Request for proposals for the provision of a System Replication Solution. The Department of Foreign Affairs (hereinafter, The Department) invites expressions of interest for the supply, design, installation, warranty and support of a System Replication Solution. The solution is required, initially, to provide failover functionality, from the Department's current Windows clustered and non-clustered systems, over a WAN link, to an alternate site. This is intended to improve availability and reduce downtime. In future, the solution may be required to provide this functionality for other industry-standard operating systems. The following are the key features that the System Replication Solution must provide: - Replication of data from the production servers to the server(s) in the alternate site. - Failover of users from the production servers to the server(s) in the alternate site - in the event of failure of the production server(s), the solution must incorporate functionality to seamlessly switch users to the server(s) in the alternate site. - Support for clustered and non-clustered servers, whether SAN-attached or not. Support for up to 8-node Windows clusters should be possible. Support for other industry-standard operating systems may be required in the future. - Support for applications including Microsoft Exchange 2003, Microsoft SQL 2000 and Microsoft Windows 2003 File Services. Support for other industry- standard operating systems and applications may be required in the future. - Hardware-independence; that is, it must operate across all types of server and SAN hardware. - Scalable, to facilitate the expansion of the current environment. In addition, it is preferable that support of the System Replication Solution be available in Ireland. It is necessary that on-site support be available when required. The successful tenderer will be required to demonstrate and provide excellent levels of technical and project management expertise during the design, implementation and support of the proposed solution. Windows 2003 File Services and Microsoft Exchange 2003 messaging system are the primary applications for which the solution is currently required. The successful bidder must be able to demonstrate particular experience and expertise in the supply, installation and support of a System Replication Solution for these applications. It will be required that the solution is implemented as soon as possible after award of contract. Additionally, it will be a condition of the contract that the successful bidder must carry out a proof of concept test on the solution, to ensure that the solution meets agreed criteria. With respect to the latter, these criteria will be outlined in the Request for Tender (RFT). The initial phase of this restricted procedure is to establish a list of suitable solution vendors to whom the full RFT document will then be issued. This contract notice does not constitute a detailed or final specification of requirements for the project. The information contained in this notice is supplied so as to provide interested parties with sufficient information to prepare their response document for the pre-qualification stage. The information contained herein will be superseded by the detailed requirements of the RFT referred to above. The RFT will be issued in due course to the candidates selected from the pre-qualification stage. Please note that no further documentation or additional information will be issued to candidate vendors wishing to express interest in this Tender. Candidates should provide their responses based on the information requested in this Contract Notice. Further information relating to this notice is available on the eTenders Web Site at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/Search/ Search_Switch.aspx?ID=14346.
Deadline
The time limit for receipt of tenders was 2005-08-26.
The procurement was published on 2005-07-22.
Contract notice (2005-07-19) Object Scope of the procurement
Title: Computer and related services
Full text:
Request for proposals for the provision of a System Replication Solution. The Department of Foreign Affairs (hereinafter, The Department) invites expressions of interest for the supply, design, installation, warranty and support of a System Replication Solution. The solution is required, initially, to provide failover functionality, from the Department's current Windows clustered and non-clustered systems, over a WAN link, to an alternate site. This is intended to improve availability and reduce downtime. In future, the solution may be required to provide this functionality for other industry-standard operating systems. The following are the key features that the System Replication Solution must provide: - Replication of data from the production servers to the server(s) in the alternate site. - Failover of users from the production servers to the server(s) in the alternate site - in the event of failure of the production server(s), the solution must incorporate functionality to seamlessly switch users to the server(s) in the alternate site. - Support for clustered and non-clustered servers, whether SAN-attached or not. Support for up to 8-node Windows clusters should be possible. Support for other industry-standard operating systems may be required in the future. - Support for applications including Microsoft Exchange 2003, Microsoft SQL 2000 and Microsoft Windows 2003 File Services. Support for other industry- standard operating systems and applications may be required in the future. - Hardware-independence; that is, it must operate across all types of server and SAN hardware. - Scalable, to facilitate the expansion of the current environment. In addition, it is preferable that support of the System Replication Solution be available in Ireland. It is necessary that on-site support be available when required. The successful tenderer will be required to demonstrate and provide excellent levels of technical and project management expertise during the design, implementation and support of the proposed solution. Windows 2003 File Services and Microsoft Exchange 2003 messaging system are the primary applications for which the solution is currently required. The successful bidder must be able to demonstrate particular experience and expertise in the supply, installation and support of a System Replication Solution for these applications. It will be required that the solution is implemented as soon as possible after award of contract. Additionally, it will be a condition of the contract that the successful bidder must carry out a proof of concept test on the solution, to ensure that the solution meets agreed criteria. With respect to the latter, these criteria will be outlined in the Request for Tender (RFT). The initial phase of this restricted procedure is to establish a list of suitable solution vendors to whom the full RFT document will then be issued. This contract notice does not constitute a detailed or final specification of requirements for the project. The information contained in this notice is supplied so as to provide interested parties with sufficient information to prepare their response document for the pre-qualification stage. The information contained herein will be superseded by the detailed requirements of the RFT referred to above. The RFT will be issued in due course to the candidates selected from the pre-qualification stage. Please note that no further documentation or additional information will be issued to candidate vendors wishing to express interest in this Tender. Candidates should provide their responses based on the information requested in this Contract Notice. Further information relating to this notice is available on the eTenders Web Site at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/Search/ Search_Switch.aspx?ID=14346.
Request for proposals for the provision of a System Replication Solution. The Department of Foreign Affairs (hereinafter, The Department) invites expressions of interest for the supply, design, installation, warranty and support of a System Replication Solution. The solution is required, initially, to provide failover functionality, from the Department's current Windows clustered and non-clustered systems, over a WAN link, to an alternate site. This is intended to improve availability and reduce downtime. In future, the solution may be required to provide this functionality for other industry-standard operating systems. The following are the key features that the System Replication Solution must provide: - Replication of data from the production servers to the server(s) in the alternate site. - Failover of users from the production servers to the server(s) in the alternate site - in the event of failure of the production server(s), the solution must incorporate functionality to seamlessly switch users to the server(s) in the alternate site. - Support for clustered and non-clustered servers, whether SAN-attached or not. Support for up to 8-node Windows clusters should be possible. Support for other industry-standard operating systems may be required in the future. - Support for applications including Microsoft Exchange 2003, Microsoft SQL 2000 and Microsoft Windows 2003 File Services. Support for other industry- standard operating systems and applications may be required in the future. - Hardware-independence; that is, it must operate across all types of server and SAN hardware. - Scalable, to facilitate the expansion of the current environment. In addition, it is preferable that support of the System Replication Solution be available in Ireland. It is necessary that on-site support be available when required. The successful tenderer will be required to demonstrate and provide excellent levels of technical and project management expertise during the design, implementation and support of the proposed solution. Windows 2003 File Services and Microsoft Exchange 2003 messaging system are the primary applications for which the solution is currently required. The successful bidder must be able to demonstrate particular experience and expertise in the supply, installation and support of a System Replication Solution for these applications. It will be required that the solution is implemented as soon as possible after award of contract. Additionally, it will be a condition of the contract that the successful bidder must carry out a proof of concept test on the solution, to ensure that the solution meets agreed criteria. With respect to the latter, these criteria will be outlined in the Request for Tender (RFT). The initial phase of this restricted procedure is to establish a list of suitable solution vendors to whom the full RFT document will then be issued. This contract notice does not constitute a detailed or final specification of requirements for the project. The information contained in this notice is supplied so as to provide interested parties with sufficient information to prepare their response document for the pre-qualification stage. The information contained herein will be superseded by the detailed requirements of the RFT referred to above. The RFT will be issued in due course to the candidates selected from the pre-qualification stage. Please note that no further documentation or additional information will be issued to candidate vendors wishing to express interest in this Tender. Candidates should provide their responses based on the information requested in this Contract Notice. Further information relating to this notice is available on the eTenders Web Site at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/Search/ Search_Switch.aspx?ID=14346.
Place of performance Dublin
🏙️ Notice metadata
Document type: Invitation to tender
Nature of contract: Service contract
Regulation: European Communities, with participation by GATT countries
Original language: English 🗣️
Procedure
Procedure type: Restricted procedure
Award criteria
The most economic tender
Type of bid: Global tender
Awarding authority type: Central government
Contracting authority Identity
Awarding authority name: Department of Foreign Affairs
Country: Ireland 🇮🇪
Reference Dates
Publication date: 2005-07-22 📅
Date received: 2005-07-19 📅
Date dispatched: 2005-07-19 📅
Submission deadline: 2005-08-26 📅
Identifiers
Notice number (legacy): 139443-2005
OJ-S issue: 140/2005
Contract award notice (2005-12-09) Object Notice metadata
Document type: Contract award
Procedure
Procedure type: Contract awards
Type of bid: Not defined
Awarding authority type: Ministry or any other national or federal authority
Contracting authority Contact
Internet address: www.dfa.ie🌏
Reference Dates
Publication date: 2005-12-10 📅
Date received: 2005-12-09 📅
Date dispatched: 2005-12-09 📅
Identifiers
Notice number (legacy): 234519-2005
OJ-S issue: 238/2005
Refers to notice: 139443-2005
Object Award details
Awarded contract: NAME AND ADDRESS OF ECONOMIC OPERATOR TO WHOM THE CONTRACT HAS BEEN AWARDED: Deft Consulting Ltd., Att: Ian Keane. Unit 3, Grand Canal Wharf, South Dock Road, IRL-Dublin Dublin 4. E-mail: ikeane@deft.ie. Tel. 00 353 1 665 8955. URL: http://www.deft.ie/. Fax 00 353 1 668 8160.
Source: OJS 2005/S 238-234519 (2005-12-09)