Independant Consultancy Services for a feasibility study, planning and RFP preparation for a Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) solution

eThekwini Municipality intends to strengthen the safety and security of its citizens, businesses and visitors. It also needs to be best prepared from a public safety and security point of view for the up-coming soccer world championship in 2010. In that regard, eThekwini  Municipality plans to modernise its radio communication infrastructure, especially for departments like Metro Police, Fire, and Emergency Services, and to study the possibility of implementing radio communications services in the Greater eThekwini Municipal Area with a Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) solution. 

It therefore would like to engage an independent, experienced and qualified consultant to perform a study concerning the operational, organizational and technical requirements for the implementation of an effective ETSI-standardized TETRA communication and surveillance system. As all safety and security measures are only as effective as command and control procedures are for related missions,it is expected that this system will have appropriate control, command, and crisis management functionalities.

It is expected that the study will take no more than three (3) months. During this period the Consultant shall analyse whether:

• the organisation of the departments that will use this technology is adequate for coping with the new technology;
• the capabilities and the reliability of the TETRA technology meet the expectations of the Municipality
• the existing infrastructure can be used in migrating to the TETRA technology (protection of existing investments)
• the TETRA technology as well as the backbone network can also be used for other government organisations to satisfy their communications requirements.
• the TETRA technology contributes to the vision, strategy and objectives of the municipality as contained in its Integrated Development Plan’s 8 point Plan, and how
• the TETRA technology contributes to the Information and Communication Technology strategy of the municipality, and how
• an investment in TETRA shall have long term economic and social benefits for the municipality, and what those would be

At the end of the study a requirement catalogue shall be elaborated by the Consultant, summarising the necessary actions to be taken regarding organisation of the relevant departments, technical and coverage requirements for a modern communications infrastructure and related systems to enhance security for the population as well as reaction time and effectiveness of the action forces.

If the analysis also shows that the TETRA technology can fulfil the requirements of other government organisations, the Consultant shall give his/her recommendation on how to proceed efficiently. The Consultant must obey his/her (or company’s) rules as an unbiased and independent Consultant dedicated to the benefit of the client.

Background

There are no fewer than ten (10) separate radio systems at eThekwini municipality, which were configured to be stand-alone systems each serving the particular requirements of departments.  Systems are analogue-based. There are over 20 repeater sites positioned throughout eThekwini.  About 4,500 radios and over 40 channels/frequencies are utilized.  The city loses between 50 and 100 radios annually.

There are serious problems/issues with the current radio system which hamper service delivery

• Congestion.  Insufficient channels available.
  Coverage.  Need for more extensive coverage
  Reliability.  Overall system reliability is probably no better than "3 out of 5".
  Poor voice quality
  Inadequate security – somebody else can “tap” into a conversation
  Analogue system is not instantaneous
  Users are demanding more facilities from their radio systems, e.g. data access, GPS, cross?channel interoperability, etc.

The municipality’s vision for a Safer City is captured in the following statement:

“Advanced communication and video surveillance systems will help reduce crime and anti-social behavior and make citizens feel safer. Video-enabled citizen access points will enable people to communicate quickly and easily with the emergency services. Faster information flows will mean better traffic management and improved street maintenance. Public safety teams will be able to respond faster to emergencies.”

In light of the upcoming 2010 challenges eThekwini has to face and the current crime situation in the city, there is a huge opportunity to make eThekwini a Safer City by electronic data collection and surveillance through coordinated and efficient online distribution of this data to the relevant authorities such as Metro Police, SAPS, Emergency Services, Fire Brigades, Protection Services, etc.  Using the city’s already existing 400km of fiber and integrating its already installed 170 cameras and the police force into this digital network, the city has a strong and efficient electronic weapon to fight crime already in its hands.

Participating Departments

Before starting the TETRA study, it will be necessary to understand the structure of the different departments to whom the TETRA solution shall be applicable. Emphasis shall be placed on Metro Police, Emergency Services, Fire, and Protection Services. As a minimum, the Consultant shall be briefed on the structure and organisation of these departments, the responsibilities, the current courses of action from emergency call to rescue operation, the line of command within the interaction of these departments during the mission, etc.

In addition to this it shall be defined – in co-operation with the Municipality – if there are communication requirements of other Government Organisations (e.g. SAPS, Ambulance Services, etc.) which could be met by a mobile communications network like a TETRA network. After these organisations have been identified, the Consultant will elaborate a brief summary of the different organisations, their tasks and interaction during missions.

The summary of the structure and organisation of the participating organisations shall demonstrate the Consultant’s understanding of the current situation.  Later on it will help analyse whether changes in mission handling are advisable so as to make the best and most efficient use of the TETRA technology.

Available Infrastructure

A reliable and effective mobile communications system requires an adequate infrastructure for mounting antennas, placing base stations, supplying these base stations with fail-proof power and for interconnecting the base stations with high-capacity communications networks. The Consultant shall examine the existing infrastructure within the Greater eThekwini Municipal Area.

Not only can TETRA network installations serve urban areas but, with a couple of hundred base stations, they can also be extended to regional networks.  The existing infrastructure shall be examined by the Consultant so as to identify feasible solutions to meet the infrastructure requirements of a TETRA system.  The Consultant shall verify the usability of existing infrastructure within a future TETRA system with regard to reliability, extendibility and costs.

Requirements

A list of requirements that has to be met by a TETRA installation has to be compiled. For a typical installation the following shall be defined:

• Number of base stations and mobile units
• Network requirements to interconnect the base stations
• Mechanical requirements for the mounting of antennas
• Definition of locations and regions to best analyse the operational criteria of the installation
• List of functionalities expected
• Other

The Consultant shall define the full requirements that must be included in the subsequent RFP that will be issued for the actual TETRA solution.

Operation Scenarios

The Consultant shall define a list of operational procedures which are actually executed during the missions of the participating departments and these shall be analyzed for efficiency and effectiveness, e.g. handover of mission command, co-operations between organizations on specific missions, etc.

The Consultant shall also assess and advise on the usability of the TETRA technology in complex missions like for instance a:

• Bomb attack
• Street gang attack
• Fire in a stadium
• Terrorist attack in a residential area
• Terrorist attack at the ICC during a conference
• Terrorist attack during a Sports event
• Typical assistant tasks for one of the participating organizations

Possible scenarios shall be generated in urban areas as well as in suburban or rural areas. The operation scenarios shall consider resources available in the mission area. Furthermore, routine procedures shall be taken into account.

The Consultant will analyse whether there exists a potential for improving mission organisation, reaction time of the forces and handover procedures. All operation scenarios will also have to consider the procedures for alerting rescue teams as well as alarm handling.

The procedure activities shall consider the complete mission cycle, from alarm or emergency call to the end of mission status. The procedures for alarm handling, communication traffic during the mission, dispatching activities, etc. shall be documented.  This documentation shall form a baseline for the fleet mapping, the required bandwidth and frequencies and other planning parameters of a TETRA network.

Different fleet mapping scenarios shall be used to analyse the influence on TETRA network capabilities and the effectiveness in a mission scenario.The following communication activities shall be analyzed to better understand the procedures and information flow within a TETRA network:

• Communication activities within a single department
  Communication activities between different departments
  Communication activities of other Government organisations

Results

At the end of the TETRA study, documentation by the Consultant shall be available, indicating whether it is advisable for the Municipality of eThekwini to establish a TETRA network in the Greater eThekwini Area. The results shall on the one hand confirm the suitability of the technology in principle and on the other hand form the baseline for the establishment of a city-wide TETRA network.

In addition, it shall be possible to derive recommendations whether to use a governmental TETRA network only for municipal departments or also for other Government Organisations. Moreover, it shall be possible to estimate investments and running costs for adequate TETRA network installations alternatively covering the city of Durban and the Greater eThekwini Municipal Area. The documentation shall furthermore list infrastructure and frequency requirements.

Recommendations

In addition to the documentation of the results of the TETRA study, the Consultant shall elaborate a report containing recommendations for the next steps. Presuming that the operation scenarios analyzed confirm the suitability of the TETRA technology for eThekwini Municipality, the report on recommendations shall describe all planning parameters for establishing a TETRA network for the City of Durban, s well as the Greater eThekwini Municipal Area.

Planning parameters are for instance:

• Basic coverage profile (urban, sub-urban, rural)
  Infrastructure requirements
  Fleet mapping
  Alarm handling
  Dispatching
  Frequency plan (municipal departments only)
  Frequency plan (including organisations other than municipal departments)

RFP Response

The respondent(s) to this Request for Proposals will be expected to clearly demonstrate and/or provide the following:

Independence and no bias
Good understanding of the requirements
Ability to deliver. Clearly indicate how you are going to complete this task, i.e. show any methodology or plan that you are going to use
Technical competence. It would also be useful to indicate person(s) earmarked to do this exercise and enclose their CV’s 
Proven track record and experience in engagements of this nature.  Provide references
Value added services
Timeframes
Clearly indicate costs, including travel and subsistence, etc.

Respondents are cautioned that the adjudication process will be undertaken in accordance with eThekwini Municipality‘s Targeted Procurement policy and thus it is essential that respondents claiming affirmative procurement preference complete documents entitled “Application for Registration on the EM Proc database” and “Application for Targeted Enterprise Status” which can be downloaded from the municipality’s website: http://www.durban.gov.za/eThekwini/Municipality/rfps_tenders.

For assistance in the completion thereof, prospective respondents should contact the Manager: Procurement Monitoring, tel. 031-311 3011.

Note that you need not complete these forms if you are already registered with the municipality, i.e. you have completed them before and you are already on the municipality’s supplier database

Contact Details

All enquiries concerning the RFP shall be addressed to the Deputy Head: ICT, 9th Floor Florence Mkhize Building, 251 Smith Street, Durban, 4001, or sent to lunga@durban.gov.za and the municipality will strive to answer them promptly.

Delivery Address

This RFP is to be addressed to the Deputy Head: Information Technology and must be clearly marked “TRUNKED RADIO FEASIBILITY STUDY” and must be placed in the tender box located on the Ground Floor, Rennies House, 41 Victoria Embankment, Durban, 4001 (and not at any other municipal office) on or before 11h00 on the 23rd of February 2007.  No electronic submissions will be accepted