Proposals for 50Mbps dedicated fiber-based internet service to the Umar Zahir Building, Hulhumalé, Maldives

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This Statement of Work (SOW) solicits quotations from qualified Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for the provision, installation, and ongoing support of a dedicated fiber-based internet service to the Umar Zahir Building in Hulhumalé, Maldives. The SOW outlines the technical, operational, security, and service-level requirements for the selected provider.

• Provide a reliable, enterprise-grade fiber internet connection with high availability, low latency, and minimal downtime, suitable for mission-critical operations and future scalability.

• Includes site survey, fiber installation and termination, provisioning of internet service, service testing, commissioning, handover, and ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and support.

• ISP must provide all labor, materials, permits, licenses, and supervision.

• Umar Zahir Building, Hulhumalé, Maldives.

• Delivery Medium: Dedicated Fiber Optic Connection.

• Bandwidth: 50 Mbps committed internet bandwidth (symmetrical or asymmetrical), guaranteed (non-best-effort).

• Fiber & Handoff: Delivered via fiber optic cable with a Multimode Fiber SFP handoff. Optical and interface specifications required.

• IP Addressing: Minimum of one (/29) public static IPv4 subnet, routable and permanently assigned.

• Equipment: ISP-provided service switches/termination equipment must be enterprise-grade, support dual power supplies, and allow for future bandwidth upgrades.

• Prohibited Equipment: Use of banned Chinese-manufactured network equipment (Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, Dahua) is strictly prohibited. ISP must certify compliance with U.S. Department of State restrictions.

• Network Security: No traffic shaping/throttling/filtering without authorization; protection against interception/manipulation; secure routing policy.

• Service Availability: Minimum 99.9% uptime per calendar month (excluding approved scheduled maintenance).

• Latency & Performance: Low-latency routing optimized for international traffic, domestic latency ≤ 20 ms, minimum achievable latency < 250ms to the U.S. Packet loss ≤ 0.5%, jitter ≤ 30 ms.

• Fault Response & Resolution: 24x7 Network Operations Center (NOC) support, 1-hour maximum fault response time, 4-hour critical outage restoration, 8-hour non-critical issue restoration.

• Escalation & Reporting: Defined escalation matrix, monthly reports, dedicated account manager, mandatory immediate escalation for critical incidents.

• Internet Services Quality: 24-hour dedicated leased channel, fiber optic, terrestrial connectivity, "always on" service, no custom client-side software required. Bandwidth sharing with other customers is not allowed (1:1 connection ratio).

• Solution must support future bandwidth upgrades beyond 50 Mbps.

• Fiber path design should allow for potential redundancy.

• Equipment must support additional interfaces for higher speeds.

• ISP must state details on last-mile fiber diversity, upstream carrier redundancy, and any single points of failure.

• ISP shall conduct a pre-installation site survey, provide an installation plan and timeline, and perform end-to-end testing.

• Service not considered accepted until written Embassy approval.

• ISP must provide or support a network monitoring platform for real-time and historical visibility.

• Capabilities include bandwidth utilization, traffic, interface statistics, and link status monitoring.

• Historical traffic data retention for a minimum of 12 months, with downloadable reports.

• Secure web-based dashboard access with role-based permissions.

• Alerts for outages or degradation must be sent within 15 minutes via email and SMS.

• ISP must provide network diagram, fiber route details, IP addressing details, equipment specifications, SLA documentation, and contact/escalation details.

• Proposals must include: Technical solution description, confirmation of compliance, SLA details, pricing (one-time and recurring costs), contract term options, and lead time for installation.

• Proposals evaluated on: Technical compliance, SLA strength and reliability, security and compliance adherence, cost effectiveness, and ISP experience/references.

• Proposed service term (e.g., 12, 24, or 36 months), including renewal and termination terms, should be clearly stated.