Cmgt 555 - Request for Proposal

Request for Proposal

CMGT/555

May 31, 2013

Table of Contents

1.        Introduction        

1.1        Project Goals        

1.2        Scope of Project        

1.3        Time Constraints        

1.4        Budget Constraints        

2.        Requirements        

2.1        Technical        

2.1.1        Hardware        

2.1.2        Operating Systems        

2.1.3        Networking        

2.1.4        Application Software        

2.1.5        Scalability        

2.1.6        Availability and Reliability        

2.1.7        Maintenance        

2.1.8        Disaster Recovery        

2.2        Training and Documentation        

2.3        Installation Issues        

2.4        Costs        

3. Administrative Information        

3.1 How to Apply        

3.2 Confidentiality        

3.3 References        

3.4 How to Get Clarification        

3.5 Decision Schedule        

References        

1. Introduction

       Defense Communications Services (DCS) is a government contractor who provides communications to various aspects of local, state, and federal government agencies; they also provide communications services to several entities in the energy, emergency response, and commercial industries.  DCS is an employee owned private communications company and the success of the company depends on the success of the employees.  DCS remains an employee owned company because the CEO of DCS believes that the organizational stability depends on the employees.  When employees assist and invest in the outcome of the organization and career, the company exceeds expectations.  DCS specializes in total communications solutions from structured cabling, satellite communications with Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) that include data voice over Internet solutions.  On-site subject matter experts for information technology (IT) operational needs and a 24-hour Network Operations Center strategically located in the heart of Texas along with offices worldwide to support the client’s mission. It is the goal of DCS to provide world-class service to the clients.  Their primary focus is achieving a level of leadership in providing the technology of tomorrow, today.

1. Project Goals

The goal of the project is to provide local secure high-speed data storage to the various organizations’ operating in Afghanistan.  As it currently stands, each of the one hundred plus bases of operations have only unsecure data storage on their respective locations. The locations store non-sensitive documents.  Accessing sensitive documents is painstaking because they have to access remotely via a VSAT connection.  They experience problems like dropped connections, timeouts, and network congestion. The implementation of a secure high-speed file server will allow entities the ability to have information needed to complete their daily mission at their fingertips.

1. Scope of Project

The project scope is to implement six Dell Servers at each of the location.  Then upgrade the current network trunks to 10 Gbps fiber optic switching media via the existing network trenches, encased inside two inch PVC pipe, buried in the ground and ran to the specified locations of the network equipment.  The six servers will have different configurations. Three servers are for military use only and require special security standards implemented on the servers.  The last three servers are for various civilian entities also operating in Afghanistan but do not require such stringent network security policies.  Although this project may seem daunting, a detailed outline will allow for a smooth transition.

1. Time Constraints

Afghanistan is still an active combat environment and things change at a moments notice in theater.  DCS has to factor in the logistics of the project. Whereas it is possible to ship everything in the states overnight to almost any location for those willing to pay the price, overnight shipments to Afghanistan is impossible.  Property movement can be achieved only by the following options.  The first option is by ground movement. There are a few contractors capable in moving items to and from various bases but the most secure way to move items is with the military. The second option is air support. There are several contractors who provide air support to the bases but if security is a requirement, the military is the best choice for the movement. The movement of technical assets (both hardware and engineers) is a slow process and could take several days.  To overcome the logistical nightmare, the implementation time for the project is six weeks per base with 10 two-man teams per implementation.  This allows for the movement of all hardware assets prior to the movement of the engineers.

1. Budget Constraints

The budge for each implementation should be approximately $200,000.  This budget includes the cost of the hardware, the logistics of getting the hardware to the locations, the movement of employees to each location, salary for IT crew, and any unforeseen cost that may arise at the location.  This is an approximate expenditure for implementation.  With each base’s unique design and size; issues may arise skewing the proposed timeline by a several days, such as deteriorated network trenches or combat operations.