In a Request for Quote (RFQ) released Oct. 7, the California Department of Technology (CDT) seeks to renew its Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Datacenter Care Service to cover its “current (Microsoft) Windows equipment.” Here are the takeaways:
• As CDT points out in the RFQ, Datacenter Care Service is HPE’s “most comprehensive support solution”; and it’s tailored here to “meet CDT’s specific data center support requirements,” offering “a wide choice of proactive and reactive service levels” and covering requirements ranging from “basic” to “business-critical.” The service, generally, is designed to scale for all sizes and types of data centers, while offering CDT a single point of contact for its HPE support needs and “selected multivendor products.”
• The contractor selected will provide CDT with HPE Datacenter Care Operational Support Services at its Office of Technology Services’ locations at the Gold Camp Campus in Rancho Cordova and the Vacaville Campus in Vacaville. Datacenter Care Relationship Management, CDT said, includes the “HPE assigned account team (AAT) who works with CDT” to understand its business and objectives. The AAT will include an HPE datacenter care delivery manager; an account support manager (ASM); and enterprise services manager; a technical account manager and a datacenter hardware specialist; and the AAT will make recommendations to CDT on process or tech issues that could impact CDT’s services, as well as work with its technical staff and IT management. The ASM will be the single point of contact overseeing delivery of datacenter services.
• The ASM will also be responsible for coordinating and conducting monthly on-site support planning and review sessions of the Account Support Plan, during which CDT, the ASM and the HPE Assigned Account team will review HPE’s support during the month, including on “key topics arising from the Support-activity Report and the outcome of (data center) activities.” The reviews, CDT said, will offer “an opportunity to discuss trends, any planned changes to CDT's IT environment and business, and the impact of these changes,” as well as “an open communication form” for CDT to share its business and IT goals. During these reviews, the HPE AAT will “share HPE best practices” and offer operational and technical advice, potentially resulting in updates to the account support plan.
• The contract value is not stated; the contract term will be one year, commencing Nov. 1. Written questions on the RFQ are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday; responses will come Wednesday. RFQ submissions are due by 2 p.m. Oct. 20 and will be evaluated that day. A notice of intent to award is expected Oct. 21, and the proposed contract execution date is Oct. 28.
