintenance and security of the agency’s file and email servers, as well as the set up of mobile devices and workstations. Alvarez Technology Group would also be required to install and maintain a network monitoring and management appliance and configure all the covered servers to be monitored twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. The network monitoring and management appliance will alert the consultant(s) to any significant problem that arises on the servers and they will respond during normal working hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday thru Friday, excluding published holidays.
Other tasks in the proposed scope of work cover the Agency's cloud-based email system, set up and maintenance of the wireless network, virus and malware protection, mobile device set up, backups and data loss prevention, annual evaluations, and monthly reporting.