Request for Quotations (RFQ) –Network Architecture Assessment

Request for Quotations (RFQ) –Network Architecture Assessment

About Farm Credit Canada (FCC):

FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture lender, with a healthy portfolio of more than $30 billion. Our employees are dedicated to the future of Canadian agriculture and its role in feeding an ever-growing world. We provide flexible, competitively priced financing, management software, information and knowledge specifically designed for the agriculture and agri-food industry. Our profits are reinvested back into agriculture and the communities where our customers and employees live and work. For more information, visit www.fcc.ca.

Scope of Work:

FCC is searching for a consultant or consulting firm to perform an assessment of its current network architecture and its network architecture strategy.

The current state is 96 remote field offices, in all 10 Canadian provinces, connected by a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) backbone, with digital subscriber line (DSL) secondary connections. These sites are connected to one of two third party data centres, using dynamic multipoint virtual private network (DMVPN). This architecture is based on three principles: performance, reliability and redundancy. 

FCC is in the process of a digital transformation. We are rolling out numerous technologies that have higher bandwidth requirements than we have experienced in the past (Office 365, Software as a Services (SaaS) applications, cloud). The digital strategy is limited by many of the branch offices having insufficient bandwidth. We have a strategy to upgrade all 96 sites, and we are about 40% complete. 

The deliverables expected are:

• Analysis of the network architecture: technologies, configuration, strategy
• The impact of the network architecture on application performance 
• Recommendations on how FCC can improve on the three principles of performance, reliability and redundancy, both in its current architecture and its strategy for the future

Key skills required:

• Current experience with design, implementation and operation of software defined wide area network (SD-WAN)
• Current experience with CISCO Intelligent WAN (iWAN) and NetApp an asset
• Current experience with Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
• Current experience with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
• Current experience with Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
• Deep experience with trade-offs between MPLS, Corporate-grade Internet, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and wireless technologies
• A lead resource with minimum 10 years’ experience 

Expressing intent, submitting questions and responses to the RFQ: Interested vendors are expected to notify FCC’s RFQ contact of their intent to submit a response to the RFQ, via email, prior to the date and time noted in the RFQ schedule. Additionally, vendors may submit clarification questions for the purpose of submitting a response to the RFQ.

Note: A written list of FCC’s responses to vendor questions will be distributed only to vendors who have expressed their intent to respond to the RFQ, by notifying FCC’s RFQ contact. FCC’s list of responses will not be posted on this website.

RFQ Schedule:

• RFQ issue date: September 5, 2017
• Vendor questions accepted until: September 12, 2017 at 12:00 PM (Noon), CST
• Vendor expressions of interest accepted until: September 15, 2017 at 5:00 PM, CST
• Responses to questions provided by: September 15, 2017 at 5:00 PM, CST
• RFQ closing date and time: September 22, 2017 at 12:00 PM (Noon), CST

RFQ Format:

RFQ responses should include:

• A brief introduction of your company or consultancy
• a high level overview of your plan to gather the information required (for example: workshops, interviews, site visits, etc.) and to provide the expected deliverables.
• Illustration of a resource, or resources with the key skills FCC is seeking and their experience working on similar engagements.
• Pricing

FCC’s RFQ Contact: All questions, expressions of interest and RFQ responses are to be directed to:

Mike Humble

Corporate Procurement Manager

Farm Credit Canada

procurement@fcc.ca