Project Charter-Definition Phase - Buyandsell.gc.ca

40 Pages·2014·0.84 MB·English

by  Amazingly Many

RETURN BIDS TO – RETOURNER
Title – Sujet
LES SOUMISSIONS À : Data Centre Server and Storage Infrastructure (DCSSI) | Infrastructure de serveur et
de stockage pour les centres de données (ISSCD)
See Herein. | Voir aux présentes
Solicitation No. – N° de l’invitation Date
DCSSI RFI – ISSCD DDR 14 FEB 2014
Client Reference No. – N° référence du client

File No. – N° de dossier

LETTER OF INTEREST Solicitation Closes – L’invitation prend fin

on – le 9 MAR 2014
LETTRE D’INTÉRÊT

F.O.B. - F.A.B.
Plant-Usine:  Destination:  Other-Autre: 
Comments – Commentaire Address Inquiries to : - Adresser toutes questions à: Buyer Id – Id de l’acheteur
Tony Phan CAB
Telephone No. – N° de téléphone : FAX No. – N° de FAX
613-219-4471 Not applicable

Delivery required - Livraison exigée Delivered Offered –

See Herein. Livraison proposée

Destination – of Goods, Services, and Construction:
Destination – des biens, services et construction :

See Herein.

Vendor/firm Name and address

Nom et adresse du fournisseur/de l’entrepreneur

Facsimile No. – N° de télécopieur

Telephone No. – N° de téléphone

Issuing Office – Bureau de distribution Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of Vendor/firm

(type or print)-
SSC | SPC
Procurement and Vendors Relationships | Achats et Nom et titre de la personne autorisée à signer au nom du fournisseur/de
relations avec les fournisseurs l’entrepreneur (taper ou écrire en caractères d’imprimerie)
Transformation Initiatives | Initiatives de
transformation
180 Kent St. | 180, rue Kent

Ottawa, ON K1P 0B6
Signature Date
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents

PART I: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION PROCESS ..................................................................................................... 5
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 5
1.1 NATURE OF THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ........................................................................................................ 6
PART II: INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ................................................. 7
2 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................ 7
2.1 RESPONSE COSTS .............................................................................................................................................. 7
2.2 TREATMENT OF RESPONSES ................................................................................................................................. 7
2.3 FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY ........................................................................................................................................ 7
2.4 CONTENTS OF THE RFI ....................................................................................................................................... 7
2.5 FORMAT OF RESPONSES ..................................................................................................................................... 7
2.6 ENQUIRIES ....................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.7 SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES ................................................................................................................................ 8
PART III: BACKGROUND OF THE DATA CENTRE CONSOLIDATION PROGRAM ......................................................... 9
3 ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 9
3.1 OVERVIEW OF SHARED SERVICES CANADA ............................................................................................................. 9
3.2 CURRENT SITUATION ......................................................................................................................................... 9
3.3 DRIVERS FOR CHANGE ........................................................................................................................................ 9
3.3.1 Complexity ............................................................................................................................................... 9
3.3.2 Security Pressures .................................................................................................................................. 10
PART IV: BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE DATA CENTRE SERVER AND STORAGE
INFRASTRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................................ 11
4 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 11
4.1 PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE .............................................................................................................................. 11
4.2 OVERVIEW OF SSC APPLICATION HOSTING SERVICE ............................................................................................... 11
4.3 SSC CURRENT OPERATING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................... 11
4.4 SSC SECURITY MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................ 12
4.7 DATA CENTRE SERVER AND STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE (DCSSI) REQUIREMENTS ....................................................... 14
4.8 DCSSI PRODUCT CATEGORIES ........................................................................................................................... 14
4.8.1 Supply Arrangement 1 (SA1) - x86 Requirements .................................................................................. 14
4.8.2 Supply Arrangement 2 (SA2) - Unix Requirements................................................................................. 16
4.8.3 Supply Arrangement 3 (SA3) - Specialized Vertical Platforms Products................................................. 17
4.8.4 Supply Arrangement 4 (SA4) – Data Storage Systems Requirements .................................................... 18
4.8.5 Supply Arrangement 5 (SA5) - Database Platform (Server) ................................................................... 18
4.9 USE OF GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT - SOFTWARE ................................................................................... 19
1. Data and Storage Management Systems................................................................................................... 20
2. Orchestration Software .............................................................................................................................. 20

Page 2 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Linux Operating System .............................................................................................................................. 20
4. Virtualization Software .............................................................................................................................. 21
5. Java Application Software .......................................................................................................................... 21
6. Database Management Software (DBMS) ................................................................................................. 21
7. Virtual Workload Management ................................................................................................................. 22
8. File Services Solutions ................................................................................................................................. 22
9. Print Services Solutions............................................................................................................................... 22
4.10 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 23
4.10.1 IT Security Guidelines ......................................................................................................................... 23
4.10.2 Security Clearance ............................................................................................................................. 23
4.10.3 Canadian Industrial Security Directorate Security Process ................................................................ 24
4.10.4 Supply Chain Integrity ........................................................................................................................ 24
PART V: PROPOSED PROCUREMENT STRATEGY FOR THE DATA CENTRE SERVER AND STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE
REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................................................... 25
5 REQUEST FOR SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... 25
5.1 PROPOSED PROCUREMENT APPROACH .................................................................................................... 25
5.1.1 Request for Information (RFI) ................................................................................................................ 25
5.1.2 Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) Phase ............................................................................................................ 25
5.1.3 Review and Refine Requirements Phase (RRR) ...................................................................................... 25
5.1.4 Supply Chain Integrity process ............................................................................................................... 26
5.1.5 Request for Supply Arrangements Solicitation Phase ............................................................................ 26
5.1.6 Supply Arrangement .............................................................................................................................. 26
5.1.7 Anticipated Procurement Schedule ........................................................................................................ 26
PART VI – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) QUESTIONS ................................................................................... 27
6 RFI QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 27
ANNEX A: DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................. 30
ANNEX B: REQUEST FOR SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS (RFSA) PROPOSED EVALUATION
PROCEDURES AND BASIS OF SELECTION ............................................................................................... 34

Page 3 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________

National Security Exception

National Security Exception: The procurement(s) related to the Data Centre Consolidation (DCC)
initiative are subject to National Security Exception and are, therefore, excluded from all of the
obligations of the trade agreements.

Purpose and Contents of this Request for Information
This is a Request for Information pertaining to the Data Centre Consolidation (DCC) Program of Shared
Services Canada. It is a document written for the purpose of soliciting feedback from Industry with a focus
on the proposed procurement of the Data Centre Server and Storage Infrastructure (DCSSI)
requirements. The general contents of this Request for Information document are:
• PART I – Request For Information Process: Information about the intent of this Request for
Information
• PART II – Instructions for Responding to the Request for Information: Information on the
procedure for Industry to follow for responding to this Request for Information
• PART III – Background of the Data Centre Consolidation Program: Shared Services Canada’s
organizational overview, current situation and drivers for change
• PART IV – Business and Technical Requirements of the Data Centre Server and Storage
Infrastructure: Information on SSC’s proposed DCSSI requirements
• PART V – Proposed Procurement Approach for the Data Centre Server and Storage
Infrastructure Requirements: This section describes the proposed procurement approach for the
DCSSI requirements
• PART VI – Request for Information Questions: Questions asked to solicit feedback from Industry
on the server and storage infrastructure business and technical requirements and on the proposed
procurement approach for the DCSSI requirements
• Annex A – Definitions
• Annex B – RFSA Proposed Evaluation Procedures and Basis of Selection

Page 4 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
PART I: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION PROCESS
1 INTRODUCTION
This is a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit Industry feedback to assist SSC with the Data
Centre Consolidation (DCC) Program in implementing a new data centre services delivery model,
with associated Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, including goods and services. Moreover,
SSC will also be looking at innovative procurement approaches to meet SSC’s business
requirements. The intent of the new data centre services delivery model is to enable SSC to provide
Information Technology services and support to itself and its partner departments. In addition, SSC
plans to offer these services to other Government of Canada (GC) organizations on an optional
basis.
The proposed procurement will establish multiple Supply Arrangements with multiple suppliers for
the provisioning of standardized standalone and integrated server and storage devices, associated
software installation, and optional device installation in SSC’s data centres. The requirements
identified in this RFI are summarized as follows.
• Provisioning of servers, in various categories, based on technical and performance specifications;
• Provisioning of online and offline storage devices, such as arrays, storage controllers, and tape
devices, in various categories, based on technical and performance specifications;
• Provisioning of connectivity devices between server and storage, such as fibre channel and Fibre
channel over Ethernet (FCOE), to support a converged environment;
• Installation and configuration of software components, such as operating systems, virtualization
software, middleware, and database management systems, which will be provided to the
suppliers as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE);
• Installation of above said hardware software and hardware components in any SSC data centre in
Canadian metropolitan regions, such as racking and cabling;
• Integration of above said hardware software and hardware components with already installed
equipment in any SSC data centre in Canadian metropolitan regions;
• Maintenance and support agreements for the ongoing support of the above said equipment,
including such elements as break/fix support, help desk support, etc.; and
• Emergency onsite support, in Canadian metropolitan regions, within a maximum 2-hour response
time.
The current government standing offers and Supply Arrangements were not designed to meet these
broader Data Centre Server and Storage Infrastructure (DCSSI) requirement; therefore, Canada
intends to establish new Supply Arrangements to meet these long term requirements. As a result of
this procurement, it is expected that the existing server and storage Supply Arrangements will
continue to be used, on an exception basis, to meet those requirements that cannot be met by the
new Supply Arrangements. The establishment of the new server and storage Supply Arrangements
will be aligned with future procurements for goods and services issued by Canada.
Canada is soliciting feedback from Industry in regards to the proposed procurement of standalone
and integrated servers and storage devices, in alignment with SSC’s plans for establishing standard
hardware and software platform configuration, in particular on the following subject matter:
i. Considerations and recommendations associated with the technical requirements as
outlined in Part IV of this RFI;

Page 5 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
ii. Considerations and recommendations associated with the proposed procurement approach,
as outlined in Part V of this RFI; and,
iii. Industry feedback to the questions provided in Part VI of this RFI.
The GC intends to use feedback from this RFI to finalize its DCSSI procurement approach.

This RFI also identifies several proposed Software Solutions in section 4.3, which some or all of the
software will be subject to a separate procurement. Canada also plans to transfer software licenses
from its partners, negotiate software Enterprise Licensing Agreements (ELAs) and/or issue
competitive RFP(s) procurements for software solutions, to establish standard enterprise software
which will be made available to suppliers as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) as part of this
server and storage infrastructure requirement.
1.1 Nature of this Request for Information
This is not a bid solicitation. This RFI will not result in the award of any contract. Potential suppliers
of any goods or services described in this RFI should not reserve stock or facilities, nor allocate
resources, as a result of any information contained in this RFI. Nor will this RFI result in the creation
of any source list. Therefore, whether or not any potential data centre solution provider responds to
this RFI, it will not preclude that provider from participating in any future procurement. Also, the
procurement of any of the goods and services described in this RFI will not necessarily follow this
RFI. This RFI is simply intended to solicit feedback from industry with respect to the subject matter
described in this RFI.

Page 6 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
PART II: INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
2 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
2.1 Response Costs
Canada will not reimburse any Respondent for expenses incurred in responding to this RFI.
2.2 Treatment of Responses
Use of Responses: Responses will not be formally evaluated. However, the responses received
may be used by Canada to develop or modify procurement strategies or any draft documents
contained in this RFI. Canada will review all responses received by the RFI closing date. Canada
may, in its discretion, review responses received after the RFI closing date.
Review Team: A review team composed of representatives of the Client (where applicable) and
other relevant stakeholders will review the responses. Canada reserves the right to hire any
independent consultant, or use any Government resources that it considers necessary to review
any response. Not all members of the review team will necessarily review all responses.
Confidentiality: Respondents should mark any portions of their response that they consider
proprietary or confidential. Canada will handle the responses in accordance with the Access to
Information Act.
2.3 Follow-up Activity
Canada may, in its discretion, contact any Respondents to follow-up with additional questions or for
clarification of any aspect of a response either in writing or on one-on-one basis. Canada may, in its
discretion also meet with certain Respondents who indicate in their responses that they wish to do
a presentation in support of their response in a follow-up meeting.
2.4 Contents of the RFI
This document remains a work in progress and Respondents should not assume that new clauses
or requirements will not be added to any bid solicitation that is ultimately published by Canada. Nor
should Respondents assume that none of the clauses or requirements will be deleted or revised.
Comments regarding any aspect of the draft document are welcome. Part VI of this RFI also
contains specific questions addressed to the industry.
2.5 Format of Responses
Cover Page: If the response includes multiple volumes, Respondents are requested to indicate on
the front cover page of each volume the title of the response, the solicitation number, the volume
number and the full legal name of the Respondent.
Title Page: The first page of each volume of the response, after the cover page, should be the title
page, which should contain:
1. The title of the Respondent's response and the volume number;
2. The name and address of the Respondent;
3. The name, address and telephone number of the Respondent's contact;

Page 7 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
4. The date; and,
5. The RFI number.
Number of Copies: Canada requests that Respondents submit their response in Word 2003 (or
later version) or PDF format by email to [email protected] if the
size of the document is less than 6MB, or save their documents to a compact disc (CD-R) or digital
video disc (DVD-R) and send the disc by mail to the following address:
Tony Phan
Supply Officer
Transformation Initiatives
Shared Services Canada
180 Kent St, 13th floor, Office K087
Ottawa, ON K1G 4A8
2.6 Enquiries
Since this is not a bid solicitation, Canada will not necessarily respond to enquiries in writing or by
circulating answers to all potential suppliers. However, Respondents with questions regarding this
RFI may direct their enquiries to:
Contracting Authority: Tony Phan
Email Address: [email protected]
Telephone: [phone]
2.7 Submission of Responses
Time and Place for Submission of Responses: Suppliers interested in providing a response should
submit it to the Contracting Authority identified above no later than March 9, 2014.
Responsibility for Timely Delivery: Each Respondent is solely responsible for ensuring its response
is submitted on time to the correct location.
Identification of Response: If the Respondent is submitting a CD-R or DVD-R, the Respondent
should ensure that its name and return address, the solicitation number and the closing date
appear legibly on the packaging.

Page 8 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
PART III: BACKGROUND OF THE DATA CENTRE CONSOLIDATION PROGRAM
3 ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
3.1 Overview of Shared Services Canada
On August 4, 2011, SSC was established by the Government of Canada. The creation of the new
department resulted in SSC being responsible for approximately 95% of the Government of
Canada’s total IT spend on IT infrastructure.
The Shared Services Canada Act and the accompanying Orders in Council mandate SSC to
provide email, data centre and telecommunications services to 43 federal departments and
agencies. SSC also provides the same services to other government departments and agencies on
a cost-recovery basis.
In creating SSC, the department was given the clear objective to streamline, consolidate and
transform the delivery of infrastructure technology and services, specifically email, data centre and
network services, by improving the delivery of reliable, efficient and secure IT infrastructure
services.
The establishment of Supply Arrangement(s) for the provisioning of standardized server and
storage platforms constitutes a foundational element of this mandate.
3.2 Current Situation
Prior to the establishment of SSC, individual departments and agencies were responsible for the
acquisition, installation, and management of their individual IT infrastructure. Over the past 20
years, this situation led to a proliferation of IT hardware and software products from hundreds of
hardware manufacturers and software suppliers.
SSC currently manages more than 23,000 physical servers and more than 40,000 virtual images
on behalf of 43 partner departments, and a few other departments on a cost recovery basis.
These servers currently use various operating systems, virtualization software, infrastructure
middleware, and systems management tools. As well, these servers use various application
development frameworks, database management systems, testing tools, and other categories of
software.
Equally important, the acquisition of these devices, and associated software, was originally
conducted by the individual departments, using a variety of procurement approaches. This resulted
in a large number of uncoordinated contracts and license agreements, which could only be
leveraged by the individual departments who owned and controlled these contract vehicles.
3.3 Drivers for Change
1. Complexity
The proliferation of hardware and software infrastructure has led to many common problems:
- The use of non-standardized IT hardware and software platforms has led to interoperability
issues, making the communication between applications and the movement of data more
complex;
- Many computing and storage assets, having been purchased by individual organizations, are
underutilized because these assets have not been available for use by other government
organizations;

Page 9 of 40
Government of Canada
Data Centre Consolidation
Request for Information
____________________________________________________________________________
- Some technologies acquired by departments and agencies are based on non-standard
proprietary hardware and software solutions, making the operation of these solutions often more
expensive, and their conversion to standard platforms more difficult; and,
- With the proliferation of devices across government, many organizations have been unable to
replace every device on a regular basis, leading to unplanned outages due to aging
deficiencies.
2. Security Pressures
Canadian citizens and private sector organizations have become increasingly reliant on online
services to conduct their affairs. It is incumbent on SSC to ensure that the underlying infrastructure
utilized by government departments and agencies to deliver their program applications be safe and
secure from intrusion, modification and destruction.

Page 10 of 40