Spring Branch ISD

SPRING BRANCH INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTDuncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT1031 Witte Road, Building E, Houston, Texas 77055-6016

Phone 713/251-1100 Fax 713/365-5216

Date: October 16, 2009

Request for Qualifications for NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER MAIN HUB SITE

The Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD) is accepting Request for Qualifications as specified in this document. Request for Qualifications will be received at the office of the Director of Purchasing and Contracts, SPRING BRANCH ISD, 1031 Witte Road, Building E (2nd Floor), Houston, Texas 77055-6016 until:

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FORNovember 10, 2009 @ 2:00 P.M. for Network Operations Center Main Hub Site

Any questions pertaining to the qualification procedures should be addressed to the Buyer at 713/251-1102. Any questions pertaining to the Request for Qualification specifications should be in writing directed to Director of Purchasing, at 713/251-1137

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS ENVELOPES SHALL BE PLAINLY MARKED

RFQ NO. 8962PREQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR:

Network Operations Center Main Hub Site

DO NOT OPEN UNTIL: November 10, 2009 @ 2:00 P.M.

Any request for qualifications received later than the specified time, whether delivered in person or mailed, shall be disqualified.

The evaluation criteria specified herein will be used to determine which of the Request for Qualifications provide the best quality for SBISD at the most economical cost. SBISD reserves the right to request and negotiate best and final offers. SBISD reserves the right to accept or reject any or all RFQ’s, to waive all technicalities, and to accept the RFQ that is determined to be the most favorable to SBISD. Recognizing that there are important considerations other than price, SBISD may not necessarily award to the lowest offeror.

Page 2 of 22Request for Qualifications must be effective for ninety (90) days following deadline for the receipt of Request for Qualifications submittals.

Spring Branch ISD

Request for Qualifications forNetwork Operations Center Main Hub Site

Spring Branch ISD is requesting qualifications from interested and qualified vendors on their capability to provide a Network Operations Center Main Hub Site:

Spring Branch ISD plans to select the most qualified Vendor for “Network Operations Center Main Hub Site” Services in accordance with the provisions of the Texas Education Code section 44.031.

Request For Qualifications (RFQ) is to solicit qualifications from companies that have the experience, capability, and track record to house district servers and other back-end systems in an off –site data center within fifty (50) miles of the districts headquarters and replicate all data back to the current data center located at 10670 Hammerly, Houston, Texas 77043. The selected vendor shall provide Spring Branch ISD functionality to include, but not limited to the following:

o SBISD will operate the outsourced data center as its “primary” or “production” data center so there is no risk of computer network and/or system outages in an emergency such as Hurricane IKE.

o SBISD is seeking a facility to support all production computer applications to be fully operational even if the secondary data center at Hammerly is totally down due to flooding, electrical outage and/or network outage.

NOTE:

SBISD will be closed November 25- 27 2009 for Thanksgiving Holiday.

/home/pptfactory/temp/20100614140509/spring-branch-isd3531.doc gm 14:05 a6/p6 6/14/2010

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Selection Process

All qualified firms interested in providing qualifications for Network Operations Center Main Hub Site should respond in writing to Spring Branch ISD. Final selection will be made in accordance with the district policies and administrative procedures, and other statutory provisions. Responses may be sent by U. S. mail or delivered to:

Attention: Statement of Qualifications, RFQ#8962QDirector of Purchasing and Contracts

Spring Branch ISD 1031 Witte, Building ‘E’, 2nd Floor

Houston, TX 77055-6016

An original and two (2) copies of the completed Request for Qualifications submittal shall be sent to the attention of the Director of Purchasing of Contracts by 2:00 P.M., November 10, 2009

The District will evaluate credentials of vendors submitting Statements of Qualifications; identify a short list of qualified vendors to determine a final Network Operations Center Main Hub Site. The successful vendor(s) will submit to the District a Cost/Fee Proposal. If the District agrees to the fee, the Selection Committee will recommend contract award to the District’s Board of Trustees.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE FOR NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER MAIN HUB SITE

*Pre Qualification Conference October 27, 2009 @ 1:00 PM@ ITV Theater

Last date questions October 30, 2009 by 2:00 PMLast date for addenda November 05, 2009Request for Qualifications due November 10, 2009 @ 2:00 P.M.Communicate final list for Vendor Presentations November 12, 2009 by 4:00 PMVendor Presentations All Complete By November 17, 2009(Scheduled time between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm)

Notify Qualified Vendor for Cost Proposal November 18, 2009Cost Proposal due November 20, 2009 @ noon Board of Trustees contract award December 14, 2009

*PRE-QUALIFICATION CONFERENCE. A Pre-Qualification Conference will be held on October 27, 2009 @ 1:00 PM at SBISD ITV department, 10670 Hammerly, Houston, TX 77043.

Dates are preliminary and subject to change.


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Section I -- General Information

1) PurposeThis Request For Qualifications (RFQ) requests qualifications from companies with experience in housing district servers and other back-end systems in an off-site data center within fifty (50) miles of the districts headquarters and replicate all data back to the current data center.

2) Response FormatRFQ must be submitted in the format outlined in this document and will be reviewed to determine its completeness prior to evaluation. Responses not containing the information requested will not be considered. Respondents shall use the prescribed format to clearly indicate their experience and qualifications.

3) Vendor ResponsibilityThe Selected Vendor will be required to assume total responsibility for all services and support. The Selected Vendor will be considered the Prime Vendor and the sole point of contact with regard to all contractual matters.

4) Required InsuranceThe successful respondent shall procure and maintain in effect during the life of the agreement: Commercial General Liability insurance in amount not less than $1,000,000 each occurrence, Comprehensive Automotive Lliability insurance in amount not less than $1,000,000, and Workers’ Compensation insurance in accordance with the Workers’ Compensation Act of the State of Texas to adequately protect the interests of Spring Branch ISD for all labor employed by the Vendor. In addition, professional liability insurance coverage shall be in force. Insurance policies to be carried under the agreement shall not be changed or canceled without prior written notification to Spring Branch ISD. Insurance provider/carrier must have A++ rating.

5) Proprietary InformationSubmission of a response deems permission to make inquiries concerning the respondent and its officers and to any persons or firms deemed appropriate by Spring Branch ISD. Any proprietary information that the Vendor does not want disclosed to the public shall be so identified on each page in which it is found. Data or information so identified will be used by Spring Branch ISD solely for the purpose of evaluation and contract negotiations.

Confidential or Trade Secrets (Government Code, Article 252.049). If any of the information is considered to be confidential of a trade secret belonging to the Offeror and, if released would give advantage to a competitor or Offeror, that information should be filed with the RFQ in a separate envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DUPLICATE WITHOUT PERMISSION”.


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6) Addenda

SBISD reserves the right to revise and amend the specifications prior to the date set for the opening. Respondents are requested to clarify any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission or other error (s) in the RFQ in writing and request modification or clarification desired. Revisions or amendments, if any, will be made by issuing an addendum. Every effort will be made to send addenda issued to the parties who have been furnished a complete copy of the RFQ. All questions must be received in witting by the Director of Purchasing and Contracts via fax (713-365-5216) no later than 2:00 PM on October 30, 2009. No addenda will be issued later than November 05, 2009 except an addendum withdrawing the RFQ or postponing the opening of the RFQ. It is the responsibility of each Respondent, prior to submitting the RFQ, to contact the Purchasing Department to determine if addenda were issued and, if so, to obtain such addenda for attachment to the RFQ.

7) RFQ Offeror Conduct

Beginning with your receipt of this RFQ and during the proposal process, respondents are not permitted to contact any SBISD Board of Trustees member, officer or employee, other than the SBISD Director of Purchasing and Contracts.


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Section II – Response Content

Request for Qualifications must be submitted in the format outlined. RFQs will be reviewed to determine its completeness prior to the evaluation process. Spring Branch ISD reserves the right to accept or reject any or all RFQs, to waive technicalities, and to accept the RFQ that is determined to be the most favorable/advantageous to SBISD. The intent of the Spring Branch ISD is that all responses follow the same format in order to evaluate each response fairly.

Statements of Qualifications Submittal

A cover letter shall be incorporated at the front of the Statement of Qualifications submittal and addressed to the SBISD Director of Purchasing and Contracts. Number the pages in each section consecutively.

1. Table of ContentsResponses shall include a table of contents properly indicating the section and page numbers of the information included.

2. Executive SummaryResponses shall include an abstract of no more than two (2) pages on the information presented in the RFQ and the Vendor’s unique qualifications and services.

3. Background, Experience & Capabilities

A. Firm Information:

Firm Name:Firm Address (office that will be performing the services)Telephone, Fax and e-mail address of authorized representativeYears established under current nameFormer firm name (if applicable):Type of Organization: i.e. Individual or Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, Joint Venture, other (provide details)Firm Organizational Chart showing how the project team relates to the other resources of the firm.


Page 7 of 22Firm Personnel:

Names of Principals (Owners, Corporate Officers,) and years with FirmPersonnel by Discipline (professional staff, administrative staff, specialist, other)Name and title of Contact Person assigned this projectName(s) and abbreviated resume of the personnel of the proposed project team.

Provide the following:

Name and title

Education, Institution, Degree(s) with dates

Professional Registrations (if applicable)

Responsibilities

B Financial, Legal, Insurance Status:

List all litigation against or involving the firms or its agents/employees with respect to any work performedProvide most recent annual reportsummarize the financial strength and longevity of the firm

C Insurance:

The respondent shall provide a certificate of insurance detailing their present coverage and limits.

D. References:

The respondent shall include references which shall indicate the prior relevant work experience of the Prime Vendor.

Network Operations Center Main Hub Site references - Provide five (5) references of which three (3) are educational projects of similar scope/size. Indicate completion date of installation, services and implementation. Provide the name, address, telephone number, and contact person for each reference.


Page 8 of 224. Network Operations Center Main Hub Site Contracting Process

A. Implementation Phase / Project Management DescriptionIndicate your firm’s approach to managing the project. Include a breakdown by phase showing the necessary activities and schedule for implementation/maintenance of the project. Describe the various responsibilities and coordination of your team members for effective project management.

5. Other Benefits

Describe any other benefits Spring Branch ISD will realize through a “Network Operations Center Main Hub Site with your firm/company.

7. Other Requirements.

Any problems or discrepancies that are not covered by the above requirements should be directed to the Director of Purchasing and Contract for a determination or clarification prior to any action taken on said problem or discrepancy. If the Vendor fails to make such request, no excuse will thereafter be entertained for failure to carry out the work in a successful performance manner.


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Section III -- Selection Criteria

1. CompletenessEach response will be reviewed prior to the selection process for completeness and adherence to format. A response will be considered complete if all requested sections are included in the proper order.

2. Formal Evaluation

A. Evaluation ProcessSpring Branch ISD will appoint an evaluation committee to formally evaluate credentials of firms submitting Statements of Qualifications.

Selection ProcessIdentification of firms and the final firm selection will be based on the following criteria:•Overall professional qualifications and “Network Operations Center Main Hub Site Contracting/ Services/experiences•Firm stability, staff, and resources appropriate to the scope and size of work.•Responsible and cost effective design and financing package, evidence of high achievement beyond the minimum requirements•Commitment to harmonious, cooperative teamwork with the SBISD Board, Administration, Departments and patrons during the course of the project. •The evaluation process will include verification of Network Operations Center Main Hub Site references, experiences, history with the industry, confirmation of financial information, and may also include site visits or other information as directed by the district.

B. Point Values

Experience & Background 30 Total PointsCompany Capabilities Overview 15References 15

Contracting Process 60 Total Points

Planning Phase 20Implementation Phase (Defined) 20Measure and Validate (Security Hub Site) 20

Financial Approach 10 Total PointsFinancing Source 5History with the industry 5

Grand Total 100


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3. Final Selection/NotificationThe evaluation criteria specified herein will be used to determine which of the Request for Qualifications provide the best quality for SBISD at the most economical cost. SBISD reserves the right to request proposals and negotiate Best and Final Offers. Recognizing that there are important considerations other than price, SBISD may not necessarily award to the lowest RFQ Offeror.


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Section IV -- General Information

Network Operations Center Main Hub Site Questionnaire

Network Operations Center Main Hub Site Response FormVendor Name:

Please provide a description of your organization, points-of-contact, and locations of your headquarters and data center(s).

Comments

Organization1 Point of Contact for CSP & phone#

2 Headquarters location

3 Data Center location(s)

4What class facilities do you maintain in the Greater Houston Area?

5Do you have other facilities located in the state of Texas?

6How many Data centers do you own and operate within the United States?

7

Have you experienced down time? Provide frequency and procedures followed in the event of outage.

8Provide description of procedures in preparation of natural disaster and unforeseen outage. Building

9Is the data center a single story structure, or are there multiple levels?

10What is the height of the computer hall (raised floor to suspended ceiling, if present)?

11What are the dimensions of the access door? Is there a loading bay available at the data center?

12 Is there a service elevator? 13 What total storage cage capacity does the site have?

14What available storage cage capacity does the site have?

15 What is the age of the data center building? 16 What is the size of site which houses the data center? 17 What is the total data center floor space? 18 What is the thickness of the concrete floor slabs?


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19What is the distance between concrete slabs and the data center finished floor?

20What is the maximum floor load the building floor can maintain?

21 What is the building constructed of?

22Does the computer hall have access paths/shafts, providing access via the floor or ceiling?

23 What testing lab facilities are available?24 What storage room facilities are available?25 What is above the data center?

26What types of doors provide access to the data center?

27 Does the data center have an operations bridge?28 What percentage of floor space is currently used?

Location

29How many independent routes are there for vehicles to reach the site?

30

How many independent routes are there for vehicles to reach the data center? How far away is the nearest airport?

31 How far away is the closest flight path? 32 Is the data center located on a flood plain? 33 How far away are the nearest residential buildings?

34Are there any sources of industrial pollution (e.g. dust and/or chemicals) near by?

35Are there any sources of vibration (e.g. major roads, railways, airports) near by?

36 How far away are the nearest trees? 37 How far is the nearest rail station? 38 How far is the nearest bus station? 39 How far is the nearest bus stop? 40 Does the computer hall have any exterior walls? 41 Does the computer hall have any exterior windows?

42Does the data center have any exterior walls to the site border?

43Does the data center have any exterior windows to the site border?

44 Are the data center windows (if any) covered/barred?

Lighting45 Is emergency lighting available within the data


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center?

46If emergency lighting is available, which components are redundant?

47If emergency lighting is available, is the switchover manual or automatic?

48If emergency lighting is available, is it powered by UPS, generator or both?

49Is data center circuit isolated from the rest of the buildings electricity system?

HVAC

50What is the current cooling capacity of your data center in watts per square foot?

51What is the maximum cooling capacity of your data center in watts per square foot?

52 How would the cooling capacity be increased?

53

Does the HVAC system provide the ability to split cooling into a number of zones? If so, how many zones?

54What level of redundancy does the HVAC system provide per zone?

55Does the data center have Leak Detection Systems (LDS)?

56

In the event of a power loss, does the HVAC system revert to either UPS or backup generators? If so, is switchover manual or automatic?

57Does the HVAC system allow for regulated temperature and humidity?

58Is the data center laid out with a hot/cold aisle system?

59Does all rack-mount equipment have air intake at the front and discharge at the back?

60Does all floor-mount equipment have air intake at the front, top or below, and discharge at the back?

61

What checks are in place to ensure that the heat generation of equipment in an enclosure does not exceed the manufacturer's recommendation?

62

What checks are in place to ensure that all enclosures have air holes of a size that allows adequate air flow to cool the equipment inside?


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63

What checks are in place to ensure that the heat generation of the equipment in the data center does not exceed the air conditioning recommendations?

64Which devices generate SNMP alerts when overheating is detected?

65Which devices generate SNMP alerts when a fault is detected?

66

Which components of the air conditioning units are redundant? (e.g. filters, compressors, treatment of fluids etc)

67Is the HVAC system capable of handling high density blade server racks?

68Are there any single points of failure in your HVAC system?

69What is your protocol for notifying your customer(s) in the event of an HVAC problem?

Power

70What is the current average power supplied per rack in your data center per kW?

71What is the maximum power that could be supplied per kW?

72How would the power capacity be increased, and up to what limit?

73How many electrical generators does the data center have?

74 How many electrical generators are redundant?

75Is switchover to redundant generators (if any) manual or automatic?

76How many active supply paths, from separate primary power substations, are available?

77 What level of redundancy do the UPS systems have?

78Are UPS components housed inside or outside the data center building?

79 How long can the data center run on UPS? 80 Are there separate power feeds into each cabinet?

81How many power supply interruptions has the data center experienced?

82 What fuel do the generators use?

83Where are the generators located, relative to the data center building and other equipment?


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84How long could the generator(s) run given the fuel storage capacity on site?

85What percentage of the available fuel storage capacity is used?

86 Are procedures for power failure defined?

87Are procedures for power failure regularly reviewed? If so, how often?

88How often is on-site testing and maintenance of UPS, PDU and generators undertaken?

89Is each power socket allocated its own circuit breaker?

90Are there any single points of failure in your electrical system?

91What is your protocol for notifying your customer(s) in the event of an electrical problem?

Monitoring & Alarm Equipment

92Does the data center have fire monitoring & alarm equipment?

93Does the data center have flood monitoring & alarm equipment?

94Does the data center have gas monitoring & alarm equipment?

95 At what intervals are smoke detectors checked? 96 At what intervals are heat detectors checked? 97 At what intervals are manual alarms checked? 98 At what intervals are sprinklers checked? 99 At what intervals are sirens checked?

100 How are customers notified when there is an alarm?

Fire Suppression

101What fire suppression system is in place? Include suppression agent, cylinder arrangement, etc.

102What proportion of the data center is protected by the fire suppression system?

103 Are VESDA/HSSD systems installed? 104 Are sprinkler systems fitted in the office areas? 105 Could fire spread to the data center from adjacent

Water106 Is there an alternate water supply?


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107Which components of the alternate water supply are redundant?

Security

108Are barriers in place to regulate traffic into and out of the site? If so, how are they staffed and controlled?

109

Is the data center within a secure perimeter fence? How far is the data center building from the nearest public area?

110

Do entrances into and out of the site, including internal rooms, have either card reader, PIN protected entry, or both?

111Which areas, if any, have access controlled by proximity ID cards?

112Which areas, if any, have access controlled by biometric authentication?

113 What areas are covered by security cameras?

114What areas are covered by recording security cameras?

115Is there an archiving system present for recorded security tapes?

116

Is there an off-site archiving system present for recorded security tapes? Does staff have the ability to securely access servers via remote KVM? Are server cabinets kept locked?

117

Are all staff members, who are not data center workers, escorted throughout the data center at all times?

118Are all contractors escorted throughout the data center at all times?

119Who (if anyone) is asked to abide by a non-disclosure agreement before entering the data center?

120Does the data center have a security system which is monitored outside of the data center?

121 Are all fire exits within the building alarmed?

122How often are security procedures within the data center reviewed and updated?

123How many points of access are there to the data center?

124 How many points of access are monitored by CCTV? 125 Who is responsible for site & data center security? 126 How are security incidents and breaches managed? 127 What checks are routinely carried out on staff?


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128 When was the last security breach? Explain.

Voice Cabling 129 How many active communication links are there?

130What points of connection are available to service provider backbones?

131Which components of the backbone connections are redundant?

132Is switchover between connections automatic or manual?

133 Does the data center have active, independent LANs?

134What Telecommunications providers currently have equipment and capabilities in your data center?

Operational Procedures

135What are the supported hours of infrastructure operations (cooling, power etc)?

136What are the on-site hours for maintenance, security and technical staff?

137What hours can remote hands support be provided, if any?

138 What change control processes are in place? 139 What training is provided for data center staff? 140 What training is provided for contractors?

141What authorization is required to gain access to the data center?

142What authorization is required to gain access to the data center outside normal hours?

143What written procedures exist for dealing with emergency situations?

144What procedures are in place to approve planned work?

145How are recovery plans considered in the approval process?

146Are spot checks carried out to ensure that work orders & procedures are being followed?

147What procedures are in place to schedule work according to risk?

148Are procedures in place for working with raised floor tiles?

149What guidelines are in place for labeling and placement of equipment, pipes, cabling etc?


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150Are all site contractors required to have appropriate qualifications?

151 Would SLAs be put in place?

152What performance indicators are tracked in the SLA reporting?

153 Are service level thresholds defined and monitored?154 What procedures exist for documenting incidents? 155 What procedures exist for reporting incidents?

Service Level and Reporting

156What are the standard service levels provided by your facility?

157

What reporting is available to customers on facility problems, issues, changes, and SLA metrics? Are these reports available through a client portal or distributed through another medium (such as email)? How often are reports updated and made available to customers?.

158 How do you alert customers of pending outages?

159What is your process and procedure for alerting customers if an outage occurs?

Value Added Services

160What other services above and beyond data center hosting does your facility provide?

161Do you provide “remote hands” services for your customers?

162 How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?.

Rate Structure163 Please provide a sample invoice for review.

164Please provide a copy of your standard leasing agreement.

165Please provide a copy of your standard terms and conditions.

DISCLOSURE: CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT


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NON-COLLUSION STATEMENT/home/pptfactory/temp/20100614140509/spring-branch-isd3531.doc gm 14:05 a6/p6 6/14/2010

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"The undersigned affirms that he/she is duly authorized to execute this Bid/Proposal, that this company, corporation, firm, partnership or individual has not prepared this Bid/Proposal in collusion with any other Bidder/Proposer, and that the contents of this Bid/Proposal as to prices, terms or conditions of said Bid/Proposal have not been communicated by the undersigned nor by any employee or agent to any other person engaged in this type of business prior to the official opening of this Bid/Proposal”

Firm Name:

Address:

City/State/Zip:

Telephone # : Fax # :

Bidder Signature:

Printer Name:

Position/Title: Date Signed:

Signature of Company Official Authorizing Bid/Proposal:

Name of Company Official: (Please type/print)

Official Position: Date Signed:

REFERENCES(School Districts preferred, SBISD will consider two (2) Colleges/Universitiy references)


Page 21 of 22REFERENCES

1. School System/Organization

Contact Name

Address

Telephone number

Fax number


Contact Name

Address

Telephone number

Fax number


Contact Name

Address

Telephone number

Fax number


Contact Name

Address

Telephone number

Fax number


Contact Name

Address

Telephone number

Fax number

QUALIFICATION RESPONSE FORM


Page 22 of 22The undersigned, in submitting this Qualification and endorsement of same, represents that he/she is authorized to obligate his/her firm, that he/she is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate with regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex or disability unrelated to job performance of this Qualification.

I hereby acknowledge receipt of the following addenda which have been issued and incorporated into the Qualification Document. (Please initial in ink beside each addenda received.)

Addendum No. 1 Addendum No. 3 Addendum No. 2 Addendum No. 4

Having carefully examined the Qualification Notice, Terms, Conditions, Specifications and Qualification Form, the undersigned hereby proposes and agrees to furnish goods and/or services in strict compliance with the specifications and conditions at the prices quoted unless noted in writing.

The undersigned agrees to deliver all goods and/or services within __________ calendar days after receipt of order.

SUBMITTED BY:

Firm: (OFFICIAL Firm Name) MUST BE SIGNED IN INK

TO BE CONSIDERED RESPONSIVE

By: (Original Signature)

Name: (Typed or Printed Name)

Title: (Typed or Printed Name) (Date)

Address:

City/State/Zip

Telephone # : Fax # :

Email:

NOTE: Submit copy of Qualifier’s current W-9 Form

Taxpayer Identification #:

Prompt Payment Discount: % Days


Business

Spring Branch ISD