911 Services

When selecting an E911 solution, an RFP – a request for proposal – can provide the necessary information to evaluate which vendor provides the best, most cost-effective E911 offering from the many which are on the market.

But 911 Enable (News - Alert), a division of Connexon Telecom, says to make an informed decision, you must first ensure that the RFP asks the right questions.

Here is a continuing series of suggestions from Connexon to help organizations compile an effective RFP.

In the RFP, Connexon recommends specifying:

A description of the organization in a “company overview” in the beginning section of the RFP.

 A schedule of events in the beginning section of the RFP. The schedule of events should include:

Date of RFP issued.

Date the last day that questions are accepted.

Date that questions are responded to and posted as an addendum.

Date RFP responses are due.

Date of reference checks.

Date of recommendations.

Date of contract negotiations.

Date of implementation.

In addition, Connexon recommends coming up with criteria to be used to evaluate the proposals and thereby select the right E911 Solution System.

Here are some suggested criteria from Connexon:

Price

Proposed E911 meets all requirements

References

Implementation plan

Training and technical support

User support

Connexon also recommends assigning each criterion a percentage when evaluating the E911 Solution System.

In addition, Connexon recommends that all proposals must only be submitted by email. It suggests that an organization specifically state in the RFP that: “Proposals received by any other means are invalid and will not receive consideration.”

Connexon Telecom Inc., a privately-held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada, which provides organizations with simple-to-deploy, easy-to-manage E911 solutions that meet the needs of IP-based communications networks.

911 Enable’s solutions include an E911 call routing service, automated phone tracking appliance and security desk notification system. These solutions have been built according to FCC (News - Alert), CRTC, and NENA i2 standards, helping enterprises and service providers reduce liability concerns and meet E911 regulations.