Cell Relay Archive

[bhuber@netcom.com (Bud Huber)]

As a standard course of business, the Board of Directors of the ATM Forum
has decided it is time to review the Secretariat criteria and operations.
To do this we have begun an RFP process by which we hope to identify and
contract with an independent organization that can provide the services
required to support the operation of The ATM Forum and at the same time
meet the required business and legal criteria. 

We will be advertising this RFP process thru ads placed the week of April
30 in the national edition of the Wall Street Journal, the Sunday edition
of the San Jose Mercury News and an upcoming edition of Associations
Trends Magazine. 

The RFP is attached below.  If you are aware of any organizations who fit
our criteria, please feel free to pass along this RFP.  The deadline for
submissions is June 15, 1995. 

Regards,
/s/ Steve Walters
President & Chairman of the Board
The ATM Forum

---begin attached document---

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Background:

ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) is a new high bandwidth, fast-packet
switching technology based on fixed length, 53 byte cells that combine the
statistical multiplexing efficiencies of packet switching with the delays
of circuit switching technologies. Products and services that are based on
this technology will enable customers to transmit voice, data, and video
information over a single interface and network. Because of the potential
benefits of this technology, numerous computer, networking equipment, and
communications services companies are developing products and services
that are based upon this technology. Over 700 of these organizations
participate in The ATM Forum to promote the interoperability of these
products and services. The charter of the Forum is to accelerate the use
of ATM products and services through the rapid convergence of
interoperability specifications, promotion of industry cooperation and
other activities. 

Goal

In the standard course of business, The ATM Forum periodically reviews the
secretariat criteria and operations. 

The overall goal of this RFP is to identify and contract with an
independent organization that can provide the services required to support
the operation of The ATM Forum and at the same time meet the required
business and legal criteria. 

Criteria and Assumptions

The following criteria and assumptions will be applied in the
consideration of interested parties: 

1) Managing The ATM Forum and other similar, non-competitive industry
consortia must be the prime business of bidder. 

2) The bidder must be able to demonstrate the ability to handle the size
and complexity of operations required of a non-profit, international
technical trade association. 

3) The bidder must not have conflicting business endeavors or enterprises
that will compromise their neutrality. 

4) The bidder must not be a member of The ATM Forum because of the
potential conflict of interest. 

Responsibilities

The secretariat function is provided via a contractual agreement with an
outside organization.  The ATM Forum does not direct employees. 

Staffing.  Provide a dedicated (40 hours per week) Executive Director, a
dedicated (40 hours per week) Project Manager and 3 dedicated (40 hours
per week) Project Coordinators in North America and 1 dedicated (40 hours
per week) Project Coordinator in Europe for The ATM Forum.  These
individuals are to be employed or contracted for by the Secretariat and
must be provided with suitable office space, telephone and computer
facilities, appropriate company overhead, and support.  In addition to the
above described dedicated individuals, sufficient consulting time with
expertise in MIS support, WWW maintenance and Accounting to assist in
performing the activities of the Secretariat must be provided. 
Asia-Pacific operations are currently provided by an independent
consultant and are not a part of this bid at this time. 

Services.  Assign a separate phone line for The ATM Forum "office" which
will ring directly into the office of each Project Coordinator and will
forward when the phone is unattended to a voice-mail answering system
which will tell the caller that they have reached The ATM Forum. Respond
to membership inquiries and provide general office administration
including but not limited to, the maintenance of membership files, mailing
lists, accounting records, housing of the ATM Forum owned computer and
email servers and providing a high-speed Internet access, required email
systems support, and other services as needed to fulfill the operations of
The ATM Forum. 

Forum Events.  Organize and perform all logistics to produce events as
determined by The ATM Forum.  It is the responsibility of The ATM Forum to
allocate a budget for each event.  Examples of current ATM Forum events
include: 

- Annual and General Meetings. Held 3 times per year at sites around the
  world.
- Technical/Marketing/ENR Committee meetings. Held 6 times per year at
  sites around the world.

Marketing Collateral.  Collateral will be designed, produced, and
distributed, e.g. letterhead, organization brochures, membership
recruitment material, membership directory and technical documents.  It is
the responsibility of The ATM Forum to allocate a budget for each of these
materials. 

Treasury.  Perform the functional financial duties as prescribed by the
Treasurer for The ATM Forum. Maintain the bank accounts of The ATM Forum
in accordance with guidelines provided from time to time by The ATM Forum.
Agree to act in a fiduciary capacity regarding the moneys of The ATM
Forum. The secretariat must provide a sufficient bond for the handling of
the funds of the ATM Forum. A balance sheet and income statement which
conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for The ATM Forum must
be produced on a monthly basis. Cooperation with an accredited independent
auditor selected by The ATM Forum to produce audited or reviewed financial
statements a maximum of once per each twelve month period is required. 

Contract Terms and Duration

The initial term of an agreement between The ATM Forum and the bidder will
be for 2 years beginning January 1, 1996, and ending on December 31, 1998.
Beginning January 1, 1999, the contract will continue in full force and
effect unless either party gives at least 6 months prior written notice to
the other. 

Schedule

Activity                                    Tentative Dates
---------------------------------------     --------------------------
RFP sent out                                April 30, 1995
Proposals due                               June 15, 1995
Bidder selection                            July 15, 1995
Transition from old to new service          July 1 - December 31, 1995
New organization begins service             January 1, 1996

Proposals and Quotation

All proposals should contain costs for services included and services
excluded.  Bidders shall provide a statement disclosing any conflict of
interest within and outside The ATM Forum.  Members of The ATM Forum are
not eligible to respond to this RFP. 

Selection Process

All proposals will be judged based on the following items: 

1) Ability to meet the selection criteria listed above. 

2) Ability to fully meet the needs of The ATM Forum.  Providing a high
level of service to member organizations is a primary concern of the ATM
Forum. The secretariat organization must be fully capable of providing a
high level of support to the ATM Forum management and membership
throughout its various activities. 

3) Financial considerations

Notwithstanding the foregoing, The ATM Forum retains the sole and final
right to make the selection of the secretariat organization in its sole
discretion. 

Submission Requirements

Responses to this Request for Proposal must be received by Thursday,
June 15, 1995. Please address them to: 

Hale and Dorr
David Sylvester, Esq.
Attn: The ATM Forum RFP Process
1455 Pennsylvania Ave N.W.
Washington, DC 20004

Questions or clarifications on this process may be directed to the
following individuals: 

Dean Skidmore
Vice President and Corporate Operations Officer
The ATM Forum
c/o IBM
Dept E98, Bldg 673, Room A305
4205 South Miami Blvd
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709
USA
Phone +1 (919) 254 4806
FAX   +1 (919) 254-5410

Kathy Szot
Vice President, Committee Management
The ATM Forum
c/o Bell Atlantic
1 Bell Atlantic Plaza
1310 N. Court House Road, 3rd Floor
Arlington, VA 22201
USA
Phone +1 (703) 974-1510
Fax   +1 (703) 974-0619
-- 
Bud Huber <bhuber@netcom.com>