Addendum #5
February 2, 2021
Q1: As several of the questions we are submitting are critical to putting together our offer, we would like to request an extension to the proposal deadline for a minimum of two weeks from the date answers are provided.
A: The County will not be extending the deadline at this time.
Q2: The RFP states on p. 8 under the “Economic Opportunity Program” heading, “The County will take all necessary and reasonable steps to assure that business enterprises defined as L/W/MBE shall have a fair opportunity to participate in County contracts.” Does the County have any participation goals for this project? If we choose to use such businesses, how will our level of participation be evaluated?
A: This data is used for reporting purposes for the County. There are no additional points awarded.
Q3: Does the County require that proposals include commissions on interstate calls?
Q4: Will the County allow for a proposal to present multiple pricing options for the County’s consideration?
A: Yes. Please keep in mind for all pricing options that there is a maximum charge per phone call listed in the RFP.
Q5: Page 10 of the RFP indicates the Community Based Corrections Center is connected to jail. Please confirm, do the Jail and CBCC share one central phone room?
A: There is one MDF for both the CBCC and the Jail.
Q6: How many phones, video visitation terminals and/or tablets are required for the Community Based Correctional Center? Are these included in Exhibit B on p. 31 of the RFP? If not, please provide a breakdown by housing unit.
A: Yes, these are included on Exhibit B under the section ‘Work Release’. CBCC residents do not use tablets.
Q7: Please provide a breakdown of the inmate population, in percentages or actual numbers, by local, DOC, or other agency.
A: Data from February 1, 2021:
Pre-Trial: 448
County Sentenced: 5
IDOC Sentenced: 37
Holding for Outside Agency: 3
Q8: Is the inmate trust account managed through the commissary system or the Jail Management System or other system? If other, please specify.
A: The inmate trust account is managed through our commissary system Lockdown.
Q9: In order to ensure a level playing field for all bidders, please confirm that the successful vendor must provide new equipment. Also, please verify that this applies to both new potential bidders and the incumbent provider.
A: The successful bidder, besides our incumbent if they are awarded the contract, must provide new equipment.
Q10: Please provide the schedule in which the inmates have access to the inmate phones.
A: General population inmates have access to the phones 7 days a week from 8am – 10pm. Inmates in Administrative Segregation have limited access 2x/week.
Q11: How is commissary ordered today?
A: Commissary can be ordered on kiosks, tablets, or the phone.
Q12: Does the current vendor provide debit calling? If so, how are debit accounts funded – e.g., through an inmate’s trust account, lobby kiosk, phone / website payments, etc.? Please list all available methods.
A: Yes – inmate’s trust fund, lobby kiosk, phone, and website.
Q13: Are calling cards being used today? If so, how are they purchased and given to the inmate? What denominations are available?
Q14: Please provide the weighted values for the evaluation criteria on RFP p. 28.
A: Please refer to Addendum 3.
Q15: Some vendors provide alternate payment options, such as the ability to purchase a one-time phone call using a credit or debit card, without the necessity of setting up a prepaid account, and typically pay little to no commission on these calls. Will the County please confirm that vendors are required to pay the same commission amount for all calls, including premium, prepaid, debit and collect?
A: Please refer to the RFP pg. 15 item 12 regarding the alternate calling types. We would prefer that vendors pay the same commission amount on all phone calls.
Q16: After the first round of questions is answered, will the County accept additional questions if clarification is needed for any of the County’s responses?
A: Please refer to Addendum 4.
Q17: Requirement 2.w on RFP p. 17 states, “Identify the geographical location of cell phones...” This technology has recently fallen under legal scrutiny for invasion of privacy is no longer widely available in the ITS industry. Will the County remove this requirement?
A: Please refer to Addendum 4.
Q18: P. 17 of the RFP states that inmate are normally allowed one free onsite visit per week at no cost. When onsite visitation is operational, are inmates charged for additional onsite visits, or are they unable to schedule additional visits?
A: Pre-COVID there was one (1) free visit/inmate/week. There were no provisions for additional, paid onsite visits.
Q19: Are onsite visits charged at the same rate as remote visits?
A: Please see answer to Q18.
Q20: Please provide the number of billed local/onsite visits and the number of billed remote visits per month?
Onsite:
Dec Jan Feb March April May June
2019 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
386 320 324 257
July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
113 187 200 189 156 4
Remote:
Dec Jan Feb March April May June
2019 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
554 542 648 770 1304 1658 1672
July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
1113 919 956 1114 1138 1588
Q21: How many onsite visits were allowed per week/month pre Covid-19 shutdown?
A: Please see answer to Q18.
Q22: Does the Internet Banking Solution on RFP p. 23 describe the ability for public users to fund accounts via the internet or an inmate trust fund accounting software solution?
Q23: Please provide 3 months of detailed Cash Bond/Bail transaction history or provide the information below:
- Average number of Bond/Bail payments made per month
- Average total dollar amount of Bond/Bails paid per month
A: The total bail transactions from November – January are below.
Date – Amount Amount
11/2/20 - $20,500 $20,500.00
11/6/20 - $47,880 $47,880.00
11/4/20 – 27, 700 $27,700.00
11/9/20 - $45,165 $45,165.00
11/13/20 - $19,600 $19,600.00
11/16/20 – $7,910 $7,910.00
11/18/20 - $37,702 $37,702.00
11/20/20 - $41,575 $41,575.00
11/25/20 - $60,091.60 $60,091.60
11/30/20 - $31,600 $3,100.00
Total bond payments $311,223.60
Credit Card payments $79,128.00
Total cash payments $232,095.60
12/2/20 – $140,000 $140,000.00
12/4/20 - $82,900 $82,900.00
12/7/20 - $8,100 $8,100.00
12/9/20 - $2,000 $2,000.00
12/11/20 - $76,000 $76,000.00
12/14/20 - $27,000 $27,000.00
12/16/20 - $75,950 $75,950.00
12/18/20 – $146,350 $146,350.00
12/21/20 - $79,000 $79,000.00
12/23/20 - $67,450 $67,450.00
12/28/20 - $17,000 $17,000.00
12/30/20 - $47,770 $47,770.00
Total bond payments $769,520.00
Credit Card payments $69,796.00
Total cash payments $699,724.00
1/4/21 - $41,650 $41,650.00
1/6/21 - $32,875 $32,875.00
1/8/21 - $35,470 $35,470.00
1/11/21 - $24,250 $24,250.00
1/13/21 - $19,500 $19,500.00
1/15/21 - $57,675 $57,675.00
1/19/21 - $58,760 $58,760.00
1/22/21 – 67,300 $67,300.00
1/25/21 - $42,500 $42,500.00
1/27/21 - $22,000 $22,000.00
Total bond payments $401,980.00
Credit Card payments $69,004.00
Total cash payments $332,976.00
Q24: Does the County currently receive a commission for Cash Bond/Bail payments? If so, what is it?
Q25: Will the County continue to accept Cash Bond/Bail payments at the facility or will the awarded vendor be the only option?
A: The County will continue to accept cash bond/bail as an option.
Q26: The current contract shows that the fees for funding phone accounts are “N/A”. Please confirm, are there no fees charged to the depositor for funding phone accounts?
A: There are no funding fees.
Q27: The RFP states on page 22, #1.o., “LCSO requires that any cash deposited for inmate’s bail be surcharge free. There shall be no exception to this.” and on page 23, #12, “For each bail transaction completed, the Proposer will charge a $21.00 transaction and processing fee on behalf of the County that will be remitted to the County in full.”
Even though the County charges a $21.00 transacting and processing fee, is it our understanding that the vendor is not allowed to charge a fee for a cash transaction for an inmate’s bail. Is this correct?
A: The $21 transaction processing fee is a fee set by our County Board for all bond transactions. The vendor is not allowed to charge an additional processing fee for County Board approved fees.
Q28: Regarding page 38 – Kiosk Pricing Structure – Commissary Vendor Structure: Is there currently a separate kiosk provided by the commissary vendor that accepts transactions for commissary only? Can friends and family also order commissary for the inmate from this kiosk? If so, please provide their fee structure.
A: Not at this time. Currently, friends and family can order commissary for the inmate from our incumbent vendor’s kiosks.
Q29: Regarding page 38, which states – “Each of the four structures listed above must detail the following: • Commissary Account Funding (including moving money from Phone Account) • Debit Release Card Fees • Paying Bail with a Credit/Debit Card • Paying Bail with Cash Onsite and Remote • Paying Bail with Cash at Retail Locations (ex. MoneyGram Bail) • All miscellaneous fees”
- Please provide
- a list of miscellaneous fees
- the amount charged per fee
- the fee structure for those fees
A: Each vendor must disclose all fees that will be charged if they are awarded the contract. We do not have a pre-determined list of fees.
Q30: RFP page 23 #13 states, “The LCSO does not have funding fees for trust fund deposits.” Please clarify, does this mean that LCSO does not add a fee on top of the fee charged by the vendor for trust fund deposits?
Q31: Regarding Inmate Release:
- Who is your current debit release card provider?
A: Please refer to Addendum 4.
- Please provide the entire fee schedule.
A: Please click Register to Bid, Sign in then click Inmate Release Card Fees to obtain the complete list of fees.
- On average, how many inmates are released each month?
A: 608 inmates/month for 2019
400 inmates/month for 2020
- Does the County intend to issue a debit card to all inmates being released or is there a dollar threshold that must be met?
A: The County intends to issue a debit card to all inmates being released.
Q32: What bank does the county currently use for the receiving of ACH funds for inmate trust deposits?
A: First Midwest Bank
Q33: How many lobby stations should be included with each bidders RFP response?
A: Please refer to the equipment chart provided in the RFP on pg. 13.
Equipment Quantity
Standard inmate telephones 88
Visitation Kiosks (monitored/recorded) 36
TDD/TTY devices 3
Portable cordless phones (Kitchen) 1
Tablets 650
Booking Kiosk with Change Counter 1
Reception Kiosk for the Public 1
CBCC Kiosk for the Public 1
Q34: Can the County require all vendors to include all fees associated with their service? Including, but not limited to:
• Transaction fees
• First minute fees for video (if they differ from every additional fee)
• Connection fees
A: Yes, all vendors are required to include all fees associated with their proposed services. On pg. 40 of our RFP we have disclosed that “No fees will be allowed to be charged once the contract is negotiated that are not disclosed in a Vendor’s RFP response.”
Q35: Would the County please provide detail outlining to why the current video visitation contract will not be renewed?
A: The County is interested in seeing what new technology is available.
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Addendum #4
January 29, 2021
Q#1: RFP – p.19 – Correctional Tablets, #22 “Vendor has current and minimum capabilities providing officer tablets with real-time: Behavior Modification Application”.
Please clarify?
A: The ability for Officers to limit inmates use of certain tablet features. Example: We Have an inmate who is on lockdown, but you still want them to have access to educational features without the ability to play games or listen to music for a period of time.
Q#2: RFP – p.19 – Correctional Tablets, #3 “Vendor shall describe how their tablet program is positioned to County Administration and elected officials”.
Please clarify?
A: We would like the vendors to describe reporting features that can be helpful in providing information to County Administration and elected officials in briefings of tablet performance in the jail.
Q#3: After the first round of questions is answered, will the County accept additional questions if clarification is needed for any of the County’s responses?
A: Yes, please be aware deadline for questions is February 2, 2021.
Q#4: So that bidders have time to incorporate the County's responses to questions into their proposals, would the County consider extending the due date for proposals to no less than 4 weeks from the time that all answers to questions have been posted?
A: The County does not have plans on extending the due date at this time.
Q#5: So that vendors may accurately design and price out the required wireless networks, would the County please provide architectural drawings for each facility as well as ADP per housing unit where offenders will have access to tablets?
A: We cannot provide an architectural drawing of our facility as this is a security risk. Please refer to Exhibit B. Because the ADP per housing unit changes all the time, we have instead included a POD inmate capacity list.
POD LOCATION HOUSING CAPACITY
1 EAST 40
2 EAST 56 4 SIDE CELL
2 WEST 56 4 SIDE CELL
3T 60
4T 60
5T 60
6T 60
7T 60
MEDICAL 12
3 NORTH -ASU 48
3 SOUTHEAST 24
3 SOUTHWEST 24
4 NORTH 60
4 SOUTH 60
5 NORTH 60
5 SOUTHEAST 40
5 SOUTHWEST 40
6 NORTHEAST 40
6 NORTHWEST 40
6 SOUTHEAST 40
6 SOUTHWEST 40
Q#6: RFP – p.3 – Award
Please confirm that an award will be made to a single bidder and that awarded services will not be split between bidders?
A: Funding could be split. We wish to pursue one vendor for all inmate communication - phones, video visitation, and tablets. We may potentially award our current commissary provider with the ability to install their own kiosks for funding inmate trust accounts.
Q#7: RFP – p.8 – Economic Opportunity Program
Are there any bonus evaluation points associated with using a L/W/MBE for this opportunity? If Yes, would the County please provide the preference and the details for how it is applied to the RFP scoring?
A: There are no bonus points using a L/W/MBE for this opportunity. The information is collected for reporting purposes only and not vendor selection.
Q#8: RFP - P.15 – “The LCSO does not want funding fees for any trust fund deposits, phone calls, video visitation, or tablet purchase/rental.”
Shall bidders interpret this sentence to mean the following? Bidders may not charge a fee for:
• Trust deposits through any channel and for any deposit tier
• Depositing funds into an inmate’s debit account or into a prepaid phone account
• Setting up a video visitation account
• Turning a community tablet into an assigned personal tablet so that inmates may purchase premium content (i.e. Make the Tablet Mine)
A: Yes
Q#9: RFP – p.10 – For the 36 Visitation Kiosks
Would the County please provide the breakdown between visitor terminals in the lobby and inmate
terminals in the housing units?
A: Please refer to Exhibit B.
Q#10: RFP – p.17 – Investigative Software – “2.v. Utilize and integrate with location-based services” and “2.w. Identify the geographical location of cell phones on a map showing their geographical location both at the time the call is placed and terminated”.
Please note that all major cell phone carriers have publicly announced a major shift from past practices. The carriers will now only share cell phone location information under limited circumstances, which excludes those circumstances contemplated by this requirement. Accordingly, we respectfully request that the [County, State, DOC] strike this requirement, as we believe that no bidder will be able to meet the requirement without location information from cell phone carriers.
A: We do not consider the list of investigative software capabilities as requirements under the Investigative Software section of the RFP. We provided that list as a general list of potential capabilities that vendors can base their response. We request that in your RFP response, please include the information provided regarding the cell phone carriers under the Exceptions to the RFP section.
Q#11: RFP - p.20 – Item 14 states, “Vendor shall provide the facility with a revenue share opportunity.
Please detail.” In addition to the commission % to be provided on services listed in the Pricing Proposal, will the County accept other forms of revenue share, such as a Technology Grant or Signing Bonus? If yes, where is a bidder to list that revenue share component? How will the County evaluate compensation to the County as it relates to reconciling total benefit from commission dollars versus other types of revenue share?
A: The County will not accept other forms of revenue share. Commissions have always been percentages.
Q#12: RFP – p.28 – Evaluation Factors
• Would the County please provide the breakdown of the evaluation points assigned to the Evaluation Factors listed on page 28, Rates proposed and Commissions %?
A: Please reference Addendum #3.
• Would the County please provide the point breakdown or weighting for each of the Evaluation Factor bullets?
A: Please reference Addendum #3.
• Will the evaluation team scoring be done individually or via consensus?
A: Individually
Q#13: RFP – p.29 – If the County exercises the option for Interviews and Additional Investigations, how would those findings be incorporated into the evaluation scoring?
A: The evaluation committee members would take the information obtained into account when scoring the RFP responses by each vendor and apply or deduct points from the evaluation factor categories that the information obtained is pertinent.
Q#14: RFP – p.29 –Does the County intend to exercise its right to request a BAFO after a short list has been determined? How will it impact score?
A: Please reference Page 29 of our RFP document.
Q#15: RFP – p.30 – Exhibit A
• Would the County please have the incumbent provider breakdown the transactions by month so bidders can see the impact of Covid on transaction volumes?
A: Please reference the commission reports by clicking Register for this bid, sign in then select Commission Report.
• Would the County please include transactions for September 2020 – December 2020
A: Please reference the commission reports by clicking Register for this bid, sign in then select Commission Report.
• Would the County please add the following transaction data?
• Trust deposits (Web, Kiosk, IVR, Walk-in, etc.) – Number of transactions, revenue and commission, broken down by deposit tier (i.e. $1.00 - $19.99, $20.00 - $49.99)
A: Please refer to Exhibit D for Trust Fund Deposits by type.
• Debit Release Cards and Work Release Cards – Number of cards, revenue generated and commission
A: Debit Release Cards are currently being issued through our commissary provider. There is no revenue generated from this and therefore no commission. There was a total of 2,279 Debit Release Cards issued from December 2019 – December 2020.
• Breakdown by messaging type – Inbound, Outbound, Photo, Video gram, Audiogram
A: Messaging is not currently being utilized.
• Bail transactions
A: There were 1,616 bail transactions from December 2019 – November 2020.
• Any fees charged today for phone deposits
A: No fees are charged.
• Any single call fees
A: Please refer to Exhibit A.
Q#16: What is the “Content Delivery Fee” for and when is it charged? For Games and TV Shows, the items numbers match, but for Movies, there seem to be more fees charged for content delivery for movies than for movies themselves? Would the County please explain the discrepancy?
Q#17: RFP – p.32 – Exhibit C
• Would the County please provide the current trust deposit costs by deposit tier and deposit type?
A: There are no funding fees for making phone calls, using tablets, or video visitation.
• Would the County please provide the cost for any services the inmates can buy on the tablets (i.e. Media Type). For example:
• Individual song purchases
A: $0.69 - $1.99
• Albums
A: N/A
• Games
A: $1.00 - $12.99
• Movies
A: $1.99 - $14.99
• TV Shows
A: $0.49 – 9.99
• Podcasts
A: $0.00
• Audiobooks
A: N/A
Q#18: RFP – p.37 – Price Proposal
• So that bidders understand the rates and commission most important to the County, please provide the breakdown/weighting of the price proposal evaluation points among the following pricing elements?
• Phone Pricing – the weighting by Destination Class, Per Minute Rate and % Commission
• Video Visitation – weighting for cost and % commission
A: We are evaluating the rates and commission as an overall offering versus assigning points to each pricing element.
• How will the County evaluate offers between vendors bid a different duration for the visit? Will the County simply divide the offers into a per minute rate? If yes, and if bidders put more than one package (i.e. rates a 15min visit vs. a 30min visit), how will the County choose which rate package to use for evaluation? Would the County consider simply requiring bidders to enter a single per minute rate for video visitation?
A: We would prefer all video visitations be 30 minutes. We will not be dividing offers into a per minute rate, we will be looking at the full package pricing. Currently the County is not looking to require bidders to enter a single per minute rate for video visitation.
• Kiosk Pricing Structures – What is the evaluation weighting for each of the kiosk cost elements and for each of the four pricing structures?
A: We are evaluating the kiosk cost elements as an overall offering versus assigning points to each pricing structure.
• How will the County conduct an apples-to-apples evaluation between bidders? Will the County evaluate the rate in each cell of the table individually between bidders or will the County add up the fees to a “total cost” for each of the four pricing structures? If the County will evaluate based on “total cost”, would the County please provide the transactions for each cost element so that bidders understand the weighting of each cost element?
A: We are evaluating the price proposal structures as an overall offering versus assigning points to each structure. We will be looking at each cell individually.
• Investigative Software Pricing – Given that bidders will likely offer different programs and different fees, how will this section be evaluated and what will be the weighting? Are there investigative software functions the County is specifically looking for? For example, link analysis, cell phone forensics, investigative case management, etc.
A: We are evaluating the investigative software as an overall offering versus assigning points to each capability. The County currently has investigative software through our current vendor that allows inmate phone calls to be monitored and provide summaries of requested conversations. We also currently utilize voice biometrics and a key word indicator or searches where if an inmate says certain words either over the phone or video visitation, it will flag the conversation for our investigators to review. We also currently have the ability to export call details to Excel and/or to a disc or flash drive for analysis. The County would prefer to keep these monitoring software function, but we are open to hearing what every vendor has to offer.
• Tablet Pricing - How will the County evaluate the cost and commission % for applications when they differ between bidders? For example, $0.05/minute for music vs. $2.00 per song? Will the County require vendors to list a single per minute rate for any paid profile services so the County may evaluate bidders’ costs apples-to-apples? For the evaluation, will the County use a pre-determined number of transactions to calculate a total cost and commission or will the County simply compare each service cost and commission % between vendors to allocate evaluation points?
A: The County is interested in reviewing all options provided by vendors and cannot consider requiring a per minute rate for paid profile services as this could potentially disqualify some vendors. The County will be comparing the service costs between vendors and allocate evaluation points based on fair pricing for the inmates. The evaluation committee will be using a mock inmate order to determine the total transaction cost for an inmate so that we can better understand the total cost an inmate will pay for tablet purchases.
• Will the County allow bidders to make more than one financial offer? If yes, would bidders do this by duplicating the Price Proposal for each additional offer.
A: Yes, bidders can make more than one financial offering. Bidders would do this by providing a separate Price Proposal for each structure and detail how that pricing structure would affect all aspects of the contract.
Addendum #3
January 27, 2021
Q#1: The evaluation criteria contains no points or percentages to guide vendors in priorities. Will the County consider placing either point or percentage values here?
A: The County does not intend to place percentage values in our RFP. The main priority should be providing fair and reasonable prices to inmates and their family. However, we would like for all vendors to put equal consideration and detail into all evaluation categories.
Q#2: What are the County’s current costs on LexisNexis? Is the ask for the provider to pay for the integration cost or for the license?
A: The County’s current costs for LexisNexis is $746/month. The ask for the provider is to pay integration costs.
Q#3: Will the County consider alternate video storage options, e.g. length of time?
A: The County is open to alternative solutions and want to hear what your company has to offer.
Q#4: On page 2 of the RFP, the County states, in reference to exceptions, to place an “X” in the box indicating an exception(s) are being taken, and we are to “provide separately a submission with noted exceptions”. In the following paragraph, we are instructed that “any and all exceptions to these specifications MUST be clearly and completely indicated in the Proposer’s response to the RFP”. Rather than submitting a separate submission, if we have any exceptions, may we list those in a separate section within the response?
A: Yes
Q#5: Please provide a time frame for expected responses in regard to clarification questions that may be asked by the provider of the County.
A: Lake County typically respond to addendum questions within 1 or 2 days. If you are referring to FOIA a response is provided within 5 business days unless it’s a commercial request in this case 21 working days is allowed.
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Addendum #2
January 22, 2021
Q#1: Can the County provide a copy of their current inmate communications agreement?
A: https://www.lakecountypurchasingportal.com/ then click on Awarded Contracts. Our current inmate phone, video, tablet, and bail agreement is with Securus Technologies.
Q#2: What software is currently being used to open and close inmate accounts and bill inmates?
A: We are currently using JPay through Securus Technologies and Lockdown through Stellar Services.
Q#3: What software is currently being used to process commissary orders?
A: We are currently using Lockdown through our commissary provider Stellar Services.
Q#4: Can inmates order commissary via telephones?
A: Inmates have the ability to order commissary via telephones. Some inmates based on their housing units may not have access to the tablets.
Q#5: Can inmates currently order commissary via in Pod Kiosks?
A: Yes
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Addendum #1
January 20, 2021
Q#1: For RFP# 21019 in the subject line above (Inmate Phone, Tablet, Bail and Video for Lake County Sheriff), please provide specifications, features, functionality and quantities for the Inmate Phone, Tablet, Bail, Kiosk and Video Visitation System you need.
A: All information requested above is provided in our RFP. Please review the entire document to address your questions.
Q#2: Do you anticipate extending the bid due date?
A: We do not anticipate extending our due date.
Q#3: What additional details are you willing to provide, if any, beyond what is stated in bid documents concerning how you will identify the winning bid?A: No additional details beyond what is already stated in the RFP document are available at this time.
Q#4: Was this bid posted to the nationwide free bid notification website at www.mygovwatch.com/free?
A: No
Q#5: Other than your own website, where was this bid posted?
A: The procurement opportunity was posted and advertised in accordance with the Lake County Purchasing Ordinance guidelines. Lake County has no knowledge of the solicitation being posted beyond the Lake County website.
Q#6: We are wondering if you are seeking cellular connectivity on the 650 tablets or any other equipment? If so, for how many lines of service?
A: We are unfamiliar with this feature and are requesting if you would like to include this service in your proposal to include it in the Value-Added Services portion of your RFP response.