Technical Specifications for HF

ANNEX A

INVITATION TO BID: No. 2012/SMS/TELECOM/001 FOR THE ESTABLISHEMENT OF A FRAME AGREEMENT(S) FOR THE PROVISION AND SUPPORT OF HIGH FREQUENCY RADIOS

Statement of Work and Technical Specifications

UNHCR Division of Information Systems and Telecommunications

PART I

1. STATEMENT OF WORK

a. Introduction

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

In more than five decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 7,190 people in more than 120 countries continues to help about 36.4 million persons. To help and protect some of the world's most vulnerable people in so many places and types of environment, UNHCR must purchase goods and services worldwide.

In most cases UNHCR operations are located in troublesome and conflict areas where the local communications infrastructure is either non-existent or heavily destroyed. Whenever a new operation is initiated, the Division of Information Systems and Telecommunications is tasked to provide basic communications support very quickly and with little advance notice.

This Invitation to Bid (ITB) is covering the provision, delivery and support of High Frequency (HF) radio equipment which would be deployed in operations to fulfill HF communications needs of UNHCR and partner agencies and NGOs.

For further information on UNHCR, its mandate and operations please see http://www.unhcr.org .

b. Scope of Work

A response to this ITB will signify that the bidder has the expertise and a minimum of 5 years of experience in the design, fabrication and delivery of similar equipment and systems on a global scale. The bidder will demonstrate the validity of this experience by providing evidence of having engaged in all of the phases of development, design, manufacture, operation, maintenance, and repair of High Frequency radio equipment and systems.

The selected vendor will be expected to perform all tasks associated with the manufacturing and delivery of fully functional and operational HF radio equipments meeting entirely the requirements and minimum technical specifications described in this ITB and ensure the training and equipment maintenance sections of this ITB will be provided as requested during the whole contractual period.

c. Contract duration, equipments and quantities

The UNHCR is seeking for contract(s) with an initial duration of 3 years with an option to extend for one additional year. This contract will be covering mobile and base stations equipment and any relevant accessories or spare parts required for installation of the stations.

Based on previous three years of procurement statistics, the UNHCR consumption of HF radio stations for the contract period is estimated to 750 mobile stations and 250 base stations. The UNHCR, however, does not give any promises, expressed or implied, that the anticipated quantities will be attained or exceeded in the contractual period.

UNHCR is part of the greater United Nations family and seeks coordination with the UN community in contracting high frequency radio equipment and services; the UNHCR reserves the right to modulate its expectation of the foreseen contract in accordance with the United Nations common strategy at any stage of the ITB process. The UNHCR expects the awarded contract to be completely open to other United Nations agencies and major NGOs recognized as such by the UNHCR.

A guaranteed and earmarked stockpile of equipment hold by the bidder will be considered as an asset in order to face potential emergencies.

d. Detailed System and Subsystem Engineering & Design

The selected vendor will:

• Be responsible for all the necessary system and subsystem engineering and will ensure mechanical, electrical and electromagnetic compatibility of all components of the equipment as defined in the specifications.

• Ensure that all the equipment used, to the extent possible, will be using open international standards in order to ensure interoperability with existing units and equipment from other UN entities, civilian and military partners.

• Ensure High Frequency radio systems offered in this contract are constructed for ease of field maintenance and repair in remote and austere environmental conditions, with common modules and parts across the family of equipment to reduce Inventory holdings.

e. Provision of Instruction Manuals, Drawings, etc.

The selected vendor will be expected to develop and provide installation, operating and service manuals for all equipment comprised of the proposal. A high level manual describing the possible operational configurations of the equipment is expected and should include all the necessary drawings and diagrams.

Two sets of printed manuals will be provided at the awarding contract signature for UNHCR Headquarters use and six sets of identical documentation will be provided to UNHCR DIST (Division of Information Systems and Telecommunication) for deployment to all regional support offices of UNHCR.

All manuals supplied shall be in the English language and should also be supplied in an editable electronic format for ease of search and reference. The proposal should include sufficient drawings and specifications of the equipments so that a detailed technical evaluation of the proposal can be conducted.

f. Versions and upgrade support

The selected vendor will provide a version control solution for the internal equipments versions and required programming software during the whole contracting period. All equipments will have the ability to be retro-fitted to the latest software version in the field. Upgrading radios software versions should not be destructive for channels and network programming existing on the radio or a solution of upgrade of the definitions must be offered for the field technician / operator.

g. Access to Manual an Software

The selected vendor will provide, starting within the first quarter of the contractual arrangement and during the entire contracting period and for a transition period of three month after the end of the contract an extranet platform accessible to field engineers to download required technical manuals, software based maintenance support tools, programming software or internal software upgrade of the equipments.

h. Programming Software & accessories

The selected vendor will provide in a separated item a package including:

Station programming cable, Programming software, Programming manual Set of demo files for base and mobile stations.

The programming cable included in the package for the radio will be terminated on a USB connector. All software, files and relevant drivers will be provided on a CD/DVD.

Four sets of this kit will be provided for UNHCR Headquarters use and twelve sets will be provided to UNHCR DIST for deployment to all regional support offices of UNHCR at the awarding contract signature.

i. Training

In order to ensure technical personnel become familiar with the proposed equipment, a comprehensive training package will be included as part of the proposal covering the following skills:

Selected Equipment installation and prescriptions of usage; Programming and internal software upgrade; Operation and maintenance of HF system; Troubleshooting and basic maintenance; General HF networks design, selective calls, networks and frequencies planning; Enhancing performance of HF networks / upgrading existing HF networks to ALE 2G.

The bidder will include as part of the transition to their proposed equipment a one time intensive training course which will be hosted by UNHCR and take place in a European country for a maximum of one week with a maximum class size of fifteen participants. The finalized training schedule will be arranged, in consultation between the selected vendor and the UNHCR, prior to commissioning and installation of the first batch of equipment. After this initial training, and during the first contractual year, UNHCR will arrange additional training of three days in each region of operation with a maximum of 5 instances. Bidder will include in their offer a qualified trainer for the duration of these events hosted by UNHCR.

All training supports and documents will remain property of the UNHCR and will be re- formatted to suit the training needs of our organization inclusive of transfer to our integrated E learning platform for unrestricted use by our staff members.

j. Shipment

The selected vendor shall be responsible for all issues pertaining to export licensing of their equipment. The UN may choose to collect the equipment EXW at the vendor’s premises if that is deemed to be in the best interest of the organization.

In some cases, the contractor will be asked to ship DAP to the UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva or some major UNHCR regional delivery points. Shipment to any other UNHCR storage location world wide may be requested on a PO per PO basis.

The contractor is expected to mention in his proposal whether its products or his own Headquarters base country are bound by embargo rules to / from a specific country

k. Quality Assurance, Warranty & Technical Support

The different pieces of equipment and modules contained in the proposal must be products of the highest quality, field proven, tested and manufactured by an internationally renowned manufacturer, which has been in the business of design, manufacturing, and supply of similar products for not less than 5 years.

The UNHCR is requesting a minimum of two (2) year parts and labor warranty on the equipment. This applies to every component of the HF equipment. During the warranty period, the selected vendor shall replace or repair the faulty part at no cost to the UNHCR or its partners joining this contract. Furthermore, the vendor will be expected to guarantee the availability of spare parts and technical support for the equipment for at least seven (7) years from the date of the sale of the equipment.

The selected vendor will be expected to provide a single point of contact for the UNHCR on all matters related to warranty and after sales support (preferably the Project Manager). Vendors are invited to offer extended warranty provisions as part of their proposal. Vendors should mention in their proposals how the after sales support and warranty and non-warranty repairs service will be provided.

l. Other Options

The Bidder is welcome to make suggestions and/or provide alternatives such as other possible configurations, equipment, or solutions that may be considered as viable options to improve the UNHCR HF communications. Installation services will be considered as an asset.

All equipments will be shipped as standard with all the accessories required to configure the transceiver as a local control (desktop) base transceiver or a remote control (trunk mount) mobile transceiver for vehicle installation, excluding power supplies and antennas.

PART II

1. Mandatory Technical Specifications for all radios:

All equipments to meet or exceed the minimum specifications listed below:

Standards Compliant to Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS4770:2000 or US-FCC as applicable for HF equipment

Transmit frequency range 2 MHz to 29.99 MHz (full band). Receive frequency range 2 MHz to 29.99 MHz (full band).

Channel capacity At least 128 programmable channels (Simplex or semi-duplex).

Frequency resolution 100 Hz minimum Frequency stability High stability of better than 1.0 PPM over entire temperature range of -30°C to +60° C at 30MHz.

Operating modes J3E (USB, LSB)

Operating temperature -10°C to +50°C. Humidity 95% relative, non-condensing.

Display system Illuminated backlit LCD display (Preferably with adjustable backlight level).

Programming interfaces USB with provided programming kit front panel with pincode protection as an asset.

Supply voltage Nominal 13.8V DC negative ground Reverse polarity and over voltage protected. 100-260VAC 50-60Hz power supply with optional no break charging of a 12V DC gel acid backup battery.

Current consumption Less than 1.5 A on standby. Antenna port impedance 50 Ohms unbalanced.

Selcall system fully featured CCIR 493-4 4-digit system. UN open 6-digit protocol described in Annex C. ALE interoperable with MIL STD 188141 S ALE systems (2G)

Scan types Selcall scan & voice detection scan. Scan channels Minimum 2 scan tables, each with up to 20 scan channels. Scan rate Selcall Scan - 500ms / adjustable dwell per channel. Data switching speed Less than 50mS Tx to Rx, Rx to Tx.

2. Receiver Specifications:

Sensitivity 0.5 uV for 10dB SINAD - J3E Mode (no companding, no DSP)

Selectivity J3E -1 kHz and + 4 kHz better than 60dB (USB).

Image rejection Exceeding 70dB.

Spurious response ratio Exceeding 70dB.

Intermodulation 70dB - the level of an unwanted signal in relation to a desired signal.

Audio Output > 4W into 4 Ohms at less than 10% distortion.

Audio response Less than 3dB variation from 350Hz to 2750Hz.

Audio distortion Less than 5% at rated power J3E mode.

3. Transmitter Specifications:

RF output power 100 Watt PEP two-tone ± 1.5dB (2.0 to 30MHz) 125 Watt PEP voice ± 1.5dB (2.0 to 30MHz) (Software programmable High/Low Power settings)

Duty cycle 100% for Data Transmission Option at full power.

Sideband suppression Exceeding -60dB below PEP. Harmonic suppression Exceeding -60dB below PEP. Carrier suppression Exceeding -60dB below PEP. Spurious emission Exceeding -60dB below PEP.

Intermodulation products Exceeding -20dB below PEP

Current consumption Voice average less than 15 Amps typical Two tone less than 30 Amps typical.

4. Desirable Features for all radios:

Standards Exceeds/complies with European standard ETSI 300373 and associated Amendment A. Exceeds/complies with EMC and vibration standard IEC 945 Complies with MIL Spec. 810F for drop, dust, temperature, shock and vibration.

Operating modes A3E/H3E (AM) – A1A/J2A (CW) - J2B (AFSK), F1B (FSK)

Voice scrambler Medium and/or high level of voice encryption.

Digital voice encoder External or internal digital CODEC to enhance radio in high noise

Built-in test equipment Tests receiver performance, selcall operation, syllabic mute operation, VCO operation serial communications port viability.

Built in antenna VSWR Displays antenna forward and reverse power.

Second antenna connector Allows each channel to select one of two antennas

Auxiliary connector Provides 600ohm balanced audio in/output, PTT and RS232 computer control for data transfer application.

TCP/IP Interfacing provides an Ethernet connection for TCP/IP interfacing and remote control over LAN/ WAN

Optional 500Hz filter For CW and AFSK modes.

Multiple selcall protocols The ability to emulate existing derivatives of CCIR 493 format including other manufacturers formats for increased interoperability in older selcall networks is desirable.

Size and weight physically smaller transceiver dimensions and weight Desirable to ease installation in a wider range of vehicles.

Data modem Integrated data modem

Phonepatch option Interface for VOIP / Legacy telephony

GPS option Requires NMEA0183 compatible transceiver interface with suitable GPS engine and external antenna.

GPS tracking software ALE 2 compatible tracking software package complete for up to 50 vehicles

Mounting 19” rack mounting option for base station

5. Accessories included for all radios:

Each radio pack will include a comprehensive mounting kit for installation in the trunk of an all terrain vehicle such as Toyota LC200, LC78, LC76, Prado or Nissan Patrol commonly used by the UNHCR. The kit will comprise at minimum:

• Vehicle radio installation bracket and fixation screws • Speaker and microphone for vehicle installation with respective mounting hardware • Front panel dashboard mounting kit with its remote control cable of 5 meters • 6 Meters Red / Black DC power cable of adequate section for transceiver 100%Duty cycle. • DC 32 A Fuse holder to be fitted on the vehicle body with 2 fuses adapted for the transceiver and its mobile antenna. • Adequate cable shoes and terminations for the DC cable connection to the vehicle battery. • Installation manual.

6. Mandatory accessories:

• AC Power supply 100-260VAC 50-60Hz power supply Euro AC plug with optional no break charging of a 12V DC gel acid backup battery 100 % duty cycle required. • Desktop console or desktop Microphone and relevant accessories and cables for mounting the radio in a base station configuration • High power base stations upgrade kit inclusive of all necessary accessories to complete a full 1000 watts PEP. • Programming kit as described in the statement of work paragraph h; • Technical manuals as described in the statement of work paragraph e;

7. Additional accessories:

Each vendor should include all accessories that they are capable to supply for the equipment offered that the UNHCR may need for some exceptional circumstances or installations.

• TCP/IP Interfacing, • GPS tracking solution, • Medium and/or high level of voice encryption. • Digital voice conversion.

Etc.

PART III

Mandatory Technical Specifications for antennas:

1. Automatic Tuning Mobile Whip for vehicle installation:

Automatic tuning whip antenna with sturdy construction designed to withstand severe field conditions.

Frequency range 2 to 30 MHz

Tuning time better than 2.5s for any frequency within the specified range

Nominal Impedance 50 ohms (VSWR better than 2.5 at any frequency in the specified range)

Power handling capability Maximum PEP transceiver power at 100% Duty Cycle

Transceiver scanning compatibility

A single coaxial cable for RF and control signal of the antenna is preferred. An integrated whip+matching unit solution will be preferred

Accessories included with the antenna:

• 6 meters RG58 coaxial cable fitted with professional quality PL259 connectors • 6 meters control and/or power cable fitted with connectors. • Comprehensive hardware required for installation and grounding. • Spare PL259 connector • Self amalgamating tape for connectors insulation • Installation manual.

Additional accessories:

• Near Vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) whip kit for improved short range communication and operation in mountainous terrain • Vehicle mounting bracket for standard Toyota TJM 4X4 bull-bar and front bumper mount for Toyota LC200, LC78, LC76, Prado or Nissan Patrol and Toyota Hilux commonly used by the UNHCR.

2. Base Station HF Antenna:

2 to 30 MHz wideband folded dipole sturdy construction to withstand severe field conditions.

Frequency range 2 to 30 MHz

Nominal Impedance 50 ohms (VSWR better than 2.5 at any frequency in the specified range)

Power handling capability Maximum 200 W PEP

Accessories included with the antenna:

• 30 meters coaxial cable fitted with professional quality PL259 connectors. • Installation manual. • 2 spare PL259 connectors for the coaxial cable provided • self amalgamating tape for antenna connector sealing

Additional accessories:

• Halyard and pulley kit comprising of 2 metallic pulleys and 60 meters of white 8 Plait UV resistant high tenacity pre-stretched 5mm rope. • Lightning arrestor kit comprising of coaxial in-line arrestor SO terminated, 10 meters coaxial cable fitted with professional quality PL259 connectors, earthling rod, and 10 meters of copper earthling wire.

An NVIS base station antenna solution can be proposed as additional accessory.

PART IV

Standard 6-Digit Selcall

The following provides full details of the required HF open-standard 6-digit selcall protocol as defined in the United Nations Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications inter agency standards specifications.

The HF open-standard 6-digit selcall protocol has unrestricted release to all manufacturers and vendors of HF equipment and provides the following selcall features:

1. Selcall 8. Pagecall (SMS) 2. Group Call 9. GPS Send 3. Sub-Group Call 1 10. GPS Request 4. All Call 1 11. Status Request (Net. Diagnostics) 3 5. Beacon Call 1 12. Emergency Selcall with GPS 6. Telcall 13. Emergency Selcall without GPS 7. Hang Up Call 14. Transceiver Lock (Stun) Facility 2

1 Diagrams for (i) All Call, (ii) Group Call, and (iii) Sub-Group Call facilities are not provided. These features are a simple variant of the main selcall feature as follows:

4 Diglt Calling 6Digit Calling

All Call is XOOO All Call is XXXOOO Group Call is XXOO Group Call is XXXXOO Sub-Group Call is XXXO Sub-Group Call is XXXXXO

2 The transceiver lock (stun) facility is a security feature whereby remote transceivers can be disabled using a selcall derivative. It is essential that this facility is PIN protected with each transceiver having a unique and programmable PIN code (of 8 components or more) to prevent unauthorized use of this feature. Similarly, the enabling of a locked transceiver must require the input of the transceivers unique PIN code via the front panel or programming software.

3 Desirable parameters are serial number, firmware version, supply voltage, s/n ratio, VSWR

PART V

PROPOSAL EVALUATION DESCRIPTION

IMPORTANT: Bidders must ensure the technical and financial proposals are submitted in two separate E-Mails. Failure to comply with this instruction could result in the entire proposal being disqualified.

• Bidders should submit a qualitative and comprehensive offer that would provide a clear and concise answer to all the aspects of the technical requirements. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures and other presentations beyond what is sufficient to present a complete / effective proposal to this ITB is not encouraged.

• Bidders must submit a proposal for all items or kits described in the scope of work and its annex.

In the evaluation of proposal, several key criteria shall be looked at which would include, but not be limited to:

• The technical ability of the proposal to fulfill the requirements as detailed within the ITB – most important is the ability of the proposed system to scale according to requirement, and to network according to demand;

• A proven track record to show that the bidder has successfully provided quality products and services of a similar nature to business enterprise clients on a global scale (the bidder must demonstrate that a global network outreach is part of its offering, and that there exists a competent and substantive technical know-how in the field of propagation, data transmission)

• The commercial viability of the proposed system that would demonstrate that a competitive and market value price is being offered;

• Quality after sales service and support for both technical and administrative concerns (the bidder must show clearly that customer service and support are major concerns integral to the proposal, which can and shall offer a guaranty of customer satisfaction)

• The UNHCR may, at its sole discretion and option, prior to the contract award request vendors who are found to be compliant with the mandatory criteria specified in these technical specifications to produce their HF Radio equipment for inspection, demonstration and validation of inter-operability with existing HF radio equipment. (Such equipment, if requested, shall be submitted with all accessories, programming software and cables and t no cost to the UN, within the least possible time but not more than thirty (30) days.)

PART VI

Technical proposal

The technical proposal is to be submitted in a separate E-Mail from the financial proposal. Failure to comply with this instruction could result in the entire proposal being disqualified.

Details are to be provided of how the specifications in the ITB are met or exceeded for each category indicated below.

Specification sheets and relevant documentation are to be provided for all proposed equipments.

The size of the boxes below is only for format purposes. Please expand as necessary.

Technical Proposal Summary

How are expectations met or Reference Document Submission exceeded

Scope of Work

A Clear understanding of the ITB Detailed Layout and technical B information C Manufacturer of the equipment Extranet platform and provision of D manuals Ease of installation & Field E maintenance F Training component. G Quality assurance and warranty.

H Other options & support offered. Annex A : Transceiver I Standards J General specifications K Receiver Specifications L Transmitter specifications M Transceiver features N Mandatory accessories O Additional accessories

Annex B : Antennas

Automatic Tuning Mobile Whip P General specifications

Automatic Tuning Mobile Whip Q Mandatory accessories

Automatic tuning mobile whip R additional accessories S Base station general specifications T Base station mandatory accessories U Base station additional accessories