Texas DCJ - CenturyLink bid Volume 2

State DOC Contracts • Texas • Dec. 13, 2018

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TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
REQUEST FOR OFFENDER TELEPHONE SYTEM

SOLICITATION NUMBER 696-IT-18-P014
VOLUME TWO

VOLUME TWO, SECTION 1 –
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

L.8.2

Volume Two - Technical Portion of Proposal
Volume Two, Section 1 - Technical Requirements
A.

This section of the proposal shall consist of the Proposer's response to the
requirements in Section C herein.

Prospective Proposers shall ensure that all material submitted should be
directly pertinent to the requirements of this RFP and shall be formatted as to
the specific requirements of Section C.

The Proposer shall also identify all exceptions it takes to the technical
requirements in Section C of the RFP and all exceptions for which it requests
approval.

The Proposer shall cross-reference the specific section and page number of the
Implementation Plan that details the policies and procedures relating to the
specific section. This volume should include, but not limited to, the following
items:

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Per Amendment No. 4, Question and Answer 23, TDCJ clarified that only a project schedule
with a timeline needs to be included in the proposal rather than a detailed Implementation Plan
that is due within 30 days of contract award.
As a result of this clarification, the CenturyLink Team has followed TDCJ’s direction to include a
Project Schedule with timelines instead of an Implementation Plan. Therefore, we do not make
specific cross-references to the specific section or page numbers of an Implementation Plan
(because a detailed Implementation Plan was not required).
SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT
C.1

Background

The Department is responsible for the supervision of an estimated 148,000 incarcerated
Offenders. The Department's mission is to provide public safety, promote positive change in
Offender behavior, reintegrate Offenders into society, and assist victims of crime.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ AND UNDERSTANDS
C.2

Statement of Work

Pursuant to Texas Government Code, §495.027, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,
hereafter referred to as Department, requires a Contractor to install, operate and maintain
an Offender Telephone System (OTS) for eligible Offenders confined in facilities operated by
the Department throughout the State of Texas. Such OTS shall be provided by the Contractor
without any cost to the State, in which the Contractor shall pay the Department a

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

commission of not less than forty percent (40%) of the Gross Revenue received from the use
of the system, or any services provided.
The Contractor shall deliver a turnkey solution, compatible at all designated facilities, to
include all necessary personnel, supervision, infrastructure, hardware, software, equipment,
installation, operation, maintenance, support, materials, supplies, transportation and
services (except as may be furnished by the Department as specifically identified within this
Contract) and all things necessary for or incidental to, a fully functional, administered and
managed Offender Telephone System without any cost to the State.
The Contractor shall be responsible for, at a minimum, the major requirements outlined.
Specific deliverables associated with each major activity are identified where appropriate. A
brief description of each major activity is included to ensure a common understanding of the
services to be provided.
The specified requirements and standards will serve as the benchmark for monitoring the
Contractor's performance.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ AND UNDERSTANDS
We have provided a comprehensive response that meets or exceeds all of the State’s
requirements as specified in Section C.2 and throughout the solicitation.
C.3

Scope of Work to be Performed

The Department will look solely to the Contractor for performance. The Contractor is
responsible for all resources necessary to provide the services included in this Contract.
Services shall be provided statewide, the locations of which are listed in Exhibit J.1, Site List.
The terms, conditions and requirements of this Contract pertain to all Department locations
unless otherwise stipulated. The Department reserves the right to add, delete or change site
locations, and to increase/decrease the number of eligible Offenders and/or telephones per
location or make other business decisions as necessary for the operation of the Department.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
1.

Proposer shall describe in detail, all features, functions and
specifications of the OTS offered to the Department. Proposer is
required to show, in detail, how the proposed OTS meets or exceeds
requirements. (Section C.3.1)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
We comply with all requirements in the RFP including C.3.1.
The CenturyLink team is proud of our 9 year association with the Department. We believe our
longtime partnership has proven we bring technology capabilities that set us apart from any
other vendor. We have worked closely with the Department to deploy new and existing
technologies to meet the needs of the State and its constituents.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

We know this RFP is about the future and choosing a supplier that will meet your needs over
the next several years. We believe our track record and our response to this RFP demonstrate
that we will continue to bring value to the partnership going forward.
As outlined in Section C.3.1 – Functional and Technical Specifications/Requirements, we
understand that the proposed OTS will provide prepaid and collect telephone service to eligible
offenders. Below is a point by point response to the minimum requirements detailed in that
section; followed by a detailed description of the proposed OTS.

 Ensure that each eligible Offender or person acting on behalf of an eligible Offender
may prepay for the service

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
The OTS allows for customers on the allowed calling list to accept (1) post-paid collect calls, (2)
prepaid collect, or (3) offender debit (also known as “offender telephone account”) calls. These
first two calling options are billed to and paid by the called party while the third option gives the
offender the ability to prepay for calls.
The Offender can add funds to their offender debit account to prepay for service from their
commissary account. Through a secure integration, the OTS receives an electronic data feed
on a daily basis from the Department with the transfer information. The e-imports application
then updates the offender’s prepaid account.
The proposed OTS also allows any person acting on behalf of an eligible offender to prepay for
offenders’ calls by either depositing money into an offender’s account or creating a prepaid
account of their own.
Friends and family members can add funds to either an offender telephone account or their own
pre-paid account via the following methods:




Securus’ Correctional Billing Services (SCBS)
o

through the website: www.securustech.net

By calling our customer care center: Agents are available 24/7/365 to receive
payments by phone, or

o By mailing a check or money order to the SCBS P.O Box
Jpay Outlet – Jpay provides friends and family a convenient website, mobile App, and
call center they can use to add funds to accounts.



Visiting one of more than 35,000 MoneyGram locations such as Walmart and CVS
Pharmacy



Visiting one of more than 58,000 Western Union locations.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

 Use a biometric identifier of the Offender making the call

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
The CenturyLink Team proposes the
continued use of our biometric voice print
solution for the Personal Biometric
Identifier (PBI), which is resident in the
OTS. Because each person’s voice
contains a unique detectable signature, voice print is a
powerful method of authenticating an offender’s identity over
the telephone. We are able to continue the current
biometric identifier without the need for costly and disruptive
re-enrollment of the offender population.

Over our 9 year
relationship we have
enrolled 437,152 offenders
successfully into the voice
biometric system. There
are currently 127,489
active users.

The PBI system was designed for noisy environments and has been deployed for over 23 years
in local, County, State and International correctional institutions, including TDCJ for the past 9
years. Voice print works with traditional telephones, negating the need for expensive and
potentially high maintenance alternatives utilizing specialized fingerprint readers or retina scan
readers. Compared to other biometric techniques, the proposed PBI is simple to use, natural,
nonintrusive and virtually maintenance free. Voice print is based on the realization that each
person’s voice contains a unique signature.
Using the process that we have developed with the Department staff over the last 9 years, each
eligible Offender will be supervised, enrolled/re-enrolled and verified, in person, by the
CenturyLink Team personnel. As described in more detail Section 3.1.1.D, this enrollment will
include a dual verification process.
The system provides specific analytical reports for voice biometrics to provide detail on which
sites have been enabled or disabled, which offenders are current enrolled in the voice biometric
system, which offenders are enabled or disabled, which telephones are configured to be
enabled or disabled, as well as groups of telephones and telephone numbers. The system also
provides reports to show the failure and success percentages for each offender to indicate
whether or not the enrollment should be reset for an offender who might have a high failure rate.
 Oversee entry of Personal Identification Numbers (PIN's)

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
Our OTS system has a highly configurable PIN function to meet the needs of correctional
facilities. Since TDCJ offenders are already assigned PINs in our system, this eliminates the
waste of time and resources that would be required of PIN entry into a new system. Not only
would it save the Department man power and time, but current offenders will be able to continue
using their account as normal, avoiding loss of calling privileges and complaints.
Data transfer of PIN information will continue to be achieved through the e-imports application’s
interface with the Department’s OMS.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

 The Contractor shall provide and maintain a minimum of one (1) communication
device per thirty (30) eligible Offenders at all facilities

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
The CenturyLink Team will meet or exceed the Department’s requirements. At a minimum we
will maintain the 1 to 30 ratio. Importantly, we have worked with the Department and
incurred the additional expense to install phones at a ratio of 1 to 23 offenders today.
Under the existing contract with the Department, we have has gone through additions, deletions
and replacement of hardware. The CenturyLink Team has worked closely with the Department
to seamlessly provide these changes with little to no interruption to services. We commit to the
same “no interruption to services” approach when additions or placements are needed and we
shall install and activate them within ten business days of written notification by the Department.
 Generate reports to Department personnel on Offender calling patterns

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
The OTS provides standard and customized offender calling pattern reports through our
dedicated SCP report writer, Inter-Communication Evaluation and Reporting System (ICER),
and THREADS. The OTS reporting system is completely configurable and virtually unlimited.

SCP Report Writer
The Secure Call Platform (SCP) has a dedicated report writer that provides investigative
information based on the call detail records. Users can search and analyze call details on all
calls placed from each offender telephone through SCP. These details include date, time,
duration, telephone number, origination, destination, offender ID, termination reason, and more.
SCP retains call details on all call attempts. Users can customize the standard reports by
varying search criteria, such as date range, facility, or call length. Examples of reports TDCJ
can generate are:


Call Detail Report



PAN Frequency Detail




Offender Phone Report Balance
Offender Phone Report Transactions

Inmate Inter-Communication Evaluation and Reporting System (ICER)

Exclusive

The Inmate Intercommunication Evaluation and Reporting System (ICER)
detects completed calls made on the offender telephone system(s) between
offenders, whether within an agency or between agencies across the country.
The ICER system generates reports to investigators or authorized staff at the
participating agencies of these events without transmitting any call audio.

For each offender-to-offender call, ICER identifies the offenders, their locations, the call date
and times, and the outside telephone number or numbers they called to make the connection.
ICER is unique in the industry in that it detects conversations between offenders via an algorithm
between offenders both within the Department and other correctional agencies, and provides
report notifications to the Department. Because of this algorithm, ICER will detect inmate-to-

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

inmate conversations and is not dependent upon only reporting calls made by inmates to the
same telephone number dialed during the same time period.

THREADS Reports
THREADS’ powerful data analytics engine analyzes multiple types of facility data, such as
offender communication records, public phone records, billing name and address, data from
confiscated cell phones, financial data, and more to automatically generate focused leads for
investigators. The following are examples of the most popular types of reports THREADS
provides:






Statistical: Includes all occurrences of a phone number or a bounce list of numbers in
the database and the most frequently called numbers by an offender or person.
Linkage: Generates graphical results that let you explore the relationships between
your targets. This visual reporting tool is a quick way to understand who offenders are
talking to and how the calls are related to other known numbers or offenders.
Working Group: Working Group analysis uses a person’s communication behavior
and calling patterns to identify phone numbers and people of interest.
Correlation: Identifies common contacts and phone numbers between offenders,
persons, and workspaces. Through correlation reporting, investigators can identify
common contacts between offenders as well as fraternization between offenders and
facility staff.



Time-Based: Provides reports based on the timing and frequency of an offender’s or
other person’s communications.



Financial: Identifies correlations between offenders and people based on the funding
of an offender’s account, including automatic upload of JPay financial data associated
with trust and phone funding into the THREADS application.

 Network all individual facility systems together to allow the same investigative
monitoring from Department headquarters that is available at each facility

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
CenturyLink’s OTS provider, Securus Technologies, has invested millions of dollars and
thousands of hours to develop a carrier-class centralized (network-based) system. Access to
the OTS monitoring and recording systems are provided through a single portal located at
https://commandcenter.securustech.net allowing authorized staff to monitor, playback
recordings, and conduct other investigative functions from headquarters, each facility, or from
other remote locations.
The network services are installed by Securus and provided at no cost the Department. The
network-based system provides the Department and its many facilities with a centralized
management solution. Each facility is connected to the centralized network-based system.
Secure access into the system is important for new and updated user profiles, and system
configuration data are archived at the central site for secure management. Headquarters staff
and facility users have the ability to login to the centralized site to monitor conversations or play
back recordings and conduct other investigative functions. For all users, this simple-to-use
portal provides authorized users anywhere, anytime access to a secure, encrypted, single point
gateway to all applications and services provided by the OTS.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
8

The OTS provides consistently reliable data protection and is the only point of entry for
authorized users. System operators must have a security clearance based on passwords, userIDs, and security levels to gain access to any individual feature of the OTS. Any configuration
changes are tracked based upon user ID and managed through levels of security access. The
capability exists to grant access to other authorized law enforcement agencies as directed and
approved by the Department.
 Provide on-site monitoring of calling patterns and customize technology to provide
adequate system security

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
The CenturyLink Team provided the Department with workstations at the facilities, as well as at
headquarters and regional offices, as required by the Department. Access from workstations
give the Department staff the ability to monitor offender calling patterns, as well as complete
access to all security systems and administrative tasks. The ability to monitor offender calling
patterns is not limited to a Department facility; the OTS supports remote secure password
protected access to the OTS user interface. The user interface allows all authorized users to
access these same security applications.
To access available call for live monitoring in SCP, an authorized user simply needs to log into
the SCP user interface, click on the monitoring tab and the list of active calls available appears.

Live Monitoring through Guarded Exchange (GEX)
The CenturyLink Team also provides the Department monitoring through Guarded Exchange.
As calls are processed through the offender telephone system, and analyzed using Securus’
Actionable Intelligence Potential (AIP™) scoring system. This data-mining software platform
uses proprietary technologies that mine through phone calls, emails, financial transactions, and
other information sources. This technology is used to
identify and report variations in offender call patterns
The CenturyLink Team recently
containing actionable intelligence information based on
worked with the Department to offer
Guarded Exchange call monitoring
Six Sigma tools and statistical methods. The system
services, monitoring over 15,000
utilizes a group of characteristics and attributes
calls per month. This service has
associated with offender behavior. Current and historical
been used by both the Office of
phone calls are statistically analyzed by algorithms
Inspector General (OIG) and the
measuring phone use, numbers dialed, frequency, ports,
Criminal Investigative Division (CID)
on numerous occasions to
location, area codes, time of day, day of week and many
investigate suspicious activity, with
other offender behavior patterns and characteristics.
GEX providing over 200 intelligence
Patterns are then identified, stored, and “learned” by the
reports to the Department.
system. Our Live Monitoring system analyzes call
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

patterns and other information to generate a call queue packed with Actionable Intelligence
Potential.
GEX investigators take the data produced the aforementioned proprietary software in order to
review and analyze calls to uncover leads and deliver results to focus investigations and close
more cases. GEX will also continue to take direction from the Department on all monitoring
priorities.

 Provide a fully automated system that does not require a Department operator

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
The OTS is fully automated and never requires the assistance of a live operator. The OTS
provides instructions and messaging to both the offender and called party during call set up to
walk them through the process of placing and receiving a call.
The OTS provides the flexibility to configure (on/off) the ability for an offender to hear the call set
up progression (ringing, answer, acceptance, admonishments played to the called party, etc.) or
to mute the call set up progression until the call is accepted. Offenders and called parties cannot
speak to each other prior to acceptance of the call. While the call is being set up, the
appropriate automated messages will be played to the offender indicating the progress of the
call, including why the call did not complete or that the call is being connected.
Only calls that are positively accepted by the called party will be connected and result in
charges.
When the telephone is picked up, offenders will hear the following admonishment:
1.

“For English press 1, For Spanish press 2” (in Spanish).

“For a Collect call press 1, for a Debit call press 2.”

“Enter your TDCJ ID number now.”

If the TDCJ ID number is invalid – the system will allow the offender 3 more attempts for
a correct ID. If incorrect, the prompt will play “Please hang up and try again at a later
time”.
For a collect call, after the TDCJ ID number is validated, the OTS will prompt the
offender to do the following:
4.

“Please dial the area code and number you wish to call.”


“At the tone, please state your name”.


If the number is on the offender’s authorized calling list, the voice biometric
process will then begin.

Once the offender’s name is validated, the call progresses to the next level
of voice biometric verification

The offender will then be asked to say “Texas Department of Criminal Justice”


If both voice biometric verifications are approved, the OTS will say “Thank
you, I recognize your voice” and the call proceeds the call will proceed.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal



If the verification is not approved, the offender will receive a message stating
that the voice was not verified and the call will end, forcing the offender to
start a new, fully-controlled call.

If the call is not “private”, the offender and called party will be notified that the call
is subject to monitoring and recording. The called party must provide acceptance
before the call is connected.

For an offender prepaid debit call, after the TDCJ ID number is validated, the OTS will
prompt the offender to do the following:
8.

The offender prepaid system will provide the offender with his/her account
balance, followed by this prompt: “Please enter the area code and telephone
number you are calling now. This will cost you (X) dollar and (X) cents for the
first minute and (X) dollars and (X) cents for each additional minute, plus any
applicable telecom and sales taxes.”

The voice biometric verification process described above in 5 and 6 will then take
place.

10.

Immediately following successful authentication of offender voice print, the OTS
will say “Thank you, I recognize your voice” and the call proceeds


If the call is not “private”, the offender will be prompted that the call is subject
to monitoring and recording. The called party must provide acceptance
before the call is connected.

The offender and the called party cannot speak to or hear each other during this time.
Prior to call acceptance the called party hears the following automated message:


“Hello, you are receiving a collect / prepaid call from ‘John Doe’, an offender
at the ‘facility name’. This call is subject to monitoring and recording.”



“To accept this call, press 1.”





“To refuse this call press 2.”
“To hear the rates and charges for this call press 7.” (Collect Calling Only)
“To block future calls to this number press 6.”

 Ensure that no charge will be assessed for an uncompleted call and that the charge for
local calls will not be greater than the highest rate for local calls for Offenders in
county jails

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
No charges will ever be assessed for uncompleted calls. The OTS is fully automated and
requires that the called party positively accept each call. The called party will hear an
admonishment announcing that the call is from an offender in a Texas Department of Criminal
Justice facility. The called party will hear a menu of options, one of which requires them to
accept the call. Only when the call has been positively accepted will the call be charged.
The proposed rate for local calls will adhere to the state statute and the Department requirement
that the rate for local calls will not be greater than the highest rate for local calls for offenders in
county jails.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
11

 Compile approved Offender call lists

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
One of the many benefits of continuing with the CenturyLink Team is that all of
the Department’s approved offender call lists are already in the OTS
system. These call lists are the result of a rigorous verification process
developed in concert with TDCJ over the past 9 years, and managed by
CenturyLink staff. All verification data are stored for investigations
purposes. This process is described in detail in our response to L.8.2 #39.
Once verified, the OTS e-imports application allows for the electronic transmission of those
offenders’ approved call lists, Personal Allowed Numbers (PANs). E-imports also supports the
transmission of other offender-specific information such as the name and address of the person
associated with each telephone number. These data will be beneficial for validating addresses
of persons on offenders’ visitor lists. A comprehensive explanation of e-imports can be found in
requirement number seven.
Investigators can also correlate information for data mining when the Department uses the OTS
for administrative and investigative purposes.

 Verify numbers to be called by Offenders

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
As stated above, CenturyLink will continue to provide our Enrollment Center to verify called
party numbers – both up-front and ongoing – per Department requirements. Once a number is
verified for a specific offender, that offender will have a predetermined set of personal allowed
telephones numbers (PAN) to call, currently set at 20. When the offender places a call, the
OTS will validate and verify that the dialed number is on the approved calling list of that
offender. During this verification process, if the called number is to an Attorney, the OTS will not
allow call monitoring or recording. The process for verifying called numbers and privileged
numbers is described in detail in our response to L.8.2. #39 and #40.
 Provide for periodic review by the state auditor of documents maintained by the
Contractor regarding billing procedures and statements, rate structures, computed
commissions, and service metering.

MEETS OR EXCEEDS REQUIREMENT
CenturyLink is subject to Sarbanes-Oxley regulations and performs internal audits of TDCJ
records. These include:


Monthly CDR rate audits, which ensure the OTS charges the correct rates on every call
per the contract.



Results from our billing quality assurance team, who perform regular test calls to collect,
prepaid collect and prepaid test accounts to ensure rating and billing accuracy.

These and any other records required by State auditors will be made available immediately
upon request.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Overview of the Proposed OTS Platform
The Secure Call Platform (SCP) is a state-of-the-art, web-based system designed to provide
TDCJ with the ultimate in offender call control and reporting. SCP’s advanced features provide
extremely powerful and flexible tools for controlling offender calling, reducing fraud, increasing
investigative capabilities, and generating valuable administrative reports. The system is
designed to adapt to your facilities and operations, rather than requiring you to conform to the
software.
The Securus development team custom-built SCP for the corrections industry, making this
platform a fully-integrated system of simple-to-use software tools, and computer and telephony
hardware. SCP’s hardware and software components readily adapt to the changing needs of a
facility’s operations. SCP can monitor, record, block/unblock offender telephone calls including
those placed with ADA devices such as TDD, CapTel and secure VRS, and generate reports in
real time.
SCP will support TDCJ in safeguarding the community through proactive fraud prevention and
advanced investigative capabilities. SCP allows our customers to operate a smarter and more
efficient jail through system interoperability while providing the flexibility to interface with your
current operations. SCP’s investigative tools permit a higher degree of accuracy and allow
investigators to locate offender-calling information more quickly and reliably. The system is
scalable and flexible, reducing labor demands by automating many tasks. Routine offender
calling operations can be configured to require minimal administration, allowing your staff to
focus on what they do best—maintaining a safer, more secure correctional environment.
SCP also increases usability by providing anywhere, anytime access for authorized personnel.
All of the investigative and administrative resources are available to approved personnel
through our secure single-point of access, the SCP user interface. Users can access SCP any
time from any Windows-based computer with access to the Internet allowing your investigators
to follow the leads wherever they may go.
Secure Call Platform Features
SCP gives the Department control to customize the system to your specific needs, even as
those needs change.
Key features include:


Centralized architecture



Anytime/anywhere system access using an Internet-enabled computer from any
location
Real-time software/system upgrades three to four times per year at no cost to TDCJ




Premium digital quality superior to that of analog-based systems, which is especially
important for investigative purposes



Remote monitoring 24x7x365 from Securus’ Network Operations Center—we monitor
system performance and can recognize and correct problems before you are aware of
them.



Advanced call recording management through a patented technology to safeguard the
chain of evidence controls on each recording, backed by free, professional testimony



User-friendly reporting and self-help capabilities

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal



Information-sharing among partner agencies

Investigative Tools
 Monitoring and recording available on all calls (other than those marked as ‘private’)
 Patented three-way call detection and prevention
 Patented remote call forwarding detection
 Perma-Block allows called parties to block future calls from the facility
 Covert Alert with Barge-In
 CrimeTip hotline
 Scan Patrol
 Case tracking (call notes)
 Investigative reports, such as frequently called numbers, pattern dialing reports, and
more
 THREADS call analytics
 ICER- Offender – Offender identification
 Voice biometric verification with offender PINs
 Reverse Lookup with mapping
 Word Spotting
Fraud Controls
 Patented three-way call detection and prevention



Patented remote call forwarding detection
Dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) detection to prevent:
o
o
o



Secondary dialing
Switch hook dialing
Black boxing

o Hacking
Velocity restrictions

Service Features
 24x7x365 Network Operations Center monitoring
o




You operate around the clock, and so do we. We can find and fix most problems
before you are aware of them and we are here to help you with your questions
and requirements whenever you need us.
24x7x365 Technical Support through the dedicated TDCJ Technical Support Center we
created just for the Department
24x7x365 end-user support through our in-house
Correctional Billing Services
o

We are unique among national competitors
in that we operate our call center. We do
not outsource our customer experience.
We find our end-user satisfaction ratings
improve 22% when they use our call center.
Providing good service to your constituents

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

TDCJ NOC monitoring, Technical
Support, and End-User Customer
Support all occur in Texas based
centers.

CenturyLink and Securus
combined employ over 2,300
Texans.



cuts down on complaints and provides a better experience for all. We are
available to serve callers 24 hours a day.
Ongoing training as well as training for each new software release (typically provided
three to four times per year)

Call Completion
 Convenient points of sale and cost-effective terms for prepaid friends and family
accounts
 Numerous funding options
 In-house Securus Correctional Billing Services customer service center




Website funding
Western Union funding
MoneyGram funding




Collect, prepaid collect (AdvanceConnect), and debit options
Offender PINs



Offender PANs
o Like all other features of SCP, the PAN lists are flexible and may be administered
in various ways: PANs can be configured manually, automatically, or by
importing through integration.



Patented Automated Operator Services (AOS)




Customizable call prompts, branding, and overlays
Multi-lingual call prompts

Administrative Features
 Audit and activity tracking of system users
 Multi-level password controls


Access control by day/time, as well as by IP address if desired

Call Controls
 Global blocked number lists


Global allowed number lists



Calling restrictions, including duration and velocity by offender, dialed telephone
number, offender phone, phone group, customer, or facility



Automatic or manual system on/off controls



Emergency Call



Automatic management of calling restrictions

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance
The OTS includes all system equipment necessary to meet the requirements set
forth by the Department. This includes all necessary hardware, software,
telephone devices including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant
handsets, TDD devices, and terminals for VRS.
As the Department is aware, we have provided Video Relay Service (VRS) at two
TDCJ facilities, and can work with the Department to expand this in the future.
Securus uses ZVRS/Purple for our VRS solution. Our VRS is a complete solution for
correctional grade VRS services which incorporates FCC regulations as well as the offender call
controls, management, and investigative abilities expected for offender calls.
Our VRS is fully integrated into our Secure Call Platform giving the
Department more control and more benefits. The high level of integration
between Securus VRS and SCP provides hearing impaired offenders with
“equal access” to communication services while providing TDCJ the ability to
provide, manage, and investigate offender VRS calls in a manner consistent
with traditional offender calls. VRS will be provided free of cost to TDCJ and there will be no
additional costs to the called parties or the offenders.
With Securus’ VRS, the CenturyLink Team provides the Department with a VRS solution which
does more than meet the requirements of ADA compliance.
VRS supports both types of VRS Calls:
1. Offender VRS Phone to VRS Phone:
2. Offender VRS Phone to Standard Non-Video Phone:

Offender VRS call to F&F VRS Device

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Offender VRS Call to Non VRS Phone Number

Controlling Which Offender May place VRS Calls
Authorized TDCJ users can set whether an offender is eligible to use VRS from the offender
custody account profile page. For the Department we will configure the VRS application to
require offender login. Then, the offender must have the “VRS Allowed” setting on the offender
profile set to “yes” before they are allowed to login to the application.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The Securus VRS application will require offenders to enter both their designated offender ID as
well as their issued calling PIN before being allowed to place VRS calls.
Call Controls
Standard SCP policies, such as PAN list control, call
recording, time limits, redial prevention, and more
are all functional on VRS calls because the system
is fully integrated within the SCP. VRS highly
leverages the standard offender call management
control structures used by SCP for traditional
offender calls, including the following:



Calling Schedules
Max Call Duration controls




Calling Restrictions
Calling Velocity



Specific called party phone number controls
both globally and on offender PAN lists



Control over which calls to record

TDCJ benefits from the industry’s
only integrated Video Relay
System (VRS) designed for the
hearing impaired. VRS calls, like
all other OTS calls, are stored and
searchable in SCP. Our dedicated
TDCJ Account Team has developed
a special registration process for
the hearing impaired within the
CenturyLink Enrollment Office
along with training videos ,
collateral material and call
acceptance admonishments that
are unique to TDCJ.

VRS Call Recordings
The nature of our relationship with Purple along with the proprietary integration of technologies,
allows SCP to record VRS calls while still remaining compliant with FCC regulations. Because
of the full integration of VRS with SCP, call recordings are searchable within the platform and
will appear in the Call Detail Record.
VRS call recordings include the visual component of the offender call for both the offender and
the other end of the video portion of the VRS call. Recorded VRS calls are available for
download in MP4 format and can be put on a CD for investigative purposes.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

VRS Call Detail Records
Like all other calls placed through SCP, a CDR is created for every VRS call. Authorized users
can search VRS call records in the same way they search for any other records in the SCP
portal. From the CDR, users can playback VRS recording by clicking on
icon.

Example of VRS CDRs:

Software Upgrades at No Cost
The CenturyLink Team provides upgrades to the OTS system three to four times annually
through a proven and tested after hours process that allows all sites to immediately realize the
benefits of each upgrade. Our system delivers proven features driven by input from the most
recognized corrections and law enforcement agencies in the nation.
Upgrades or version releases of SCP will only be made after the Department is advised of
changes. Notification to the Department of upgrades will come from the dedicated TDCJ
Account Manager, Paula Parson. In addition, maintenance events are always preceded by a
splash screen displayed at the SCP portal login notifying the facility of the upcoming upgrade
and new features are discussed with customers prior to implementation. These system updates
are more than simple changes. They provide meaningful features and new capabilities, which
drive greater officer and community safety, staff efficiency and improved investigative response
times. With all upgrades we provide release notes and instructor led training so that TDCJ
personnel is always up to date.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The following image shows the sample splash screen that notifies users of upcoming
maintenance.

Splash Screen

Proposer shall describe in detail and provide specifics on how the
attorney client communications will be protected to include the
accuracy and updating of information from any State Bar Association.
Proposer shall also provide detail on how attorney-client
communication will be protected should an Offender's attorney reside
outside of the State of Texas (Section C.3.1.1.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Similar to Called Party registrations, attorney numbers are subjected to rigorous
verification. The importance of this process is obvious, given its potential impact on attorneyclient privilege.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Attorney Audit Process
The Enrollment Center also conducts quarterly audits of all attorney numbers. This is
completed through a LIDB query that is verified against the OTS and Texas (and out of state)
bar associations to flag and investigate any discrepancies. As part of the process, we verify that
all cell phones were registered as cell phones and not later ported from a landline to a cell
phone. We verify that the telephone number listed on the state bar website is the same
telephone number the attorney registered originally.
Attorney Calls Marked as Private
The OTS has a standard feature that allows for attorney client privileged calls to be marked as
private. Once this “Private” feature is enabled, this ensures on a global OTS basis that attorney
client calls will not be monitored or recorded.
The “Private” feature also allows the Department to authorize and designate any other
telephone number(s) as private. The administration of this feature is accessed through the SCP
portal by authorized users.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Proposer shall describe in detail the blocking function. Proposer may
propose other similar numbers that should be blocked. (Section
C.3.1.1.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS provides blocking functions for both authorized Department Staff and Friends and
family.

Blocking by Authorized Department Staff
The Secure Call Platform (SCP) allows authorized facility personnel to manage blocked
numbers using the SCP user interface. Blocked numbers can be applied at various levels—
facility, site, phone group, phone and offender. SCP offers unlimited blocking so the resulting
call blocking table that is created may contain as many entries as needed.
The following are examples of how the Department can use the OTS blocking function:



Global Blocks – These are numbers that are prohibited to all offenders in the TDCJ
system.
Facility initiated blocks – Facilities can create a block list for numbers that apply just
to the offenders located in their facility. They can also block numbers being called by a
single specific offender or from a specific phone.



Crime Victims – The ability to call telephone numbers for crime victims can be blocked.



We have already established an extensive list of blocked numbers with
the Department and its facilities, saving the Department the time and
effort creating those lists from scratch with a new provider.
From using our OTS system for the past nine years, the Department is aware
that the system is completely programmable to block offenders from calling any telephone
number, including but not limited to the following: local direct, credit card, third number, 1+, sent
paid, all 0, 700, 800, 888 (includes all toll free area codes) 900, 976, 950, 911, and 10xxx.
Additionally, there is an associated “Note” field that allows for additional information to be
attached to a blocked number.
CenturyLink will receive and process any other written orders from the Department to block
telephone numbers.

Blocking by Friends and Family
The OTS’ automated operator also provides a Perma-Block process for friends and family,
which allows them to block the offender from calling their number permanently. The ability to
immediately block calls helps reduce the number of called party complaints.
During the call process, the automated operator will provide the called party with the option “To
block future calls to your number press 6.” The called party then presses the indicated key.
The system will confirm with the called party that they would like their number block. Upon
confirmation, the system will automatically block future calls.
If at any time, someone wants to unblock their telephone number from receiving calls from a
TDCJ offender they can call our customer care agents and they will assist in processing the
request.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Proposer shall describe in detail, how the outward calling mode will
prevent connections to pre-paid cell phones and virtual number
telephone services. (Section C.3.1.1.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS takes several steps to prevent calls to pre-paid cell phones.

Up-front Verification
Connections to pre-paid cell phones and virtual number telephone services occur on the front
end of the process. Through the enrollment process established by TDCJ and managed by
CenturyLink, non-eligible services – specifically pre-paid cell phones and virtual number
services – are not allowed to enroll.
Virtual number services are simple to identify through a
Line Information Database (LIDB). Over the years
TDCJ and CenturyLink have worked collaboratively to
establish and implement a comprehensive list of virtual
number Operating Carrier. By querying LIDB,
CenturyLink can extract the Operating Carrier Number
(OCN) and flag virtual number services up-front,
informing the registering party of TDCJ’s policies.

The CenturyLink Team will
continue to offer our current
TDCJ-dedicated Enrollment
Center personnel, without
needing to establish new
systems, infrastructure, and
processes for TDCJ.

The process to identify post-paid vs. pre-paid cell phones is more complex. LIDB does not
separate pre-paid vs. post-paid services (e.g. Virgin Mobile and Sprint Post-Paid are the same
OCN). As a result, per Department directive CenturyLink performs a three-way call with the cell
phone carrier to determine the consumer’s billing status. A flowchart of the online and offline
verification processes for cell phones is provided in our response to L.8.2. #39 below. Because
these flowcharts are proprietary, we refer reviewers to these sections to avoid excessive
redactions.

Fraud Management
CenturyLink carefully manages fraudulent attempts to enroll, which are significant in
number. Suspicious/fraudulent attempts are flagged within our system, and follow-up attempts
require manual intervention, including review of signatures among different forms, and other
checks.

Ongoing Audits
CenturyLink receives daily booked, release, and update files from TDCJ to maintain an active
offenders list and to update customer account status. We also receive a monthly active
offenders list as a method to audit these daily updates, and perform other periodic audits for
TDCJ. These include monthly audits of 10% of F&F accounts (all eligible PANs audited at least
once annually). Cell phone customers who have changed carriers are automatically deactivated
and required to re-enroll.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Proposer shall describe in detail, how remote access to the system is
accomplished as well as security features to prevent unauthorized
access. (Section C.3.1.1.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
SCP’s user interface is the Department’s window to all of its features. Because it is entirely webbased, authorized users can access the system at any time, from any location through the same
process. This design delivers investigative recordings with digital clarity and provides easy
remote monitoring from any secure web browser with Internet access.
This system is built to allow our customers complete control over their systems in a simple,
reliable, secure environment. Authorized users can easily apply settings and configurations to
turn on a phone, restrict a phone, change a blocked number, and turn on or off features and
applications — all in real time.
Remote access to the SCP user interface is accomplished in the following manner:
1.

Authorized user opens Internet Explorer and enters the URL:
https://commandcenter.securustech.net

The user will see the screen below

The user will be prompted for a user name and password
a.

First time users will be given a temporary generated password. Once
they enter the SCP portal they will be required to change the password.

Once the user name and password are validated the full suite of applications
approved for the user are available.

Security Features
Each user has access rights assigned by the administrator, allowing the Department to control
access based on the facility’s security clearance objectives. Administrators can limit individual
access to each application, and can also limit access to each function within each application. A
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal
24

user log documents the user, time of access, and accessed modules as an added security
measure.
For even more security and control, user access can be programmed to restrict users to specific
IP addresses within certain time limits. For example, a user could be restricted to access the
SCP user interface from their workstation (and only their workstation) between the hours of 8:00
AM and 5:00 PM and their access blocked outside the facility.
Securus applies a high level of security to protect against cyber-attacks. Applications
transmitting data across public networks support SSL, Certs, and encryption. This connection is
established prior to the movement of any data across the network that is confidential or related
in any way to the recordings, CDR data, etc. This complex encryption method prevents access
or the potential intercept of this data and allows the communication access across the public
network to be safe and secure.
Cisco and Juniper firewalls, used throughout the network to protect SCP and our customers,
create DMZ networks. All servers, laptops, and workstations require anti-virus and anti-spyware
protection software and the latest operating system patches. Securus supports both AVG and
Symantec anti-virus.
The SCP portal has a multi-level password scheme that requires the following password
standards to be utilized:


The user ID jsmith@tdotx.tx is used to determine that the individual is authorized to only
access applications determined to meet the appropriate clearance level



For security purposes the system can also be configured to require a user password be
updated/changed every 30/60/90 days or as required by the Department
The user ID can be constructed using the user’s first initial and last name or any
combination authorized by the facility to create a unique user ID






The user’s password must be 4 – 14 characters in length, with at least one upper case
letter and one numeric character, and must not contain spaces or blanks. Special
characters are permitted
The system can also be configured not to allow users to reuse previously used
passwords

The current SCP password requirements in use today at TDCJ facilities are below. If at any
time the Department would like to edit these standards, our team will assist in that process:


Minimum Password Length – 8



Maximum Password Length – 14



Expires every 30 days



Cannot use the last 12 passwords

Audit Logs
The SCP audit and tracking feature logs each user’s specific activities for investigative
purposes. As an example, when a user accesses a recording, SCP will mark whether the
recording was played back, live monitored, copied to a management folder, downloaded or
burned to a CD. This information is accessible by authorized department staff through SCP in a
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

user friendly report. This report provides the capability to search by individual user or by specific
event, such as all recordings accessed for playback.
Additionally, the audit and tracking feature logs:


When a user logs in to the system



How long a user stays in the system



Which recordings were monitored or played by a specific user



What the user did with a recording



Changes to custody accounts



Changes to Personal Allowed Number (PAN) lists



Changes to Global List entries



Changes to security templates

Sample Recording Audit Log Search

This tracking mechanism is also integrated throughout the call detail reports in order to give
authorized department staff a quick view to determine if a call had been accessed while running
a standard call detail report. This indication of the recording accessed will show up in the form of
a “padlock” icon. Authorized staff can click on the “padlock” and view the complete call access
history details including Access Date, Access Type, User, Dialed Number, and Access Protocol
if the session was via Department facility or remote access.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Proposer shall describe in detail, how onsite and remote shutdown of
the system is accomplished as well as security features to prevent
unauthorized shutdown. (Section C.3.1.1.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS has the capability for the immediate shutdown of a single telephone, single facility,
group of facilities, or the entire OTS. Shutdowns can occur through the SCP portal either on-site
or remotely in accordance with predetermined access rules.
SCP provides multiple ways for an authorized user to shut down the system quickly and
selectively which include:
 On/Off Station Control
 Programmable Calling Schedules
The power to shut down phones in any of the aforementioned manners is role based. Only
personnel who have been given the proper authority through the security templates of SCP will
be able to shut down phones. These security templates can be managed at a site level so only
specific authorized staff at that site can manage those phones.
Also, authorized TDCJ personnel at Department headquarters will continue to have remote
access and privileges to shut down the system at individual device up to a full facility level.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

On/Off Station Control
The OTS system will allow authorized Department personnel to immediately disable a
telephone/terminal, a group of telephones/terminals, or an entire facility through the SCP portal
from any workstation or mobile device with access to the internet. Securus is one of the only
providers to offer this capability anytime, from anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To disable the phones, an authorized user would simply sign onto the SCP portal and from the
System tab chose the site whose phones they would like to disable and/or the phone or group of
phones. Once this is chosen, the user clicks on the pencil icon next to “status.”

After clicking on this icon, a drop box will appear providing the option to disable the selected
phones. This modification tab provides options to the user to shut down the system in either
“hard” or “soft” mode. Use of the “hard” mode cuts the call off immediately and shuts down the
system. Soft mode allows the current conversation (if in progress) to continue to completion,
then shuts the system off and does not allow another call to go through.

Disabling Telephones

Disable a telephone, group of
telephones, or entire facility
Authorized users enable or
disable phones from anytime,
anywhere.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Programmable Calling Schedules
SCP also has automated calling schedules which allows the system to manage the scheduling
policies of the facility without staff intervention. Calling schedules are used to turn on and off the
phones during designated times throughout the day or night.
Calling schedules are flexible and configurable allowing the facility to have multiple on and off
times during the day, within a week and by day of the week and then be applied to individual
telephones, groups of telephones, individual offenders and/or globally.
Also, holiday overrides can be preset to accommodate anticipated exceptions to the set
schedule.
Programming Calling Schedules

Proposer shall describe in detail, the format, media and method
required to populate the Offender database as well as method(s) to
update, edit, add, delete, suspend, reactivate, etc., records after the
initial database is populated (Section C.3.1.1.D)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team has already designed, developed, tested and
implemented the necessary integrations for TDCJ. We will continue to use
those integrations to provide TDCJ uninterrupted service while saving time
during implementation.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The CenturyLink Team will be responsible for populating and maintaining accurate and up-todate databases for the OTS. This includes ensuring that updates, edits, additions, deletions,
suspensions, reactivations, etc. are populated. We will continue to provide all necessary tools,
up to and including staff, computers, software, hardware, documents, printers, scanners, forms,
test and accept equipment, training materials, and trainers,
E-Imports: The E-imports
as detailed in our bid response. We will continue to be
application uploads data sent
responsible for data entry and programming related to the
from the OMS into SCP,
databases for the term of the contract.
Although the transfer of data is all done automatically, an
authorized user could have the capability to manually
update, edit add, delete suspend, or reactivate a record.

eliminating the need for facility
personnel to enter offender
information into the telephone
system. E-imports updates
offender profile information daily,
such as intakes, transfers
suspensions, etc.

We have an established interface with the Department that
provides a current roster on a daily basis. This occurs
through a database extraction in CSV format via SFTP.
The E-imports function within SCP then takes the
transmitted information and populates the appropriate fields within the SCP system without
further intervention from TDCJ staff.

The files that we currently receive from TDCJ through this integration include:


Booked Files - Received Daily in order to create/reactivate offender accounts, update
facility/PIN and manage activation/deactivation of suspensions.



Complete File of All Offenders and their Current Status – Performed Monthly to ensure
all offender files are the most up to date.



Release Files - Received daily and automatically deactivates offender accounts as
offenders are released from TDCJ.
Change Account – Received weekly, providing information for changed offender
account numbers and updating the system automatically.
Debit File – Received daily providing commissary purchase information in order to
update the debit account.




Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The Booked, Complete and Release files transmit the information to include the following fields.



SiteID
Account Number



Last Name, First Name



Middle Name



Suspension status.

The debit file transmits the information to include the following fields.



Transaction Reference Number
Debit Amount



Offender’s Account Number

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The Change Account transmits the information to include the following fields.



Old Account Number
New Account Number

Proposer shall describe in detail, PBI and PIN features and functions of
the proposed OTS and the method and format that will be used for PBI
collection and PIN enrollment and updates to the OTS. (Section
C.3.1.1.D)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team currently provides the Department with a voice print
verification solution for the Personal Biometric Identifier (PBI). Securus’
Voice Biometrics solution uses a proprietary voice print algorithm. These
PBIs will continue under the new contract without the need to re-enroll
the existing offender population.
The Voice Biometrics technology does not require special hardware. Instead, as a networkbased solution it eliminates the risks of offender tampering and repeated on-premise repair of
PBI systems such as fingerprint readers or retinal scanners.

Call progression with Voice Biometrics
When offenders place a call from the facility, they must first key in the language of the OTS
system they want to use. After the language is selected, the offender will then be asked how
they wish to fund the call (Debit or Collect). Once a payment option is selected, the offender will
be asked to enter their PIN. If an invalid PIN is entered, the OTS will notify the offender of the
invalid PIN status. After a successful PIN validation, the OTS system will prompt offenders to
enter the phone number they wish to call. If the number is on the offender’s authorized calling
list, the voice biometric verification process will begin and the offender will be prompted to verify
their name. Once the offender’s name is validated, the call progresses to the next level of voice
biometric verification. The offender will then be asked to say “Texas Department of Criminal
Justice”. If both voice biometric verifications are approved, the call will proceed. If the
verification is not approved, the offender will receive a message stating that the voice was not
verified and the call will end, forcing the offender to start a new, fully-controlled call.
The CenturyLink Team is responsible for the ongoing implementation of the database
information of the OTS.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Implementation of PINs
The Department will provide a data file of every offender containing offender's First name, Last
Name, Middle Name, offender site/unit ID, offender PIN, offender account number, and the
offender suspension status. This information is currently uploaded into the OTS database
through the e-imports application on a daily basis. We will continue to use this process and the
same restrictions and policies will be implemented under any new contract.

Ongoing Implementation for Newly Processed Offenders
As the Department receives new offenders on an ongoing basis at specified intake facilities, we
will continue to provide dedicated full-time Service Representatives located in close proximity to
each intake facility to supervise enrollments for these new offenders. Additionally, as part of
implementation of a new contract, the CenturyLink Team will make sure to enroll any offenders
not currently in the system. The draft implementation plan found in Attachment F - Preliminary
Implementation Plan, details the locations, dates and estimated duration to complete PBI
enrollment, if necessary.
We recommend that enrollments take place at specified, mutually agreed-upon times during the
week, thus minimizing the need for scheduling coordination with the Department. CenturyLink
representatives verify offenders' identification numbers against the OTS database and enroll
new offenders as needed.
Past experience dictates that offenders will try to manipulate the system if the enrollment is not
supervised by an onsite team member. Not only will a supervised enrollment guarantee a clean
capture of the offender's voice print, it will also expedite the enrollment process.
The database containing offender names and PIN's is used by onsite team members
responsible for supervised enrollment of the offender's personal voice print.
The onsite enrollment personnel explain enrollment instructions to the offenders to ensure that
each offender's enrollment is secure, accurate and successful
Enrollment Process:
1. Onsite team member will be located in the Day Room with a database of offender names
and PIN's by facility or housing unit.
2. Team member will explain the process, hand them mail inserts to send to their Friends
and Family and give them a brochure that explains the rules and answer basic
questions.
3. Offender will give their full name and PIN and show their Department issued ID Card.
4. Team member will verify offender name and PIN against Department issued ID card
5. Offender will be instructed to remove all objects from their mouth, stand up straight and
speak loud and clear
6. Offender is instructed that the OTS will prompt them to say their full name (first and last)
three different times and they must pause between saying their first name and last
name; the system will then prompt them to say “Texas Department of Criminal Justice”
three different times; then the system will prompt them to verify their name.
7. Onsite team member will enter the offender PIN and then hand the telephone to the
offender
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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8. System asks offender to state their full name at the tone
9. System prompts offender for name three times
10. System asks offender to say Texas Department of Criminal Justice at the tone
11. System prompts offender for facility name three times
12. System prompts them to verify their name
13. After name is verified, offender hears the system say thank you - goodbye
14. Team member tells the offender to hang up the phone
15. Enrollment is complete

Ongoing Implementation and Updates to PBI (Voice Biometrics)
In the unlikely event that an eligible offender must re-enroll or update his/her voice print PBI, the
offender will submit an Assistance Request Form at the Unit’s Mail Room. Those Assistance
Request Forms are scanned in to the eMessaging system and delivered to the CenturyLink
Team dedicated support team. A service ticket will be opened to ensure the issue is tracked
and successful closure to the event. The resolution will include resetting the offender’s voice
prints and scheduling a new supervised re-enrollment into the voice biometric system.
9.

Proposer shall describe in detail the number of telephone numbers that
can be stored by PBI and PIN for each Offender as well as the
authorization process to add, remove, and validate a telephone number
based on the Offenders approved call list. (C.3.1.1. D)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS inherently supports this requirement. The OTS is completely programmable to
support virtually unlimited combinations of allowed numbers by PIN/PBI. It is currently
configured to allow 20 numbers by PIN/PBI.

Addition and Validation Process:
To have numbers added to an offender’s PAN (Personal Allowed Number) list, the owner of the
phone number must register their phone number at www.texasprisonphone.com or call the
CenturyLink Registration Office at 866-806-7804. This is part of a rigorous process we have
developed throughout the years, as described in Questions 39-40. Before the registration
process is complete and the number is added to the offender’s PAN list. TDCJ gives the final
authorization for the number to be added.

Remove Process:
If an offender would like to remove an approved phone number from their PAN list, they can
submit an Assistance Request Form at the unit’s mail room. Those Assistance Request Forms
are scanned in to the eMessaging system and delivered to the CenturyLink Team dedicated
support team. A service ticket will be opened to ensure the request is tracked and successful
closure to the event. The resolution will include deactivating the phone number from the
offender’s PAN list.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

10.

Proposer shall clearly identify and delineate access control for each
level and groups of levels, to include the correlated
administrative/system capabilities of each level. Proposer shall indicate
what, if any, flexibility is available to Department staff to modify or
customize access levels. (Section C.3.1.1.E)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The SCP provides an advanced, multi-level password
scheme that allows facility administrators to assign unique
access levels to anyone using the different features of the
SCP. Further, authorized users can assign specific
capabilities to each access level through the security
templates. The administrator may modify initial access levels
or create additional levels based on facility objectives for
each tool.
With SCP, Department personnel have the ability to access
the system from any designated location, remote or
otherwise, to perform tasks that correlate to the capabilities
assigned to them through the security templates.

Password Standards
The SCP portal requires the following password standards to
be utilized:

The TDCJ benefits
significantly from the
flexibility and
configurability designed into
the SCP. The TDCJ currently
has over 900 active
authorized users and
created more than 30
unique TDCJ security
templates for access
control.

The CenturyLink team will
ensure continued use of
these templates and the
continued flexibility to
create new ones.



The user ID jsmith@tdotx.tx is used to determine that
the individual is authorized to only access applications determined to meet the
appropriate clearance level



For security purposes the system can also be configured to require a user password be
updated/changed every 30/60/90 days or as required by the Department



The user ID can be constructed using the user’s first initial and last name or any
combination authorized by the facility to create a unique user ID



The current SCP password requirements in use today at TDCJ include the following:


Minimum Length – 8



Maximum Length – 14



Expires every 30 days



Cannot use the last 12 passwords

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Security Templates
The following pages provide a brief description of the user profile settings within SCP. This
document is intended to serve as a guide only and is not intended to define any particular roles
within the TDCJ operations.
The OTS is completely configurable and can sustain as many roles (user types) to meet the
Department’s requirements. The standard User Profiles that are pre-configured into each
customer's roles are depicted below. The Administrator Role is designed in a way that would
normally be assigned to only one or two persons within the Department. This aids in controlling
who can or cannot create new users, expand user's capabilities, change Department telephone
policy (telephone schedules), add, change or delete security templates, and so on.

This is a list of the capabilities allowed within the Administrator Role. The preceding list also
shows all the configurable items for a security template. On the following pages, each item is
given a summary description.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Admin - Recording Logs
This security setting allows users with full Administrator rights to access, search, and view the
Recording Logs for a specific user or view summary details of the activities performed by each
user login account.

Admin - Security Templates
Site administrators use Security Templates to create new user security profiles. They can view,
read, and modify current security templates to control a user’s access to specific features and
functions within the SCP user interface. Please note that users and administrators cannot
modify profile templates that come standard with the system.

Admin - User Management
The User Management security setting allows authorized users to manage other users. This
includes assigning new profiles on the SCP user interface, updating or deactivating users who
no longer have access to the system, resetting passwords, and creating and modifying user
accounts, including the sites a user can access at the customer level.

Covert Alerts - View/Edit All Covert Alert
The Covert Alerts View/Edit All Covert Alert security setting allows authorized users to view,
edit, and modify any covert alert set in the system, and can override an existing covert alert
created by another user.

Covert Alerts - View/Edit Own Covert Alert
The Covert Alerts View/Edit Own Covert Alert security setting allows authorized users to view,
edit, and modify a covert alert if one does not yet exist and only if the user initially created the
covert alert.

Monitor - Forward Call
This security setting allows authorized users with monitoring capabilities to forward a monitored
call to another user who may be investigating the offender or the content of the call.

Monitor - Listen to Live Calls and Recordings
This security setting allows site administrators, investigators, and authorized personnel to
monitor live calls in progress.

Monitor - Terminate Call Monitor
This security setting allows authorized users with monitoring capabilities to remotely terminate a
call in progress.

Monitor - Terminate Monitored Calls
This security setting allows authorized users with monitoring capability to terminate a call in
progress.

Monitor - View Live Calls
This security setting allows select users the ability to view only the list of live calls currently in
progress for a site.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Report - Blocked Call Detail
The Blocked Call Detail security setting allows authorized users to have access to the blocked
call detail report showing a listing by chosen criteria of all calls blocked for any reason.
Report - Call Detail
The Call Detail security setting allows select users access to the general view of a call detail
report based on provided user criteria. A user granted access to this feature may not be able to
view or access recording logs, listen to pre-recorded conversations or copy call recordings to a
folder or download and burn calls to CD media
Report - Call Detail (All Access)
The Call Detail (All Access) security setting expands user capabilities beyond being able to
query a CDR for the user-specified criteria. This setting allows authorized users full access to all
elements of a call detail report including listening to associated call recordings, access to
recording logs, copying and downloading calls to folders, and downloading call recordings to
WAV files for burning to CD media.
Report - Call Frequency
The Call Frequency security setting provides authorized users access to a specified CDR report
that can pull phone numbers meeting or exceeding a specified count. (Any phone number dialed
more than two or three times or X number of times)
Report - Covert Alert Report
The Covert Alert security setting shows numbers connected to a covert alert.
Report - Covert Alert Report (All Access)
The Covert Alert (All Access) security setting show the numbers connected to a covert alert. It
also provides the ability to listen to recordings within a call that was subject to a covert alert,
access to the recording logs, copying and downloading calls to folders, and downloading call
recordings to WAV files for burning to CD media.
Report - Hourly Usage
The Hourly Usage security setting allows authorized users to view a graphical display of phone
usage. It also allows site administrators to verify their settings for calling times.
Informant Line Call CDR Report
This security setting allows authorized users to set up and configure the Informant Line, run,
view and access all elements of the Informant Line Call Detail report including the list of calls by
offenders to the Informant Line.
Report - PAN Frequency (All Access)
This security setting allows authorized users to run, view and have full access to a report listing
the number of unique PINs/Offenders that have the same phone number on their PAN list.
Report - PAN Frequency Detail (All Access)
This security setting allows authorized users to run view and have full access to a report that
produces a detailed list of offenders that share a number on their PAN list.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

System - Call Forward List Administration
This security setting allows the user to create a list of individuals on his/her “Forward to
Number;” this list appears when a user who is actively monitoring calls needs to forward a call
for live monitoring.
Call Forward List Administration
This security setting allows authorized users to create a list of individuals on his/her “Forward to
Number” list. This list appears when the user who is actively monitoring calls needs to forward
a call for live monitoring.
System - Call Party Accounts
The Call Party Accounts (also known as Custody Accounts) security setting allows authorized
users to manage custody accounts. This includes adding, modifying, and
activating/deactivating a user’s phone account, or suspending a user’s phone access.
System - Call Schedules
This security setting allows authorized users to set up call schedules for a customer, a site,
group of phones, or a single phone. These schedules automatically turn phones on and off per
the prescribed schedule.
System - Global Lists
This security setting allows authorized users to view numbers on the global allow/block/watch
list. Rules created under this section are applied site-wide unless created at the customer level;
then it is applied to all sites under that customer.
System - Global Lists (All Access)
This security setting allows authorized users to view, edit, deactivate, or modify numbers on the
global allow/block/watch list. Rules created under this section are applied site-wide, unless
created at the customer level; then it is applied to all sites under that customer.
Informant Line Call Global List
This security setting allows authorized users to access, search, and view the Informant Line
CDR on the Call Detail Report, and to search and view the summary of an Informant Line call
from the Call Frequency Report.
System - Phone Config
This security setting allows authorized users to assign a phone to a Phone Group. Users may
also assign special or unique call schedules or other parameters like Covert Alert. For example,
a phone in the infirmary may be assigned to the phone group labeled “Medical.”
System - Phone Group Config
This security setting allows authorized users to specify the phones in a facility assigned to
“groups.” These groups may have unique call schedules or other parameters. For example,
phones labeled as “Medical Group” are the phones in the infirmary. Those phones are set to
allow calls only from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, although the other phones at the site allow calls from
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Intake phones may be set to allow calls 24x7.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

System - Site Config
This security setting allows authorized users to assign basic rules to a site. Some rules include
maximum call duration, 3-way settings, or the call schedule under the customer profile.
Velocity Restrictions
This security setting allows authorized users read/write permission to the Velocity Restriction
feature. A user with access to this feature can create new restriction policies or modify existing
policies.
Note 1:

By default, a user assigned to “Can Change” privilege must also be granted “Can
View” privilege.

Note 2:

Users cannot monitor, forward, or terminate Informant Line Calls because they
are not displayed on the Live Monitoring Screen.

Flexibility for Department Staff to Modify
As mentioned above, the OTS is completely configurable. Therefore, if at any time the
Department wants to modify the password standards set forth or modify and customize access
levels, there are view and change options for each module depending on the need of the user.

Manage, Create, Edit, Predefine User Levels in SCP

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The administrator may modify the initial access levels or create additional levels based on
facility clearance objectives for each tool. SCP generates a user log with the user name, time of
access, and modules accessed.

Create New Security Templates

Additional Password Policy Options
We will continue to use the password standards that TDCJ has already set up for its users.
However, SCP does provide flexible Password Policy options, enabling administrators to
change their password requirements in the future if need be. Passwords can be configured by
location, length, days to expire, and even the number of password cycles before password
reuse. Additional configuration options include reminders for password expiration and minutes
of allowable inactivity before session timeout.
If a user does not change their password before expiration, the user must contact the site
administrator for password reset. This administrator assigns a random password and requires
the user to create a new password when they log in.

Password Configuration Options in SCP

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

11.

Proposer shall provide detailed explanation on how remote recording
audio review is accomplished. (Section C.3.1.1.H)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Any authorized user with an approved user name and password can easily, and remotely,
access recording and monitoring of offender calls from any computer or device with access to
the Internet. Securus has tested and certified the playback of calls and live monitoring on:




Operating Systems/Devices
o

iOS

Android OS

OS X

o Windows
Browsers
o

Internet Explorer

Firefox

Chrome

Live Call Monitoring
The SCP Live application allows for real-time monitoring of calls in progress using a secure
connection from any internet connected device. Facility personnel (with appropriate privileges)
can monitor live calls by highlighting the call in progress and clicking on the speaker icon. This
process is undetectable by the offender or the called party and does not disrupt the recording
process. Concise descriptions of activity appear for each phone in use. For example, the system
shows the specific telephone location, offender PIN, the destination number dialed, city and
state of the destination, and start time and duration of each call. SCP also diplays any
restrictions such as “watched” or “private,” and the status of the call, such as “in progress,”
“calling destination,” or “getting acceptance.”
SCP can also automatically eliminate all monitoring or recording of special calls, such as calls to
legal counsel, by designating the number as a “private” number. SCP prevents all unauthorized
attempts to listen to private calls—the user interface will not display the speaker icon to play
private calls. The call record also lists the call as “private” on the user interface.
Call Monitoring, Silent
When monitoring occurs, the system incorporates analog suppression/amplification hardware
that allows monitoring of calls without offender or called party detection. There is absolutely no
noise, volume loss, or other indication of monitoring to assure complete investigator anonymity.

failover. All recordings created on the platform reside in at least two of our Data Centers.
Recordings are stored on-line for immediate access for the contractually agreed upon time. The
SCP can also burn the information to CD or DVD for additional back up, if necessary.
The SCP can record all calls simultaneously and allows personnel to listen to pre-recorded calls
while active calls continue to be recorded. The system records the entire conversation from call
acceptance to termination.

Recording Search and Retrieval
Users can specify search criteria, such as called party, calling telephone, date, time, PIN,
custody account number, duration, and location, and search across a site or group of sites
based on their security authorization. SCP searches call detail records and can include all call
attempts or just completed calls.
Search results provide detailed information about each call and will indicate whether or not the
call detail record (CDR) has an attached recording. If recorded, authorized investigators can
listen to the recording using the embedded call player with easy-to-use search capabilities, and
features such as, pause and play.
To speed searching of a recording the player shows sound wave activity of the call to identify
times of limited talk or to identify a particular event.
SCP streams call recordings to a program on an investigator’s computer that can ‘play” the
recording through the attached speakers. While it is possible to make a recording from the
speakers, this is only a copy of the original. Chain of Evidence safeguards are in place to
prevent access to the actual digital copy of the recording and to eliminate any chance of
manipulation, whether intentional or accidental, that could later challenge the authenticity of the
call recording.

Covert Alert
The SCP includes the Covert Alert feature that will call an investigator on their cellular or
another phone when a specific offender places a call and offer them real-time monitoring of that
call.
Covert Alert bridges a call to an authorized remote number for dialed numbers, phones, or
offender PINs are under surveillance by investigators. The Covert Alert feature allows
authorized personnel to monitor a call, from any location, while the call is in progress.
When a call is placed by an offender, or to a phone number that has a Covert Alert trigger, it is
automatically sent to the designated investigator phone number(s). A call can be sent to multiple
numbers simultaneously allowing several investigators to listen to the call.
Covert Alert can send calls to any phone number within the facility or across the United States.
Investigators can also monitor calls through on-site workstations using the SCP Live Monitor, or
remote live call-forwarding feature. This allows facility investigators to monitor potential illicit
activities regardless of the investigator's location.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Covert Alert can send E-mails to the investigator(s) with information about a Covert Alert call
including date, time, offender PIN, originating telephone, and dialed number immediately after
the called party accepts the call. The following figure provides a sample e-mail alert:

Alert Notification E-Mail

Investigators can also choose to receive a covert alert via text
message. The text message includes the date, time, offender
PIN, originating telephone, dialed number, and an indication if
the call has been recorded. The figure to the right provides a
sample text message alert.

Additional Security Feature
For extra security, Coverts Alert can be configured to require a
PIN to listen to the call. If activated, a customizable message
will state, “This is a Covert Alert call from John Smith, an
offender at the TDCJ facility. To accept this Covert Alert call,
please enter your investigator PIN now.”

“Barge In”
While on the covert alert call, the investigator can immediately
terminate the call by pressing a predetermined code. Covert
Alert can also be configured to allow investigators to enter a
code and “Barge In” to the call and speak to both the offender
and called party.
This “Barge In” capability is available through both Covert Alert and on calls forwarded from
SCP Live Monitor. When monitoring a conversation, the call can be forwarded to an
investigator cell phone, office phone, or other designation, allowing them to barge into the
conversation using the predetermined barge in code and acceptance digit.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

12.

Proposer shall describe in detail the types of adds, moves, and changes
that can be made by Contractor staff and/or Department staff and the
procedures required to add, move, and change records. Detail shall also
include source records and method required to obtain Department
records that correlates to the add, move, and change to be used as
authorization and audit trail (e.g. Department downloads from
mainframe databases). (Section C.3.1.1.F)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
SCP was designed to be highly configurable to meet the needs of the Department. Adds moves
and changes include those for authorized Department users and for offenders, as described in
more detail below. All authorized adds, moves and changes are tracked within the system for
auditing purposes.

Authorized User Add, Moves, and Changes
Management of authorized Department users occurs through the use of established user roles
and security templates, which are developed and implemented by the CenturyLink Team in
consultation with the Department. Today there are more than 30 customized, unique security
templates in use at the Department. (e.g Office of Inspector General (OIG) Management,
Information Technology Division (ITD) OTS, and Correctional Institution Division (CID) Level 16) New users are assigned these roles as they are entered into the system, based upon their
job responsibilities.
Additions
Authorized Department administrators can easily add a user to SCP through the “Admin”
module by going to the User Management page. There is an “add new” button (see below)
whereby clicking on it will open the User Management: Create new User Page.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

To finalize the creation of a new user, the administrator must fill in the required fields as
indicated by the red asterisk and click on the “create” button at the bottom of the page.
Required Fields:


Username




Status - This can be set as active or inactive.
First and Last Name



Job Title



Template:



Accessed Sites

Offender Add, Moves, and Changes
The CenturyLink Team will be responsible for populating and maintaining accurate and up-todate offender data within the OTS. This includes ensuring that updates, edits, additions,
deletions, suspensions, reactivations, etc. are populated. We will continue to provide all
necessary tools, up to and including staff, computers, software, hardware, documents, printers,
scanners, forms, test and accept equipment, training materials, and trainers, as detailed in our
bid response. We will continue to be responsible for data entry and programming related to the
databases for the term of the contract.
Although the transfer of data is all done automatically, an authorized user has the ability to
manually update, edit add, delete suspend, or reactivate a record.
We have an established interface with the department that provides a current roster on a daily
basis. This occurs through database extract in CSV format via SFTP. The E-imports function
within SCP then takes transmitted information and populates the appropriate fields within the
SCP system without further intervention from TDCJ staff.
The files that we currently receive from TDCJ through this integration include:


Intake Files - Received Daily in order to create/reactivate offender accounts, update
facility/PIN and manage activation/deactivation of suspensions.

Complete File of All Offenders and their Current Status – Performed Monthly to ensure
all offender files are the most up to date.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
46






Release Files: Received daily and automatically deactivates offender accounts as
offenders are released from TDCJ.
Change Account – Received weekly, providing information for changed offender
account numbers and updating the system automatically.
Debit File – Received daily providing commissary purchase information in order to
update the debit account.

The Intake, Complete and Release files transmit the information to include the following fields.


SiteID




Account Number
Last Name, First Name



Middle Name



Suspension status.

The debit file transmits the information to include the following fields.



Transaction Reference Number
Debit Amount



Offender’s Account Number

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The Change Account transmits the information to include the following fields.



Old Account Number
New Account Number

13.

Proposer shall describe in detail the procedures required for the
Department to generate, order, or view any and all reports available via
the proposed OTS. Proposer shall list in detail with full explanation the
type of reports the proposed system can provide per facility as well as
the method of presentation (on-line view, printable, real time, query, ad
hoc, etc.). (Section C.3.1.1.G)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The system has a rich set of standard and ad-hoc reporting capabilities. In addition, the
dedicated CenturyLink account team provides a number of customized reports – including all of
those listed C.3.1.1.G – plus numerous other customized reports that have been developed
specifically for TDCJ at the request of the Department staff.

Reports Available through SCP User Interface
The SCP portal is the single access point for all report generation. Like other web-based
applications, screens are intuitive and have easy access to help through the click of a mouse.
Users navigate to the information they are seeking topic by topic, or they can follow the table of
contents for a complete training experience.
Reports are generated either on demand or on an ad hoc basis. OTS has the capability to
produce reports on a scheduled basis and on demand. The OTS reporting system allows the
originator of the report to view the information on-line, in printed format, via query, all in near
real time. As an added benefit, all reports include the ability to export to Excel, PDF, or CSV
formats. Further, the CenturyLink Team's dedicated Service Manager would always be available
to help develop automated reports customized to the Department's needs.
The OTS has a dedicated reports writer that provides investigative information based on the
Call Detail Records (CDRs). This sophisticated reporting tool can provide routine scheduled
reports, or reports on an ad hoc basis. The OTS is capable of searches and call detail analysis
on all calls, sorted by offender telephone location, destination number, time and duration, PIN,
and much more. Call details are kept on all call attempts, except those to blocked numbers.
However, view access to different types of CDRs (for example, calls to crime tips lines) can be
restricted by individual user level.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The OTS provides standard reports with parameter fields that allow the user to define the
information content of each report:


Per phone, per location, and per offender




Destination number (partial or full number entry)
Date and time range



Call frequency



Call type (completed, incomplete, blocked)



Number restriction and/or status assignment



Personal allowed number cross-referencing



Graphical display of call fluctuation



Broad search with no data entry




Suspected fraudulent call activity
Offender name



Offender PIN (if used) and/or account number



Prepaid calling card number



Destination zone (local, interLATA, interstate, intraLATA, international)

The Investigative Reports application compiles the data and displays the information in a report
format, on the workstation monitor, in a matter of seconds regardless of the volume of
information retrieved. Further, this application provides multiple functions for call playback,
copying calls to remote media and restoring calls from an archival mode. There are virtually no
limits to the type of information available through Investigative Reports.
Below is a sampling of reports available through the SCP portal. Please refer to Attachment H –
Sample SCP Reports.

Call Detail Report
The Call Detail Report (CDR) provides investigators an intuitive and user-friendly report to view
or search virtually anything related to an offender call, including:


Site name from which the call originated



Phone location as labeled in the system




Facility code
Dialed number




Start date/time
End date/time



Duration of call





Offender Account Number
Offender PIN
Prepaid card number if used



Offender first, middle, and last name

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Frequency Report
The Frequently Called Number (FCN) feature allows investigators to generate a report by
entering a frequency threshold to find only those numbers called more than the specified
number of times. Investigators can use this report to determine specific call patterns, detail
suspicious activity, and selectively assign a watched number status to potential fraudulent
numbers. Search criteria include:



Threshold (Number of times a phone number was called)
International



Watched



Private




Termination Category
Call Type



Call Status



Date Range

Call Frequency Report
Enter a threshold for the
number of times a number
was called to initiate the
report.

Select date range and other
criteria to narrow the
results.

Call Frequency results
display each dialed
number meeting or
exceeding the defined
threshold. By clicking on a
frequency amount, all call
detail information for the
calls are displayed.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Tracker Report
The Call Tracker Report allows users to track CDR notes (made by themselves or other
investigators). Authorized users can export report results to Excel, PDF, and CSV file formats.
Search criteria include:



Not Shared (when checked, shows the user’s notes that are flagged “not share” with
others)
Tracking number



First and last name



Custody Account and PIN



Dialed number




Notes (allows users to conduct a search using keywords included in the notes)
Date range



Results per page



Call Tracker Report

Use comprehensive search
criteria to find CDR Note.

View and interact with
results. Click CDR icon to
view full details about call
records.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Hourly Usage Report
The Hourly Usage Report shows users the number of phone calls that have taken place within a
given date and time range. Users may export the data to Adobe PDF. Search criteria include:


International



Watched



Private



Call Status (Complete and/or Incomplete Calls)



Date and Time (Maximum one week search)

Hourly Usage Report

Hourly Usage Report – is a
valuable administrative report
that displays the number of
phone calls that have taken
place within a given date and
time range. Search criteria
includes international, watched,
private, call status, and
date/time.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Covert Alert Call Detail Record Report
The Covert Alert Call Detail Record Report shows users any Covert Alerts triggered during a
specified date and time range. Results can be exported to Excel, PDF and CSV file formats.
Search criteria include:



Alertee Phone Number (The person that the phone call was forwarded to i.e.
investigator)
Alertee first and last name



Dialed Phone Number



Custody Account and PIN



First and last name




Termination Category
Call Status



Date/Time range

Covert Alert Call Detail Record Report

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Personal Allowed Number Frequency Report
The Personal Allowed Number (PAN) Frequency Report shows phone numbers that appear in
multiple PAN lists. Users enter threshold numbers to define search criteria. For example, a
threshold of “four” will show phone numbers that appear on more than four PAN lists.

Personal Allowed Number Frequency Detail Report
The PAN Frequency Detail Report allows users to search PAN lists to see phone numbers that
appear more than once.

Personal Allowed Number Frequency Report
Investigators enter a
number into the threshold
criteria field to research
how many times phone
numbers appear among
the PAN lists of their
facility and site(s).

By selecting the
magnifying glass next to
the displayed frequency
number, users can run a
detail report. This report
displays information about
each inmate having the
number on their PAN list.

Informant Line Report
The Informant Line Report allows users to search for calls placed to the informant line and
distinguish these calls from regular offender calls. Search criteria include:


Site name from which the call originated





Phone location as labeled in the system
Facility code
Dialed number





Start date/time
End date/time
Duration of call



Offender Account Number



Offender PIN

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal



Prepaid card number if used



Offender first, middle, and last name



Type of call (voice mail, person call, prepaid call, debit call)




Status of call (complete/incomplete)
Reason for call termination



Reason for block



Call properties (watched number, RCF detected, three-way attempt, private number)



Destination zone (local, intrastate, interstate, international)



Desired results per page

Informant Line Report
Informant Line
search criteria

Informant Line details
and available actions.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Secure Call Platform Debit Report
The SCP Debit Report allows users to:


Query Offender Debit/Prepaid call detail records (CDRs) by user-specified criteria



View all debits and credits that occurred during a specific period for an individual
offender, for all offenders in a facility, or for all facilities

Secure Call Platform Debit Report

Reports Provided to the Department by the CenturyLink Account Team
The CenturyLink Team currently provides the Department with the Following reports:


Fiscal Year Statistic Reports - Which include all of the details enumerated in Section
C.1.1.G.




Attorney Quarterly Audit
New Workstation installation and activation report

 Annual Network Redundancy Testing Report
As we worked closely with the Department to create many of the contractor provided reports
the Department is requesting, we are very adept in providing reports to TDCJ. We will continue
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

to submit these reports no later than the 20th of each month for the previous month and in the
format that the CenturyLink Team and the Department agreed upon.

Enhanced Service Reporting
Immediately following the initial implementation of the OTS, CenturyLink worked closely with
TDCJ to customize ongoing reporting. Subsequent to the initial implementation, TDCJ deployed
numerous enhanced services including WCS, ICER, forensic lab, THREADS, call monitoring
and IPRO. Following implementation of these enhanced services, CenturyLink again worked
with TDCJ to customize reporting for those services listed below.


Wireless Containment System (WCS) - Reporting of illegal contraband cell phone activity
within TDCJ facilities that is provided to the OTS staff for review and follow up action. On
demand, real-time, hourly, daily, weekly and monthly reporting is available.



ICER Reporting – Daily reporting of illegal communication between TDCJ offenders or a
TDCJ offender illegally communicating with offenders located in another jurisdictional facility
such as Louisiana DOC, Harris County or Dallas County.



Forensic Lab – Ad-hoc reporting provided to OIG staff of data extracted from contraband
cells phones or other confiscated devices. Data is available in written report format in
addition to extracted data being available within the THREADS analytical software.



THREADS - Data analytics engine analyzes multiple types of Department data, such as
offender communication records, public phone records, billing name and address, data from
confiscated cell phones, financial data, and more to automatically generate on demand and
regularly scheduled reports to TDCJ staff.



Call Monitoring – Targeted call monitoring includes reporting to the OIG and CID of all
gathered actionable intelligence upon discovery in agreed upon format and timeframe.



IPRO – The Investigator Pro call player and reporting system allows for significant ondemand reporting of each and every call where an offender’s voice or targeted called party’s
voice appears.
Investigator Pro Reporting Highlights
o

o
o
o


CallPlayer Pro™ includes an investigator-friendly screen featuring key
information along with the ability to control the playback speed, skip over
silent portions of the call and make reporting notes that can be searched at a
later date.
VoiceSearch™ finds where an offender’s voice appears on all calls. Authorized
users can also search on a called party’s voice and identify the calls on which
that called party’s voice appears.
MyCallReview™ lets you find, filter, manage and return to calls you’ve listened
to.
NoteManager™ lets you organize, view and report on notes across calls.
ReportMaker™ effortlessly runs reports to uncover patterns of telephone
system use that may indicate illicit activities.

Allowed Calling List (ACL) Audit Report - Report sent monthly to the TDCJ OTS office,
summarizing audits performed on Allowed Numbers ensuring they have not ported to unauthorized
services or otherwise changed registration information.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

14.

Proposer shall describe in detail the procedures required to monitor
Offender conversations, record Offender conversations and terminate
Offender calls from any designated Department location. Proposer shall
specifically state what equipment will be used to accomplish the
monitoring requirement. (C.3.1.1.H)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS has an integrated recording and monitoring system that allows authorized users to
access all offender conversations, minus those that are marked as private. Multiple levels of
security provide that only authorized personnel can access and monitor the offender recordings.
Through the SCP portal, authorized personnel can listen to live or archived recordings via any
device connected to the internet.
The CenturyLink Team acknowledges that all recordings and call records are considered
evidence and become the exclusive property of the Department. We fully understand the chain
of evidence process, and as an added benefit to the Department we will make available records
of any activities that have occurred surrounding any live monitored call or recording.
The SCP portal tracks all user activity when accessing any of the applications. When users
access recordings, SCP will track whether the recordings were played back, live monitored,
copied to a management folder, downloaded or burned to a CD. This information is accessible
by authorized Department staff through SCP in a user friendly, easy to use report. This report
provides the capability to search by individual user or by specific event, such as all recordings
accessed for playback.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

This tracking mechanism is also integrated throughout the call detail reports in order to give
authorized department staff a quick view to determine if a call had been accessed while running
a standard call detail report. This indication of the recording accessed will show up in the form of
a “padlock” icon. An additional layer of security provides even higher level authorized staff the
ability to click the “padlock” and view the complete call access history details including Access
Date, Access Type, User, Dialed Number, and Access Protocol if the session was via
Department facility or remote access (http / https).

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Monitoring
SCP Live application allows for real-time monitoring of calls in progress via a multi-media PC
workstation. Facility personnel (with appropriate privileges) can monitor live calls by highlighting
the call in progress and clicking on the speaker icon. This process is undetectable by the
offender or the called party and does not disrupt the recording process. Concise descriptions of
activity appear for each phone in use. For example, the system shows the specific telephone
location, offender PIN, the destination number dialed, city and state of the destination, and start
time and duration of each call. SCP also displays any restrictions such as “watched” or “private,”
and the status of the call, such as “in progress,” “calling destination,” or “getting acceptance.”

SCP can also automatically eliminate all monitoring or recording of special calls, such as calls to
legal counsel, by designating the number as a “private” number. SCP prevents all unauthorized
attempts to listen to private calls—the user interface will not display the speaker icon to play
private calls. The call record also lists the call as “private” on the user interface.

Select “Private” to
ensure calls to this
number are not
subject to
monitoring and
recording

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Monitoring, Silent
When monitoring occurs, the system incorporates analog suppression/amplification hardware
that allows monitoring of calls without offender or called party detection. There is absolutely no
noise, volume loss, or other indication of monitoring to assure complete investigator anonymity.
Covert Alert
The SCP includes the Covert Alert feature that will call an investigator on their cellular or
another phone when a specific offender places a call and offer them real-time monitoring of that
call.
Covert Alert bridges a call to an authorized remote number for dialed numbers, phones, or
offender PINs that are under surveillance by investigators. The Covert Alert feature allows
authorized personnel to monitor a call, from any location, while the call is in progress.
When a call is placed by an offender, or to a phone number that has a Covert Alert trigger, it is
automatically sent to the designated investigator phone number(s). A call can be sent to multiple
numbers simultaneously allowing several investigators to listen to the call.
Covert Alert can send calls to any phone number within the facility or across the United States.
Investigators can also monitor calls through on-site workstations using the SCP Live Monitor, or
remote live call-forwarding feature. This allows facility investigators to monitor potential illicit
activities regardless of the investigator's location.
Covert Alert can send E-mails to the investigator(s) with information about a Covert Alert call
including date, time, offender PIN, originating telephone, and dialed number immediately after
the called party accepts the call. The following figure provides a sample e-mail alert:

Alert Notification E-Mail

Investigators can also choose to receive a covert alert via text
message. The text message includes the date, time, offender PIN,
originating telephone, dialed number, and an indication if the call
has been recorded.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Additional Security Feature
For extra security, Coverts Alert can be configured to require a PIN to listen to the call. If
activated, a customizable message will state, “This is a Covert Alert call from John Smith, an
offender at the TDCJ facility. To accept this Covert Alert call, please enter your investigator PIN
now.”

Call Recording
The integrated SCP recording application works independently, so there is never a need for
integration of a third-party manufacturer’s product. This allows the facility to deal with a single
vendor if any issues arise.
SCP writes all recorded calls to a Network Attached Storage array (NAS) in our primary Data
Center. Each NAS array is also replicated to the secondary Data Center for redundancy and
failover. All recordings created on the platform reside in at least two of our Data Centers.
Recordings are stored on-line for immediate access for the contractually agreed upon time. The
SCP can also burn the information to CD or DVD for additional back up, if necessary.
The SCP can record all calls simultaneously and allows personnel to listen to pre-recorded calls
while active calls continue to be recorded. The system records the entire conversation from call
acceptance to termination.
Recording Search and Retrieval
SCP provides authorized personnel and investigators single-point access to research TDCJ call
records and recordings.
Users can specify search criteria, such as called party, calling telephone, date, time, PIN,
custody account number, duration, and location, and search across a site or group of sites
based on their security authorization. SCP searches call detail records and can include all call
attempts or just completed calls.
Search results provide detailed information about each call and will indicate whether or not the
call detail record (CDR) has an attached recording. If recorded, authorized investigators can
listen to the recording using the embedded call player with easy-to-use search capabilities, and
features such as, pause and play.
To speed searching of a recording the player shows sound wave activity of the call to identify
times of limited talk or to identify a particular event.
SCP streams call recordings to a program on an investigator’s computer that can ‘play” the
recording through the attached speakers. While it is possible to make a recording from the
speakers, this is only a copy of the original. Chain of Evidence safeguards are in place to
prevent access to the actual digital copy of the recording and to eliminate any chance of
manipulation, whether intentional or accidental, that could later challenge the authenticity of the
call recording.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Termination
Authorized personnel can terminate a call in progress from the “live monitoring” page by
clicking on the red X.

Additionally, Cover Alert includes a “Barge In” feature which allows the investigator to
immediately terminate the call by pressing a predetermined code. Covert Alert can also be
configured to allow investigators to enter a code and “Barge In” to the call and speak to both the
offender and called party.
This “Barge In” capability is available through both Covert Alert and on calls forwarded from
SCP Live Monitor. When monitoring a conversation, the call can be forwarded to an
investigator cell phone, office phone, or other designation, allowing them to barge into the
conversation using the predetermined barge in code and acceptance digit.
15.

Proposer shall provide a full description of the Digital Recording System
(DRS)), to include the indication function of recording space remaining
and mirrored storage capability. (Section C.3.1.1.J)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS includes a full-time digital recording system that covers all TDCJ OTS telephone lines
with additional growth capacity to allow for expansion of the OTS.
Our OTS centralized solution provides an advanced method of aggregating data and providing
centralized recording of a large system with many remote satellite facilities. Each remote site is
connected to a central site that provides centralized management of resources allowing on-thefly growth of telephone facilities and recording storage.

Recording Search and Retrieval
Call recordings are available for playback immediately. The OTS can simultaneously record all
telephone circuits while providing audio outputs for listening to selected calls from facility,
regional, and administrative locations. Multiple users listening to a single recorded conversation
will not affect the operation or quality of the recorded conversation of the OTS. All calls are
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

recorded in their entirety with exception of confidential attorney-client communication.
Playback from any drive or other recording media will not interrupt the recording process.
The OTS includes a “library” that catalogs and indexes every call transmission allowing for fast
retrieval of recording. Users can search and retrieve recordings by specifying search criteria,
such as called party, calling telephone, date, time, PIN, custody account number, duration, and
location, and search across a site or group of sites based on their security authorization. The
system will automatically make time and date or daylight savings time adjustments for the
recording.
Search results provide detailed information about each call and will indicate whether or not the
call detail record (CDR) has an attached recording. If recorded, authorized investigators can
listen to the recording using the embedded call player with easy-to-use search capabilities, and
features such as, pause and play.
To speed searching of a recording the player shows sound wave activity of the call to identify
times of limited talk or to identify a particular event.
SCP streams call recordings to a program on an investigator’s computer that can ‘play” the
recording through the attached speakers.
Establishing Recording Schedules
As all calls are recorded, except those marked as private, the method of controlling recording
schedules through our OTS system is by controlling the calling schedules. Calling schedules
are flexible and configurable allowing the facility to have multiple on and off times during the
day, within a week and by day of the week and then be applied to individual telephones, groups
of telephones, individual offenders and/or globally.

Programming Calling Schedules

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Recording Storage
The call recordings will be stored for 36 months for on-line retrieval of local and remote locations
on multiple Network Attached Storage array (NAS). Each NAS array is also replicated to the
secondary Data Center for redundancy and failover. The need to back-up data is not required
since the recorded conversations are replicated to a separate network during creation.
The OTS facilitates anywhere, anytime, immediate access to stored recordings online for the
contractually-required length of time. Securus stores call recordings in centralized, disasterresistant, carrier-class data centers. All equipment used to store recordings is monitored by the
Securus Network Operations Center (NOC) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days
a year.
The SCP provides a unique set of features and advanced technologies to store call recordings.
Traditional premises-based calling platforms use local hard drives that may fail and are
susceptible to local disasters. Premises-based systems needed manual backup schemes that
are no longer necessary with SCP. SCP writes all recorded calls to a Network Attached Storage
array (NAS) in our primary Data Center. Each NAS array is also replicated to the secondary
Data Center for redundancy and failover. All recordings created on the platform reside in at least
two of our Data Centers.
The NAS architecture makes all storage available to all servers on the network. The NAS
solution delivers complete scalability for a facility’s storage requirements and supports data
migration from one storage device to another and the sharing of data among different servers in
a network. The NAS devices provided by EMC can scale simply by adding another node of
dense SATA disk to the storage array. Within the NAS, SCP uses a software defined storage
platform of very dense disk nodes. Even if three individual hard disk drives fail or one node fails,
during the disk or node recovery process, the system will continue to operate without data loss.
The Securus NAS has more than 7 petabytes of storage space in each carrier-class data center
and is continuously monitored and managed through automated processes and storage
policies. When these very large storage systems approach designated thresholds, Securus
expands capacity to ensure all authorized call records and recordings are retained in secure,
disaster-resistant locations.
The NOC monitors call traffic patterns, bandwidth detail, and network life cycle management to
ensure sufficient resources are in place. A separate capacity engineering team reviews storage
requirements and traffic volume reports throughout all systems. Since SCP records all calls,
except those marked as private, the OTS establishes and controls schedules to initiate and
suspend recording by controlling calling schedules. SCP has automated calling schedules
which allows the system to manage the scheduling policies of the facility without staff
intervention. Calling schedules are used to turn on and off the phones during designated times
throughout the day or night.
The Securus data center storage solutions provide facilities with technology that is:


Scalable to meet any facility’s contractually required storage demands



Resistant to local disasters through multiple copies stored within the data centers and
off-site



Highly available through the unique architecture and design of the data storage model



Partitioned and compressed to run queries faster

 Secure, protected, and monitored to enable total recall of data
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

SCP records and stores basic call data with the capability to provide management reports.
Securus does not limit the call data storage time. Since every site’s requirements are different,
Securus works with each facility customer to define their optimal data storage timeframe. All
recordings are stored online within both carrier-class data centers. Typically, call detail records
are stored for the life of the contract and retained per contractual obligation.
Downloading Recordings
SCP allows authorized users to copy recorded conversations to any external media device
connected to the user’s PC, such as CD, DVD, mp3 player, or USB drive. This feature
facilitates easy sharing of recordings for investigative or court purposes. To maintain the
accuracy of data and recordings during downloading and copying, SCP stores the files—both
audio and CDR information—embedded within an industry-standard read-only format that
prevents the possibility of tampering.

Downloading Calls to External Media

When downloading calls, the user creates a folder within SCP to save the calls, and the
interface identifies the remaining space available.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

16.

Proposer shall describe how the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)
functions during power outages, surges and spikes, as well as identify
exactly what equipment will be equipped with UPS protection. Proposer
shall provide specific details on the recording systems, back-up and
restore procedures, as well as identification of site locations where data
ups will be stored and backed-up. (Section3.1.1.K)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team provides Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) at both the facility level as
well as at the Securus data center as a redundant back up to ensure that in the event of loss of
power, there is no change in the operational characteristics of the system. Additionally, we
proactively monitor the OTS and have established a redundant system to ensure maximum
facility uptime.

Uninterruptible Power Supply Facility Backup
SCP is a fully self-contained system, requiring minimal AC power dedicated to on-site
equipment. That being said, each Department facility will continue to have an uninterruptible
power supply (UPS) backup for the equipment installed on the premises. The UPS eliminates
spikes, sags, surges, transients, and all other over/under voltage and frequency conditions,
providing clean power to connected critical loads.
Powerware

We use the PowerWare UPS, which is only 7.6 inches high x 5.9 inches wide x 15.4 inches
deep, minimizing the space required in the facility equipment room. This rack mount UPS is a
high-density backup power protection solution that is ideal for servers, storage systems, network
equipment and other critical devices. The UPS is self-charged, and the equipment self-initializes
without manual intervention when commercial power is restored.
Calls In Progress
The Integrated Access Device (IAD) and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) maintain all inprogress telephone calls for up to 30 minutes, while blocking additional call attempts after the
event. After 30 minutes, the system terminates all calls in progress and powers down to a
quiescent state that allows it to resume full operation automatically after the restoration of
commercial power.
When commercial power is lost, there is no change in the operational characteristics of the
system. If commercial power is not restored prior to exhausting UPS power, the system
terminates all calls in progress and shuts down. The system will fully recover from any power
failure automatically, within five (5) minutes, with no outside intervention required after power is
restored. When commercial power is restored prior to the exhaustion of UPS power, no change
in the operational characteristics of the system will occur.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Uninterruptible Power Supply Data Center Backup
Securus operates and maintains two major data centers networked to the equipment installed
on TDCJ premises. Each data center has an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and a
generator to provide maximum network uptime. The traditional data circuits (MPLS, Frame
Relay, VoIP) all have dual connectivity feeds to/from the telecommunication carrier to each of
our data centers.
The UPS systems in our primary data center have 2N redundancy. Dual source power runs
through a static bypass switch. Battery rooms support the UPS systems with gel cell battery
banks. Fifteen minutes of battery backup is available at full load (such as 90 watts per square
foot). Each battery bank is continuously monitored to ensure optimal operation. Upon loss of
commercial power for more than 15 seconds, paralleling switchgear automatically powers all
nine generators; generators are shed to cover load as needed. Typically, the transition from
UPS to generator power takes 60 seconds.

Data Center Power Conditioning
The uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system filters, spikes, sags, surges, transients, and all
other over/under voltage and frequency conditions, providing clean power to connected critical
loads. Power distribution units (PDUs) distribute power to individual customer racks via remote
power panels. Each rack has redundant power strips (A & B) routed to diverse PDUs. Diverse
uninterruptible power supply systems feed each power distribution unit.
Diesel Generator(s)
There are multiple diesel generators providing standby power to the Internet Data Center. At 90watts per sq. ft., this represents a N+2 configuration. Five (5) underground fuel tanks store
70,000 gallons of diesel on-site.
Cooling
The building has five (5) 600-ton chillers. The raised floor, which is used as an air plenum,
delivers conditioned air to the equipment cabinets/racks. Multiple 29 - ton CRAC units are
strategically located on the raised floor area. CRAC units deliver conditioned air at 55° F to
maintain a room temperature of 72° F. If a chiller fails, a standby chiller will carry the load. The
standby chiller is designed to operate continuously. The system is fully redundant, designed to
N+1 requirements.
UPS
There are six (6) Liebert UPS systems, each with four (4) - 600kW/750kVA modules. Power is
supplied to the UPS systems through commercial power feeders and standby generators.
HVAC
Designed to N+1 specification, Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units deliver
conditioned air at 55° F to maintain a room temperature of 72°F. The building maintenance
group performs 24x365 monitoring. Onsite personnel respond to alarms per Securus standards.
Local alarms are also remotely monitored in the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) Global Client
Service Center (GCSC) in Alpharetta, GA. Humidity levels are monitored by the CRAC units at
the point of air intake and by additional sensors located throughout the data center. Pre-set
threshold levels are monitored by the infrastructure monitoring systems.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Water Detection
Water and humidity are closely monitored in the sub-floor air plenum by highly sensitive
moisture sensing devices.
Fire Suppression
Both the proposed LEC Global Internet Data Centers (GIDCs) feature pre-action dry pipe fire
suppression systems supported by state-of-the art VESDA smoke detection and alarm systems.
The VESDA system is considered 100 times more sensitive than conventional, passive fire
detection systems. Conventional smoke detectors are also utilized and are grouped into zones.
When one or more detectors in different zones detect smoke, the fire alarm panel opens the
deluge valve to fill the sprinkler piping with water. In case of an actual fire, the seal on the
sprinkler heads will melt and discharge water on the affected area. Water will not be discharged
in unaffected areas. Fire extinguishers are located throughout the Data Center floor to
accommodate human intervention.
The system is designed to avoid accidental water damage due to leaks in the pipes. The system
contains pressurized gas and is monitored against a reduction in that pressure which would
indicate a leak in one of the pipes.
The fire detection system has several steps to prevent false alarms. The VESDA (Very Early
Smoke Detection and Alarm) system provides the first indication that there might be a fire. Then
a smoke detector must detect smoke. Then a second smoke detector must independently
detect smoke. Follow this third level of detection; the dry-pipes will fill with water.
The system is designed to apply water only to the areas where there is a fire. The only way for a
sprinkler to activate is for the temperature at that sprinkler to exceed 170 degrees F. At which
point the head melts and releases water. It has been found that 3 sprinklers (or less) are usually
sufficient to suppress the majority of all fires. Water is not released generally throughout the
data center.
In the event of a fire and release of water to suppress the fire, any equipment that is sprayed
would most probably short to ground. Each rack is protected by 20-Amp circuit breakers. The
short would cause too much power to be drawn and the circuit would be tripped shutting off
power to individual racks and not to the entire center.

Recording Systems: Back-Up and Restore Procedures
Call Recording Storage
Securus stores call recordings in centralized, disaster-resistant, carrier-class data centers. All
equipment used to store recordings is monitored by the Securus Network Operations Center
(NOC) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year.
SCP writes all recorded calls to a Network Attached Storage array (NAS) in our primary Data
Center. Each NAS array is also replicated to the secondary Data Center for redundancy and
failover. All recordings created on the platform reside in at least two of our Data Centers.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The NAS architecture makes all storage available to all servers on the network. The NAS
solution delivers complete scalability for a facility’s storage requirements and supports data
migration from one storage device to another and the sharing of data among different servers in
a network. The NAS devices provided by EMC can scale simply by adding another node of
dense SATA disk to the storage array. Within the NAS, SCP uses a software defined storage
platform of very dense disk nodes. Even if three individual hard disk drives fail or one node fails,
during the disk or node recovery process, the system will continue to operate without data loss.

The Securus NAS has 7 petabytes of storage space in each carrier-class data center and is
continuously monitored and managed through automated processes and storage policies. When
these very large storage systems approach designated thresholds, Securus expands capacity to
ensure all authorized call records and recordings are retained in secure, disaster-resistant
locations.

The Securus data center storage solutions provide facilities with technology that is:


Scalable to meet any facility’s contractually required storage demands



Resistant to local disasters through multiple copies stored within the data centers and
off-site



Highly available through the unique architecture and design of the data storage model



Partitioned and compressed to run queries faster



Secure, protected, and monitored to enable total recall of data

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Restore Procedures
Securus Technologies has designed and implemented a robust network architecture that
provides for quick disaster recovery, minimalizing downtime for the OTS platform and its
customers.
Risk Mitigation
Securus has implemented a platform and infrastructure designed to minimize potential outages
and protect customer data. Multiple data centers, diverse network paths, redundant platform
systems and proactive monitoring mitigate the majority of risks.
Data Centers
Securus maintains a presence in two data centers in two geographically diverse locations. Our
data centers are designed to withstand worst case
events and maintain 99.95% availability. The data
centers, managed and staffed by a carrier-class
data center host, meet or exceed the
Telecommunications Industry Association’s (TIA)
standard number 942 for Tier IV (highest
availability) data centers including:


Ability to withstand a 96-hour power event



2-hour fire protection




Multi-layer physical security
Multiple power delivery paths.

Additionally, Securus data centers have redundant uninterrupted power systems, N+1 generator
redundancy, and N+1 cooling redundancy. All systems and network equipment have redundant
power paths. Multiple telecommunications carriers also serve each data center for load
balancing and path diversity. Securus data centers are manned 24x7x365 for immediate
physical assistance inside the data center.
Redundancy
Redundancy is a key component of the Secure Call Platform (SCP). While operating on a single
platform, SCP runs on duplicate environments in separate data centers in Atlanta, GA and
Dallas, TX. Each component has N+1 redundancy meaning that a failure of any one
component does not result in downtime because there is a backup available to resume its
function. In addition to the inherent redundancy of SCP, Securus has also designed
redundancy into all support systems either through N+ 1 configuration, database clusters, virtual
machines, load balancing or other failover methods. All network transport has redundant
network equipment and routing to allow traffic to reroute in the event of a failure.
The SCP platforms in Dallas and Atlanta were designed and built to the same specifications.
This standardization allows rehoming of systems from their primary data center to an alternate
data center in the event of a failure.
All circuits coming into Securus data centers use multiple diverse carriers, including the
interconnections between data centers. In the event of a failure, traffic will reroute across a
redundant circuit or path. Additionally, Securus utilizes multiple carriers for offender calls from
the SCP platform. Calls to family and friends will immediately reroute upon failure of any carrier.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Securus utilizes multiple methods of storage to minimize the risk of data loss. All critical systems
and data are backed up at regularly scheduled intervals and stored offsite for retrieval if needed.
In addition to offsite storage, Securus replicates voice clips, call recordings and validation data
between the data centers.
Securus uses industry leading vendors for all platform and network hardware including Dell,
Cisco, Oracle, EMC, Big IP and Intel. In addition to the redundancy designed into the platform
and network, Securus also maintains a spare parts inventory onsite at each of our data centers
to expedite repair of a failed component. Securus also maintains premium-level support
contracts with each vendor that define stringent service level agreements in the event of failure.
Securus maintains an inventory of spare parts for our facility-based components at our
headquarters in Dallas, Texas and has distribution agreements with multiple vendors to provide
expedited national delivery service. The corporate headquarters maintains a standardized
emergency recovery package of frequently used spare parts and equipment that will be
available for shipment to support restoral efforts at our customer sites. Our technical field
representatives located throughout the country also carry an inventory of the most commonly
needed spare parts. With spare parts on board our service vehicles, most facility-based
equipment malfunctions can be resolved with a single site visit.

Proactive Monitoring
Data Centers and Network
Securus continuously monitors all data centers, infrastructure components, platform systems
and Offender Telephone Systems (OTS) using the SolarWinds® suite of network performance
monitors. The SolarWinds® performance monitors are highly configurable to provide real-time
monitoring, event notification, alert history and statistical information. An alarm condition creates
immediate visual alerts and email notifications.
The Securus Network Operations Center (NOC) provides 24x7x365 monitoring for all Securus
systems, including SCP, network, back-office systems and data centers. The NOC proactively
monitors these systems to ensure performance is optimal and uninterrupted. In addition to
system and network level monitoring, the NOC also monitors real-time video surveillance and
environmental alerts for our data centers. Securus maintains a fully redundant backup NOC at a
separate physical location, should services be disrupted at the primary location.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

SolarWinds® Typical Monitored Application Elements

Securus Primary Network Operations Center

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Premise Equipment
The Securus Technical Support team provides
A technician visits every TDCJ
24x7x365 monitoring of all facility-based equipment
site
at least once a month to
and directly supports facility installations via telephone
inspect
premise equipment.
and email. Technical Support monitors connectivity for
all installations and all installed equipment including
Additionally, we perform
Integrated Access Devices (IADs), Visitation Phone
preventative maintenance on all
Monitoring (VPM) units, switches and Uninterrupted
equipment 1x a quarter.
Power Supply (UPS) systems. The systems are polled
every two minutes and their vital operating statistics are
sent every 10 minutes. Upon receiving an alert
indicating network failure, Securus will open a trouble ticket with the appropriate circuit provider.
In the case of a premise-based equipment failure, a Field Technician is dispatched to the facility
for on-site repair.

SolarWinds® Device Monitoring Example

Bandwidth & Network Latency Monitoring Example

In addition to real-time monitoring and alerting, Securus Technical Support also leverages the
SolarWinds® network performance monitor to gather and evaluate historical data for network
alerts, bandwidth usage, packet loss, and hardware performance. The detailed level of
monitoring available via our network performance monitor allows the Technical Support group to
take proactive steps to prevent or mitigate facility outages and to ensure the correct resources
are engaged if dispatch is necessary.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Restoration
Platform and Network
In the event of a disaster impacting SCP or our network, Securus immediately assembles a
team of engineers to begin investigation and restoration of services. Securus maintains a
schedule of on-call personnel for immediate response to service-impacting events and will also
engage 3rd party vendors if required.
Facility-installed Systems
We prioritize recovery of premise-based equipment by facility type and equipment location.
Maximum-security institutions and institutions with high offender phone usage receive priority.
Prioritization also considers customer requirements and preferences. Securus has developed
procedures (checklists) to protect personnel and equipment in the event of an emergency
situation. Securus will combine headquarters and field staff efforts to expedite service recovery
wherever possible. Securus coordinates each checklist to ensure compliance with each facility’s
guidelines.
Securus has a field support department with more than 224 field service associates supported
by a centralized field dispatch team. The Field Service Technicians (FST) are strategically
located to support ongoing maintenance as well as any disaster recovery situations. The FSTs
are supported by senior technical support resources and engineering to expedite repairs and
minimize customer downtime.
Reporting
Upon confirmation of a service impacting event, the Network Operations Center will issue an
internal Service Interruption Report (SIR). The SIR will include the nature of the outage, impact
to facilities and estimated time of restoration if known. Each incident is assigned an urgency
level based on the level of customer impact.
Customer contact personnel receive SIRs, so they can communicate with customer facilities
proactively or reactively as required by the facility. Additionally, when possible, Technical
Support may communicate a service impacting event via a splash screen in the SCP user
interface, the customer interface to SCP. Regular updates ensure that information provided is
always current. Securus executives also receive all SIRs, so they are aware of all customerimpacting events.
The NOC will issue a final SIR upon issue resolution. Securus investigates each incident and
completes a root-cause analysis (RCA) following all service impacting events. Once the root
cause is determined, Securus makes RCA documents available customers upon request.
17.

Proposer shall describe the Announcements and Call Branding system,
and how acceptance will function with both touchtone and rotary dial
telephones. (Section C.3.1.1.L)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The SCP includes an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that provides Automated
Operator Services (AOS). This automated assistance uses clear and concise, professionally
recorded voice prompts and announcements to establish call acceptance and to assist inmates
and called parties throughout the calling process. The announcements and call branding
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

system are all configurable. We have already customized these for your facilities, including
Spanish prompts, saving time in implementation.
The inmate calling process is:
1. The inmate picks up the telephone.
2. The inmate hears “For English, press 1.” [In Spanish] For Spanish, press 2.”
(Securus can add additional languages on request)
3. “For a collect call, press 1.”
4. “For a debit call, press 2.”
The following table provides calling options and the associated announcements:

Offender Calling Options
Offender Chooses Collect Call
Option

Offender Chooses Debit Call Option

“Please enter your TDCJ ID number now”
(repeated)

“Please enter the area code and phone number
you are calling now” (repeated)

“You have (X) dollars and (X) cents.”

“You will be asked to verify your name now.
Please say your full name after the beep.”
“Thank you, I recognized your voice”
”Please say Texas department of Criminal
Justice after the beep.”
“Thank you, I recognized your voice.”
“This call is being recorded and is subject to
monitoring. Also note, this call may take a little
longer to complete as your called party might be
listening to a way in which to put money in your
offender debit account by calling (866) 9637912, (866) 963-7912. You may hear silence
during the acceptance of your call. Please
continue to hold.”
[call is answered] ”Thank you for using
CenturyLink, You may start the conversation
now.”

“Please enter the area code and telephone number
you are calling now.” (repeated)
“This call will cost (X) dollars and (X) cents for the
first minute and (X) dollars and (X) cents for each
additional minute, plus any applicable telecom and
sales taxes.”
“You will be asked to verify your name now. Please
say your full name after the beep.”
“Thank you, I recognized your voice”
”Please say Texas department of Criminal Justice
after the beep.”
“Thank you, I recognized your voice.”
“This call is being recorded and is subject to
monitoring. Also note, this call may take a little
longer to complete as your called party might be
listening to a way in which to put money in your
offender debit account by calling (866) 963-7912,
(866) 963-7912. You may hear silence during the
acceptance of your call. Please continue to hold.”
[call is answered] ”Thank you for using
CenturyLink, You may start the conversation now.”

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Specific Friends and Family Process
When the called party answers the phone, the calling service’s advanced answer detection
triggers the call acceptance voice prompt. The called party hears, “Hello, you are receiving a
collect call from [offender’s name], an offender at the XXX Unit. This call is being recorded and
subject to monitoring.” SCP then gives the called party the following menu options:

Friends and Family Receiving Call Process
Collect Call

Debit Call

“Hello, This is a collect call from (Offenders Name)
an offender at (Unit Name) This call is being
recorded and subject to monitoring”

“Hello, This is a free call from (Offenders Name)
an offender at (Unit Name) This call is being
recorded and subject to monitoring,

“To accept charges, press 1.”

“To accept this free call, press 1”

“To refuse charges, press 2.”

“To refuse this free call, press 2.”

“To learn how to put money in your pre-paid
account or an offender pre-paid debit account,
press 5.”

“If you would like to permanently block your number
from receiving calls from this facility, press 6.”

“If you would like to permanently block your
number from receiving calls from this facility,
press 6.”

“For available credit and rate quote, press 7”

“For available credit and rate quote, press 7”
[Presses 1] “You may start your conversation now.”

[Presses 1] “You may start your conversation
now.”

In addition to the voice prompts at the initiation of the call, at one minute before the maximum
call duration, the “One Minute Remaining” message is played.

Called Party Acceptance
The Secure Call Platform (SCP) requires active “called party” acceptance using touch-tones to
complete calls. When the called party answers the phone, the SCP answer detection triggers
the call acceptance voice message. This message announces the inmate’s call and asks the
called party to accept or reject the charges of a collect call. The called party is instructed to dial
a single digit on their telephone to accept the collect call charges, or hang-up to disconnect the
call and refuse charges. For rotary phones, the called party can say their selection using voice
acceptance.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Inmate Call Flow Chart

18.

Proposer shall describe call detail records formats and method to
obtain such data, e.g. electronic format via web site. (Section C.3.1.1.M)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS will provide full call detail records to the Department. The original call detail records
are stored in secured databases with access limited to Department approved database
administrators only. These databases are also protected through firewalls and the corporate
network and cannot be accessed outside of SCP. Additionally, these call records are replicated
to several databases for internal operations to use and for SCP to access the records upon
request from an authorized system user.
SCP creates a 128 bit encrypted Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection between the
workstation and OTS centralized platform. This connection is established prior to the movement
of any data across the network that is confidential or related in any way to the recordings or
CDR data. This complex encryption method prevents access or the potential intercept of this
data and allows the communication access across the public network to be safe and secure.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal
79

The Call Detail Report (CDR) provides an intuitive and user-friendly report to view or search
virtually anything related to an offender call, including:



Site name from which the call originated



Phone location as labeled in the system



Facility code




Dialed number
Start date/time



End date/time



Duration of call



Offender Account Number



Offender PIN



Prepaid card number if used



Offender first, middle, and last name




Type of call (voice mail, person call, prepaid call, debit call)
Status of call (complete/incomplete)



Reason for call termination



Reason for block



Call properties (watched number, RCF detected, three-way attempt, private number)



Destination zone



Desired results per page

Please see the following page for a sample Call Detail Report.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Call Detail Report

Reports can be saved, retrieved, and shared in the following file formats:




Adobe® PDF
Microsoft® Excel
Comma Separated (CSV)

Authorized users can also save reports to multiple destinations or upload data from the report
into their other databases for further analysis.
19.

Proposer shall describe their fraud control processes, to include a
description of the operation of the three-way call detector. (Section
C.3.1.1.Q)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Fraudulent calls will be the sole responsibility of CenturyLink. The CenturyLink team has spent
and will continue to spend a substantial effort developing tools that eliminate fraudulent
communications. Not only because of potential lost revenue for offender calls, but just as
significantly by preventing an offender from having unauthorized communications with the
general public and thus reducing a major security risk.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

The OTS will provide, at a minimum, the following aids in preventing fraudulent use:



Elimination of secondary dialing
Termination of calls if a second dial tone is detected



Prohibition of switch hook dialing and call forwarding



A non-billed interval at the beginning of the call



Limitation on the number of times a telephone number may be redialed by the offender
within a specific period of time (parameters to be set by the Department)



Provide a Three-Way call detector as part of the OTS



Information such as name, address, and billing information for the called number as well
as name, address and phone number or other identifying information of the person(s)
prepaying minutes.



Identification and reporting on inmate-to-inmate communication via ICER.

Constant Fraud Controls
A significant number of emerging threats are call diversion schemes that mask the true
destination of calls. The OTS provides the most advanced fraud detection capabilities in the
correction industry. The OTS calling service continuously analyzes call data and system
parameters to detect any anomalies, hardware failures, fraud indications, or unusual usage
patterns. The system logs all telephone activity and statistically analyzes it to detect attempts at
call forwarding, three-way calling, ‘hookswitch dialling’, ‘black boxing’, ‘hacking’, and other
fraudulent telephone activities.
The system, by default, does not allow the offender to press additional digits. It uses our
patented DTMF collection techniques to collect and only act upon digits that the system is
expecting. Unlike traditional premises-based systems, SCP controls the call and buffers digits
between pressing and sending. For instance, when the system asks for language selection it
expects a one-digit answer; when asking for a PIN it expects the maximum PIN length. The
system does not expect digits after call connection and will not accept any extra pressed digits.
This makes it impossible for offenders to receive a secondary dial tone or call anyone by dialing
additional digits after call connection. This patented feature is only available on Securus’ Secure
Call Platform (SCP).

Three-Way Conference Calling Fraud Detection
At the discretion of the Department, the OTS can continue to direct the system to disconnect the
call with messaging to offender and called party when a three-way event is detected. The OTS
creates a note in the call record when this occurs. However, the OTS also provides the option
of marking the call in the call record with no interruption when a three-way even is detected.
With traditional systems, offenders enlist the aid of an outside accomplice to “conference” them,
via three-way calling, to an “unrestricted” line, bypassing system controls. Without three-way call
detection, offenders can defeat the correctional objectives and policies of the institution and
subjecting the public to offender harassment and fraud. SCP is unique in its ability to detect and
defeat an accomplice’s attempt to conduct the three-way event. SCP has the unique ability to
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

disable three-way call detection on a particular number or groups of numbers, such as main
listed telephone numbers to attorneys.

Remote Call Forwarding Detection
In conjunction with our three way call prevention system, the OTS provides Remote Call
Forwarding Detection (RCFD). RCFD provides the ability to immediately terminate a call in real
time if it detects that a called party’s telephone number is call forwarded to another telephone
number.
As an added feature, SCP can be configured to allow the call to continue with one of the two
following options if false disconnects are a concern:


Announce to the offender and called party that remote forwarded calls are not allowed,
and mark the call in the call record



Mark the call in the call record, without an announcement to the offender and called
party

The SCP user interface secure Web site provided allows authorized users the ability to create
Call Detail Reports for those calls by selecting the “RCF” flag or using the specific termination
code “Call Forwarding Detected” as shown in the figure on the following page.

Enter Call
Forwarding Detect
as the termination
category

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Check the RCF box
to search for CDRs
where Remote Call
Forwarding has
occurred

ICER
As mentioned above, Securus’ ICER technology provides another
exceptional tool in identifying and combatting three-way
conferencing. Offenders are continually finding creative ways to
speak to each other using the offender phone system, and ICER
listens to and identifies all of these illegal communication events.
Whether two offenders are calling an accomplice on the outside
who is verbally relaying messages, or the accomplice has two
speakerphones to coordinate gang conference calls, ICER identifies these scenarios and
proactively notifies authorized corrections staff of the event and provides details that can quickly
and easily be traced back to a specific call. This call can then be listened to through Securus’
industry-leading platform—SCP.
20.

Proposer shall submit a clear, concise description of the operation of
the maintenance diagnostic system to include reporting of all
telephones and digital recording systems to be used for Contract
Monitoring purposes. (Section C.3.1.1.R)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
CenturyLink’s OTS provider, Securus, exceeds this requirement in that we have an established
SolarWinds Monitoring “Diagnostics” system which receives Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) traps (typically set for every 5 minutes but never to exceed the 24 hour test
requirement) from the network equipment located at each facility which will alert the Securus
Network Operations Center (NOC) of potential issues. Health thresholds and system error
detection clients are established on the Secure Call Network core processing platforms at each
Data Center to detect any potential issues and sends real time alerts to the Network Operations
Center. The Secure Call Network transportation backbone carrier (AT&T) volume thresholds are
established on core node equipment at each Data Center alerting SolarWinds of possible carrier
network issues. Logs of these events are maintained for Network Operations Center for
minimum 30 days and are then transferred to Lifecycle Management Servers for minimum 1
year trending reports. Diagnostic testing includes the OTS and all components such as the DRS
and UPS.
The Network Operation Center is located within the Dallas, Texas headquarters of Securus. The
facility is staffed 24/7 by highly trained network administrators.
In addition, the CenturyLink Team will proactively maintain the premised based equipment
location at the individual Department facilities. The Field Service/Site Technicians will perform
preventative maintenance to ensure that the offender telephones are in good working order.
Technicians perform quarterly review of every piece of equipment including Adtrans, switches,
phones and workstations. The benefit to the Department is fewer grievances from offenders,
minimal interaction with the CenturyLink Team for maintenance tickets, and an all-around better
customer experience.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

21.

Proposer shall describe the system administrative features, functions
of the proposed OTS (e.g., the system shall provide the system
·administrator the ability to roll the computer mouse over an
Offender's list of numbers and get information as to who owns the
number). (Section C.3.1.1.M)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The OTS contains highly configurable features to ensure system and data integrity. Call Detail
Records and recordings will be stored in redundant date centers for a minimum of 36 months, or
longer for designated records.

System Administrative Features
The information contained below includes but is not limited to the categories of the
administrative feature and functions available with the OTS.


Creating Security Templates
o



Create, Add, Updates

User Administration
o
o
o

Create a user ID
Search for a user
Edit users

o
o

Reset user password
Deactivate a user



Managing Job Titles
o Create, Add, Updates



System Administration Reports
o Manage user authorization for reports
o
o



Print report lists
Create Excel, PDF, and CSV exports

Management Level Settings
o Special agency features
o
o

Custody account features
Dial to number (DTN) feature

Feature level management


Facility, telephone group and telephone features management

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal



Controlling Telephones
o

Maximum duration

Three-Way Call detection

o
o

Disabling telephones
Call length control

Manage call schedules




Controlling Telephone Groups
o

Create/disable

Call duration

Three-Way detection

Call scheduling

Global Number Management
o Allowed/denied
o



Create, edit , delete - call schedules

Add/delete

Department and Facility Reports
o
o

Call detail
Call completion/attempts

Investigative

System usage

Custody Account Control
o Create
o

Activate/deactivate

Create PIN/PAN/PBI

o
o

Set call length
Set Three-Way detection

o
o

Assign to telephone group
Pre-recorded name - add/delete

Transfer(s) to another facility

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

User Functionality
Authorized users, depending on their individual privileges are able to simply navigate the SCP
web based GUI. The GUI is tab based and organizes information in an easy to understand way,
for example the CDR search tab enables authorized users to search CDRs using different and
multiple search criteria (See search fields below).

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Another example of an easy to use SCP feature is the ability of an administrator to roll the
computer mouse over a phone number in order to get information as to who owns the number
(see following page).

22.

Proposer shall provide, in detail, their investigative software
applications, services, and reporting capabilities. (Section C.3.1.1.T)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team agrees with the Department’s investigative approach of combining data
mining software with human intelligence services to aid the Department with investigations. The
CenturyLink Team is fully prepared to continue to monitor phone calls at the direction of the OIG
and CID. We offer a wide array of rich investigative data sources, including but not limited to
Voice Biometric Identification, WCS reports, automatic import of CDR’s, JPay deposit data, and
end user reverse lookup information. Most important we bring this all together into a single
source for the Department – THREADS.
Of course all of this doesn’t mean anything unless you have the people
to investigate and qualify all the leads generated from these data
sources. Through our Guarded Exchange division, our team offers the
Department valuable resources and knowledge to augment existing
TDCJ investigative staff.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Enhanced Call Player
To allow Department staff to listen to one or both parties of a call, advance through dead space,
and be able to attach notes to a recording, the CenturyLink Team provided the Department with
the Investigator Pro (IPRO) Call player. The Department is currently enjoying the benefits of the
IPRO call player, and can continue to do so by remaining with the CenturyLink Team.
Features of the IPRO Call Player Include:



Ability to skip pauses to save listening time,
Ability to mute either the offender or called party side of the call,



A Notes feature, which allows the investigator to add a note to the entire call or to a clip
in the call, and distribute notes to colleagues. The NoteWriter automatically captures
the timestamp of each event and creates an audio clip that the investigator can easily
attach to a note.
Slow down and speed up playback capabilities while keeping the call intelligible,



The “Searchable Voice” button which tells how many voices are on the call;



Detection and flagging of calls in the analysis results box, which contains three-way call
events and offender-to-offender conferences (ICER events). Investigators can pinpoint
exactly where in the call the three-way or ICER event took place. The IPRO call player
allows the investigator to capture a sample of a voice on either the offender or called
party side of the call, save that sample, and search the entire call database for all calls
where that voice occurs.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Inmate Inter-Communications Evaluation and Reporting System (ICER)
The Inmate Intercommunication Evaluation and Reporting system
(ICER) detects completed calls made on the offender telephone
system(s) between offenders, whether within an agency or between
agencies across the country. The ICER system alerts investigators at
the participating agencies of these events without transmitting any call
audio.

Industry-Leading
Feature

For each offender-to-offender call ICER identifies the offenders, their locations, the call date and
times, and the outside telephone number or numbers they called to make the connection.
ICER is unique in the industry in that it detects these calls even when the two offenders called
separate outside telephone numbers to connect with each other.
ICER Facts:


Installed in a fusion like environment at 1176 facilities across the United States



Installed at 92 Counties within the State of Texas, including Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and
Travis Counties



Over 240,000 ICER event reports generated across the United States since 2015.

How ICER Works:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A call “signature” representing the call and its metadata is created for each call.
Call signatures are encrypted and sent to the ICER servers. No call audio is sent.
Call signatures are compared. Matches are ICER events.
Each event is logged into the ICER database.
Email alerts are sent to investigators at the participating corrections agencies.
To prevent the display of protected offender data, when two facilities are involved both
must provide electronic consent before details of the full report are made available.

Sample ICER Event Report:

1308675309

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Link Analysis Software
Through our link analysis software—THREADS™—facility data is automatically ingested.
Additional external data sources can be imported and analyzed to build an investigation. All of
this takes place without purchasing any additional equipment, and it can be managed remotely
at any time through an assigned Web-based facility portal. This means that the Department can
access data remotely from any location that provides Internet access.
THREADS is the most widely used investigative telecommunications platform in the industry
today, with more than 1.5 million offenders served, petabytes of aggregated intelligence data,
and more than 2 million phone calls processed per day. THREADS’ powerful data analytics
engine analyzes multiple types of facility data, such as offender communication records, public
phone records, billing name and address, data from confiscated cell phones, financial data, and
more to automatically generate focused leads for investigators. THREADS is extremely robust
and accurate, but is extremely intuitive, and easy to use —making it a perfect tool for busy
investigative officers operating within a correctional institution.
THREADS automatically uploads facility data and does not require any equipment to reside onsite, saving Department Staff hours of time and energy of not having to manually upload facility
data. The unique algorithms within THREADS makes what used to take an entire day of
multiple officers working eight-hour shifts now just take moments.

Importing Information
THREADS will automatically import the following types of corrections information:




Offender call records
Offender personal information, such as name, account number, PIN, DOB, SSN, and
more
PAN lists





Called party billing name and address information
Video visitation
Suspicious activity, through IPRO and ICER for example



Financial data

THREADS can also import the following types of information from external data sources:



Confiscated cell phones—calls, text messages, emails, videos, contacts, etc.
Public phone records



Events and places of interest




Mail
LexisNexis

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Workspaces
Within THREADS, online workspaces are provided where cases can be built. These
workspaces allow users to compile data and build an investigation. Pictures, locations, devices,
organizations, and known associates can be inserted and attached within the workspaces to
organize in-progress investigations while investigators add additional data points. Investigators
can update the permissions for each workspace to allow only the active investigator, only
MDOC facilities, or your full shared community to have access to individual workspaces.
Through these settings, users filter editing privileges for those assigned with viewing access.
Community
THREADS further separates itself from other offender telephone service providers by providing a national
community database where facilities can choose to share their data to expand and identify more
investigative opportunities and leads. Facilities can choose to share data with other agencies locally,
regionally, or nationally depending on their investigative needs. Through this community of data sharing,
THREADS users can leverage the resources of other agencies to understand the breadth of their
investigations and, therefore, close cases faster. By joining the THREADS community, users can run
reports, uncover data correlations, and gather contact information unlike any other data analytics solution.

Graphic and Textual Information
All information is presented graphically as well as textually. Timeline charts and graphical
analysis make it easy to reveal periods of high-intensity calling and other calling patterns on a
graphical and interactive timeline.
Offender Identification and Automatic Notifications
This technology identifies the offender—even if the calls are masked by another offender’s
PIN—and eliminates human intervention by receiving actionable intelligence at the push of a
button. THREADS also provides automated notifications that can alert an investigator when
information is found. THREADS further allows users to customize what facility information they
want to appear on the THREADS dashboard in the form of investigative widgets; users can also
choose which data points they want and how the information is organized.
THREADS Dashboard

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THREADS Reports
THREADS provides the following types of reports:


Statistical



Linkage




Working Group
Correlation



Time-Based



Financial

Statistical Reports
Statistical analysis includes basic reports to start your investigation. This includes all
occurrences of a phone number or a bounce list of numbers in the database and the most
frequently called numbers by an offender or person.



Identify everywhere a phone number occurs in the database, such as calls, SMS,
phonebook, and BNA. This analysis can be run with a bounce list.
Identify an offender as a potential owner of a device.



Identify the phone numbers that an offender or person calls with the highest frequency.



Identify all phone numbers associated with an offender or person including all calls,
SMS, emails, and phonebook contacts. A bounce list can be generated from this report.



Identify all communication details (calls, SMS and emails) between 2 or more targets or
groups of targets. This report produces a CSV file for download.
Communication Activity Summary

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Linkage Reports
Linkage analysis shows how offenders and people are related. All the reports in this section
generate graphical results that let you explore the relationships between your targets. This
visual reporting tool is a quick way to understand who offenders are talking to and how the calls
are related to other known numbers or offenders.
Users can generate a linkage chart that identifies:


A target(s) relationship based on user-selected connection types, such as calls,
financials, visitation, etc.



Connections between two selected targets or two sets of targets based on userselected connection types, such as calls, financials, visitation, etc.



Connections between two or more targets based on user-selected connection types,
such as calls, financials, visitation, etc.
Direct relationships between selected targets based solely on phone calls



Linkage Analysis

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Working Group Reports
Working Group analysis uses a person’s communication behavior and calling patterns to identify
phone numbers and people of interest. One of the key techniques used is temporal analysis,
which associates people based on time between calls. The closer the time between calls, the
more likely those calls are related. By leveraging working group reports, facilities can identify
gang and other organized activity. Knowing organized groups and gangs can aid staff in
monitoring member activity or even taking preventive measures against illicit activities.


Identify a target’s “working group” or inner-circle based on their communication
patterns. This report is a graphical linkage chart.




Display a target’s inner circle changes over a predetermined time
Show communication sequences where a target calls two or more numbers in a pattern



Identify communication patterns—such as two or more of the same sequence—and
when they occurred
Find a target’s chain of calls. A chain is a series of calls triggered by the previous call in
the chain. This report requires imported phone calls from outside the facility.




Identify the most-likely boss in an organization based on chain analysis. This report
requires imported phone calls from outside of the facility.

Inner Circle Report

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Correlation Reports
Correlation analysis identifies common contacts and phone numbers between offenders,
persons, and workspaces. Through correlation reporting, investigators can identify common
contacts between offenders as well as fraternization between offenders and facility staff.


Find any common communications between offenders, persons, or groups of targets



Identify potential three-way calls between offenders



Discover common phone numbers between two workspaces

Time-Based Reports
Time-based analysis provides reports based on the timing and frequency of an offender’s or
other person’s communications. Find out when communication is frequently taking place, then
identify periods of time where communication is not taking place. These gaps in communication
can indicate behavioral changes as well as cell phone usage.





Identify holes or gaps in an offender’s or person’s communication activity
Display a set of phone numbers that a person called where communications stop with
one phone number and starts communication with a different phone number within a
close proximity of time. This might indicate a change of phone number or an
organizational shift.
Identify if two or more phones are being used at overlapping times. If there is a
significant time overlap, it could indicate that the phones are being used by different
people.
Generate a graphical timeline of any activity—such as communication, association,
financial transactions, etc.—that includes a date and time.

Hole Detection Report

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Financial Reports
Financial analysis identifies correlations between offenders and people based on the funding of
an offender’s accounts.


Identify offender financial accounts with multiple funding sources



Identify and list financial transactions of interest for a set of targets

Efficient Automated Reports
When key information is gathered, investigators must determine where all of that data will go
and then take part in the time-consuming method of analysis. However, THREADS takes it one
step further by allowing facilities to set up automated reports. Reports can be scheduled to take
place daily, weekly, or monthly. Through this automated reporting process, users receive
notifications regarding the data they use at the timeframes they select.
Managed Data Analytics
Guarded Exchange is available to assist TDCJ with THREADS reporting to help provide
actionable intelligence to TDCJ facility members.

Key Word Search
The CenturyLink Team agrees with the Department’s approach to investigations, combining
data mining software with human intelligence to find and qualify suspicious activity. To support
the Department in their investigations, the CenturyLink Team provides Word Spotting and
THREADS data mining software for use in addition to Guarded Exchange services.

Word Spotting
Our Word Spotting solution was developed specifically for
the corrections environment. This technology was built and
tested using real calls placed by real offenders with
feedback and direction from real investigators. This
technology speeds up investigations, reduces labor
demands and increases investigative capabilities.
SCP’s Word Spotting feature includes:





Our Word Spotting is fully
integrated into the SCP
platform allowing for word
spotting searches for
specified keywords in calls
automatically without the
need to switch programs or
download calls.

A default dictionary of more than 7,500 search words
that can be customized to meet the Department’s needs, including slang and jargon not
found in standard dictionaries. As security threat groups expand their code word
vocabulary and new intelligence is gained, new keywords can be added.
A user-friendly interface to select suspicious offenders or phone numbers for ongoing
searches.
A Word Spotting search engine that automatically processes offenders or phone
numbers with no additional involvement from facility staff.



Integrated reporting that allows users to identify calls where specified keywords were
spoken.



A unique feature that allows users to select suspicious recordings from the standard
Call Detail Report and send them through the search engine with a single mouse click.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Word Spotting Reports
Authorized users can access the Word Spotting reporting tools through SCP’s user interface.
Investigators use search criteria such as date range, PIN, dialed number, and offender name to
pull a report that lists all of the calls with identified keywords.
The reports provide standard information such as the name of the offender, their PIN, and the
dialed number. Investigators can see the identified keyword and the time within the call that the
word was spoken; saving valuable time by eliminating the need to listen to the entire call.

Word Spotting Report

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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Word Spotting Keyword Management

Word Spotting Search Configuration

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Analytical Services through Guarded Exchange (GEX)
As stated previously, the CenturyLink Team agrees with
the Department’s investigative approach of combining data
mining software with human intelligence services.
Currently Guarded Exchange (GEX) is working priority
requests from the Department and producing Suspicious
Activity Reports (SAR’s) for approximately 15,000 monthly
offender calls. We offer to continue these services in order
to meet or exceed this requirement. In addition, we offer
expanded Guarded Exchange services in our response to
Section C.3.10 – Added Value.
Through GEX, we have been providing experienced,
certified, professional personnel to provide monitoring of
calls longer than any other vendor. As such, we have
developed tools and processes that are refined and proven
to be effective in large scale DOC environments.

Since July 2017 GEX has monitored
164,906 calls through April 2018,
including the review of 431 ICER
events.

The CID and OIG have
made 13 separate requests for GEX
assistance looking for any
intelligence regarding the
introduction of narcotics, drug
activity, drug use, Inmate and Staff
Relationship, nefarious activity,
transcriptions regarding a murder,
saturations of 3 separate housing
units, STG information and
translation of Spanish calls.
GEX has provided a total
of 204 Intelligence reports to TDCJ.

We urge caution in this category as the promise of
monitoring calls cannot be effectively achieved without
experience and full integration with your investigative suite of tools.
Effective call monitoring is a function of the number of personnel available to listen to calls, to
the level of comprehensive understanding of what your investigators are looking for in calls and
having full integration into your investigative software and systems so that “actionable
intelligence” derived from calls can reach investigators in a timely manner.
Through Guarded Exchange, we will provide a sufficient number of personnel to listen to the
required number of calls. Offender calls to be monitored will be based on the use of proprietary
data mining, behavioral analysis and filtering technologies and other proprietary strategies in
conjunction with the intelligence gathering priorities established by the Department.
The monitoring will use a combination of technology from Guarded Exchange and Securus and
sufficient personnel for the purposes of collecting intelligence from the Offender Telephone
System.
The use of these, trained personnel, proven strategies and technologies will identify at a
minimum the following:


Suspicious or suggestive key words or phrases



Calls that suggest threats to the safety and security of the facility, staff, volunteers, and
offenders entrusted to the care of the Department



Criminal activity inside and outside of the facility

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GEX provides a comprehensive suite of investigative products and is the industry leader in
intelligent monitoring of offender calling. The GEX solution includes the most advanced
technology available integrated into a single, cohesive system whose sole purpose is to aid
agencies in generating Actionable Intelligence™.
The GEX solution includes:


Live Monitoring of Calls via dedicated personnel



70 proprietary technologies that allow GEX to data-mine through millions of phone calls,
emails, financial transactions and other information sources providing intelligence that
counts.



Licensed Private Investigator Staffing to ensure that trained, professional personnel are
the ones aiding in the investigations.
 Proven Experience that can only be achieved through time tested processes and
solutions - GEX has monitored over 1.1 Million Calls and this number grows every
day. No other vendor can match Guarded Exchange’s experience.
Guarded Exchange Investigative Monitoring Services will provide the following benefits to the
Department:



Increased staff, offender and public safety and security
Increased investigative efficiencies



Development of actionable intelligence

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Software and Service Generated Reports
As TDCJ's current OTS solution provider, the CenturyLink Team has already developed and/or
modified many of our system software and service generated reports to meet the needs of the
Department. In addition to those reports, which are described in detail in Answer #13, the
CenturyLink Team also provides in-depth, investigative intelligence on TDCJ offenders through
our Guarded Exchange Investigative Support service.
While daily monitoring of calls is a primary goal and activity, upon request from the Department,
the CenturyLink Team can redirect personnel to a targeted subset of calls with the ability to
monitor and report on thousands of calls in a matter of hours or days in order to support a
specific investigation and/or threat, such as escapes, disturbances, and gang/STG activities.
The results of an offender investigation are provided to the Department in the form of a
Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) along with all Actionable Intelligence gathered from the
discovery process. An example of this report is provided on the following page:

Sample GEX Report

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23.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, their eMessaging solution, the
hardware, and reporting capabilities. (Section C.3.1.1.U)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
As TDCJ's current provider of eMessaging services, the CenturyLink Team knows first-hand
what works for the Department and how to implement the perfect system that continues to meet
TDCJ's needs. The JPay (now part of Securus) eMessaging system already has printers,
associated hardware, and a robust online eMessaging management and reporting system in
place to handle the specific requirements stated above.
This same system is installed at 18 state Departments of Corrections across the country.
Hundreds of thousands of users have sent and received tens of millions of emails, photo and
video attachments, and eCard greetings.
Family and friends access this service online at JPay.com, including from the JPay iPhone and
Android mobile apps in order to send a message to their TDCJ loved one. Since the Department
currently does not allow outbound messages and photos, we have customized its eMessaging
system to accommodate TDCJ policies. All inbound messages and photos are printed out and
delivered to offenders after facility staff have reviewed and approved via our secure online
management portal, the Facility System.
All messages are paid for with virtual stamps, which are available in bundles. Stamp purchasing
is simple and never interferes with composing and sending of email messages. With our email
system in place, facility staff no longer needs to expend valuable man-hours examining letters
for inappropriate content or contraband. Valuable staff resources can now be redirected to more
urgent issues, as computer systems take on the task of analyzing incoming correspondence.
Over the years, this system has been instrumental in a handful of recaptures, stopped many
messages that were STG threat-related, deciphered many encoded messages, and much more.

Stamps
Customers buy and use virtual stamps to send emails, photos, and eCards through the service.
Customers purchase stamps on the web site and on their mobile device using a credit/debit
card. A one-page email (about 5,000 characters) costs one stamp. Longer messages require
additional stamps and customers are asked to confirm extra stamp expenditure before sending
the email. Each added recipient also adds one stamp to the cost.

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Buying stamps on JPay.com
To purchase stamps on the web, the user simply selects a stamp package to purchase from the
Stamps section in the user menu. The user can choose from three bundles when purchasing
stamps, depending on their anticipated usage. Stamp costs for TDCJ customers will continue to
be fixed at the current price of a first class postage stamp, just as they are today. As soon as
the transaction is completed, the customer can begin sending emails.

Buying Stamps via the App
Just like the website, the customer must have stamps in order to send email from the app. To
buy stamps, the customer chooses a stamp package, selects and confirms the payment method
and taps "Purchase."

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Email Review and Approval
All incoming email is routed to the Facility System for staff review and approval before release.
Each email is automatically screened for content and if certain criteria are met, the message is
flagged for special review. Even if a message has no questionable content, the Department can
still hold each message for review and approval before it is released to the mailroom for printing.
How It Works
The flagged email review process is in place at 18 state correctional agencies. As a result, their
investigators get accurate and relevant intelligence and their mailroom staffs are not bogged
down reviewing and approving emails that do not pose a security threat.
Once a word list is set, we monitor the flow of emails and continually provide the Department
with metrics on the frequency and type of words being flagged. For example, the word "kill"
seems to be a likely inclusion in a flagged word list, but it actually does not provide valuable
intelligence because it is part of many common expressions such as "kill my appetite" or "just
killing time" and appears in more than 10% of all email traffic. In fact, it actually hampers the
mailroom’s ability to identify and escalate real threats and delays the delivery of email.
Conversely, seemingly innocent words such as "disciple" or "greendot" often appear in letters
referencing criminal/gang activity.
Flagged emails require staff approval before being delivered to the recipient’s inbox. All
messages containing attachments are automatically flagged for review. Messages are then
presented in "Buckets" depending on status. For example, all messages that contained words
flagged by the dictionary or user watch lists would reside in the "Requires Approval" bucket as
shown below.
Letter Delivery

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An email auditing feature tracks all staff activity so supervisors can see who approves and
releases individual messages. Emails can be flagged for various reasons such as:


Word List - Flagged because a word from the "flagged word" list was used




Watch List - Flagged because an offender or customer is on a watch list
Contains a photo attachment

The CenturyLink Team will work continue to work closely with TDCJ staff and investigators to
ensure the Department keeps reaping all the benefits of these investigative capabilities.

Approval Process
Approved facility staff can either release the message to the mailroom for printing or request
additional review. Typically, agencies predetermine who performs any additional review of an
email to determine if it is a security threat. That team, usually investigators, can release the
email or return it to the sender. In addition, the email can be indefinitely detained or discarded
entirely. The user has the option to notify the customer and/or offender if and why the message
was discarded.
To save time and keep the mailroom operating at the highest levels of efficiency, the system
includes an "Approve All" feature. If messages pass the screening process and are not flagged
by a watch list, the messages can be automatically released for printing.
Editable Dictionary
Facility staff can pre-populate the system with words, key phrases, or character strings that flag
and restrict an email from being released for printing until it is reviewed. Staff members can
manage the word dictionary and user watch lists, or have JPay administer the system. All
changes occur in real time and are populated system-wide instantly. Entire dictionaries, single
words or phrases, suspicious offenders, or customers can be established statewide or shared
by region or by facility.

Word Filtering Page

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Watch Lists
When a customer sends an email, our system scans it for customer or offender names on a
predefined, customizable watch list. An alert is automatically sent to the agency investigator via
email, detailing the customer name, offender name, and ID. The investigator can then approve
or deny the message accordingly, depending upon TDCJ parameters.
Facility staff can easily place any offender or customer onto a watch list. The Department can
add customers to a watch list for specific products such as email or a combination of products
such as money and email. Facility staff can customize their own alerts based on offender and
customer activity. For example, a staff member may choose to receive an alert if multiple
offenders are receiving email from one customer. The system will alert the staff member via
email whenever this customer uses our system to send money or emails to an offender. This
represents an unprecedented level of detection capability for TDCJ staff.
Snap n' Send
Another innovation for offenders and their friends and family is our new Snap n' Send feature on
the JPay mobile app. It lets customers take and send a photo to their incarcerated loved one in
a single, intuitive step, similar to other popular photo-sharing apps. Since it integrates with our
existing secure email system, it retains all of the security benefits of email photo attachments
while streamlining the process of sharing images. Snap n'Send photos are reviewed, approved,
and released for printing in the same manner as email and photo attachments.
Reporting

JPay provides a robust reporting feature for facility personnel through our secure online
management portal called the Facility System. In addition to the wide selection of pre-formatted
reports that already exist, JPay will work with the Department to develop specific customized
reports. Reports are available in a number of formats such as XLS, RTF, and PDF. The Facility
System is accessible from any computer with an internet connection and uses two-factor
authentication for users, making access both role-based and limited by facility. The Department
determines which personnel have access to the Facility System and then administers access
through discrete user groups. This feature, for example, could limit mailroom staff access to
Facility System functionality that deals specifically with electronic messaging.

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User rights are tailored to each staff member, though staff members with similar rights can be
granted custom levels of access via our user group feature. Authorized staff can add users to a
group without having to recreate individual permission sets for each user. Even if a user is
assigned to a user group, TDCJ administrators can tailor that user’s access level.
Drill-down reports are available on all clickable items found in the Facility System. For instance,
a TDCJ user can click on an offender’s name to instantly see all of the eMessaging activity
conducted by that offender over a defined period. A few examples of existing reports include the
following:
Frequency Report
Frequency reports show the user how often a customer or offender is sending or receiving mail.
This report can be run for any range of dates. The system identifies all offenders who received
messages during the period entered into the search parameters. The offenders who received
the most email messages are listed on top allowing the officer to immediately identify those
receiving an unusually large amount of communication in a short time period.
Suspicious Criteria Report
This tool allows TDCJ users to set up criteria in order to receive email alerts. The user is sent an
email if the criteria gets a match. Select a "Feature" and choose whether to receive alerts for
activity related to offender payments or offender email. Select a "Scope" to receive alerts for
activity related to a specific offender, a specific customer, a specific housing unit, or a specific
facility. Select a "Specific Customer" to receive an alert for activity that is related to a specific
customer. For example, if the user selects "Feature – Money, Scope – Agency, Specific
Customer – No," then the user receives an alert every time someone sends money to any
offender in the state.

Intel System
An incredibly useful tool available within JPay’s Facility System is the Intel System, which
includes search functionality and reports that enable investigators to detect offender and
customer linkages, identify suspicious activity, set up multiple alerts, and graphically map all
data for easier analysis.

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Router Detection
One important feature available through the Intel
System is called Router Detection. This enables
TDCJ investigators to identify customers or
offenders who communicate with a specified
number of people. Conversely, the user can
search for a list of all offenders who received
communication from more than eight different
customers. From either list, the user can click any
one of the offenders or customers listed in the
search results, and the system will display all
relevant customer and offender data.

For comprehensive searches and sorting, users can export search results to MS Excel.

In-Depth Search Ability
Facility staff can also look up specific transactions or the complete history of an offender or
customer’s activity. Transactions can be searched by any of the following criteria:




Offender first, last, or full name
Offender ID
Customer first, last, or full name



Customer account ID



Customer IP address



Batch number




Transaction number
Customer phone number

As an example, if a TDCJ user chooses to search by customer, the submenu provides the
ability to search by the customer’s first name, last name, full name, account ID, or IP address.
Cross-Jurisdictional Analysis
JPay currently works with more than 30 state correctional agencies and numerous county
agencies around the country, including TDCJ. In compliance with each agency’s rules and
regulations, JPay shares many jurisdictions' data with other system users to generate cross
border investigation results. This data sharing has been a tremendous success for bordering
corrections agencies.

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During an investigation, Department investigators may require detailed information about
transactions that occurred outside their jurisdiction (typically TDCJ transactional data). On more
than one occasion, gang activity has been uncovered using this shared information.
JPay’s intelligence capabilities include the ability to view multiple degrees of separation in terms
of offender/customer relationships. The graphical map can display complex networks of
associations between offenders and customers, not just direct contact (communication or funds
transmission). The system is configurable to display as many degrees of separation as the
Department prefers.

Graphical Mapping
What used to take investigators countless hours is now performed with the click of a button
using a quantity of data far greater than any human can analyze. With the Intel Mapping feature,
investigators can quickly see an offender or customer’s transactional network, saving hundreds
of hours of analysis. TDCJ investigators can use this tool to identify gangs or other Security
Threat Groups. In addition, financiers or other members of the group on the outside are
identified and their full transaction history is at the investigator's fingertips. This system has
repeatedly proven itself in correctional agencies nationwide.

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24.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, their video visitation solution
between Department locations from friends and family to Offenders at
their assigned unit. (Section C.3.1.1.V)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team is proposing a video visitation solution to the Department that enables
TDCJ offenders located in one unit the ability to participate in a video session with their friends
and family members located at a different unit. These on-site video visits will be offered at no
cost using the Securus Video Visitation (SVV) solution, a centralized visitation platform similar to
the Secure Call Platform (SCP) offender calling system.
The SVV solution lets family and friends schedule a video visit, in advance and subject to
approval by the Department, and then travel to one of the six (6) TDCJ visitor sites listed below
for their visit with the offender.
The CenturyLink Team is committed to delivering this capability to TDCJ offenders and will work
closely with the Department to determine the best approach to minimize TDCJ staff
involvement. The units identified in this solicitation for the video visitation solution include:
Visitor Site

Offender Site

Houston - Jester Ill

Amarillo - Clements

Beeville - Garza Complex

Kennedy - Connelly

Dallas - Hutchins
Lubbock - Montford

Gatesville - Crain
Tennessee Colony - Michael

Austin - Travis

Beaumont - Stiles

El Paso - Sanchez

Huntsville - Wynne

The proposal includes deployment of 10 video visitation stations at each of the 12
facilities, for a total of 120 visitation terminals.

Onsite visitation
All onsite video visits must be approved by the Department. Once a visit is scheduled, the
Department will have access to either approve or deny the visit through the SVV application.
Once approved, a daily report will be generated and sent to a designated point of contact at
each offender visitation site in order to notify the offender of on upcoming video visit.
Family and Friends can schedule their onsite visitation in two easy ways:
 Visiting www.videovisitanywhere.com through a mobile device or computer
 Securus mobile app: Visitors can schedule an onsite visit by downloading the Securus
mobile app to schedule the next onsite visit
When a visitor arrives at a facility for a video visit, they will be directed to the designated video
visitation terminal area after passing through security. Once at the touch-screen video visitation
terminal, the visitor will enter a PIN unique to that visit as validation of the visitor’s appointment
with the offender. The PIN is provided to the visitor after scheduling the onsite visit.

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Once the offender gains access to the video visitation
terminal, they will open the appointment page to locate the
scheduled visit. The offender must then enter in his/her PIN
to join the visit. The offender must also acknowledge that the
visit will be recorded and monitored.
The visit is connected once both parties have entered their
PINs to join the video session. All visits are scheduled for a
specific timeframe and the countdown timer for the visit
begins at the designated start time of the visit, regardless if
the visitor or the offender has joined. All visits are recorded
and there are a number of reporting tools to assist with administration of the SVV as well as for
information on investigations.
Efficiency-Driving Administration
Visitation Rules allows for the creation of quotas for the frequency of visitation by user, terminal,
location, user group, and site. This feature allows the Department to create and enforce rules
and policies.
Visitation Rules are accessed through the SVV application at
https://securusvideovisitation.securustech.net/. Select the “Sites” icon, and then choose
“Visitation Rules” from the bottom navigation bar. Other items accessible only by Securus
administrators appear in the bottom navigation bar such as “manage modules.”

Visitation Rules

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Creating New Visitation Rules
While in the Visitation Rules section of the SVV portal, click on “new” to create a new Visitation
Rule.

Create a New Rule

From here, you will define a rule name, and configure the following fields:


Visitation Type:
o

Regular: Unpaid remote visit




Quantity: Maximum quantity of the selected visitation type
Frequency: Frequency of duration of time



Duration: Day, Week, or Month



Start Date: Date in which the Visitation Rule will begin to be enforced



End Date: Date in which the Visitation Rule will end. Rules will continue to be enforced
on the end date and will discontinue the following calendar day
o All Visitation Rules MUST have a start and end date



Status: While creating a new rule, the “Activate” checkbox must be selected for the rule
to be active. Existing rules can have a status of:
o
o

Active
Disabled

Expired

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Define a New Rule

Editing Visitation Rules
To edit or delete a visitation rule, simply go to the Visitation Rules section of the Securus Video
Visitation portal and click on the “edit” or “delete” button.

Editing Visitation Rules

User Account Set-up and Scheduling Features for Family and Friends Members


Web-based and accessible from any standard web browser



Simple user interface, enabling account setup and scheduling to be completed in
minutes



Automatically support multiple facilities in multiple locations with multiple housing units,
making it easy to “find” the desired offender




Automatically display only the visitation times and dates that are available
Automatically send an email confirmation when a visit is scheduled, modified, or
cancelled



Allow users to easily change their personal information (password, address, phone
number, etc.)

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Secure Visitation Scheduling

User Account Control and Scheduling Features for the Facility


Secure, web-based access anytime/anywhere – providing different levels of authority
and requiring unique usernames and passwords



Point and click to view thorough user information including photo ID and easily approve
or reject user account



View, manage, report, and modify scheduled visits from the Securus Video Visitation
dashboard



Review historical staff usage through system user logs

The CenturyLink Team will work closely with the Department to implement established
policies and procedures, including available visitation times, number of facility locations,
number and location of each terminal, frequency of visits, registration approval
requirements, check in procedures, time between visits, website naming conventions
and other requirements.

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25.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, their wireless containment plan that
will restrict cellular signal, data, and text capabilities within a defined
area around a Department facility. (Section C.3.1.1.W)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
As the Department is aware, Wireless Containment Systems (WCS) have evolved significantly
over time and vary widely in their effectiveness. When CenturyLink installed the initial systems
at McConnell and Stiles several years ago, WCS was a nascent technology evolving to cover
LTE and new wireless protocols.
During the installation and testing phase, it became
apparent that the prior system was not able to effectively
evolve with technology. As a result, we worked with the
Department to replace it with the current system…per
TDCJ requirements and at our significant expense.

We believe our change of
course on WCS is a prime
example of our team’s
commitment to TDCJ. When
resolution is needed or new
requirements emerge, we have
worked with the Department to
meet those needs.

The new WCS solutions at both Units are up and
running, covering all cellular protocols and passing the
Department’s rigorous System Acceptance testing in
compliance with the requirements of contract
modification M-012. This solution has never failed formal System Acceptance testing, and is
also deployed in the Florida and Georgia DOCs.

WCS Architecture and Functionality
Under this new contract, we will continue to provide TDCJ a custom designed stand-alone
turnkey private cellular telephone network and managed access system known as the Wireless
Containment Solution (“WCS”) and services at the McConnell and Stiles Units.
The WCS service prevents unauthorized cell phone communications from being completed
24x7x365 days a year in the designated coverage areas of a controlled facility or prison.

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The WCS service includes data equipment racks that contain specialized radio controllers, base
transceiver stations (“BTS”), proprietary software, radio frequency (“RF”) scanner, Global
Positioning System (“GPS”), networking equipment, and uninterruptible power systems (“UPS”)
as part of the service solution. The WCS also includes a distributed antenna system (“DAS”)
which includes radio head-end interface units and remote optical units with antennas located
throughout or around the Facility to provide the RF coverage for the Private prison cellular
telephone network.

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Wireless Containment Solution (WCS)

The WCS is currently operating to prevent unauthorized cell phone communications within the
defined TDCJ coverage areas (“WCS Coverage Areas”).
The CenturyLink Team conducted comprehensive handset testing to identify high risk
contraband cellphone use locations within the agreed upon coverage zones. System
Acceptance Test results significantly exceeded performance standards set by the Department.
Operationally the WCS transmits signals to mimic or clone the commercial networks (exampleAT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint) as necessary to move all cell phones within the designated
coverage areas of the facility from their commercial carriers respectively, to the Securus Private
WCS cellular telephone network. Through the systems’ policy engines, it allows Authorized cell
phones to communicate with an outbound call, and block or prevent all unauthorized cell
phones from attempted calls, text/SMS, or data access, while also allowing all cell phones
access to 911. This automatic process is provided 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a
year for the life of the contract.
The WCS will continue to provide the following services to TDCJ at each agreed facility
deployed:
a. Detect the operation of an illegally used cellular, mobile, or wireless device (a
“Device”) within the offender housing units and other agreed to coverage areas at
each facility.
b. Log, record, and retain information for a Device when it is available (i.e., electronic
serial numbers (“ESN”), International Mobile Subscriber Information (“IMSI”), and
International Mobile Equipment Identifier (“IMEI”)) (the “Device Data”);

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c. Prevent Devices from accessing and therefore connecting to commercially available
channels on mobile network operator networks to prevent completing a voice call,
SMS/Text, or to access a data channel (access the general internet over a cellular
data connection) in accordance with current laws and regulations.
d. Send a customizable return text message to a Device attempting to send an SMS
text, if desired by TDCJ.
e. Allow outbound voice calls for agreed upon and authorized TDCJ cell phones (as
detailed by specific TDCJ employee, by name, title, mobile phone TN – telephone
number, IMSI, and IMEI) (the “Authorized Devices”), while preventing all other illegal,
illicit, and/ or unauthorized communications, with the exception of emergency 911
access, all to 911 calls from any Device will be allowed to complete.
f.

Automatic monitoring and detection of WCS faults (state of Health) due to normal
equipment or general component failure, and faults due to vandalism or tampering of
systems, or attempts to disable system hardware or software, and provide alerts to
agreed-upon TDCJ personnel regarding the same.

g. WCS will not interfere with equipment operated by TDCJ within the designated WCS
Coverage Area or the normal operation of cellular or wireless devices outside the
WCS Coverage Area
h. Subject to applicable laws and the parties’ mutual agreement regarding its use, make
the Device Data available to authorized TDCJ users via a user interface (the “Device
UI”)
The WCS is comprised of a both scalable and modular architecture and components. As
technology changes, individual elements of the solution may be upgraded, including through the
addition of base transceiver stations and DAS radio units and antennas as required.

Training for TDCJ users is available at no cost at any time requested throughout the life of the
contract.

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Basic view and monitoring of the Systems through a web-based dashboard interface, including
understanding of roles and permission based access security as implemented within the User
Interface, Audit trail, and User management.

The management user interface provides system functions, including emergency shutdown
procedures and Whitelist authorization and verification, report and audit queries, and exporting
functionality in Excel, PDF or CSV.
TDCJ will continue to have access to manuals associated with the User interface software and
its functions.

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The CenturyLink Team will provide maintenance coverage for all System equipment, hardware
components, servers and operating system software, radio controllers, base transceiver
stations, radio units, antennas, sensors, networking equipment, power supplies and minor
ancillary materials, and other monitoring elements, all that support the functionality of the
Systems for so long as the Agreement is in force (“Maintenance Coverage”). Our Maintenance
Coverage includes replacement by us of any part of the Systems that may require replacement
due to normal operating conditions within the Unit environment and failure due to the normal
use of the equipment where failure results. Consistent with our current WCS agreement, our
Maintenance coverage does not include damage or equipment failure requiring replacement to
the Systems that occurs as a result of the actions or conduct of TDCJ employees, agents, or
offenders. Notwithstanding the above, we shall replace, at the cost and expense of TDCJ, any
part of the Systems, including supporting components, that may become damaged or require
replacement as a result of the actions or conduct of TDCJ employees, agents, or offenders.
In addition, we will provide a certified technician to perform all required Maintenance Coverage
based on the following criteria:



Priority 1 – Critical failure (also equivalent to a service failure where the Systems are
considered inoperable) where 50% or more of the equipment in an entire facility or
building is not functioning properly will be responded to remotely within 30 minutes;
on-site arrival within 24 hours; resolution within 48 hours.



Priority 2 – Major failure where less than 50% of the equipment in an entire facility or
building is not functioning properly will be responded to remotely within 2 hours; onsite arrival within 48 hours; resolution within 72 hours.



Priority 3 – Minor service issue or localized failure requiring repair, assistance, or
maintenance will be responded to remotely within 4 hours; on-site arrival within 3
business days; resolution within 7 business days.

In addition, we will provide the necessary technicians and/or local field service staff, RF
engineers and systems engineers to ensure optimal performance is sustained and that
maintenance response and resolution time requirements are continually met. CenturyLink will
develop and provide preventative maintenance plans and schedules, subject to approval by the
TDCJ, during the life of the Agreement.
Remote monitoring will occur 7 day/24 hour/365 days through Securus’ Carrollton, TX based
Network Operations Center (“NOC”) that is staffed by personnel to provide prompt resolution of
any systems issues, problems, or fault evens that occur at any time. The NOC and TDCJ Tech
Support will serve as the primary point of contact for agreed upon and authorized TDCJ
employees to report a maintenance or service issue or request.

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26.

Proposer shall provide FCC registration documentation. (Section
C.3.1.2.A)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The FCC Registration that will be implemented at the Department is as follows:

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27.

Proposer shall detail by each designated site on the Site List (Exhibit
J.1), the facility type being used to provide services, e.g. T1, Analog
Central Office Truck, ISDN T1, etc. If the facility type used is the same
for each designated site, a statement to that fact is sufficient. (Section
C.3.1.2.B)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team will use Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) service (T-1's or N x T-1)
at all facilities listed in Exhibit J.1 except for the Regional and Administrative Departments
Monitoring Sites and for each of the four facilities listed below where other connectivity is used
for VRS and WCS.
DSL Service:


Regional and Administrative Monitoring Sites



Murray - DSL for VRS and MPLS for OTS

Fiber-based internet over Ethernet:
 Estelle – Fiber-based internet over Ethernet for VRS and MPLS for OTS


McConnell - Fiber-based internet over Ethernet for WCS and MPLS for OTS



Stiles - Fiber-based internet over Ethernet for WCS and MPLS for OTS

Cable Modem
 OTS Management Office in Huntsville, TX
MPLS Service (T-1's or N x T-1)
 All other facilities
28.

Proposer shall explain how critical component redundancy will be
accomplished, as well as state the length of time it takes for the system
to reset. (Section C.3.1.2.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The infrastructure supporting the OTS was built for high availability and full redundancy. Each
device (routers, switches, servers, SAN, power, circuits, etc.) within the infrastructure is both
fault-tolerant (down to the component level) and physically redundant with automatic fail-over.
Our routers and servers have dual CPUs, NICs, power supplies, and A & B power feeds. The
telecommunications circuits provided by our service providers for network access are both
redundant and diverse.
While operating on a single platform, SCP runs on duplicate
environments in separate data centers in Atlanta, GA and
Dallas, TX. Each component has N+1 redundancy meaning
that a failure of any one component does not result in
downtime because there is a backup available to resume its
function. In addition to the inherent redundancy of SCP,
Securus has also designed redundancy into all support
systems either through N+ 1 configuration, database
clusters, virtual machines, load balancing or other failover
methods. All network transport has redundant network

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Only the CenturyLink Team can
provide two redundancy tests
every year on the TDCJ SCP
system. This service is
performed exclusively for TDCJ
to provide backup assurances,
and is something no other
vendor has the resources to
perform.

123

equipment and routing to allow traffic to reroute in the event of a failure.
The SCP platforms in Dallas and Atlanta were designed and built to the same specifications.
This standardization allows rehoming of systems from their primary data center to an alternate
data center in the event of a failure.
All circuits coming into Securus data centers use multiple diverse carriers, including the
interconnections between data centers. In the event of a failure, traffic will reroute across a
redundant circuit or path. Additionally, Securus utilizes multiple carriers for offender calls from
the SCP platform. Calls to family and friends will immediately reroute upon failure of any carrier.
Securus utilizes multiple methods of storage to minimize the risk of data loss. All critical systems
and data are backed up at regularly scheduled intervals and stored offsite for retrieval if needed.
In addition to offsite storage, Securus replicates voice clips, call recordings and validation data
between the data centers.
Securus uses industry leading vendors for all platform and network hardware including Dell,
Cisco, Oracle, EMC, Big IP and Intel. In addition to the redundancy designed into the platform
and network, Securus also maintains a spare parts inventory onsite at each of our data centers
to expedite repair of a failed component. Securus also maintains premium-level support
contracts with each vendor that define stringent service level agreements in the event of failure.
In the event of a temporary local outage of commercial power at the facility, an Uninterruptible
Power Supply (UPS) is provided as a redundant back up to continue operation of all equipment
installed on-site. The UPS is self-charged, and the equipment self-initializes without manual
intervention when commercial power is restored.
Additionally, each of our data centers has an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and a
generator to provide maximum network uptime. The traditional data circuits (MPLS, Frame
Relay, VoIP) all have dual connectivity feeds to/from the telecommunication carrier to each of
our data centers.
Summary of Redundancy and Security
OTS Redundancy
on Multiple Levels:

Data Center

Hosted in Class IV Data Centers
Multiple power grids
Redundant transport carriers (in and out of the data centers
Multiple building entry points for power and transport
Data Center locations in different states (Texas and Georgia)
Minimum of two diverse paths into each data center
Redundant fault tolerant enterprise grade components
Servers are clustered with load balancers to manage the load
applied to each server
o If one server goes offline or load is at a max threshold,
requests go to the next available server.
 Redundant HVAC
 Full access audit with biometric controlled security









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Data Redundancy

Onsite
Network

 Each data center supports RAID storage configurations
 Recordings stored in multiple locations: Primary and Secondary
o Calls are initially recorded on primary recording servers
o Secondary servers – within 15 seconds of the call
completion, calls are moved from the recording servers to
the secondary servers.
 Databases and call recording storage constantly synchronized
 Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
 Separate transport & termination carriers
 Instantaneous carrier failover
 Multiple network switches which fail over to each other (A & B
side)
 Multiple network routers which fail over to each other (A & B
side)
 All devices (hardware) have multiple power supplies connected
to AC Power (A & B side power)
 Outages automatically diagnosed from remote NOC

Co-Located Secure Connect Network

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29.

Proposer shall submit an equipment room layout including all
equipment to be installed during the project. (Section C3.1.2.D)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
As the OTS is a centralized, network based solution, limited amounts of equipment are placed
within the physical equipment room at each Department facility location. The CenturyLink Team
works with the Department to make sure that the equipment that resides at a TDCJ facility does
not interfere with the Department’s access, use, or potential use of the equipment room.
Each indoor node cabinet will contain the following items:


ADTRAN Total Access Series Integrated Access Device (IAD): The Total Access
900 Series offers a T1 network interface and includes up to 24 FXS ports for
connection to offender phones, an integrated DSX-1 port, and a 10/100 Base-T
Ethernet interface for access to the MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network.



NETVANTA: The NetVanta 1234 is a fully managed Layer 2 Ethernet switch
designed for cost-effective Ethernet switching. This scalable, full-featured product is
suitable for networks requiring Layer 2 switching for interconnecting LAN devices or
network segmentation.
BULKHEAD Patch and Splice: All Telect bulkhead panels for splicing.
CORNING SPLICE TRAY: Corning Cable Systems Fiber Splice trays for fiber
organization technology to provide optimum physical protection, management, and
bending radius for spliced fibers.






4KSU with MLLTI/MDS 25/ITE modules: The 4KSU provides ground for the Adtrans
and the MLLT1 protects the MPLS and the MDS 25 protects the Adtran station
cards when they are extended out of the building where the node resides; as do the
ITE protective modules.



APC UPS 450 or Eaton Powerware 5115 1000W RM UPS.

The equipment will be installed in a secure indoor American Products Ventilated Cabinet
MFG # SEC-322325 approve by and built specifically for Texas Department of Criminal
Justice at each location. You will find the specification sheets for TDCJ Node Cabinet on the
following pages.

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Example of Equipment Inside of Node Cabinet

As the current provider, we are experienced with the space limitations of TDCJ equipment
rooms. We have installed all required equipment within these designated rooms without the
need of constructing addition equipment buildings. Although we do not anticipate needing
additional separate equipment rooms at any TDCJ location, we do have the capability to do so if
need be.
Any equipment that will be installed outdoor will be installed in a secure outdoor cabinet at each
location that is fully compliant with the Department's requirements.

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Examples of the CenturyLink Team’s Installations at TDCJ Facilities

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30.

Proposer shall describe or provide descriptive literature on the
Offender telephones. (Section C.3.1.2.E)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Our offender telephones are the strongest and most reliable units available and are designed
specifically for the prison environment. These phones are the overwhelming choice for state
prison systems, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, county, and city facilities nationwide because of
their proven reliability, durability, and flexibility. All Offender telephones are:


Compatible with the mutually agreed on biometric caller identity verification system



Wall mounted or pedestal



Stainless steel



Tamper-resistant (anti-vandal and anti-drill)




Of durable construction
Flame retardant and do not give off toxic gases when subjected to fire



DTMF compatible



Labeled on the body per Department requirements



FCC and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved
with certification number



Compatible with TDD devices and meet all ADA
requirements.




Equipped with hearing aid compatible handsets
Equipped with cords from the receiver to the body of the telephone that is approximately
two (2) feet and armored. *different cord lengths can be provided at the Department's
request

Below please find detailed specification on the telephones.
The CenturyLink Team is proposing the Wintel Model 7010 Series telephone due to its durability
and reliability. In addition, Wintel's “confidencer” filters out background noise, allowing for better
sound quality for verification of offender's voice print, improved sound
quality to the called party, and higher quality call recordings.
ITC7010 Mini Coinless Telephone with Volume Control
DIMENSIONS: 11-1/2”Hx 5”W x 2-1/2”D
WEIGHT: 7.1 lbs

Features/Options
The proposed phone models include the following features:


Built-in user controlled volume “LOUD” button for ADA-mandated
volume control (user must have control of volume amplification,
AND volume must reset to normal with hang up to meet ADA
requirements)



Cold rolled steel provides rugged vandal resistant telephone
housing designed for offender use
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

Confidencer technology, built into every dial, filters out background noise at the user's
location, allowing better sound to the called party



All-in-one electronic dial features modular incoming line and handset connections for
quick maintenance. Carbon (HS) and DuraClear® (DURA) Handsets have separate 4pin connections.



Heavy chrome metal keypad bezel, buttons, and hook switch lever withstand abuse and
vandalism



Armored handset cord is equipped with a steel lanyard (1000-pound pull strength) and
secured with a 14-gauge retainer bracket for maximum vandal resistance



Handset has sealed transmitter and receiver caps, suitable for heavy use and abuse
locations



Pin-in-head security screws minimize tampering



Hearing aid compatible and FCC registered US: 1DATE05BITC-254, IC: 3267A-ITC254

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Superprint 4425 by Ultratec
The phone offers the most advanced printing TTY with 32 K memory, including:


Built-in 24-character printer



Three selectable print sizes



Keyboard



Call progress (display shows whether line is ringing or busy in direct connect)



Tone dial



Auto ID
o

Turbo code

o
o

Time and date
TTY voice announcer

User-programmable relay voice announcer

o
o

20-character vacuum fluorescent display
Rechargeable batteries

o
o

Optional ASCII code
Optional large visual display port (includes ASCII)

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sPhone XL™
The Securus sPhoneXL terminal is a correctional-facility grade,
tamper-proof steel enclosure. The hardware is wall mounted unit
equipped with a built-in shatter resistant touch screen, a highresolution video camera with integrated lighting, and tamperproof, heavy molded plastic handset with an armor-reinforced
cord for audio communication, and surge protection.


Light and ruggedized vandal-proof terminals (hardened
steel): Best balance between weight and resistance



Sealed: Dust and



Liquids Resistant, spill-proof (accidental or deliberate).



Assembly elements are hidden: No screws or hinges can be removed and used to
manufacture weapons. No doors/compartments that can be opened in the front or on
the sides of the unit.
Rounded edges that reduce the risks of accidental or intentional injuries.




Abrasion and chemical resistant; the unit can be cleaned using commercial cleaning
agents.




Humidity and corrosion resistant
Built-in LCD 15” with hardened shatter resistant touch screen



HD camera, autofocus, (720p @ 30 fps)




Sphone XL PoE has movable camera with a 2MP (1600x1200) resolution
Optional hands free terminal with built-in HD video camera, Pan-Tilt-Zoom, 10x optical
zoom, 4x digital zoom, 30fps



Built-in LED lighting system



Power ON LED indicator



Magnetically activated pushbutton for on/off power



Built-in heat sink mounted to the back for heat dissipation





Built-in protection device against voltage variations
Vandal-proof handset. Armored cable
Standard non-proprietary computer components




All electrical components comply with UL, CE and/ or CSA
System maintenance via wireless keyboard (Infra Red Access)





Mother board: Micro/Mini ATX
Intel Quad Core 2 GHz processor
Memory: DDR3; RAM 4,096 MB (4 GB)



Solid State (SSD) Hard drives to reducing moving components and potential failure
points.• Network: Ethernet RJ-45 (CAT5/6)



Power Options:
o AC: 110V 2 amps
o

Low voltage DC: 24 V 8.33 amps

o Power over Ethernet: IEEE802.3at (PoE Plus).
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
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135

31.

Proposer shall explain how Quality of Service for voice prioritized
packets will be accomplished. (Section C.3.1.2 .F)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Call Quality is measured by Mean Opinion Score (MOS) in a range of 1 through 5; One being
the lowest score and 5 being the highest. Securus uses IP packet tagging, based on the type of
device connected to the network, to enable the prioritization of voice packets over data packets,
maintaining a MOS rating of 3.7 or better. This prioritization is honored within the Securus
network devices starting at the customer facility, and continues as well to the Securus data
center network, in order to maintain the desired Quality of Service (QoS). Securus uses call
statistic records from its Session Border Controllers to calculate a Mean Opinion Score (MOS)
on each call and regularly reviews summaries of that data to confirm QoS levels are maintained
above required standards. Please see example below.

32.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, staffing functional requirements, as
well as copies of appropriate licenses and certifications. (Section C.3.2.2)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team exceeds the Department’s staffing requirements. We have dedicated
qualified staff solely to perform the services required to the TDCJ, both out in the field and at
headquarters. We have created specific TDCJ teams to facilitate account registration and
technical support. All CenturyLink Team members providing services are qualified,
appropriately trained and certified when necessary, to ensure knowledge levels in excess of the
Department's expectations.
The CenturyLink Team has worked very hard to develop a good working relationship with the
Department staff and other contractors working with the Department in order to facilitate easy
coordination and communication.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

136

All of the personnel that the CenturyLink Team has dedicated to TDCJ have passed the
Department required background clearance and any future new personnel will be subject to the
same standards. Additionally, as the personnel on our dedicated TDCJ account team have
already been trained and been working on providing service to the Department, they are well
versed in the procedures and standards of conduct prescribed by law, and as prescribed in the
Department's personnel policy and procedure guidelines, particularly the rules of conduct,
employee uniform and clothing requirements (as applicable), security procedures, and any other
applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures of the Department. The CenturyLink
Team's staff will be subject to and will comply with all security regulations and procedures of the
Department and the respective facility. We understand that violation of regulations may result in
the employee or individual being denied access to the facility. In this event, the CenturyLink
Team will provide alternate personnel to supply services described herein, subject to
Department approval.
The CenturyLink Team will utilize only qualified personnel for the services and support required
by the Department. The Department will be provided prior written notice of placement and/or
replacement of personnel, or any plan to place and/or replace personnel prior to any changes of
staff being made.
All personnel assigned to the support of the Department will be fully briefed on all laws, rules,
regulations, standards, policies and procedures by the CenturyLink Team to ensure complete
compliance with this requirement. The CenturyLink Team will provide criminal history
information and information for employee background checks.
Not only does the CenturyLink Team meet the staffing requirements, we exceed expectations
currently and will continue with the new contract. Following are descriptions of the functional
responsibilities associated with the CenturyLink Team staffing positions:

Position Title

Job Description

Account ManagerPrimary

The CenturyLink Team already has assigned a full time
Account Manager, our equivalent to a Customer Service
Manager, which will continue to be exclusively dedicated to the
TDCJ for the full term of the agreement. He serves as the
primary point of contact for the Department. The duties of the
Account Manager include, at a minimum:




Overall responsibility for performance of the OTS
Customer advocate to CenturyLink Team
management
Commissioning and billing resolution




Service and technical issue resolution
Training, attendance at on-site meetings



Promptly responding to Department and offender
family requests, which shall include, but not be limited
to e-mail, telephone and facsimile requests.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

137

Position Title

Job Description

Account ManagerAlternate

Additionally, the CenturyLink Team already has assigned a full
time Alternate Account Manager that will continue to be solely
dedicated to TDCJ for the full term of the agreement. She
works in coordination with the other Account Manager to fulfill
all of the responsibilities listed above.

Service
Representative and
Data Administrator
Manager



Responsible for installing, maintaining, and supporting
the OTS system and additional products and service
used my TDCJ



Manage, hire and train all support personnel teams
that provide customer service and technical support to
TDCJ facility staff, as well as offenders and Friends
and Family customers
Promptly responding to Department when escalations
occur



Service
Representative and
Data Administrator
Supervisor
Dispatcher



Attendance at Department meetings when necessary



Supports training initiatives for TDCJ personnel



Supports efforts to hire, train, and schedule all support
personnel teams that provide customer service and
technical support to TDCJ facility staff, as well as
offenders and Friends and Family customers.



Provides Level 3 escalation support.



Manages all Field Technician dispatches for service
issues and supervised PBI enrollments.
Manages all TDCJ mailroom E-messaging/kite printing
consumables ordering/deliver (paper, printer toner,
drums, etc.)



Service
Representatives

The CenturyLink Team has eighteen full time Service
Representatives dedicated to the contract for the successful
implementation of the project and ongoing support of the OTS.
The Service Representatives shall maintain a high level of
ongoing effective communication with Department staff to
assure quality customer service is being provided to all
customers and issues are being resolved in a timely manner.
Service Representatives will be directly responsible for:




General Customer Service to the Department
Help Desk for Administrative support
Data entry input - data integrity



Intake Center enrollment/training of new offender's
(field Service Reps)



Updates to PIN, PAN, PBI enrollment (central Service
Reps)



Follow-up with the facility to insure all systems are

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

138








Data Administrators

operational and work is completed thoroughly and
accurately
Administrative support of prepaid transactions
Investigation of offender and staff complaints,
processing of internal documents, and generating
reports as requested
Keeping accurate logs and documentation conveying
messages and information in writing and/or via e-mail
Advise management and open tracking tickets for all
facility service affecting issues
Help with effective operation of OTS components
including hardware, software, and telephony
equipment (when necessary).

The CenturyLink Team has six full time Data Administrators
(Technical Help Desk Representatives) dedicated to the
contract for the successful implementation of the project and
ongoing support of the OTS. The Data Administrators will be
directly responsible for:


Detailed troubleshooting/problem resolution as well as
root cause analysis for all new and escalated tickets



Responsible for accepting and/or assisting in problem
analysis for Level 1 escalation



Status customers on open issues and provide ETA of
resolution



Accurately document trouble tickets including root
cause, problem analysis resolved and steps to final
resolution



Ensure resolution is verified with customer for all
tickets before closure






Work with Field Technicians to fully resolve problems
Proactively maintain and scrub every system each
time a troubleshooting event occurs
Answer incoming customer and field technician calls •
Ability to perform all functions of Level 1 Technician •
Participation of on call rotation
Work projects as necessary



Provide mentoring to Level 1 technicians



Perform other duties as needed which are dictated by
the business needs of the service organization and
assigned by management



Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

139

Position Title

Job Description

Field Repair Site
Technician Manager

The CenturyLink Team has a full time Field Service Manager
dedicated to the contract for the successful implementation of
the project and ongoing support of the OTS. The appointed
Field Service Manager is directly responsible for:
 • Supervision of fifteen Field Repair Technicians
 Oversee repair and maintenance

Field Repair Site
Technicians



Oversee initial PBI enrollment



Customer advocate to CENTURYLINK Team
management



Attendance at Department meetings when necessary



Promptly responding to Department when escalations
occur

The CenturyLink Team has fifteen full time Field Service
Technicians dedicated to the contract for the successful
implementation of the project and ongoing support of the OTS.
Field Technicians are directly responsible for:
 Field Services Technicians (FST) are required to
maintain, repair and operate telecommunications
hardware, LAN/WAN/Networking hardware/ software,
various electronic equipment and wiring per
specifications and operational procedures at
correctional facilities nationwide.
 Installing, maintaining, programming and repairing
telecommunications hardware, associated
LAN/WAN/Networking hardware/software, various
electronic equipment and wiring per specifications and
operational procedures.


Working in a one-on-one basis with sworn facility staff,
civilian facility staff, the offender population and the
family members of offender's to resolve questions and
concerns regarding billing, training, technical support
and operational issues.



Monitors and tests equipment according to published
equipment standards.
Interface with all internal CenturyLink Team
organizations, various vendors and contractors for
problem solutions.



Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Assess and respond to situations where standard
procedures have failed in isolating or resolving
problems.
Required to complete TIA A+ Certification, as well as,
a minimum of 2 years experience working with Cisco
based routers, switches and PIX firewalls.

140

Position Title

Job Description

Enrollment Center
Manager

The CenturyLink Team has an Enrollment Center Manager
already in place to continue service under this new
contract. The Manager serves as an important point of contact
for the Department for consumer service and security
topics. The duties of the Manager include:




Enrollment Center
Supervisors and
representatives

Overall responsibility for performance of the
Enrollment Center
Ensure all approved enrollments meet Department
guidelines



Manage Attorney Registration and Audit Process



Manage Enrollment Center Representatives with
progressive levels of responsibility to ensure all levels
of support to the Department and offender Families
are provided.




Manage Offender Debit Refund Process.
Promptly respond to escalations and requests from the
Department, Attorneys, and offender families received
by phone, email & facsimile.



Interface with consumer billing service center
management to coordinate approvals and consumer
account management.

The CenturyLink Team has existing full time Verification
Representatives (currently 16) dedicated to the contract for the
successful implementation of the friends and family enrollment
project and ongoing support of the OTS. The Verification
Representatives maintain a high level of ongoing customer
service to all customers and ensure enrollments are processed
in a timely manner. The primary duties of the Verification
Representatives are:







Process each friend or family enrollment request
received using the following methods: phone, fax,
email or U.S. Mail.
Troubleshoot and direct customers for quick and
accurate resolution.
Input customer account data and perform audits to
ensure data integrity.
Process Attorney registrations and conduct quarterly
Attorney Audits Data to ensure data integrity.
Process offender debit refund requests.



Respond to email inquiries from offender families and
the Department in a timely manner.



Manually update the Department’s daily block report

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

141

Position Title

Job Description

Digital Forensic Lab
Staff

The CenturyLink Team has a Cellular Forensics Laboratory;
co-located with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Austin,
TX, dedicate to TDCJ. The lab is currently staffed with 3
forensic examiners whose primary duties are:

Call Monitoring Staff
(GEX) – TBD

Trainers



Data extraction from recovered contraband cell
phones



Ad-hoc reporting of data extracted from contraband
cell phones

Guarded Exchange analysts are directly responsible for
providing TDCJ investigative support by:


Call monitoring using investigative software with the
purpose of identifying actionable leads



Preparing reports based on their analysis

The CenturyLink Team has a dedicated training department
that will provide all necessary training to Department Staff.
Additionally, the Account Managers and the Technical
Support Manager will be responsible to for fulfilling the
Department’s training. As they are members of the staff
dedicated to the day to day of TDCJ, they are best equipped
to train Department Staff on their own data.
The same core system will be used if we are awarded the new
contract, eliminating the need for extensive re-training.
The Training Department is directly responsible for:
 Delivery of product training programs using a variety of
training tools
 Conducting on-site customer training sessions
 Aligning product training to meet customer needs and
expectations
 Defining content for training presentation materials


Implementing standards and guidelines for customer
product training



Developing standardized customer training materials
(instructors guides, training outlines and training
syllabus)
Delivery product Webinars





Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Increase the Department's understanding and
utilization of OTS
Assess customer satisfaction with trainer and training

142

Additional Staffing for Implementation Process
Implementation Manager
Paula Parson will be the Implementation Manager dedicated to this project full-time. Her
Implementation Manager responsibilities include:


Manage team of Installation Technicians



Manage software installations



Manage installation process of OTS specific electronics in cabinet, phones,
workstations, printers and any other ancillary systems from beginning to end



Work with management and technicians to set project objectives, priorities and
deliverables
Ensure successful execution of all installation programs, including video visitation




Manage the customer delivery and follow correct policies and procedures in the building
of our equipment - management of all outsourcing activities



Ensure all programming, connectivity and configurations meet company standards



Schedule resources for meeting project deadlines

Certifications
The CenturyLink Team currently employs 17 dedicated field technicians assigned to TDCJ with
a combined average of 6.8 years of experience successfully servicing the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice OTS. Many of whom have serviced the OTS from inception to present.
We ensure that every technician is technically proficient with equipment and methods, familiar
with the rules and regulations of the facility, and committed to delivering outstanding customer
service performed in a specified manner.
CenturyLink technicians currently assigned to TDCJ support hold numerous certifications that
include:
CompTIA



CompTIA A+ ce
ComptTIA N+ ce



CompTIA Security+ ce




CompTIA Cloud+ ce
4 CompTIA Stack Certs



CompTIA Network+ Certified

SNIA Education Certifications


Solid State Storage



Strategies & Technologies for Data Protection





Storage Implications in Virtualization
Innovations in Data Management & Disaster Recovery
Architecting & Implementing a Fiber Channel SAN



Active Archive

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

143

Dell Certifications



577 Basic Wireless Technology – Certification
722 Trusted Advisor for Field Service



530 DSP Televisions - 4200 Plasma TV



836 Workstations - Precision R5400 - Certification



644 DSP Televisions - TV 101 Certification




523 Dell ESD - Certification
884 Portables - Vostro A840 Acknowledgement



787 Desktops - ATX V.1 Certification



792 Portables - Latitude D630 XFR - Certification




873 Portables - Latitude E6400, E5400, E6400 ATG, Precision M2400 - Certification
874 Portables - Latitude E6500, E5500, Precision M4400 – Certification



815 Portables - Vostro 1510 - Certification



814 Portables - Vostro 1310 - Certification





802 Customer Handling Skills Certification
783 Foundation 2008 Desktop
781 Foundation 2008 Portables



709 DSP Client – On-Site Troubleshooting w/Power Tester Certification

Other Certifications



Codes Standards and Communications Cabling Certification
Vantage Advanced Q-Series Products Certification



Fiber Optic Training Certificate




Avaya Certification
Journeyman Electrician



2017 Stevie Gold Winner

Our team is required to take on-going annual courses in order to stay up to date with changes in
the industry. Our technicians are also required to spend a designated amount of time each
month practicing equipment updates and change outs in order to minimize service outage
intervals on trouble calls.
33.

Proposer shall identify a dedicated full-time Project Manager. (Section
C.3.2.2.A)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Paula Parson will be the Project Manager dedicated to this project full-time. She will be in
charge of the implementation project team and be the point-of-contact through implementation,
acceptance, and go-live. She will be in regular contact with Department personnel via phone
calls, emails, and in-person visits. Once implementation is completed, she will return to her
roles as Co-Account Manager.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

144

As the project manager she will be responsible for:



Supervising all teams that make up the TDCJ Implementation Project Team.
Evaluating and distributing resource allocation



Coordinating equipment deliveries and facility access.



Managing project scope and conformance with System Quality Control, Statements of
Work, Documentation, Implementation, and other Department requests
Identifying project road blocks and working with management and team members for
resolution




Scheduling and facilitating all meetings concerning implementation and status checks
34.

Proposer shall identify all contract staff positions by site location,
position title, and job descriptions. (Section C.3.2.2.B)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
As the current provider, CenturyLink has provided and will continue to provide dedicated staff
that is qualified and fully trained in the performance of the contract. Since the implementation,
acceptance and go-live of the contract, CenturyLink has met or exceeded TDCJ service level
requirements. The table below details the positions and staffing levels that may change from
time to time in order to continue to meet and exceed service level agreements.
Position Title

Location

Account Manager

Huntsville, TX

Job Description





Commissioning and billing resolution
Service and technical issue resolution



Training, attendance at on-site
meetings
Promptly responding to Department
and offender family requests, which
shall include, but not be limited to email, telephone and facsimile
requests.



Alternate Account
Manager

Dallas, TX

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Overall responsibility for performance
of the OTS
Customer advocate to CenturyLink
Team management

Additionally, the CenturyLink Team already
has assigned a full time Alternate Account
Manager that will continue to be solely
dedicated to TDCJ for the full term of the
agreement. She works in coordination with
the other Account Manager to fulfill all of the
responsibilities listed above.

145

Position Title

Location

Service
Representative and
Data Administrator
Manager

Dallas, TX

Job Description






Service
Representative and
Data Administrator
Supervisor

Dallas, TX




Dispatcher

Service
Representatives

Dallas, TX

6 in the field at
intake facilities
Up to 12 (current
staffing level) –
Dallas, TX

Supports efforts to hire, train, and
schedule all support personnel teams
that provide customer service and
technical support to TDCJ facility staff,
as well as offenders and Friends and
Family customers.
Provides Level 3 escalation support.



Manages all Field Technician
dispatches for service issues and
supervised PBI enrollments.



Manages all TDCJ mailroom Emessaging/kite printing consumables
ordering/deliver (paper, printer toner,
drums, etc.)




General Customer Service to the
Department
Help Desk for Administrative support



Data entry input - data integrity



Intake Center enrollment/training of
new offender's (field Service Reps)
Updates to PIN, PAN, PBI enrollment
(central Service Reps)
Follow-up with the facility to insure all
systems are operational and work is



Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Responsible for installing,
maintaining, and supporting the
OTS system and additional
products and service used my
TDCJ
Manage, hire and train all support
personnel teams that provide
customer service and technical
support to TDCJ facility staff, as
well as offenders and Friends and
Family customers
Promptly responding to
Department when escalations
occur
Attendance at Department
meetings when necessary
Supports training initiatives for
TDCJ personnel

146

completed thoroughly and accurately


Administrative support of prepaid
transactions



Investigation of offender and staff
complaints, processing of internal
documents, and generating reports as
requested
Keeping accurate logs and
documentation conveying messages
and information in writing and/or via email
Advise management and open
tracking tickets for all facility service
affecting issues
Help with effective operation of OTS
components including hardware,
software, and telephony equipment
(when necessary).



Data Administrators 6

Dallas, TX



Detailed troubleshooting/problem
resolution as well as root cause
analysis for all new and escalated
tickets



Responsible for accepting and/or
assisting in problem analysis for Level
1 escalation
Status customers on open issues and
provide ETA of resolution










Accurately document trouble tickets
including root cause, problem analysis
resolved and steps to final resolution
Ensure resolution is verified with
customer for all tickets before closure
Work with Field Technicians to fully
resolve problems
Proactively maintain and scrub every
system each time a troubleshooting
event occurs
Answer incoming customer and field
technician calls • Ability to perform all
functions of Level 1 Technician •
Participation of on call rotation
Provide mentoring to Level 1
technicians


Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

147

Position Title

Location

Job Description

Field Repair Site
Technician Manager

Dallas



Supervision of fifteen Field Repair
Technicians



Oversee repair and maintenance



Oversee initial PBI enrollment



Customer advocate to
CENTURYLINK Team management



Attendance at Department meetings
when necessary



Promptly responding to Department
when escalations occur



Maintain, repair and operate
telecommunications hardware,
LAN/WAN/Networking hardware/
software, various electronic equipment
and wiring per specifications and
operational procedures at correctional
facilities nationwide.
Install, maintain, program and repair
telecommunications hardware,
associated LAN/WAN/Networking
hardware/software, various electronic
equipment and wiring per
specifications and operational
procedures.

Field Repair Site
Technicians – 15

In the field
throughout TX








Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Work on a one-on-one basis with
sworn facility staff, civilian facility staff,
the offender population and the family
members of offender's to resolve
questions and concerns regarding
billing, training, technical support and
operational issues.
Monitor and test equipment according
to published equipment standards.
Interface with all internal CenturyLink
Team organizations, various vendors
and contractors for problem solutions.
respond to situations where standard
procedures have failed in isolating or
resolving problems.
Required to complete TIA A+
Certification, as well as, a minimum of
2 years experience working with Cisco
based routers, switches and PIX
firewalls.

148

Position Title

Location

Job Description

Enrollment Center
Manager

Tarboro, NC

The CenturyLink Team has an Enrollment
Center Manager already in place to continue
service under this new contract. The Manager
serves as an important point of contact for the
Department for consumer service and security
topics. The duties of the Manager include:


Overall responsibility for performance
of the Enrollment Center



Ensure all approved enrollments meet
Department guidelines
Manage Attorney Registration and
Audit Process






Enrollment Center
Supervisors and
representatives

Rocky Mount and
Tarboro, NC



Promptly respond to escalations and
requests from the Department,
Attorneys, and offender families
received by phone, email & facsimile.



Interface with consumer billing service
center management to coordinate
approvals and consumer account
management.

The CenturyLink Team has existing full time
Verification Representatives (currently 16)
dedicated to the contract for the successful
implementation of the friends and family
enrollment project and ongoing support of the
OTS. The Verification Representatives
maintain a high level of ongoing customer
service to all customers and ensure
enrollments are processed in a timely
manner. The primary duties of the Verification
Representatives are:



Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Manage Enrollment Center
Representatives with progressive
levels of responsibility to ensure all
levels of support to the Department
and offender Families are provided.
Manage Offender Debit Refund
Process.

Process each friend or family
enrollment request received using the
following methods: phone, fax, email
or U.S. Mail.
Troubleshoot and direct customers for
quick and accurate resolution.

149

Digital Forensic Lab
Staff

2 Analysts –
Austin, TX
1Liason – Austin,
TX

Call Monitoring Staff
(GEX) – TBD

Trainers

Jefferson City, MO

Dallas, TX



Input customer account data and
perform audits to ensure data
integrity.



Process Attorney registrations and
conduct quarterly Attorney Audits
Data to ensure data integrity.



Process offender debit refund
requests.



Respond to email inquiries from
offender families and the Department
in a timely manner.



Manually update the Department’s
daily block report

The CenturyLink Team has a Cellular
Forensics Laboratory; co-located with the
Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Austin,
TX, dedicate to TDCJ. The lab is currently
staffed with 3 forensic examiners whose
primary duties are:


Data extraction from recovered
contraband cell phones



Ad-hoc reporting of data extracted
from contraband cell phones

Guarded Exchange analysts are directly
responsible for providing TDCJ investigative
support by:


Call monitoring using investigative
software with the purpose of identifying
actionable leads



Preparing reports based on their
analysis



Delivery of product training programs
using a variety of training tools
Conducting on-site customer training
sessions
Aligning product training to meet
customer needs and expectations
Defining content for training
presentation materials
Implementing standards and
guidelines for customer product
training







Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

Developing standardized customer
training materials (instructors guides,

150





35.

training outlines and training syllabus)
Delivery product Webinars
Increase the Department's
understanding and utilization of OTS
Assess customer satisfaction with
trainer and training

Proposer shall include, in detail, their Disaster Recovery Plan, which
should also include a timeline. (Section C.3.3.B)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team will continue to have complete end-to-end responsibility for all aspects of
the service, including damaged or destroyed equipment due to natural disaster, lightning strikes,
misuse of equipment, fire, or social insurrections.
As previously outlined, our OTS’ centralized
architecture is completely redundant and resilient. The
most important advantages the CenturyLink Team can
offer during a disaster or any other type of adverse
condition are the safeguards inherent in the OTS itself.
Redundancy is built in at the component level, the
facility level, the network level, and system-wide. From
automatic switching to a backup component, to dual
VoIP providers, to customer data residing at multiple
data centers in different parts of the country, each failsafe is designed to ensure no loss of data.

During recent hurricane
events, we were at the ready
to make emergency
provisioning changes at
TDCJ’s request. Provisioning
changes included extending
calling hours 7am-10pm to
5am-12am daily and also
adjusting Offender PIN
restrictions to allow offenders
to call from any facility to
which they were evacuated.

Hundreds of hours of planning and a significant
amount of capital have been invested in our disaster
recovery approach to keep the OTS operational or
able to recover as quickly as possible from disasters that may affect the Department.
CenturyLink’s Disaster Recovery and Continuity of Operations Plan is included on the following
pages.

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Disaster Recovery & Continuity of Operations Plan
This CenturyLink Team has provided and will continue to provide the most advanced and
dependable offender communications systems to Department facilities throughout Texas. This
experience includes providing unmatched service and support to facilities through the worst of
circumstances.
Our field team provides stability in these situations that cannot be matched or undervalued
when the need arises. The CenturyLink Teams plans, as the Department does, to ensure proper
operation in the face of adversity. Our disaster recovery plan is a valuable part of our solution
when it is enacted.
If a catastrophic event, a natural disaster, or other system causes a loss of service to the
Offender Telephone System (OTS), in order to provide consistent and high quality
service to customers, the CenturyLink Team is prepared to carry out emergency
response and recovery operations.
For TDCJ, the CenturyLink Team has a large dedicated account team dedicated to just the
Department to assist whenever any problem occurs, including in times of disaster.
In the event of a disaster, the TDCJ team will also have the full support of our entire field service
department, which includes 224 field service associates supported by a centralized field
dispatch team. The Field Service Technicians (FST) are strategically positioned to support
ongoing maintenance as well as any disaster recovery situations that our customers may
encounter. The FSTs are trained and provided with disaster recovery processes, plans and
checklists The FTSs are supported by senior technical support resources and engineering in
order to expedite repairs and minimize customer downtime.
Below is additional detail regarding processes that are in place to ensure effective responses for
emergency and recovery operations. In addition, we are also including information on our
preventative and security processes.

Securus System Control & Service Center
In order to provide protections that effectively lower the risk of loss of data, all data is stored in a
centralized database and backed up offsite. Redundancy is a key component of the OTS. Our
web-based system allows authorized users to access the data from any location with an Internet
connection. The CenturyLink Team maintains the system at the highest level of operability.
The OTS provides a unique set of features that use advanced technology to store offender call
recordings. Traditional premises-based calling platforms use local hard drives that may fail and
are susceptible to local disasters, such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and fires. The SCP
uses ‘SAN’ (Storage Area Network) storage. SAN is a high-speed sub-network of shared
storage devices. SAN's architecture avails all storage devices to all servers on LANs (Local
Area Networks) or WANs (Wide Area Networks). Data on the SAN is stored in RAID
(Redundant Arrays of Independent Disk) formats, spreading the data across multiple drives and
providing additional protection. Data is no longer susceptible to loss due to an individual drive
failure. Accordingly, SANs provide facilities with the ultimate protection against single drive or
server failures, as well as increased security for each call recording.
The SCP is co-located in a Telx or AT&T Disaster Resistant Carrier Class Data Center that is
managed under the direct supervision and immediate hands-on maintenance of data center
personnel.
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The call detail and call recordings are initially stored for on-line retrieval on multiple RAIDs in
two separate SANs. The system writes all recordings to each SAN, promoting disaster recovery
in case of single disk or entire RAID failure.
Archiving to off-line is automated and managed by disc drives. A facility does not have to
intervene or archive libraries. This automation removes the risk of human error.

Facility Emergency Response Checklists
The CenturyLink Team has developed procedures (checklists) to protect equipment and
personnel in the event of an emergency situation. These procedures can be as simple as using
sand bags to stabilize equipment and placing tape on windows that may be exposed to high
winds. However, the effectiveness of these procedures can be affected by the lead time
available to implement them. Earthquakes, flash floods, power outages etc., cannot be
accurately forecasted. However, checklists will focus on mitigation and recovery. We will
combine efforts between headquarters and field staff to expedite recovery wherever possible.
Each checklist will be coordinated with the Department to ensure consistency with Department
policy and procedures.

Spare Parts and Inventory Requirements
The CenturyLink Team requires that each field service site technician is equipped with a full
inventory of spare parts kits for all equipment located at the customer premise. In addition, a
backup inventory of spare parts is centrally located in Dallas, Texas, and at other strategically
placed locations to ensure expedited response times. Finally, distribution agreements are in
place with multiple vendors to provide expedited delivery service if necessary. The Securus
corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, maintains a standardized emergency recovery
package of frequently used spare parts and equipment that will be available for shipment to
support failure backup efforts at our customer sites. Similar field spare parts kits are maintained
by each of our technical field.

Response
Response operations will not begin until personnel safety can be assured. Emergency recovery
operations are prioritized by critical facilities and equipment locations. The first priority is to
recover maximum-security institutions and institutions with high offender phone usage. The
preference of the customer is considered at all times. Field and headquarters management will
ensure that responders are using all appropriate checklists and that the preparation for recovery
operations is initiated within appropriate response guidelines.

Emergency Condition Declaration
The CenturyLink Team’s Account Manager, Paula Parson, Technical Support Manager, Tony
Taillac, and a predetermined designate from the Department will contact CenturyLink’s General
Manager to request a formal declaration of an emergency condition. Operations management
will establish an immediate conference bridge with the appropriate participants to gather
information substantiating that an emergency status is warranted and determining the level of
response and actions.
The CenturyLink Team classifies disasters on a 1-3 level. Level 3 represents a moderate
impact disaster and affects a small localized area. Level 2 represents a disaster that is highimpact and affects a more wide-spread area, which may include multiple facilities. A Level 1
disaster represents catastrophic events that are extremely wide-spread or affect a specific
region with many facilities and customers.
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If the information gathered from the call substantiates an emergency status, the emergency
response level is determined. The following table defines the emergency condition levels:
Table: Emergency Response Condition Levels
Condition Level

Response
Full headquarters response and possible deployment of a
Headquarters Response Team to the region to coordinate and
assist local recovery efforts.

Level 1

Level 2

CenturyLink and Securus national field organizations are notified
of the emergency situation. The Customer Service Manager and
the Department initiate a Command Center, including
CenturyLink and Securus Leadership. Necessary skill levels and
geographic proximity are matched to the site’s needs; additional
personnel are dispatched as needed.
Headquarters support will provide assistance to the local
Recovery Team, as required to obtain internal Department
support as necessary.
On-site technician requirements assessed and additional
personnel dispatched as necessary

Level 3

The local Recovery Team will coordinate all recovery operations.
Headquarters assistance beyond normal technical assistance
should not be required.

Note: A Level 3 declaration notifies headquarters of the seriousness of an ongoing recovery
effort, and provides the necessary background information if the local response team lead
requests an upgrade to a higher condition level.
Our corporate headquarters will open a new trouble ticket in our ticket tracking system,
indicating the declared condition level and the date and time of the declaration. All open tickets
pertaining to the ongoing emergency recovery effort will be linked to the new trouble ticket and
closed to ensure that all recovery efforts are recorded against a single ticket number.
Post-mortem reports are completed for all declared emergency condition levels. We analyze all
post-mortem reports to advance our emergency recovery planning efforts.

Notification
Following the declaration of an emergency condition, the Securus National Service Center will
continue to notify the Department using established notification and escalation procedures.

Offender Telephone System Failure Back-Up Escalation Plan
Emergency Contact Information
In addition to the dedicated TDCJ toll free support number that is already established and in
use, the CenturyLink Team provides toll-free, 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week emergency access
phone number lists that will be readily available for use during an emergency situation.
Additionally, conference bridges will be pre-established to facilitate group communications.
Contact information will be updated at regular intervals to ensure accuracy. The Securus
National Service Center will also maintain these emergency contact phone number lists and
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coordinate on a regular basis with field staff to ensure that all lists are accurate. Notification
based on pre-established timelines and contact lists will occur via email notification and/or an
outbound auto dialer.
The CenturyLink Team understands that emergencies don’t just occur outside the perimeter,
often times the emergency takes place within a facility. As a result we offer to engage the
Department in a program for an Emergency Notification Service. The Service would utilize
CenturyLink’s enterprise auto-dialing system to perform mass notifications in case of an
emergency. One example of an application is a mass callout to staff during a security
emergency. Using a pre-populated list by Unit, authorized Department personnel would have
access to 24/7 on-call personnel to initiate a callout. A key feature of the auto-dialer is its ability
to repeatedly attempt callouts until the call is received by a live person; i.e. if a call goes to
voicemail, the system will continue to attempt that number until answered.

Technical Support
The CenturyLink Team understands that throughout the duration of a critical event, our
customers rely on our support to guide them with minimal loss of equipment and data. Qualified
resources will be available to assist the Department. These resources include the TDCJ account
team in add to the more than 224 full-time field technicians who can deploy nationwide, and a
full list of contacts.
We also realize that during a disaster, it may be even more important that offenders and
detainees can stay in contact with their friends and family. To support these end users, Securus
maintains two fully staffed Technical Support Centers in Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA that can
continue call processing, even if there is a failure at one location.

Coordination
Coordination of all declared emergencies will depend on the emergency level. Field staff will
coordinate the emergency response to all level 3 conditions. Headquarters will provide
assistance at the request of field management for Level 2 emergency conditions, and will
coordinate all Level 1 emergency efforts.
The field management team will develop mutual agreements with other Securus regions in the
country or with vendors to supply resources, equipment, or manpower. Additional equipment
and personnel may not arrive for several days, depending on available transportation, condition
of the roadways and airports, and other factors, therefore, field management will not delay the
decision to ask for assistance from other sources.

Mobilization
Mobilization of a Headquarters Response Team, if necessary, will depend on need, as
determined by the headquarters and field management.
The Headquarters Response Team will be dispatched from Dallas as soon as possible to assist
field recovery efforts. However, field staff will begin recovery operations without delay

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Emergency Response Teams
The following teams will be formed to respond to declared emergency conditions. These teams
will include subject matter experts and necessary support staff.
Table: Emergency Response Teams
Team

Manning and Responsibility

Field Local Recovery
Team

Plans and directs local recovery operations.

Headquarters Support
Team

Staffed by field staff personnel only.
Provides technical support and assistance to local
recovery teams.
Staffed cross-functionally, as required.
Deployed to Securus local markets to assist local
recovery operations.

Headquarters
Response Team

The Headquarters Response Team is staffed by subjectmatter experts and led by headquarters operations
management.

Recovery
Recovery operations may last several hours, several days, several weeks, or longer. Field staff
will continue recovery operations until critical offender calling functions have been recovered
and restored to normal call and data transmission capability. When emergency operations are
no longer necessary, the Headquarters Response Team will be recalled, but minor recovery
operations may still continue.
Throughout emergency recovery operations, the headquarters and field staff record all recovery
actions and results. Following the resolution of emergency response operations, all recovery
teams and appropriate management submit pertinent information and comments to be included
in the Post Mortem report.
With virtually all of the data, such as call records, recordings and system settings residing in
redundant databases at the centralized sites, the CenturyLink Team is confident that the
Department will not lose data following restoration of the OTS. Additionally, our OTS is one the
most stable calling platforms in the industry with nearly perfect, 100% availability. Through
design, proactive monitoring, and rapid-response procedures, Securus minimizes customerimpacting outages.

Risk Mitigation and Proactive Monitoring
The SCP platform and infrastructure was designed to minimize potential outages and protect
customer data. Multiple data centers, diverse network paths, redundant platform systems and
proactive monitoring mitigate the majority of risks.

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Data Centers and Network
Securus continuously monitors all data centers, infrastructure components, platform systems
and Offender Telephone Systems (OTS) using the SolarWinds® suite of network performance
monitors. The SolarWinds® performance monitors are highly configurable to provide real-time
monitoring, event notification, alert history and statistical information. An alarm condition creates
immediate visual alerts and email notifications.
The Securus Network Operations Center (NOC) provides 24x7x365 monitoring for all Securus
systems, including SCP, network, back-office systems and data centers. The NOC proactively
monitors these systems to ensure performance is optimal and uninterrupted. In addition to
system and network level monitoring, the NOC also monitors real-time video surveillance and
environmental alerts for our data centers. Securus maintains a fully redundant backup NOC at a
separate physical location, should services be disrupted at the primary location.
36.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, the method that will be used to
transfer data and associated files and records to the Department.
(Section C.3.3.C)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
TDCJ and CenturyLink have worked closely together to establish the methods that are being
used to successfully transfer data and associated files and records. This already established
method of data transfer will be retained under any new contract. CenturyLink looks forward to
working with the Department to enhance or change any data exchange method in the future. As
an example, enhanced methods may include new files and records that may be required for the
new video visitation solution requested by the Department. CenturyLink is prepared to develop
any new methods, protocols, process and procedures resulting from this new contract.

Integration Process
The dedicated Securus Integration team has designed, developed, tested and implemented all
custom integrations for the Department to deliver a fast and flexible solution.
We have an established interface with the State that provides a current roster on a daily basis.
This occurs through database extract in CSV format via SFTP. The e-imports function within
SCP takes transmitted information and populates the appropriate fields within the SCP system
without further intervention from TDCJ staff.
The files that we currently receive from TDCJ through this integration include:



Booked Files - Received Daily in order to create/reactivate offender accounts, update
facility/PIN and manage activation/deactivation of suspensions.
Complete File of All Offenders and their Current Status – Performed Monthly to ensure
all offender files are the most up to date.



Release Files: Received daily and automatically deactivates offender accounts as
offenders are released from TDCJ.



Change Account – Received weekly, providing information for changed offender
account numbers and updating the system automatically.



Debit File – Received daily providing commissary purchase information in order to
update the debit account.

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The Booked, Complete and Release files transmit the information to include the following fields.



SiteID
Account Number



Last Name, First Name



Middle Name



Suspension status

The debit file transmits the information to include the following fields.



Transaction Reference Number
Debit Amount



Offender’s Account Number

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The Change Account transmits the information to include the following fields.



Old Account Number
New Account Number

37.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, how the Offender account
requirements will be accomplished. (Section C.3.3.E.1)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team will continue with the current process of
funding offender telephone accounts. There are two main methods
of doing so; 1) by the offender purchasing “debit” time through their
commissary account, or 2) Friends and Family directly funding the
account just like they do for their prepaid Collect accounts through
one of the following outlets:

Today we
complete
approximately
20,000 debit
funding
transfers per
month for TDCJ
offenders



Call our Customer Service center and speak with a live
operator





Use our automated interactive voice response system
Use our mobile-friendly website
Fund accounts by mail



Visit one of more than 35,000 MoneyGram locations such as Walmart and CVS
Pharmacy



Visit one of more than 58,000 Western Union locations.

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Refunds
The CenturyLink Team will continue to follow the current process of administering offender
account refunds, in accordance with the rule in J.7
To request a refund an offender must submit a completed Offender Telephone Account Refund
Form and submit it to:
Texas Offender Telephone Account Refund
720 Western Blvd.
Tarboro, NC 27886

38.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, how the called party account
requirements will be accomplished. (Section C.3.3.E.2)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team offers called parties two main forms of billing:



A Direct-billed account allows collect calls to be billed monthly from Securus
Correctional Billing Services.
An AdvanceConnect/Prepaid account allows the offender’s friend or family to fund an
account in advance and manage how much money they would like to spend on collect
calls. If the offender’s friend or family member wishes to receive more calls, he or she
may simply add more funds.

Direct Billed
The CenturyLink Team provides all billing services internally through Securus’ Correctional
Billing Services.
Post-paid collect calls are billed directly by Securus to ensure accurate billing. The monthly bill
statement includes a detail description of calls received, debits, credits, fees and taxes. Taxes
are calculated and assessed after call completion to ensure accurate tax assessment by
jurisdiction and individually documented on the payer’s invoice during the billing cycle.
For Direct-billed accounts
 Calls are rated and sorted prior to distribution
 Rated calls are distributed to Securus billing system
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

Charges appear on a bill generated by Securus Correctional Billing Services (Securus
customer service and billing division). Called parties are subject to credit checks (as
allowed by state regulations) to set up a direct billed account.

Prepaid Accounts
We offer friends and family members of offenders a wide variety of options to set up and fund
prepaid accounts. Called parties fund these accounts in advance and charges are deducted
from an account as calls are made.
To create and fund a pre-paid calling account, friends and family members can:


Call our Customer Service center and speak with a live operator




Use our automated interactive voice response system
Use our mobile-friendly website




Fund accounts by mail
Visit one of more than 35,000 MoneyGram locations such as Walmart and CVS
Pharmacy
Visit one of more than 58,000 Western Union locations.



In addition, prepaid accounts can be funded through JPay, just as friends and family fund trust
deposits for TDCJ offenders today.

Billing and Account Management
Customers can use our toll-free number to either speak to a live agent or use an intuitive,
automated interactive voice response system to help them with their billing needs. Live agent
support is available to friends and family members seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and 365
days a year. For added convenience, we also offer personal account access via our website
(www.securustechnologies.com). End-users can also access customer service via online “chat”
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our friendly and knowledgeable agents can help customers with:
 Setting up and funding accounts
 Making payment arrangements
 Obtaining information on credit limits
 Resolving complaints
 Blocking and unblocking numbers
 Reviewing call durations and history
 Learning about MoneyGram® options
 Learning about Western Union® options
 Receiving information on new services
 Confirming originating facility
 Reviewing account balances
 Answering questions and helping customers with refund requests
 Managing account notifications
Our customer service agents are highly trained on OTS issues and in satisfying the specific
needs of called parties. We offer both English speaking and Spanish speaking agents.
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Fees
We will not charge set-up fees for called parties who create pre-paid accounts. Friends and
family members also have the option to fund accounts with no fees and to avoid minimum
funding requirements. The current low fee structure in place at TDCJ today will continue.
Ancillary Service Charges and Other Fees
Securus’ Ancillary Service Charges (see 47 C.F.R. § 64.6020) and other fees to Consumers
relating to the use of its offender calling services are as follows:
Fees Vary by Account
Types*
Account Set Up

How Applied

Amount

Account Type

At account initiation

$0.00 Always Free

Any Account

Payments via mail or
online banking

Each payment

$0.00 Always Free

Any payment to any
Securus account

Paper Bill/Statement
Fees

When choosing local
carriers to bill,
applied once/month
when used for a
paper bill or
statement. Does not
apply to electronic
bills/statements.

$2.00

Direct Bill only.
Prepaid Statements
are available at no
charge.

Automated Payment Fees

For automated
payment by phone
or website

$3.00

For payments to
prepaid
(AdvanceConnect and
Inmate Debit) and
Direct Bill accounts

Live Agent Fee

For payment through
a live agent

$5.95

For payments to
prepaid
(AdvanceConnect and
Offender Debit) and
Direct Bill accounts

Return Check Charge

Applies to any
checks returned for
insufficient funds.

Up to $25.00, depending
on state regulatory rules

For payments to
prepaid
(AdvanceConnect and
Offender Debit) and
Direct Bill accounts

* Sales taxes, Universal Service fund fees, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) fees
may also apply, based on local, state, and federal taxing authorities.

Certain third-parties may charge the following fees:
o

MoneyGram: $10.99

Western Union: $11.95

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Friends and Family Obtaining a Refund
To obtain an account refund, end users may contact Customer Service by phone, or by chat at
www.securustech.net. For all credit card transactions made by phone or website, full and partial
refunds will be applied to the payment source last used. For full refunds on accounts last funded
via Western Union, funds will be refunded to the customer through Western Union. For partial
refunds on accounts funded via Western Union and for both full and partial refunds on payments
mailed to Securus, a check will be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. Full refund amounts are
available at no charge up to one year of date of last use. Unclaimed funds, including pre-paid
funds, will be remitted to the State through an established escheatment process.
39.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, how they called party registration
requirements will be accomplished. (Section C.3.3.F.1)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The Called Party registration process has been custom-developed by CenturyLink in
consultation with TDCJ staff over the past 9 years,
The enrollment process has evolved
exceeding the requirements contained in C.3.3.F.1. For
over 9 years and is 100% custom to
this process, CenturyLink staffs a TDCJ-dedicated center
TDCJ. During this time, we believe
staffed primarily out of Rocky Mount and Tarboro, NC.
Highlights of the registration process:

the State would agree CenturyLink
has delivered outstanding service
to family members in addition to
TDCJ. Continuing with CenturyLink
would preserve all historical data in
their native format and, most
important, the processes and
service relationships that TDCJ has
counted on during the prior
contract.



Custom web page at texasprisonphone.com



Enrollment options online, toll-free automated
phone or live representative, and by mail



Confirmation of eligibility and acknowledgement of
rules (including all those contained in C.3.3.F.1)



Custom development of service representative UI
and database for consumer management and data
gathering





Custom development of Interactive Voice Response system and prompts
Strict adherence to TDCJ security guidelines
Coordination with TDCJ staff for members of the State’s Victims List



Strict management of customer eligibility, including prohibition of registering another
number of blocked by authorized TDCJ staff



Ongoing audits of eligible numbers due to number portability

 Data held for TDCJ investigative purposes
We highlight the management of eligibility requirements, which have evolved over time through
discussions with TDCJ OTS management staff and CenturyLink management. Management of
these requirements involves loading the database with prohibited “Operator Carrier Numbers”
(OCNs) within the Line Information Database (LIDB) to disallow nomadic VoIP services like
Magic Jack. It also involves 3-way calls with cell phone carriers for ALL cell phone enrollments
– this is necessary because LIDB and other carrier databases do not distinguish between
prepaid and postpaid cell phone services.

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General Description: Enrollment Center and Back Office Processes
Customers are required to accept five terms before their enrollment can be approved.
CenturyLink maintains documentation of the terms accepted for TDCJ review at any time.
As part of our enrollment process, center representatives verify the name against the Texas
Driver’s License Bureau. This requires maintenance of Texas DL data and purchase of data
updates from the State of Texas.
The process then verifies the offender against TDCJ active offenders list, in addition to verifying
the applicant’s name and type of service with their carrier before approval. This requires a LIDB
and Calling Name (CNAM) dip for each customer. For applicants attempting to enroll a postpaid cell phone, enrollment requires a copy of their phone bill or a third-party call to their carrier
to verify account name and pre-paid/post-post-paid status. These three way calls can be
lengthy depending on the cell phone provider, and our representatives maintain live contact
throughout the process. As stated previously, the name on the customer’s driver’s license is
verified against the phone bill owner.
CenturyLink carefully manages fraudulent attempts to enroll, which are significant in number.
Suspicious/fraudulent attempts are flagged within our system, and follow-up attempts require
manual intervention, including review of signatures among different forms, and other checks.
Business owners are not allowed to register their phone numbers if they are listed as
corporations or LLC. Small business owners can register their phone number but their name
has to be on the phone bill with a DBA or without the word “attention” or “care of”. The only
method a small business owner can register their phone number is via phone enrollment.
Once we have confirmed that the customer meets TDCJ requirements, we send a nightly list of
those customers to TDCJ to verify against the victims list before final approval. Once we receive
final approval, we update accounts to make them eligible to receive calls, and send an email to
consumers regarding their application status.
This process occurs for each individual number attempting to register for each eligible offender.
As TDCJ is aware there are multiple processes for different service types – for the convenience
of the Department, the proprietary/confidential Live Rep and Offline processes are provided
below.

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Cell Phone Enrollment – Live Rep

Cell Phone Enrollment – Offline

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The Enrollment Center also manages several important post-enrollment processes to maintain
security on an ongoing basis. The two most important of these are TDCJ blocking management
and number audits.
TDCJ block management
When TDCJ blocks a customer from receiving calls from an offender, CenturyLink further
ensures the customer is not allowed to register any other numbers for that offender, as well as
ensuring no other customers are allowed to enroll numbers using the same address that the
blocked customer used on the initial enrollment. This takes additional special programming and
some manual intervention to ensure the blocked customer does not gain access to the offender
via the OTS.
Ongoing audits
CenturyLink receives daily booked, release, and update files from TDCJ to maintain an active
offenders list and to update customer account status. We also receive a monthly active
offenders list as a method to audit these daily updates, and perform other periodic audits for
TDCJ. These include monthly audits of 10% of F&F accounts (all eligible PANs audited at least
once annually). Cell phone customers who have changed carriers are automatically deactivated
and required to re-enroll. Finally, we perform quarterly attorney audits where we verify “Do No
Record” of attorney numbers and also verify attorney standing with the Texas Bar.
40.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, how the attorney registration
requirements will be accomplished. (Section C.3.3.F.2)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Similar to Called Party registrations, attorney numbers are subjected to rigorous verification.
The importance of this process is obvious, since it is used to maintain attorney-client privilege.

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Attorney Audit Process

41.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, the plan for problem resolution
forms. (Section C.3.3.G)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team has worked extensively with the Department to establish and refine the
problem resolution process for instances when issues arise or when offenders have questions
about the system, which includes:


Establishing a Technical Support Department dedicated solely to problem resolution for
TDCJ,



Creating and polishing the Assistance Request Form into its current format, and

 Establishing and refining Assistant Request processes and procedures (Kites).
The CenturyLink Team will continue to provide and maintain the necessary work stations and
equipment necessary for scanning and transmitting the resolution forms. We currently print the
Assistance Request Form on the agreed upon pink paper and provide them in bulk to the
Department, along with other consumable supplies, like toner. Our technical support team will
make sure the Department if always properly stocked of these supplies.
The CenturyLink Team will provide an initial response confirming receipt of the problem
resolution form, if not the problem resolution itself, within one (1) business day submission. The
CenturyLink Team does not charge for the transmission or response to a request for assistance.

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Kites
Assistance Request forms (aka - kites) are available at all TDCJ facilities for offenders to use
when they have questions on how to use the OTS or have any OTS issue that needs to be
addressed.
Step 1:

An offender fills out and submits a kite at their facility's mailroom.

Step 2:

Mailroom personnel scan the offender kites using a workstation and
scanner that have been provided by JPay. Each time a kite is scanned
using the supplied Jpay eMessaging system, it is delivered to a dedicated
TDCJ support Service Representative.

Step 3:

The Service Representative reviews the scanned kite and begins
researching the issue. They will craft a response for the offender and
submit it back to the offender using the Jpay eMessaging system.

Step 4:

The facility mailroom personnel receives the offender kite with the Service
Representative’s response and prints it out to deliver to the offender.

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The Assistance Request Form includes a list of frequently asked questions and answer for the
offender.
When the CenturyLink Team began its relationship with the Department, kites had to be
physically mailed to our service technicians. This method was inefficient and dangerous for mail
room personnel. Seeing an opportunity for improvement, we digitized the kite process by
providing workstations in the TDCJ mailrooms and training for staff on how to electronically
send kites to the dedicated TDCJ service center. This enhanced method will continue under any
new contract.

42.

Proposer shall describe, in detail, the plan for a digital forensics service.
(Section C.1.1.X)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team is proud to propose the continued use of your fully functioning Cellular
Forensics Laboratory; co-located with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Austin, TX. This
state-of-the-art Cellular Forensics Lab is part of a comprehensive suite of investigative
solutions. The Cellular Forensics service allows TDCJ to maintain and improve upon your
ability to retrieve saved and deleted information such as call logs, messages, contact
information, photos, videos, browser history and SIM/SD card analysis from recovered
contraband cell phones.
Cellular Forensics brings a unique examination capability to the Department for recovered
contraband cell phones. Examiners provide a comprehensive and analytical breakdown of the
cellular data using Cellebrite and several other computer forensic programs—such as Encase,
Internet Evidence Finder, Passware, Oxygen Phone Forensic Suite, Forensic Explorer—that
can also perform in-depth forensic analysis on acquired devices and any form of digital media.
Our solution uses the most advanced technology available to integrate all recovered information
into a single, cohesive source with the sole purpose of helping the Department generate
Actionable Intelligence™. The Cellular Forensics Lab is powered by forensics grade computers
and it maintains all commercial software licensing in accordance with the Department’s 1 for 1
license to staff member ratio. The Lab has been a great success at TDCJ and will continue to
be offered under any new contract with staffing and systems deployed to process 150 to 200
phones per month. The Lab will continue to be staffed with three certified forensic examiners
who have already obtained the necessary employment clearances from the OIG. If the volume
changes over time, we will work with the Department to ensure appropriate staffing levels.
Our Forensic Examiners are also certified to perform data extraction of devices that are
damaged, locked, or unsupported by other forensic tools using the latest Chip-Off Forensics
technique. Chip-Off Forensics is the process of removing the flash memory from the printed
circuit board of a device using either a heat or no-heat method, depending on the purpose of the
extraction, and reading and analyzing the raw data stored on the chip. This process allows the
Department to access more locked and damaged devices, increasing the potential intelligence
and data gathered from devices.
The combined experience of our Forensic Staff, along with industry-leading hardware and
software, provides the highest quality of digital forensic services on mobile devices, and any
digital media.
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Finally, forensic lab personnel will continue to employ strict Chain of Custody and evidence
security procedures to safeguard all evidence within its possession. These policies and
procedures are designed and maintained throughout the process from receiving of the
evidence, data extraction and return of the evidence. These Mobile Device policies and
procedures are based upon the best practices recommended by Cellebrite, an industry
recognized leader in the field, with input and approval from the Department.
Every item received by Guarded Exchange Forensic services in entered into an electronic
spreadsheet as well as individually labeled and attached to a Acquired Property form, where
custody within the Guarded Exchange offices is maintained and documented
The Guarded Exchange forensic lab and evidence room is a locked, secure room with access
limited to staff approved. A copy of the Guarded Exchange Forensic Services Policies and
Procedures guide is available upon request.
43.

Proposer shall include, in detail, their comprehensive time schedule
that outlines the entire project from award of Contract to full
operational status in the comprehensive Implementation Plan.(Section
C.3.4.1)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
Building upon the success of the original OTS installation,
the CenturyLink Team is providing our Implementation
The CenturyLink Team Legacy:
Plan to update the Departments OTS workstations,
 5,439 OTS Phones
offender phones and network infrastructure in addition to
 114 Facilities
120 video visitation units. This technology refresh effort will
 100+ Associates
 921,866 Hours
provide the TDCJ with the technology and tools to support
 9 Month Installation
the Department’s OTS mission today and throughout the
 122,155 Offenders Served
life of the contract. It will provide the technology
 299,817 Offenders Enrolled
infrastructure necessary to implement the additional
products and services outlined in this proposal and will
allow the CenturyLink Team to enhance the quality of
products and services to the Department.
The CenturyLink Team, as the first ever OTS provider, is the most qualified to support the
implementation requirements of this proposal and benefits from a unique understanding of the
complexities associated with managing the OTS at the Department’s 114 facilities statewide.
We understand the herculean effort that was required to install the Departments first OTS, from
its inception through final acceptance, while working diligently to meet the operational
expectations of the Department and the associated service level agreements (SLAs) required
by the initial contract.
We will build upon the initial installation success that saw 5,439 OTS phones installed at 114
TDCJ facilities in approximately nine (9) months. An effort that consumed almost 922,000
hours from more than 100 associates to install the technology infrastructure required to offer
the OTS to TDCJ offenders. In addition, we enrolled over 122,000 offenders to the OTS using a
voice biometric technology and implemented investigative capabilities that were never been
available to the Department.
That is the shared legacy of the TDCJ and CenturyLink Team partnership. We offer the
following implementation Plan as a means of continuing this relationship for the next decade
and beyond.
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ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34

Task Name
CenturyLink Offender Calling System Installation Project Plan for Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Offender Calling System Installation & Cut‐Over
Project Initiation Phase
On Site Kick‐Off meeting with TDCJ & CenturyLink Account Team
Site Surveys conducted by CenturyLink Field Services Team (Mandatory)
Project Planning Phase
Engineering Schematics, Bill of Materials, and Manual of Procedure (MOP) Updates
Agency Provisioning and Data Management
Product and feature provisioning within the operational platforms
Hardware and LEC transport orders
Project Execution Phase
Delivery confirmations
LEC Circuit deliveries (As Necessary)
Hardware deliveries throughout DOC
Pre‐Installation activities per facility
Verification of shipment content to pick list
Process received hardware paperwork
Installation activities per facility
Installation of all required hardware in phone room and through the facility
Installation of all phones by pod or dorm
Installation of additional workstations
Installation of Video Visitation at designated 12 locations
Training of product and feature utilities
Walkthrough of product details by user group access
Agency training certifications by user group
Controlling and Monitoring Phase
Perform Change checkpoints
Identify change orders for specific facility requirements not identified at Site Survey
Quality evaluation checkpoints
Verification of project installation activity by facility
Complete checklists and document connectivity and utilization per facility
Closing Phase
Cutover of product and features to calling platform
Reverification of services are functional
Page 1

Duration
191 days
191 days
6 days
3 days
3 days
71 days
7 days
55 days
70 days
14 days
137 days
82 days
70 days
68 days
67 days
66 days
66 days
99 days
96 days
98 days
96 days
96 days
15 days
15 days
15 days
104 days
90 days
90 days
104 days
104 days
104 days
34 days
19 days
15 days

Start
Tue 9/4/18
Tue 9/4/18
Tue 9/4/18
Tue 9/4/18
Fri 9/7/18
Thu 9/13/18
Thu 9/13/18
Mon 9/24/18
Fri 9/14/18
Fri 9/14/18
Fri 10/5/18
Fri 10/5/18
Fri 10/5/18
Thu 10/25/18
Mon 11/19/18
Mon 11/19/18
Tue 11/20/18
Wed 11/21/18
Wed 11/21/18
Thu 11/22/18
Fri 11/23/18
Fri 11/23/18
Tue 3/26/19
Tue 3/26/19
Tue 3/26/19
Wed 12/5/18
Wed 12/19/18
Wed 12/19/18
Wed 12/5/18
Wed 12/5/18
Wed 12/5/18
Thu 4/11/19
Thu 4/11/19
Thu 4/11/19

Finish
Tue 5/28/19
Tue 5/28/19
Tue 9/11/18
Thu 9/6/18
Tue 9/11/18
Thu 12/20/18
Fri 9/21/18
Fri 12/7/18
Thu 12/20/18
Wed 10/3/18
Mon 4/15/19
Mon 1/28/19
Thu 1/10/19
Mon 1/28/19
Tue 2/19/19
Mon 2/18/19
Tue 2/19/19
Mon 4/8/19
Wed 4/3/19
Mon 4/8/19
Fri 4/5/19
Fri 4/5/19
Mon 4/15/19
Mon 4/15/19
Mon 4/15/19
Mon 4/29/19
Tue 4/23/19
Tue 4/23/19
Mon 4/29/19
Mon 4/29/19
Mon 4/29/19
Tue 5/28/19
Tue 5/7/19
Wed 5/1/19

Task Name
35
36
37
38
39

Duration
4 days
15 days
15 days
15 days
15 days

Cut sheet distribution
Post cutover activities
Open project tickets for post cutover monitoring
Monitor site activities of product functionality
Agency acceptance and project closure

Page 2

Start
Thu 5/2/19
Wed 5/8/19
Wed 5/8/19
Wed 5/8/19
Wed 5/8/19

Finish
Tue 5/7/19
Tue 5/28/19
Tue 5/28/19
Tue 5/28/19
Tue 5/28/19

44.

Proposer shall include, in detail, their comprehensive plan that outlines
the installation. (Section C.3.4.2)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
As the incumbent provider, many of the installation activities associated with a non-incumbent
provider, such as hiring and training of new staff, transfer of call records and recordings, setting
up new data transfers, new telephone lines and additional time of Department staff, will be
minimized if the CenturyLink Team remains your OTS provider.
Our offer includes the installation of all new telephone units. The CenturyLink Team will
evaluate the condition of all other hardware and provide all additional wiring, cabling, conduit,
cross-connects, jacks, plates, and related hardware, necessary for the system to operate to the
latest generation at no cost to the Department. We assign fully qualified, factory-trained field
technicians to inspect shipped equipment, and install and maintain SCP for the duration of the
contract period.
We have a proven track record of providing successful turnkey installations for large State
Department of Corrections agencies, including new services being installed at TDCJ. This
success stems from utilizing generally accepted telephone industry installation practices. Our
extensive experience installing and maintaining inmate communication systems has helped us
develop installation and cut-over procedures that will minimize disruptions and errors, and allow
your system to come online with little or no staff involvement.

Process
At the beginning of the new contract term the CenturyLink Team will meet with the Department
to discuss implementation and installation. We are expecting the Department to select a number
of Added Value products and services that we have offered. Depending on the Added Value
services selected and quantities, the CenturyLink Team will work closely with the Department to
finalize and schedule the Implementation Plan. We have provided a preliminary Implementation
Plan and Transition Schedule in response to Question 43 that provides a schedule of
implementation, illustrating the date and time for start of installation and a date certain for the
system and equipment to be fully operational and providing services.
The CenturyLink Team understands the installation requirements enumerated in Section C.3.4.2
and will comply. As the incumbent provider, the CenturyLink Team has good understanding
and knowledge of the Department’s infrastructure, applicable electrical codes, Department
policies, security guidelines and rules. Wherever possible, Securus will avoid work that requires
cutting into or through girders, beam, etc. Wherever possible, we will re-use existing station
cabling and where existing station cabling cannot be used, we will install new station cabling at
no cost to the Department.
Throughout the duration of the project, our Project Management Team will provide weekly
installation progress reports. The reports will include updates on all active, completed, and
pending installation activities.
During the cut-over, the CenturyLink Team will perform a thorough inspection of the installation
and will resolve any potential issues prior to finalizing the implementation. The technicians
completing the installation activity will perform a walk-through with the Department Team to
review deployment results, all installation documentation and checklists. Our Project
Management Team will host a Customer Acceptance Review Meeting with the Department
Team prior to finalizing the acceptance and cut-over at each location. During this time, we will
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provide the Department with complete cable counts, station numbers and the required “as-built”
drawings.

Installation Personnel
The CenturyLink Team warrants that all personnel providing installation of the OTS are direct
Securus employees who have been fully trained and certified and are qualified to install the
system, equipment and related services as required for service delivery.
As the incumbent provider, we will retain all existing support personnel. Each of these team
members are qualified, fully trained and certified to deliver required services. Over the life of the
existing contract, Securus has needed to backfill personnel. Each new employee will be fully
trained and certified to deliver required services.
45.

Proposer shall include, in detail, their Offender training program.
Contractor shall describe how their approach will support that
objective. (Section C.3.5.1, C.3.5.2, C.3.5.3)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink team has an extensive training staff, with curriculum tailored to the specific
needs of user groups (e.g. administrative staff vs. investigations). While we have performed
extensive training with Department staff on the existing system, this new contract provides an
opportunity for re-training in addition to the more focused training needed for new services such
as video visitation. As we have done in the past, the training plan will be developed in concert
with TDCJ OTS administration and tailored to the Department’s needs.
Experienced CenturyLink Team employees conduct all training through on-site or online
instructor-led classes, one-on-one and classroom training sessions at no cost. We deliver
standard training using both hands-on experiences with your data and using instructor
demonstrations to ensure each trainee understands all SCP functions.
Hands-on training is conducted by experienced CenturyLink Team employees. Our training
programs enable facility staff to use all features the first day of installation. Since our products
are web-based, after a two or three-hour training session, most facility staff can easily maneuver
through the system’s features.
Department administrators are free to opt out of training if it is believed that your staff is up to
date on the features of the OTS system. However, for your information, below are the available
training modules for the current OTS.

SCP Course Modules
Course Module

Getting Started

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Objective





Logging in
Navigating through the features
Managing your password
Contacting Technical Support for service calls\

175

User Administration Activities







Creating and changing user accounts
Defining a user’s role and granting access permission
Resetting a user’s password
Deactivating and/or deleting users
Running user management reports

Offender Administration
Activities






Adding and changing offender phone accounts
Deactivating offender phone accounts
Setting up the phones to meet your requirements
Using administrative reports

Monitoring Activities







Reviewing Call Detail Records (CDRs)
Monitoring live calls
Listening to recorded calls
Using monitoring reports
Saving calls and burning to CD

Investigation Activities






Using CDRs for investigations
Recognizing trends in offender activity
Using other investigative tools to collect evidence
“Digging” into the details




Learning time-saving tips and tricks
Discussing actual facility situations and turning evidence
into intelligence
Troubleshooting for operational and maintenance staff to
minimize unnecessary service calls

Super User Activities


The following table presents the standard SVV training course modules and associated learning
objectives.

Video Visitation Course Modules
Course Modules
Overview and Navigation

Appointments

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Objective


User types




Appointment types
Process flow





URL - status bar - webcam
Internet speed - storage term
Three main modules




Stop or cancel a session
Change date/time




Change terminal
Live monitor sessions

176



Users and user groups




Terminals and locations
Logs



View a recorded session



Actions and icons - search, play, lock, delete

Visitation Schedule



Customized by user type

Optional Applications



Sick Call - symptoms




Commissary Ordering
Automated inmate information




User types
Appointment types



Process flow




URL - status bar - webcam
Internet speed - storage term



Three main modules

Administration

Session Viewer

Overview and Navigation

We also offer customized training classes focused on different agency functions such as
investigations, live call monitoring, and system administration.

User Manuals and Training Materials
We will provide all necessary user manuals and training materials to the Department staff at our
instructor led training sessions. The training materials will be provided at no cost.
For SCP, we provide all user manuals, operating manuals, technical manuals and other
instructions online. When an authorized user is logged into their SCP account they will see a
“HELP” button in the upper right corner of the page.

By clicking on this button another window will pop up for the Secure Call Platform Online Help.

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Online Help Home Screen

This is where manuals, instructions, and other information about SCP are located. TDCJ
personnel will have the ability to search through the manual by Content sections, Index, or a
general key word search function and print sections as needed. This method of “print what you
need when you need it” ensures all printed material is updated with the current released
product.
In this portal there is also an online self-help system available at all times from a handy Help
menu in the application. Help Menu features include:


Welcome Pages – Provides high level descriptions of the purpose and function of the
selected feature.



How To – Offers task based procedures to assist users in efficiently using the
application to get their job done. Each topic includes a link to email Technical Support
or Training for further assistance when necessary.



What’s New – Describes new features in the current release with links to more details or
task based instructions.
Related Topics – Links to similar topics users may find beneficial.
Pop-up Definitions – Defines Glossary Terms and Index words at the click of a mouse
without having to leave the topic to assist your users in quickly assimilating new
concepts and technology.
Tips and Tricks – Provides short cuts, helpful hints, and advanced topics for highly
skilled users looking to improve their performance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Offers common questions and their answers.
Troubleshooting – Presents self-help to assist your users figure out unexpected results
and what to do next to get back on track.









Reference – Provides handy reference material such as international dialing codes and
other resources for your user’s convenience.

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During training job aid handouts will also be distributed. Examples of handout topics include:


SCP Call Restrictions with Call Type Descriptions



Using Covert Alerts




Reports – CDR Search Fields Descriptions
Reports – Blocked Call Reasons Descriptions



Reports – Call Termination Reasons



Four Steps to Burn Call Recordings to a Disc



Options for Burning Call Recordings to a CD



Security Template Definitions and User Access Roles

Offender Training
Training begins during the voice biometric enrollment where the CenturyLink Team site
administrators enroll the offender and explain to him/her the procedures for placing OTS calls.
Following enrollment, procedures are reinforced in a number of different ways.
For traditional voice calls:



Guided prompts to instruct offenders on OTS usage when they pick up the phone
Educational Offender brochures in the intake packet.

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


We work with UTMB staff to train hearing impaired offenders on VRS
Videos located on the terminal for hearing impaired – There are currently three
available videos that were all custom produced for TDCJ by the Century Link Team: 1)
ASL VRS tutorial, 2) ASL VRS rules video, 3) OTS rules.



Printed Instructions –Durable printed dialing instructions are located at each offender
telephone location in English, Spanish, and the other languages specified by the
Department. As a security measure, Securus will use materials and techniques
appropriate for the corrections environment that explains the process in a clearly
defined and easy to read manner. All offender telephone placards include a warning
that calls may be monitored and recorded. In addition to the placards, an admonishment
will be played during every call informing both parties that this call may be monitored
and recorded (except attorney calls).

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

The CenturyLink Team offers to produce short instructional videos for intake or other
areas if desired by the Department

For Video Visitation TDCJ Specified Locations




The CenturyLink Team will create and produce an educational brochure about video
visitation, similar to the OTS insert, which can be included in the intake packet for
offenders at the 6 sites that will have video visitation.
Our video visitation application is very intuitive and will provide the offender with guided
prompts to instruct on usage.

*e-messaging is an in-bound service only with messages being printed and distributed to the
offender like regular mail. In the future if two-way messaging is desired by the department, all
training materials and brochures will be provided to the offender.

CALLED PARTY TRAINING
Friends and Family have multiple options available to them on explaining telephone system
usage, account management, and rates.
Training Materials




Mail Insert – Each offender is given a handout in their intake packet that they can mail
to Friends and Family with their PIN number and instructions on how to register to
receive calls. We will also provide an insert about video visitation for offenders at the
specified video visitation sites that can mailed to friends and family.
TDCJ Friends and Family Websites: Both of these easy to use websites were
created specifically for TDCJ. They both include includes rates, fees, policies,
registration requirements, ways to contact the CenturyLink Team, and answers to
frequently asked questions.

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www.texasprisonphone.com: This is the Texas Offender Telephone Friends and
Family Enrollment website. After initial enrollment with a representative, Friends and
family are walked through the next steps and informed on the status of their final
enrollment.

securustech.net/tdc :. This is the Texas Friends and Family Support website for
Correctional Billing Services. From this website Friends and Family can add funds to
their account, access Rules and Regulations, read FAQs, submit a question or chat
with a representative. Educational brochures are also available for download.

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*All training materials are available in English and Spanish
Friends and Family Customer Service
Live agent support is available to friends and family members from an in-sourced, US-based call
center seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year.
Customers can use our toll-free number (1-800-844-6591) to either speak to a live agent or use
an intuitive, automated interactive voice response system to help them with their needs. Endusers can also now access Securus customer service via online “chat” 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
Our friendly and knowledgeable agents can help customers with:


Setting up and funding accounts





Making payment arrangements
Obtaining information on credit limits
Resolving complaints



Blocking and unblocking numbers



Reviewing call durations and history





Learning about MoneyGram® options
Learning about Western Union® options
Receiving information on new services



Confirming originating facility

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

Reviewing account balances



Answering questions and helping customers with refund requests



Managing account notifications

Our customer service agents are highly trained on OTS issues and in satisfying the specific
needs of called parties. We offer both English speaking and Spanish speaking agents.

Post-System Initiation Training
The CenturyLink Team will have available training personnel available for retraining and
consultation. The available personnel will be experienced trainers, not service technicians.
46.

Proposer shall include a toll free single dispatch telephone number and
e-mail address for placement of service calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. (Section C.3.6)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
As we have done for the past 9 years, the CenturyLink Team will be
solely responsible for trouble shooting problems and providing all
service and maintenance to the entire OTS system, including
meeting and exceeding all J.4 Contract Performance Measures. We
have an already established and implemented toll free single
dispatch telephone number and email address for the Department
and the support team to ensure prompt problem resolution for any
service calls we receive from TDCJ. To handle any service
requests, the CenturyLink Team created and staffed a dedicated TDCJ Technical Support
Center (TDCJ-TSC) in the Securus headquarters in Dallas, TX. The TDCJ-TSC is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year and can be contacted via one of the following
methods:



Phone: 866-206-7151
Email: tdcjsupport@securustech.net
47.

Proposer shall describe service procedures from the point of discovery
and reporting to problem resolution. Proposer shall provide a copy of
service escalation procedures complete with names and telephone
numbers of persons to be notified. Support up to and including
manufacturer warranty support should be included. (Section C.3.6)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team acknowledges that the OTS and eMessaging systems provide the
Department with a revenue stream and must remain in good working order. We have worked
hard developing a redundant OTS system that is proactively monitored so that no problems
arise. However if any of the system failures occurs as listed in Exhibit J.4 – Contract
Performance Measures, our team can restore to full capacity within the required time frame.

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System Redundancy, Fault Tolerance and Monitoring
Redundancy is a key component of the Secure Call Platform (SCP). While operating on a single
platform, SCP runs on duplicate environments in separate data centers in Atlanta, GA and
Dallas, TX. Each component has N+1 redundancy meaning that a failure of any one
component does not result in downtime because there is a backup available to resume its
function. In addition to the inherent redundancy of SCP, Securus has also designed
redundancy into all support systems either through N+ 1 configuration, database clusters, virtual
machines, load balancing or other failover methods. All network transport has redundant
network equipment and routing to allow traffic to reroute in the event of a failure.
The CenturyLink Team will coordinate with the Department an approved system outage for an
annual failover test, and within two weeks of that test provide adequate test results to
demonstrate success.

Proactive Monitoring
Data Centers and Network
We continuously monitor all data centers, infrastructure components, platform systems and
Offender Telephone Systems (OTS) using the SolarWinds® suite of network performance
monitors. The SolarWinds® performance monitors are highly configurable to provide real-time
monitoring, event notification, alert history and statistical information. An alarm condition creates
immediate visual alerts and email notifications.
The Securus Network Operations Center (NOC) provides 24x7x365 monitoring for all Securus
systems, including SCP, network, back-office systems and data centers. The NOC proactively
monitors these systems to ensure performance is optimal and uninterrupted. In addition to
system and network level monitoring, the NOC also monitors real-time video surveillance and
environmental alerts for our data centers. Securus maintains a fully redundant backup NOC at a
separate physical location, should services be disrupted at the primary location.

Premise Equipment
The dedicated TDCJ Technical Support team provides 24x7x365 monitoring of all facility-based
equipment and directly supports facility installations via telephone and email. Technical Support
monitors connectivity for all installations and all installed equipment including Integrated Access
Devices (IADs), Visitation Phone Monitoring (VPM) units, switches and Uninterrupted Power
Supply (UPS) systems. The systems are polled every two minutes and their vital operating
statistics sent every 10 minutes. Upon receiving an alert indicating network failure, The TDCJ
Tech Support will open a trouble ticket with the appropriate circuit provider. In the case of a
premise-based equipment failure, a Field Technician is dispatched to the facility for on-site
repair.
In addition to real-time monitoring and alerting, Securus Technical Support also leverages the
SolarWinds® network performance monitor to gather and evaluate historical data for network
alerts, bandwidth usage, packet loss and hardware performance. The detailed level of
monitoring available via our network performance monitor allows the Technical Support group to
take proactive steps to prevent or mitigate facility outages and to ensure the correct resources
are engaged if dispatch is necessary.
Through network monitoring Securus can:

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

Proactively repair systems to prevent outages. Many times corrections are made
before a facility is aware of a problem. This means less downtime and increased system
reliability for the facility.
Alert remote or on-site engineers of system threshold inconsistencies or alarms.
The NOC communicates with engineers through e-mail, short message service (SMS),
or directly through a wireless phone to address the issue.
Receive real-time alerts when the system detects an error. Monitoring identifies if
network elements exceeded established thresholds and alerts Securus personnel of
possible carrier network issues.
Ensure sufficient resources are in place. The Securus capacity engineering team
reviews call traffic volume reports and storage requirements throughout all systems to
ensure sufficient network capacity.

Service Response Times and Escalations
The CenturyLink Team maintains a center with personnel dedicated to TDCJ. These personnel
are comprised of the Technical Support Manager, Technical Support Supervisor, 6 Data
Administrators, and 18 Service Representatives.
Upon point of discovery or receiving a trouble report from TDCJ staff our personnel will begin to
resolve the issue following the prescribed service policies in
place to insure that the system is operating at its full capacity
Our dedicated TDCJ Technical
at all times. Our established service procedures lay out
Support Center has a 99.9%
response times and service levels that accomplish our
SLA compliance
objective of providing exceptional customer service and
adhering to the Department’s requirements in J.4.
A trouble ticket will be generated and assigned a tracking number and an initial acuity level.
The acuity of each ticket is escalated one level when we do not meet the established time
requirements for that acuity level.

The following provides an overview of the CenturyLink Team policy for internal response to
incoming trouble reports:
STEP 1:

The TDCJ Technical Support Center (TDCJ-TSC) becomes aware of the
issue either through proactive monitoring or through the Department
calling the TDCJ dedicated toll free number or e-mail. The ticket is
created by the Service Representative who identifies the caller and site
location and enters the information in the database.

STEP 2

The nature of the issue will determine the course of action taken by the
Service Representative:
a.

If the issue is software related, the Service Representative will
begin initial troubleshooting/research to diagnose and resolve the
issue.

If the issue is hardware in nature, or the Service Representative is
unable to remotely diagnose the issue the ticket will be escalated
to a Data Administrator.

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The Data Administrator will determine if a field service technician
needs to be dispatched to resolve the issue.

If it is a network issue, then the Network Operations Department
personnel will become actively involved.

STEP 3

If a field service technician was deployed, they will be responsible for
resolving the issue or will contact the TDCJ Technical Support Center for
further direction.

STEP 4

If the problem remains unresolved, the Data Administrator contacts the
TDCJ-TSC Technical Support Manager for further direction in resolving
the problem. If necessary, a Senior Technician will be dispatched to
further assist.

STEP 5

Problem resolved and tested. The Data Administrator retains
accountability for the ticket until it is resolved and confirms resolution with
the Department.

ESCALATION POLICY
Each service issue is assigned one of three initial acuity levels, each with its own resolution and
escalation timelines. Every effort is made to resolve the problem remotely, within the framework
of the resolution timeframes. If the problem cannot be resolved remotely, a service technician is
dispatched to the facility to expedite problem resolution. Technician dispatch also has resolution
and escalation timelines appropriate for the assigned acuity level.
If resolution is delayed, escalation procedures within CenturyLink Management Team are
activated to ensure appropriate resources are allocated to resolve the problem.

Service Response Times and Escalations
Priority
Level

Service Priority
Description

A P1 is our highest service
level defined as 20% or
more of the functionality
of the System being
adversely affected by the
System Event. Examples of
P1 service assignments
would include items such
as no voice prompts,
features not operating
appropriately, issues with
listening to live calls,
inability to access SCP UI,
all phones down.

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Resolution
Time

Customer
Communication
Guideline

6 hours



Technical
Support
Center notifies
the facility
when the
service issue is
resolved



If a field
technician is
required
onsite, the
Data
Administrator
contacts the

Escalations



If resolution is
delayed, escalation
procedures within
the Management
Team are activated
to ensure
appropriate
resources are
allocated to resolve
the service request



Technical Support
Manager & Field
Service Manager



Technical Support

187

customer with
an estimated
time of arrival
P2

A P2 assignment defined
as less than 20% greater
than 10% of the
functionality of the System
being adversely affected
by the System Event. This
would also include
inoperative workstations.

A P3 assignment defined
as less the 10% of the
functionality of the System
being adversely affected
by the System Event.
Single and multiple
phones related issues.
Examples of P3 service
assignments would
include items such as
static on the phone, a
party not being able to
hear, unable to dial, a
broken phone, dial pad
not working, and inability
to generate reports.

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Volume Two – Technical Proposal

24 hours

72 hours



Technical
Support
Center notifies
the facility
when the
service issue is
resolved



If a field
technician is
required, the
Data
Administrator
contacts the
customer with
an estimated
time of arrival



Technical
Support
Center notifies
the facility
when the
service issue is
resolved



If a field
technician is
required, the
Data
Administrator
contacts the
customer with
an estimated
time of arrival

Director & Field
Service Director


VP Service &
Operations



If response is
delayed, escalation
procedures within
Securus’
Management Team
are activated to
ensure appropriate
resources are
allocated to resolve
the service request



Technical Support
Manager & Field
Service Manager



Technical Support
Director & Field
Service Director



VP Service &
Operations



If response is
delayed, escalation
procedures within
Securus’
Management Team
are activated to
ensure appropriate
resources are
allocated to resolve
the service request



Technical Support
Manager & Field
Service Manager



Technical Support
Director & Field
Service Director



VP Service &
Operations

188

Escalation Contacts:
Technical Support (All Levels)
Acuity Level

Contact

Telephone Number

Level 1

Manager

Work: (214) 775-2702
Cell: (214) 727-5376

Tony Taillac
Level 2

(936) 355-3306

Director
Terrance Clair

Level 3

VP of National Operations

(503) 990-6466

Barry Brinker
Level 4

VP/GM

(720) 264-8121

Paul Cooper
48.

Proposer shall provide a Quality Control Plan for monitoring and
assessing the success of its service. (Section C.3.8)

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY
The CenturyLink Team manages a rigorous quality control plan to monitor and assess the
success of its services for TDCJ. A copy of our complete Quality Control Plan can be found in
in Attachment G – Quality Control Plan On a regularly scheduled basis the CenturyLink Team
currently provides the following required reporting to Department staff. The frequency and
delivery of this reporting will continue to be in compliance with all required content and delivery
timeframes under the new contract.
Report

Description

Frequency

Approved Calling List Audit

Re-Verification of
Existing PANs

Monthly

Friends and Family Offender
Requests for Assistance Log

Dispositions of
requests received by
TDCJ OTS office

Monthly

Friends and Family Enrollment
Report

Phone numbers
approved and not
approved

Monthly

Land Lines Ported to a
Cell/Blocked Report

Phone numbers
converted from
landline to cellphone

Monthly

Monthly Statistical Report

Key metrics for calls,
tickets, eMessaging

Monthly

New Attorney Report

Newly enrolled
attorneys

Monthly

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Report

Description

Frequency

Offender Calling Pattern (Top 100
Offenders)

Offenders with the
highest number of call
minutes

Monthly

Supervised Enrollment Report

Offenders enrolled
and re-enrolled in
voice biometrics

Monthly

Vacancy Report (Wireless
Containment System)

Contractors who are
assigned to the
project

Monthly

Vacancy Report (OTS System)

Contractors and
vacancies who
support OTS

Monthly

Bandwidth Report

Key metrics for
network utilization

Monthly

Network Spikes

Network utilization
above a predefined
percentage

Monthly

One to Ten Days – Over 1000
Minutes

Call activity in the first
ten days

Monthly

Service Ticket Report (OTS)

Service tickets by
priority levels

Monthly

TDCJ Commissary Refunds
Report

Offenders who have
requested phone
refunds during
incarceration

Monthly

TDCJ Released Offender
Telephone Account Requested
Refund Report

Offenders who have
requested phone
refunds after prison
release

Monthly

Commission Report (eMessaging)

Revenue and
commissions for
eMessages

Monthly

Commission Report (OTS)

Revenue and
commissions for
completed calls

Monthly

Lockdown Days

Days when phones
are unavailable

Monthly

Phones Used at Maximum Level 510 PM

Call metrics during
peak utilization times

Monthly

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Report

Description

Frequency

Monthly Presentation Report

Charts and graphs of
key OTS and related
metrics

Monthly

PM Report

Results of inspection
of phones and OTS
equipment

Monthly

Top 10 Number Called Agencywide

Phone numbers
receiving the highest
number of calls

Monthly

Active PAN Report

Current approved
phone numbers

Three times a month

Consumables Report

Printer supplies
purchased

Quarterly

Installation and Activation of
Additional Work Stations

New workstations
installed

Quarterly

Attorney Quarterly Audit

Re-verification of
enrolled attorneys

Quarterly

Network Redundancy Testing
Report

Results of failover
testing between two
independent data
centers

Twice Annually

Correctional Billing Service Quality
Metrics

Key metrics of
number and length of
customer calls

Monthly

TDCJ Customer Satisfaction
Survey

Key metrics related to Annually
customer response on
service and offerings

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49.

Proposer shall propose additional services that may have added value
to the Department. (Section C.3. 10)

The CenturyLink Team is proposing Added Value Services that are directly related to the OTS.
All Added Value Services and features that are agreed to will be provided at no cost to the
Department over the life of the contract.
CenturyLink understands that the Department will score call rates and at the same time
evaluate and score the Added Value Services. Certain optional Added Value Services are
included in the end user base rate per minute, while other optional Added Value Services
contain a cost that is added to the end user base rate per minute.

Added Value – Option #1 - PREA Line
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is a federal law, Public Law 108-79, signed into law in
September 2003 by the President of the United States and now designated as 42 USC
15601. PREA establishes a zero-tolerance standard against sexual abuse of incarcerated
persons of any age.
The Secure Call Platform (SCP) allows offenders to report PREA incidents to the facility via the
ITS system.
Investigators have the ability to set up any phone, voice mailbox, or answering machine to
answer calls from informants without any indication in the SCP call detail reports, global lists, or
to other inmates. It is a completely anonymous call with all information hidden from normal
investigator views. The CenturyLink Team will work with the Department to facilitate best
practices in setting up this valuable tool.
Option #1 Cost = Included in base rate per minute

Added Value – Option #2 - Automated Information Services 2.0
The CenturyLink Team is proud to offer the Securus Automated Information Service (AIS) to
allow TDCJ offenders the ability to securely access facility information and information specific
to themselves from an automated interactive voice response (IVR) system. AIS is the industry’s
first and only hosted IVR service that provides general facility and offender-specific information
to offenders and outside callers over the phone.
In addition to this core functionality, AIS can be configured to allow friends and family members
to fund a pre-paid telephone account or an inmate trust account. TDCJ offenders can also use
the AIS for automated inquiries such as obtaining their Trust Account balances over the phone.
This functionality is available around the clock, which means offenders, friends & family will
always be able to get the information they need when they are able to access it.
Family members and friends access AIS by calling a designated number, typically the facility’s
main telephone number. Offenders access the system through standard offender telephones,
without the need for new hardware or wiring. Offenders call the AIS by dialing a speed dial
number (generally *111). Finally, the Department staff will be able to re-focus their time and
efforts on critical tasks and projects, since they won’t be repeatedly answering the same
offender-focused questions over and over.

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AIS can be configured to provide:




Trust Fund balances
Visitation eligibility



Account Funding



Voicemail



General facility information



Frequently asked questions and responses

AIS retrieves information from the Department’s management information systems to obtain
Trust Account balances, visitation eligibility, voicemails and related data every 15 minutes. The
service offers an English and Spanish interface, text-to-speech playback of offender names, and
a touchtone or speech recognition interface. Additional AIS benefits include:


Improved efficiency – quickly answering offenders, family members, and friends while
freeing staff to focus on other responsibilities




Use of phone system already installed – no need for additional hardware or wiring
Significantly reduce questions answered by staff – AIS provides 24-hour access and
eliminates most common questions



Usage summary provided to the facility every month

Option #2 Cost = Included in base rate per minute

Added Value - Option #3 - Voicemail
The Voicemail service, similar to inbound email, is a one-way communication product that
allows family members and friends to leave a 60-second voicemail for an offender. This
provides a quick and easy way for the offender’s loved ones to initiate communication or deliver
timely information to an offender. When an offender calls into AIS, they will be alerted to a new
voicemail message. As is the case with all offender telephone calls, our Voicemail is recorded
and monitored for investigative purposes.
Additional Voicemail benefits include:


Enables communication at times other than scheduled telephone calls



Provided at no cost to the offender or facility (family pays the per minute rate)



Ability to review and save messages for 60 days from the date it was created

Further, The CenturyLink Team has fully integrated our Voicemail product into the Secure Call
Platform (SCP) to enhance investigative capabilities. SCP has the ability to ensure that
Voicemail recordings are readily available to the offender and easily distinguished from other
calls.
Option #3 Cost = Voicemail at a negotiable price per voicemail (CenturyLink proposes
$0.35 per voicemail) commissioned to the State at the mandated 40% rate.

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Added Value – Option #4 – Contraband and Cell Phone Detection Devices
The CenturyLink Team is giving the Department the option of obtaining CellSense contraband
and cell phone detection units. The CenturyLink Team will purchase a certain number of these
devices on behalf of the Department. Once delivered, TDCJ will retain ownership of all
equipment and warranties
CellSense
Cellsense detects contraband items containing ferrous metals through the use of ferromagnetic
detection (FMDS) technology. Only ferrous metal objects that are in motion are detected.
Cellsense is the original and only contraband & cell phone detector designed for use by
corrections departments to enhance their capabilities to detect and confiscate contraband.
Cellsense’s one-of-a-kind versatility provides mobile inmate search at any location, indoors or
outside. The unique single pole design and long-life battery extend its versatility for screening in
all areas of the correctional facility.
Designed to eliminate complicated dials and controls, Cellsense can be operational for trained
staff in 10 seconds. No calibration and minimal user input is needed for operation. An intuitive
“stop light” visual alert system combined with audible alerts make detection easy for all staff.





Portable, full body screening for small and large size objects: Full scan of the
entire body in a single walk-by at high throughput (40 subjects per minute)
Versatile: Functions in vertical and horizontal positions to screen inmates and their
belongings
Covert screening: Useful for surprise and covert screening of inmates and their
belongings, including mattresses, laundry items, and commissary items
Detection of cell phones: Detect cell phones when on or off, and anywhere on the
person or internalized



Easy to deploy: Setup and begin screening in 10 seconds



Safe & non-emitting: Does not radiate or emit, making it 100% passive and safe for all
individuals including those with pacemakers or who are pregnant

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


Ruggedized: Designed to withstand harsh conditions and treatment, both indoors and
outdoors
Behind-the-wall training included: On-site training, both in classroom and behind the
wall, provided by Metrasens certified trainers with 40 years’ combined experience in
prison security

Option #4 Cost = Add $0.006 to base rate per minute for 100 CellSense Units

Added Value – Option #5 – ADA Compliant Captel Phones
Captioned Telephone (or CapTel for short) is a new telephone technology that allows people to
receive word -for-word captions of their telephone conversations. The CapTel phone looks and
works like a traditional phone, with callers talking and listening to each other, but with one very
significant difference: Captions are provided live for every phone call. The captions are
displayed on the phone's built in screen so the user can read the words while listening to the
voice of the other party.
Securus will provide Captel phones integrated with SCP to allow ADA/CapTel compliant hard of
hearing inmates the ability to use these without TDCJ losing any security features / benefits that
would be available on a standard SCP inmate phone.
Option #5 Cost = Included in base rate per minute

Added Value - Option #6 – Expansion of Video Visitation
The 12 units identified by TDCJ in this solicitation for the video visitation solution include:
Visitor Site

Offender Site

Houston - Jester Ill

Amarillo - Clements

Beeville - Garza Complex
Dallas - Hutchins

Kennedy - Connelly
Gatesville - Crain

Lubbock - Montford

Tennessee Colony - Michael

Austin - Travis
El Paso - Sanchez

Beaumont - Stiles
Huntsville - Wynne

The base rate per minute includes deployment of 10 video visitation stations at each of the 12
facilities, for a total of 120 visitation terminals.
As an extension of video visitation program, the CenturyLink proposal gives the Department the
option to select other Offender and Visitor sites to allow for facility to facility visits.
For deployment of an additional 200 visitation terminals at 20 additional facilities, the following
optional pricing would apply.
Option #6 Cost = Add $0.005 to base rate per minute for 200 more offender visitation
stations

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Added Value - Option #7 – Expansion of Prison Entrepreneurship Program
As an extension of video visitation and in furtherance of the Department’s re-entry objectives,
CenturyLink offers a comprehensive turnkey video conferencing solution for the Prison
Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). The solution would connect PEP instructors in Dallas and
Houston to offenders at up to 10 TDCJ facilities, with up to 200 simultaneous participants. In
addition, each training session would be recorded and available to playback for up to 12
months.
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) harnesses the entrepreneurial instincts of
incarcerated men and women to transform their futures, their families and their communities.
Since 2004, PEP has been on a mission to transform inmates and executives by unlocking Godgiven potential through entrepreneurial passion, education and mentoring. Our globally
recognized “entrepreneurship boot camp” delivers the State’s best results in terms of improving
employment and reducing recidivism.
Population served
PEP serves offenders in Texas, beginning up to three years prior to their release and continuing
indefinitely post-release. This “inside-outside” strategy differentiates PEP and contributes
significantly to its outstanding outcomes. About 60% of PEP’s participants were convicted of a
violent crime and 40% have previously served time in prison; none is a convicted sex-offender.
PEP has full service offices in Houston and Dallas, with re-entry support also provided in Austin.
PEP operates three transition homes in Houston, two in Dallas and one in Austin with a
combined capacity of 120 beds. About 50% of PEP graduates typically release to Houston,
about 40% to Dallas and 10% to Austin or other areas.
PEP’s services begin inside the prison system with a rigorous application and screening
process that (at current scale) selects only the top 1,200 applicants from a pool of about 15,000
eligible men and women. Selected participants are transferred by TDCJ to one of the prisons
where PEP operates (currently four).

Program Elements
Phase 1: The Leadership Academy
Once transferred, participants begin with a 3-month, in-prison character development program,
also known as the Leadership Academy (“LA”). This phase helps prepare participants for PEP’s
core entrepreneurship curriculum – and for life post release. All participants are expected to
study and “live out” PEP’s 10 Driving Values: Integrity, Accountability, Wise Stewardship, Love,
Fun, Fresh-Start Outlook, Servant-Leader Mentality, Innovation, Execution and Excellence.
PEP’s Leadership Academy is facilitated mostly by graduates from previous classes (called
“Servant Leaders”), as well as PEP staff and volunteers.
Phase 2: Business Plan Competition
Immediately following the Leadership Academy, participants complete a 6-month, “mini MBA”
program in prison. The foundation of PEP’s in-prison business education is the core curriculum
taught by PEP staff, board members, and business executives (“Executive Volunteers”)
lecturing on topics within their areas of expertise.
The centerpiece of this phase of PEP’s program is the Business Plan Competition (“BPC”),
modeled after BPCs held at many major universities. Each student is required to conceive of a
business that he / she would start upon release, research the feasibility of competing
successfully within his / her chosen industry, write a complete business plan for launching his /
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her business and then pitch this plan regularly in a “Shark Tank” format to panels of Executive
Volunteers. During this phase, all students also complete and receive certificates for a financial
literacy course, an employment workshop, a business etiquette course and a Toastmasters
class. Over the duration of the course, each student receives extensive feedback from other
volunteers, including college students, on his / her written plan through e-mail correspondence
and a series of workshops held within the prison. The significance of the role of Executive
Volunteers in this phase cannot be overstated.
Phase 3: Post Release Services
These in-prison services are followed by comprehensive post-release services. PEP provides
its graduates with a structured environment of encouragement, support, and accountability.
PEP’s transition services include, among other elements, intensive case management with a
dedicated re-entry specialist; an affordable housing program that provides a secure, supportive
environment to begin rebuilding a life; assistance with finding employment through a network of
local businesses; a weekly continuing education program led by volunteer business leaders;
and business start-up support services, including affordable incubation space, bookkeeping and
access to PEP’s network as prospective customers for their businesses.

Program Results
Since 2004, PEP has considerably increased employment rates and business ownership for
male ex-offenders (PEP began serving female offenders in late 2017) while dramatically
reducing recidivism. PEP’s 1,500+ released male graduates have achieved the following
results:

PEP Success Metrics
CRITERIA

GOAL

ACTUAL
100% employed within 90 days of
release; in 2017, PEP graduates
averaged only 24 days “from prison to
paycheck”
171% of minimum wage in 2017
($12.20)

Employment

100% employed within
90 days of release

Starting Wage

125% of minimum wage
($9.06)

Job Retention

90% to be employed
after 12 months

Nearly 100% employed after 12
months

Business
Formation

20% rate of formation

23% rate of formation
Over 350 businesses launched by over
1,500 released graduates, including at
least 5 that generate over $1MM in
annual revenue

Recidivism

Less than 10% (3-year
basis)

7.5%
(3-year basis, avg. of last 5 cohorts)

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TEXAS EXPANSION
PEP began service at the Hamilton Unit in 2004-5, then moved to the Cleveland Unit in late
2007, where it continues to operate both its Leadership Academy and Business Plan
Competition. Based on its success, PEP received TDCJ approval to expand into the Sanders
Estes Unit in mid-2014. In 2017, PEP successfully launched the Leadership Academy program
at the Gib Lewis unit, and began its program for women at the Lockhart Unit in late 2017. All of
these are steps toward our goal of serving at least 4,000 men and women by 2026, which will
represent about 10% of the population released from prison annually. Our recent and
anticipated service levels are summarized below:

Men Served Inside
UNIT

PROGRAM
Leadership Academy (LA)
Cleveland
Business Plan Competition
Leadership Academy (LA)
Estes
Business Plan Competition
Gib Lewis
Leadership Academy (LA)
Leadership Academy (LA)
Unit #4
Business Plan Competition
Total Men Served Inside

2015
312
258
171
57

2016
304
212
244
140

2017
318
228
288
179
41

2018
320
237
300
215
133
90

621

718

943

1,232

2016

2017
44
44

2018
90
32
130

2017

2018

Women Served Inside
UNIT
Lockhart

PROGRAM
Leadership Academy (LA)
Business Plan Competition
Total Women Served Inside

2015

Men Served Outside

Total Men Served Outside (Unduplicated)

2015

2016

214

238

297

387

2016

2017

2018
23

Women Served Outside
2015
Total Women Served Outside (Unduplicated)

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THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF VIDEO CONFERENCING
The CenturyLink Team proposes to equip a number of TDCJ units served by PEP (as well as
PEP’s two main offices) with video conference (”VC”) capability to accelerate program
expansion throughout Texas. This acceleration will result from incorporating proven “distance
learning” techniques to reduce the travel time and costs of current staff and volunteers, and will
enable the more efficient use of new staff and volunteers. At the same time, this should
facilitate broader involvement by Executive Volunteers and other community members, further
expanding the already strong PEP network that is so important in successful re-entry.
Phase 1 of the Project will include the addition of VC capability to PEP’s offices in Houston and
Dallas, as well as to the Lockhart Unit where PEP currently runs its Leadership Academy and
Business Plan Competition for women, connecting them via a secure, high-quality video
“bridge.” This will allow staff and volunteer teachers / facilitators, whether based in Houston or
Dallas, to lead classes at Lockhart without incurring the time and expense of a 4.5 hour
(Houston) or 7 hour (Dallas) round trip drive.

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Phase 2 of the Project will extend the benefits of these improved efficiencies and quality
enhancements to the Cleveland, Estes and Gib Lewis units where PEP also currently operates.
Furthermore, the unreleased PEP graduates (Servant Leaders) housed at Cleveland, for
example, will be able to facilitate classes and effectively serve as mentors for men just entering
the program at Estes and Gib Lewis (for example) in much the same way that they currently do
for the men at Cleveland (and vice versa for the Servant Leaders at Estes in relation to the
newly accepted men at the other units). Note, however, that we propose to limit these inter-unit
connections to same sex classes. Further, all participation by Servant Leaders in VC
connections with other units would of course be subject to security screening by TDCJ.

Phase 3 of the Project will extend the benefits of the proposed VC system to up to additional
six TDCJ units, to be selected by mutual agreement of TDCJ, CenturyLink / Securus and PEP.
Many TDCJ units are located more than an hour’s drive from any major metro area (where high
quality Executive Volunteers, so critical to success, are more likely located). In addition, there
are many men and some women in TDCJ who would benefit from PEP, especially the
Leadership Academy, but have sentences that are so long they are unlikely to be eligible (within
3 years of release) before they are released on parole. Adding VC capability to additional units,
including more remote units, would enable PEP not only to leverage its strong network of
Executive Volunteers but to reach inmates who would otherwise never benefit from any part of
PEP’s program.

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OTHER BENEFITS
Once the VC infrastructure described in this proposal is built, significant additional benefits
could be realized. For example, TDCJ could “piggyback” portions of the current peer health
education curriculum delivery on the same platform. In addition, overcoming geographic and
logistical restraints would enable PEP to recruit speakers, teachers and Executive Volunteers
from any place in the country where a high quality VC connection is available. Not only might
this significantly enhance the impact of PEP on the men and women it serves in Texas, but it
could enhance the image of Texas as a leader in the smart use of technology to further reduce
repeat and intergenerational crime.
Option #7 Cost = Add $0.005 to base rate per minute to enable PEP VC at 10 total
facilities

Added Value – Option #8 - Visitation Phone Monitoring (VPM)
Visitation Phone Monitoring (VPM) deployment includes enhancing security and investigative
capabilities for onsite visitation. The enhancement introduces the deployment of SCP call
monitoring and recording of non-contact visitations where visitors are only allowed to use a
telephone handset to communicate with an offender using another handset while looking at
each other through a glass or plexiglass partition. Installation includes new wiring to connect the
visitation stations to the SCP platform.
The CenturyLink Team will work with the Department to identify facilities that would benefit from
the VPM feature.
Option #8 Cost = Add $0.002 to base rate per minute to enable 100 visitation sets (200
phones)
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Added Value - Option #9 - Carrier Database Access
As a division of a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC), CenturyLink has
unique access to carriers and reverse lookup databases, and
continues to offer assistance whenever needed to State
investigative staff. These unique relationships are augmented by
our “closed loop” account setup process, which verifies Billing
Name and Address information for all called parties upon account
setup, and can make this information available to TDCJ.

Exclusive

Any investigator knows that even the most sophisticated investigative tools can be rendered
useless if they cannot track the phone on the other end of the conversation. As a result of
access to these databases, investigators receive verified billing name and address information
for use in investigations.
Finally, even if a number outside the Offender Telephone System becomes part of an
investigation, CenturyLink’s corporate law enforcement department and unique carrier
relationships are available to our customers.
 CASE STUDY 

CenturyLink’s carrier
relationships were put to the
test in a murder cold case.
After months of attempts by
detectives to get a SIM card
unlocked, CenturyLink
management was able to use
executive level contacts to
unlock the SIM card in less
than one week.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal

This was put to the test in a murder cold case at one of our
County correctional customers – detectives there were
unable to contact the right people to get a SIM card
unlocked. Through CenturyLink’s LERG database and
executive-level contacts at the carrier, we were able to
contact the right people and get the SIM card unlocked in
less than one week.
The LERG database provides carrier information, as well as
alternate contact information for subpoena requests, for
numbers that may not be entered into the system but may
materialize in the course of an investigation.

202

Local Carrier Routing Guide (LERG)
Enhanced carrier database (LIDB)

Operating Carrier
Number and Name

Wireless vs. Wireline
Indicator
Porting indicator – e.g.
wireline to wireless

Through Enhanced LIDB and CenturyLink’s
exclusive access to LERG, additional Billing
Name and Address information – in addition
to carrier contact information for records
requests – are available to authorized
investigative personnel

Option #9 Cost = Included in base rate per minute

Added Value - Option #10 - THREADS Enhancement
THREADS is an exclusive investigative technology that no other provider can offer to the
correctional industry. We are the only provider with the ability to offer seamless JPAY Financial
data integration with THREADS, which is in use at TDCJ today. Other financial information from
other sources can be imported into our THREADS tool as well. THREADS is available to the
Department empowering the Department with the latest in investigative technology and one of
the most powerful tools in the intelligence community.
Option #10 Cost = Included in base rate per minute

Added Value – Option #11 - Wireless Containment Service Denial
With the recent success of the Wireless Containment System (WCS) deployment at TDCJ, The
CenturyLink Team is expanding our efforts to identify and eliminate the threat associated with
contraband cellphone use within TDCJ facilities. As new technology and capabilities emerge,
we are continually evaluating their viability and potential usage within the Department.
An emerging capability that is being vetted by industry officials and the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) provides a way to shut down cellphones
identified as contraband within a correctional facility without interfering with legitimate cellphone
users nearby.

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Once a cellphone is identified as contraband, using new or existing WCS techniques, that
cellphone’s information is prepared and sent to local authorities to obtain a court order that
authorizes the carrier to shut off that cellphone’s service. The court order process and the
authorization to shut off the cellphone service is part of the checks and balances necessary to
compel carriers to act on behalf of law enforcement agencies while providing meaningful
assurance that the targeted cellphone is, in fact, contraband.
The CenturyLink Team has developed our capability around this industry initiative and has
incorporated software techniques to identify these contraband cellphones. Once identified, they
will be added to a service termination request and submitted through the court order solicitation
process. All forms and filings have been streamlined with information required to justify the
request for a court order and to simplify the judicial process.
The CenturyLink Team is pleased to offer this as a value added service to TDCJ and is eager to
discuss it with you upon contract award.
Option #11 Cost = Included in base rate per minute

Added Value – Option #12 - Jobview Re-entry Software
The CenturyLink Team is proud to offer the Jobview 2nd
Chance software for the Parole Division at TDCJ. The Jobview
2nd Chance product allows offenders returning to the
community to search for statewide and nationwide jobs
without direct access to the internet.
Jobview 2nd Chance provides access to nearly 2 million job listings. The listings are updated
every 48 hours so users are always searching current jobs. A software only version of the
Jobview 2nd Chance program is is being offeredwith the assumption that the facilities already
have a secure computing environment that is accessible by offenders.
Offender Benefits
 Get a 30-90 day head start on a job search



Browse state and nationwide jobs that are current and updated every 48 hours
Start thinking about jobs before release; putting their mind on something positive and
productive



See what skills and specific requirements they will face well ahead of release



Match educational programs they are using to the types of jobs they may be qualified
for and will likely encounter
 Practice electronic job searching which is technology they will commonly see upon
release
Correctional Facility Benefits
 No job-seeker training costs because the Jobview 2nd Chance user interface is selfexplanatory
 Staff no longer needs to find and print job listings for their transitioning offenders
 Job listings for all types of jobs and levels of experience in cities nationwide
 Previous cost for Jobview (grant funded) was approximately $380,000 annually
Option #12 Cost = Included in base rate per minute for software only offer
Costs for deployment of kiosks can be negotiated if needed.
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Added Value – Option 13 - High-Speed Satellite Network Services
As the Department is aware, many TDCJ sites are located in areas with poor quality and/or very
high cost network connectivity. This situation impacts the CenturyLink
Team in addition to the Units. We therefore offer TDCJ an opportunity
to simultaneously test high-speed satellite services in parallel with
CenturyLink. While wireline connectivity to the OTS will be maintained
throughout the test period, CenturyLink would also be testing the new
satellite network for consistent service quality for potential future service
offerings.
Because our testing will not require all the bandwidth available through the satellite service, we
offer 15 to 20 Mbps to TDCJ’s use at two Units of its choice for up to 24 months.
Option #13 Cost = Included in base rate per minute for 2 year trial

Added Value – Option #14 – Mobile Contraband Cellular Assessment Program
Cellular Assessment is another tool in the fight against proliferation of Cell phone contraband
within corrections. An assessment will assist the Department in determining the severity of the
contraband cell phone problem by providing cellular access points at a correctional facility
capable of identifying the number of cellular phones that attempt to communicate with local
cellular carrier networks.
The Cell Phone Assessment solution works by deploying active cellular access points and
targeting areas of the facility with mobile equipment that is capable of collection of contraband
cell phone devices within the facility although the equipment is operated from outside the facility.
Contraband cell phones within RF range of these active access points are registering cell
phones using the cell phone’s International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).
This solution is provided as a service; it is mobile and can be deployed to multiple sites. The
Mobile Contraband Cellular Assessment is designed to detect and identify the presence of
contraband cellular and Wi-Fi devices within a specified, controlled facility. The use of state- of
the art, frequency and band -agile Software Defined Radios (SDR) to adjust to each unique RF
environment is deployed with expert operators who carry out the assessment so the service is
full turn-key for the Agency. The access points operate in the predominant 3G/4G/LTE bands
and frequencies, for all carriers. Most devices, including all CDMA devices, are uniquely
identified on the LTE protocol as a priority to the 3G and 4G technologies, whenever possible,
providing the latest in technology advancements for this type application.
If contraband devices are detected, the unique identifiers of the device are captured for analysis
and reporting to the agency. An average site can be assessed in one working day; the
completed analysis and report are available approximately one week later.
After the facility is assessed, a report is generated and provided to the Department. The report
contains the following information:


Overview of the macro cellular networks in the area



Date, time, location and coverage of each measurement

 Total number of International Mobile Subscriber Mobile Identity (IMSI) detections
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

List of unique IMSI detections



Mobile Carrier of each device



Distribution of carrier usage




Make and model of devices may be determined
Approximate locations of devices



Unique Wi-Fi MAC detections with approximate locations

Further investigative services are available in addition to this assessment, if desired by the
Department, through our Investigative Services, including Forensics extraction and analyst
services.
The final report will consist of the IMSI or account information of the contraband device. The
CenturyLink Team offers an optional service to also assist with serving court order for historical,
past 30 days use of those phones and process the information through our Investigative
Services group using patented methods for high probabilities of identifying the offender or
offenders’ use of this device, or pattern of usages, for more successful shakedowns.

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Information can also be provided with proper legal methods which The CenturyLink Team can
assist in for call termination orders, if applicable.
Option #14 Cost = Add $0.003 to base rate per minute to enable 60 mobile assessments

Added Value – Option #15 – Stationary Contraband Cellular Assessment Program
The Stationary Contraband Cellular Assessment Program is also a service to assist the
Department in identifying contraband cell phones within correctional facilities.
CenturyLink also provides a stationary assessment system that includes deployment of a limited
amount of fixed radios and base station at a facility to capture, identify and report on contraband
cell phones during an extended assessment period – typically permanently installed until a
decision is made to deploy a fully functioning managed access system.
This assessment will assist the Department in determining the severity of the contraband cell
phone problem by identifying the number of contraband cellular phones that attempt to
communicate with local cellular carrier networks.
The Stationary Deployment Program also includes the use of Guarded Exchange to conduct
analysis of the contraband cell phone data collected.
Analytics may include cross-correlation of identifiers to assist with identifying probable inmate
usage of devices based on information collected by the assessment system. Guarded
Exchange may also prepare formal reports and documentation to support the Department with
termination-of-service requests. These reports can be generated to provide the cellular
telephone identities with the associated supporting documentation and carrier information
needed to initiate a court-order process for a termination-of-service request.
Option #15 Cost = Add $0.005 to base rate per minute for each stationary contraband
assessment deployment.

Added Value – Option #16 - Guarded Exchange – Expanded
The CenturyLink Team is proposing the Guarded Exchange (GEX) Investigative Support
Service (ISS) to assist the Department with 1) additional investigative abilities and 2) the Crime
Tip program.

Additional Investigative Assistance
Upon contract award, the CenturyLink Team will increase the number of monthly calls
monitored from 15,000 to 30,000 with incremental monitoring staff. In addition, we will hire two
(2) full time employees to assist the Department under the direction of CID. With TDCJ
approval, the CenturyLink Team will staff these positions using our internal human resources
organization. All new hires will be subject to review and approval of the TDCJ and full
background checks will be performed.
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They will enhance TDCJ’s investigative abilities by providing:


Detailed training and support services for the CID. They will educate investigators in the
use of THREADS, how to import data from various sources and how to run reports on
the information obtained. Additionally, they will assist TDCJ in importing and analyzing
data into THREADS to identify patterns of suspicious activity of offenders and outside
parties from previously unrelated activities.



Assistance to the Department to create customizable Organizations to aid in tracking
investigations and building security threat group (STG) rosters. These customizable
Organizations can be kept private or shared, within the Department, creating
tremendous value for investigators.



The manpower to incorporate and analyze WCS data. WCS Intelligence is processed
through a series of cross correlation techniques utilizing Securus platforms which
include but are not limited to SCP, IPRO, JPay and THREADS. The intelligence is
further processed through GEX proprietary software and internal databases. This leads
to identifiers of the user of the contraband cell phone or generates leads which point to
the persons utilizing the device with a high degree of probability.
Crime Tip Assistance
Upon contract award, The CenturyLink Team will hire one (1) full time employee to assist in
listening to and reporting on Crime Tip hotline calls. The CenturyLink Team will staff this
position using our internal human resources organization. All new hires will be subject to review
and approval of the TDCJ and full background checks will be performed.
The Crime Tip program administers an offender crime reporting tool that provides an
anonymous and secure way for offenders to communicate crime tips to the TDCJ investigative
staff. The CenturyLink Team’s Secure Call Platform (SCP) anonymously records and stores all
messages left on the Crime Tip Hotline, so an offender doesn’t have the risk of being identified
as an informant.
Offenders may choose to report:


Information about possible criminal activity, including narcotics



A crime that has already taken place



A threat to their safety



Threats to the safety of others

While tips are anonymous by default, informants may choose to leave their name.
The CenturyLink Team Crime Tip program includes:


A pre-arranged telephone number (designated by the facility), provided to all offenders



An option to listen to all or selected recorded messages




An option to burn specific information onto CDs for use as evidence
A way to generate reports of all recorded messages with the date and time of the
message



A way to leave an anonymous reply message to the offender

Option #16 Cost = Included in base rate per minute
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Added Value – Option #17 - Televisit
The CenturyLink Team partners with PHD Medical (a Securus Company) to offer the Televisit™
telemedicine solution. Agencies can reduce the number of external offender transports, reduce
staffing costs, and increase public safety through telemedicine. Any medical practioner at any
location with a computer and Internet connection can conduct routine evaluations, specialty
consultations, and emergency medical examinations without the need to transport inmates.
Televisit is a FDA-approved telemedicine suite specifically built to integrate with a host of
medical devices required for medical examinations. The remote
practitioner controls the high-resolution camera and diagnostic
devices requiring little training for facility staff.
Facilities can use Televisit for:




Scheduled health clinics for hypertension and diabetes
management
Perform psychological evaluations and clinical sessions for
other mental health issues
Exams with specialists such as Dermatology, Neurology,
Cardiology



Emergency examinations to determine need to transport a
patient to an outside facility
The CenturyLink Team and the Department can negotiate a full
deployment of this service upon contract award. An initial deployment
of Televisit includes the following:


Four (4) fully loaded telemedicine carts



Subscription fee to service 10,000 offenders



400 Technical Consultations per month

Option #17 Cost = Add $0.004 to base rate per minute

Added Value – Option #18 - Tetrus PREATrac
The CenturyLink Team is proud to offer the Tetrus
PREATrac software. The PREATrac application is a
software case management tool that allows correctional
facilities to document, monitor, and report on
investigations conducted based on sexual allegations.
PREATrac assists these correctional facilities by
documenting cases of assault while providing them
with reporting guidelines that minimize risk and ensure
compliance with Federal and State PREA laws.

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Value:




Operationalizes PREA compliance
Automates PREA reporting with processing, collecting, analyzing, and reporting
capabilities
Mitigates Risk - Class Action Awards: Michigan paid $100M, Washington, D.C. paid
$50M

Benefits:
 Ensures PREA Reporting compliance


Supports and enhances audit procedures relating to PREA



Provides a repeatable and compliant best practices process




Provides alerts and call to action when items fall outside of compliance
Automates the documentation and reporting submittal of PREA incidents to BJS



Provides dashboard visibility of trends and patterns helping to create, maintain and
improve safety



Supplements reduced staff via Full Time Equivalent (FTE) efficiency gains

Features
The Tetrus PREATrac software product enables you to report, track, and comply with the
reporting guidelines of the PREA law. PREATrac includes the following features:


Tracks the PREA compliance after the sexual allegation filing.



Documents all actions required for compliance with the PREA law.



Automatically generates the required federal reports to be sent to the US Department of
Justice.
Easy to deploy since PREATrac is a secured cloud-based application that can be
deployed readily. This can also be deployed as an on premise application, if required
by the facility



Operates independent of any Offender Management System (OMS) application, but is
architected for easy integration if needed.



Easily configurable to meet the unique needs of large facilities such as State
Departments of Corrections



Accommodates workflows, multiple facilities, & additional data points.



Can be set up as a central database as well as an individual database for large
statewide agencies with multiple sites. Users, based on the role assigned, will be able
to access individual sites or all the sites system wide. The data can be organized by
facility or aggregated.



Information is partitioned by agency and access to data is controlled by agency and
roles. A confidentiality agreement for users to read and sign when they first log into the
system will be provided.
Users are vetted and authorized by the local agency. Only these authorized users can
access PREATrac on the Secure Cloud or using an on premise model. This provides
investigative data security.



Investigators or the PREA Manager can initiate investigations, however only the PREA
Manager can authorize the final outcome.

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

Unlimited Training is provided by Tetrus throughout the duration of the contract.



Support for report changes as required by the US DOJ included in the cost of the
product.



In addition to the prebuilt reports and dashboards provided, Tetrus can make additions
or modifications or the State can also build your own custom reports and dashboards.

PREATrac has been designed and developed based on best practices obtained from the
Massachusetts Department of Correction, which is a pioneer in developing an automated way of
managing PREA cases. In addition, this product has also been refined based on input from Dr.
Reginald Wilkinson, ex-Director of the Ohio Department of Corrections who has been intimately
involved in the development of the PREA law and is a Chair of the Prison Rape Committee as
well as Richard Roy who is an ex-Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Department of
Correction. In addition, the some other State DOCs such as the New York State Department of
Correction has reviewed the product and liked the functionality reflected in this product.
PREATrac is currently installed in 35 correctional facilities across 17 states.
Option #18 Cost = Add $0.003 to base rate per minute

Added Value – Option #19 - Wireless Containment Services - Additional Facility
The CenturyLink Team is proposing an optional
third Wireless Containment Solution (WCS) to
build on the successes at McConnell and Stiles.
The proposed WCS is the combination of a
managed private cellular telephone network and
a tightly controlled RF Distributed Antenna
System (DAS) similar to the what has already
been installed at TDCJ.
The WCS allows the Department to effectively
manage contraband cellphones by containment,
while allowing communications to legitimate wireless communications within the designated
areas of the prison and without impacting cellphones outside the TDCJ Unit in public areas.
The Wireless Containment Solution offers:







The installation of a system which combines a specially managed cellular telephone
network and precisely controlled RF through a Distributed Antenna System (DAS).
A WCS solution capable of managing all 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies, protocols and
frequency bands used by Wireless cell phone carriers within the United States.
The ability to manage mobile devices and apply policy rules, as determined by the
Department’s administrators, to either allow or disallow cellular telephone
communications.
A fully automated solution which manages all cellular telephone access 24/7-365 days a
year. Including prevention of inmates’ attempts to post to social media.
Complete administrative control capabilities both locally and remotely. Allowing the
CenturyLink Team to offer the Department a complete management and maintenance
of the WCS with minimal TDCJ resources needed for escorts during periodic site visits.

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

24/7/365 active monitoring and support through the CenturyLink Team’s Network
Operations Center. The WCS managed solution requires little or no special training,
additional staff or significant commitment of time by TDCJ personnel

The addition of an optional third WCS at another TDCJ Unit will to continue to expand the
Department’s ability to control the unauthorized use of contraband cellphones. As evidenced by
our previous TDCJ successes, the CenturyLink Team’s WCS is the most effective weapon
against contraband cellphone usage in the industry today.
The CenturyLink Team is pleased to offer this as a value added service to TDCJ and is
eager to discuss it with you upon contract award.
Option #19 Cost = Add $0.012 to base rate per minute

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VOLUME TWO, SECTION
2 – SOLICITAITON
COMPLIANCE AND
EXCEPTIONS

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Volume Two , Section 2 - Solicitation Compliance and Exceptions
A.

In this Section, the Proposer shall respond to each requirement of Sections D through
I, inclusive of the RFP and indicate whether it proposes to comply.

For the purpose of facilitating discussions, for every instance where the Proposer does
not propose to comply or agree to a requirement, the Proposer shall propose an
alternative and describe its reasoning therefore.

It is not necessary to respond on a paragraph by paragraph basis except as required
for clarity; for example, if the Proposer agrees to the terms of Sections E through I of
the RFP in its entirety, a single statement to that effect will suffice.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS AND COMPLIES
Beginning on the following page, please find our response to Sections D-I.

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SECTION D - REQUIRED REPORTS

D.1

REPORTS REQUIRED FROM CONTRACTOR

A variety and number of reports are required to be submitted by the Contractor during the
course of the Contract. These reports may be revised or additional reports may be required at
the Department's sole discretion.
Contractor is required to provide standard, ad hoc, and special request reports. Standard
reports (ref. Exhibit J.9) will be used by the Department to monitor day-to-day performance.
Contract progress will be monitored through review and analysis of status and management
reports submitted to the Department's Contract Monitor. Contractor may be required to
submit examples of standard reports which are accessible directly from the system
database(s).
The Department reserves the right to request optional or additional reports that may be
considered "ad hoc" reports or special request reports not specifically identified in this
Contract. These reports shall be delivered no later than three (3) business days from the date
of request unless special circumstances exist. If special circumstances exist, e.g. the report
would require special research and /or IT development, Contractor will work with the
Department to provide the report in a reasonable and mutually agreed-upon timeframe.
The Department may also request revision of existing reports as deemed necessary
throughout the term of this Contract. The Contractor shall adapt report/documentation
formats and delivery to meet Department requirements.
Contractor shall provide electronic and/or hard copy reports no later than an agreed upon
date (e.g. viewable format on-line or as batch print reports). Due to the large number of
reports required by the Department, reports shall be made available to authorized
Department staff and may be required to be sent to or accessed from several locations
throughout the State. Due dates and Department staff receiving reports will vary dependent
upon the type of report. Report titles and other field identifiers may be customizable by the
authorized Department staff.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION D.

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SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE
E.1

INSPECTION OF SERVICES
A.

The Department and other Government regulatory agencies have the right to
inspect and test all Services called for by this Contract, to the extent
practicable at all times and places during the Contract Term. The Department
shall perform inspections in a manner that will not unduly interfere with the
Contractor's operation and management of the program. The Contractor shall
furnish, and shall require subcontractors to furnish, at no increase in the
Contract price, all reasonable assistance for the safe and convenient
performance of these duties.

From time to time the Department shall, subject to limitations provided by law
with respect to rights of privacy, have the right to reasonably prompt access
and to examine all records of the Contractor related specifically to the
program, including financial records, employee records (including time and
attendance records), and Offender records generated by the Contractor and its
subcontractors in connection with the performance of this Contract.

If subject to the outcome of an audit or inspection, it is determined that the
Contractor is in non- compliance with any provisions of this Contract, and/or
that money is owed to the Department by the Contractor, then the
Department may exercise its rights of recovery of money owed as authorized.
1.

If any of the Services are non-compliant with the Contract
requirements, as identified by the Department; the Contractor shall be
notified describing the specific areas of non- compliance. The
Contractor shall have a twenty (20) Day period to file a written response
detailing corrective action(s) taken to all items of non-compliance. The
response shall include supporting documentation which verifies
execution of corrective action(s) taken. Unless otherwise specified, or
previously agreed to by the Department, the submission of a corrective
action plan shall not be accepted as corrective action. For all items of
non-compliance satisfactorily resolved by agreement between the
Contractor and the Department, no further action regarding such items
shall be taken. Any areas of non- compliance shall be corrected within
twenty (20) Days or by the date of the Department approved extension.

If any of the Services are non-compliant with the Contract
requirements, as identified by a Government regulatory agency, the
Contractor shall resolve all items identified as non- compliant by the
deadline established by the agency.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION E.1.

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E.2

INSPECTION OF PROGRAM
A.

The Contractor shall provide and maintain an inspection system acceptable to
the Department covering the programs and work called for by this Contract.
Complete records of all inspection work performed by the Contractor shall be
maintained and made available to the Department during Contract
performance and for as long afterwards as the Contract requires.

The Contractor shall provide entry at all times by the Texas Board of Criminal
Justice (TBCJ) and the Department's authorized employees/agents for
inspections and other official purposes. The Governor, members of the
Legislature and all other members of the Executive and Judicial Departments
of the State, as well as any other Persons designated by the Department,
including the Office of the Inspector General, shall be allowed to monitor the
delivery of Services.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION E.2.
E.3

MONITORING CRITERIA
A.

The Department shall devise its own procedures for monitoring the quality of
the Contractor's performance under this Contract, all Court Orders and
Department Policies.

The Contractor shall cooperate fully with the Department in obtaining the
requisite information needed to complete such audits and to assess the quality
of the Contractor's performance.

Monitoring may include, but is not limited to, document reviews and on-site
audits conducted by Authorized Representatives of the Department. Such
monitoring by the Department shall not relieve the Contractor of any of its
obligations under this Contract.

The Contract Monitor and other Department staff shall provide written
findings regarding non- compliant conditions, processes, procedures or
operations implemented at the facility, and observations that could, if not
addressed by the Contractor, become an item of non-compliance as described
in Section E.1.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION E.3.
E.4

AUTHORITY TO AUDIT
A.

The Contractor understands that acceptance of funds under this Contract acts
as acceptance of the authority of the State Auditor's Office (SAO), or any

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successor agency, to conduct an audit or investigation in connection with
those funds. The Contractor further agrees to cooperate fully with the SAO, or
its successor, in the conduct of the audit or investigation, including providing
all records requested.
B.

The Contractor shall ensure that this Clause concerning the authority to audit
funds received indirectly by subcontractors through the Contractor and the
requirement to cooperate is included in any subcontract it awards.

The Contractor shall reimburse the State of Texas for all costs associated with
enforcing this provision.

See Section H.8, Books and Records, concerning record retention.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION E.4.
E.5

AUDITS BY OTHER AGENCIES
Upon receipt of audits or monitoring reports pertaining to the provision of Services
under this Contract that are conducted by agencies or entities other than the
Department, the Contractor shall provide copies thereof to the Department within
thirty (30) Days. The Contractor shall provide to the Department copies of responses
to audits and/or inspections within seven (7) Days of issuance. Audits or inspections
may include allegations or complaints involving program operations or the Contractor
and its employees (including consultants, independent contractors and their
employees, agents, and volunteer workers).

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION E.5.
E.6

FRAUD, WASTE OR ABUSE
A.

In accordance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 321, the SAO is
authorized to investigate specific acts or allegations of impropriety,
malfeasance or nonfeasance, in the obligation, expenditure, receipt or use of
State funds.

If there is a reasonable cause to believe that fraud, waste or abuse has
occurred at this agency, it can be reported to the SAO by calling 1-800-892-8348
or at the SAO's website at www.sao.texas.gov. It can also be reported to the
TDCJ Office of the Inspector General at 1-866-372-8329, the TDCJ Internal Audit
Division at 936-437-7100, or Crime Stoppers at 1- 800-832-8477.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION E.6.

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SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE
F.1

PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
The term of the Contract will be from September 1, 2018 through August 31, 2025. The
Contractor shall be required to perform services at the Department locations
identified in the Site List (Exhibit J.1), under the general supervision of assignment by
the Department's authorized staff. The Department may add, delete, or change site
locations, and alter configurations of current Offender populations at any site
location at any time. Where any work under this Contract requires access to secured
facilities by the contractor's employees/subcontractors, it shall be the responsibility
of the Contractor to comply with all pertinent security requirements, which shall be
supplied by the Department. It is the sole responsibility of the Department to
guarantee necessary site access.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION F.1.
F.2

OPTION TO RENEW
The Department reserves the right to renew this Contract for three (3) - two (2) year
option periods. The Department will notify the Contractor as per Section 1.15.
The Contract will consist of a Base Period:
Seven (7) years (September 1, 2018 through August 31, 2025)
and three (3) two (2) year renewal Option Periods:
September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2027
September 1, 2027 through August 31, 2029
September 1, 2029 through August 31, 2031
All work shall be completed within the Contract period, unless otherwise extended by
written modification of the Contract upon agreement of the contracting parties.
Contractor shall not begin performance until receipt of a written Notice to Proceed.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION F.2.
F.3

OPTION TO EXTEND
The Department may require continued performance of any Services within the limits
and at the rates specified in this Contract. The Department reserves the right to
extend this Contract for a ninety (90) Day period at the end of each Contract and/or
renewal period for the purpose of re- advertising the Service, awarding a new
Contract, and transitioning into a new Contract. The option to extend provision may
be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall

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not exceed six (6) months. The Department may exercise the option by written notice
to the Contractor within the period specified in Section 1.16.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION F.3.
F.4

TRANSITION OF CONTRACT
In the event services end by either Contract expiration or termination, it shall be
incumbent upon the Contractor to continue services, if requested by the Executive
Director or designee, of the Department, until new services can be completely
implemented and operational. The Contractor acknowledges its responsibility to
cooperate fully with the replacement Contractor and the State to ensure a smooth
and timely transition. Such transitional period shall not extend more than one
hundred eighty (180) days beyond the expiration date of the Contract, or any
extension thereof.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION F.4.

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SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA
G.1

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
This Contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and
effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contract Specialist will make
their full text available.
Texas Government Code, Chapter 2251, Payment for Goods and Services

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION G.1.
G.2
AUTHORITY - AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE, CONTRACT SPECIALIST, CONTRACT
MONITOR AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR
G.2.1

Authorized Representative
A.

In the case of the Contractor, it's President or any Vice President, shall
designate the Authorized Representative in writing. The designation of the
Contractor's initial Authorized Representative shall be delivered to the
Department no later than the effective date of this Contract. The Contractor's
Authorized Representative may designate other Persons to assist such
Authorized Representative in the performance of certain obligations required
by this Contract.

In the case of the Department, the Executive Director is hereby designated as
its Authorized Representative. The TDCJ Chief Information Officer has been
designated as the Authorized Representative to act on behalf of the Executive
Director on all matters pertaining to the daily operations and management of
the program and in compliance with this Contract. The Department's
Authorized Representatives may designate other Persons to assist such
Authorized Representatives in the performance of certain obligations of this
Contract.

At any time, any party may designate any Person as its Authorized
Representative by delivering to the other party a written designation signed, if
on behalf of the Contractor, by its President or any Vice President, or if on
behalf of the Department, by the Executive Director. Such designations shall
remain effective until new written instruments are filed with or such notice is
given to the other party that such designations have been revoked.

The Department's Authorized Representative (the Executive Director) is the
only Person authorized to make or approve changes in any of the requirements
of this Contract, and notwithstanding any Clauses contained elsewhere in this
Contract, the said authority remains solely with the Executive Director. In the
event the Contractor makes any change at the direction of any Person other

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than the Executive Director, the change will be considered to have been made
without authority and no adjustment will be made in the Contract price to
cover any increase in cost incurred as a result thereof.
G.2.2

G.2.3

G.2.4

Contract Specialist
A.

The Contract Specialist for administration of this Contract is Terri Bennett,
CTPM, CTCM.

The telephone number for the Contract Specialist is (936) 437-7158.

The facsimile number for the Contract Specialist is (325) 223-0310.

The e-mail address for the Contract Specialist is terri.bennett@tdcj .texas.gov.

The Contract Specialist is responsible for general administration of this
Contract, negotiation of any changes and final issuance of written
changes/modifications to this Contract. All requests by the Contractor to
modify the Contract shall be made in writing to the TDCJ Executive Director,
and a copy submitted to the Contract Specialist.

Contract Monitor
A.

The Contract Monitor is not authorized to make any representations or
commitments of any kind on behalf of the Executive Director of the
Department or the State of Texas.

The Contract Monitor does not have the authority to alter the Contractor's
obligations or to change the Contract specifications, prices, terms or
conditions.

If, as a result of technical discussions, it is desirable to modify Contract
obligations or the statement of work, changes will be issued in writing and
signed by the Executive Director of the Department.

Program Director
The Contractor shall provide a Program Director for this Contract who shall be
responsible for the overall management and coordination of this Contract and shall
act as the central point of contact with the Department. The Program Director shall
have full authority to act for the Contractor in the performance of the required
Services. The Program Director, or a designated representative, shall meet with the
Contract Monitor to discuss problems as they occur.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION G.2.
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G.3
G.3.1

COMMISSION REMITTANCE
Remittance by Direct Deposit
It is recommended the Contractor remit payments via electronic funds transfer (EFT),
also known as direct deposit to:
Texas Department of Criminal Justice Cashiers Office:
Att.: Stacie Tatom-Rodgers
PO Box 4015
Huntsville, TX 77342-4015

G.3.2

Late Remittance
Commission payment for any month is due by the 5th business 20th calendar day of
the following month. Any amount owed to the State more than one (1) business day
beyond the date such amount is due shall accrue interest each day at the rate of one
percent (1%) plus the prime rate as published in the Wall Street Journal on the first
day of July of the preceding fiscal year that does not fall on a Saturday or Sunday.

G.3.3. Commission Reporting
Commission report is due to the Department by the 20th day of the month following
the month for which the revenue is due.
G.3.4. Review of Reported Revenue
The Contractor will review commission data with the Department each month to
ensure previously reported revenue was accurate. In the event agreed commission
payments for one (1) or more previous months are found to be in error, the
associated payment adjustment will be made in the following month's revenue
payment and without interest.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION G.3.
G.4

Annual Financial Disclosure Reports
A.

The Contractor shall have an annual audit performed by an independent
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and submit to the Contract Specialist the
financial reports prepared according to Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles and Auditing Standards (GAAP and GAAS) within one hundred twenty
(120) Days after the end of the Contractor's fiscal year.
In the disclosure of its financial affairs, the Contractor agrees to allow the
Department or its representative's access to all its corporate books, to
cooperate in any audits thereof and to provide the Department's Contract
Specialist with 1 and 2 below:

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Consolidated financial statements such as are required by GAAP of the
Contractor and its affiliates for such year, setting forth in each case in
comparative form the corresponding figures for the preceding fiscal
year, all in reasonable detail and certified by independent CPA's of
recognized standing to the effect that said financial statements fairly
present, except as specifically stated, the consolidated financial
position and result of operations of the Contractor and its affiliates as
of the end of the year for the year involved, and a statement signed by
a senior accounting or financial officer of the Contractor that such
officer has no knowledge, except as specifically stated, of the
occurrence and continuance of any Event of Default or event which,
with the time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute an Event
of Default (as defined in Section 1.3.1) or, if such circumstance does
exist, specifying the nature and extent thereof and the actions
proposed to cure same; and

Copies of any "management letters" (as that term is understood
pursuant to GAAP and GAAS) received by the Contractor following any
such audits.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION G.4.

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SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH SECTION H, WITH
EXCEPTIONS NOTED.
CenturyLink has made certain modification redlines to the Insurance Requirements of the RFP in order to
comply with our insurance carriers’ policies. These redlines are shown clearly within the text, with
comments on our reasoning where appropriate.

H.1

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
A.

Prior to the approval of this Contract by the Department, the Contractor shall
procure, pay for and maintain the following insurance written by companies
approved by the State of Texas and acceptable to the Department. It is
recommended that coverage be with a company or companies having both, a
Financial Strength Rating of "A" or better and Financial Size Category Class of
"VII" or better from A.M. Best Company, Inc.

The insurance shall be evidenced by delivery to the Department of certificates
of insurance executed by the insurer or its authorized agent stating coverage,
limits, expiration dates and compliance with all applicable required provisions.

Upon request, the Department shall be entitled to receive review without
expense, copies of the redacted policies and all endorsements. Copies and
changes to the initial insurance policies certificates, including extensions,
renewals, cancellations and revisions shall be submitted to the Contract
Specialist within thirty (30) Days of the effective date.
CenturyLink Comment: Policies are proprietary to both CenturyLink and our carrier,
and unable to be released. CenturyLink does offer to provide redacted copies for the
Department’s review upon request.

Subject to the Contractor's right to maintain reasonable deductibles, the
Contractor shall obtain and maintain in full force and effect for the duration of
this Contract and any extension hereof, at the Contractor's sole expense,
insurance coverage in the following type(s) and amounts:
1.

Workers' Compensation with statutory limits; Employers Liability with
minimum limits for bodily injury:
a.

By accident, $1,000,000 per each accident; and

By disease, $1,000,000 per employee with a per policy aggregate
of $1,000,000.

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Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance covering owned, hired, and
non-owned vehicles, with a minimum combined bodily injury (including
death) and property damage limit of $1,000,000 per occurrence.

Commercial General Liability Insurance including, but not limited to,
Premises/Operations, Personal & Advertising Injury,
Products/Completed Operations, Independent Contractors and
Contractual Liability with minimum combined bodily injury (including
death) and property damage limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence,
and $2,000,000 general aggregate.
a.

Civil Rights Liability shall be provided with the same liability
limits. It may be included with the General Liability policy or
written on a separate policy.

The Department shall be named as an additional insured by
using endorsement CG2026 or broader.

Professional Liability (only if professional services are needed) including
coverage for the rendering of, or failure to render, professional services
with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence, $3,000,000 annual
aggregate. Coverage to include errors and omissions.

Commercial Crime Insurance to cover losses from Employee Dishonesty
with a minimum limit of $1,000,000 each occurrence endorsed to cover
third party property. The Department must be joint loss payee.

NOTE: If the insurance described in 3 or 4 above is written on claims-made form,
coverage shall be continuous (by renewal or extended reporting period) for not less
than sixty (60) months following completion of the Contract and acceptance by the
Department. Coverage, including any renewals, shall have the same retroactive date
as the original policy applicable to this Contract.
H.1.1

Required Provisions
The Contractor agrees that with respect to the above required insurance, all
insurance contracts and certificate(s) of insurance will contain and state, in writing,
the following required provisions:
A.

Include Name the Department and its officers, employees and elected
representatives as additional insured to all applicable coverages.
CenturyLink Comment. Given CenturyLink, Inc.’s size and wide customer base, it is
unable to modify policies to explicitly name each individual customer. However, it
achieves this same objective through blanket additional insured endorsements for all
customers.

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Waive subrogation against the Department, its officers, employees, and
elected representatives for bodily injury (including death), property damage or
any other loss, to all applicable coverages to the extent caused by CenturyLink.

Provide that the Contractor's insurance is the primary insurance in regards to
the Department, its officers, employees and elected representatives.

Provide that all provisions of this Contract concerning liability, duty and
standard of care, together with the indemnification provision, shall be
underwritten by contractual liability coverage sufficient to include such
obligations within applicable policies to the extent coverage is commercially
standard.

Ensure that all certificates of insurance identify the Service or product being
provided and the name of the responsible party.

The Contractor, through an insurance agent licensed by the State of Texas,
shall obtain all insurance coverage and an insurance company authorized
licensed to issue such coverage in this State shall provide such coverage. No
"self-insurance" coverage shall be acceptable. All policies shall include a
provision requiring at least thirty (30) Days prior written notice of cancellation
to the Department Contractor with contractor providing a copy of such notice
to the Department within ten (10) business days.
CenturyLink Comment. Certain insurance coverages require only authorization not
formal licensing. Regarding notification, our carriers cannot agree to notify individual
customers; however, CenturyLink commits to prompt notification of TDCJ in the
unlikely event of cancellation.

All insurance coverage obtained by the Contractor shall continue in full force
and effect during the Contract Term. No contract shall be entered into
between the Contractor and the Department unless insurance coverage
binders are received by the date scheduled for the execution of the contract.
Proof of insurance policies must be delivered prior to the Service
Commencement Date.

The Contractor may choose the amount of deductible for any other insurance
coverage required (above) to be obtained by the Contractor, which shall be
maintained at commercially reasonable levels. but in no event shall such
deductible for each occurrence exceed five percent (5%) of the required yearly
aggregate limit of coverage.
CenturyLink Comment: CenturyLink maintains aggregate insurance coverages
appropriate for a company of its size and financial capability, and respectfully
requests this redline.

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The Contractor is responsible for the first (1st) dollar defense coverage. All
general liability and professional liability policies shall provide defense in
addition to the policy limits.
CenturyLink Comment: Defense costs are unfortunately not available for
purchase on professional liability insurance.

H.2

The limits required herein are minimum acceptable. However, these limits are
not to be construed as being the maximum any prospective contractor may
wish to purchase for their own benefit.

As respect to the total limits of liability required, any combination of primary
and/or umbrella coverage may satisfy those totals. However, if an umbrella is
used, coverage must be at least as broad as the primary coverage.

SUBCONTRACTORS
A.

The Contractor may subcontract for the performance of any of its
responsibilities to provide Services pursuant to this Contract.

No subcontract may be entered into unless the Department provides prior
written approval, which approval may not be unreasonably withheld.

If a subcontractor is deemed to be needed for an event of an emergency
nature, verbal approval may be obtained through an Authorized Department
Representative. The Contractor shall submit a written request with supporting
documentation for approval, by the Department, as soon as possible.

The Contractor shall furnish to the Department copies of all subcontracts,
without regard to the amount of annual payments.

Any arrangement by the Contractor with an affiliate or member company to
provide Services for the Program shall be subject to the subcontractor
provisions of this Section.

No contractual relationship shall exist between the Department and any
subcontractor and the Department shall accept no responsibility whatsoever
for the conduct, actions, or omissions of any subcontractor selected by the
Contractor.

The Contractor shall be responsible for the management of the subcontractors
in the performance of their work.

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A subcontractor may not work directly with the Department in any manner
and shall not be included in Contract negotiations, renewals, audits or any
other discussions except at the request of the Department.

Unless waived in writing by the Department, the subcontract shall contain the
following:
1.

An acknowledgement that the subcontract is subject to the Contract
between the Department and the Contractor (the "Master Contract").

The subcontractor shall agree to comply with the terms of the Master
Contract to the extent applicable with respect to goods and Services
being provided under the subcontract. It is the intention of the parties
of the subcontract that the subcontractor shall "stand in the shoes" of
the Contractor with respect to fulfilling the duties and obligations of
the Contractor to the Department under the Master Contract.

The Department's approval of a subcontract does not relieve the
Contractor of its duty to perform under the Master Contract.

The Department shall be deemed a "third party beneficiary" to the
subcontract.

The subcontract shall contain the required Authority to Audit Clause
referenced in Section E.4, and the required Non-Discrimination Clause
referenced in Section 1. 12.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.2
H.2.1

Insurance
The Contractor shall require all subcontractors to obtain, maintain, and keep in force
insurance coverage in accordance with accepted industry standards and the Contract
during the time they are engaged hereunder.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.2.1.
H.2.2

Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)
A.

The Contractor shall make a good faith effort to award necessary subcontracts
to HUBs in accordance with Texas Government Code, Sections 2161.181,
2161.252(b), and Texas Administrative Code, Title 34, Part 1, Chapter 20,
Subchapter D, Division 1, Rule 20.285. Pursuant to the Statewide Procurement
Division HUB Rules, Texas Administrative Code, Title 34, Part 1, Chapter 20,
Subchapter D, Division 1, Rule 20.285, the Contractor shall submit a HUB

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Subcontracting Plan (HSP) as part of the proposal submission, as well as make
a good faith effort to implement the HSP. The Contractor shall seek written
approval from the Department prior to making any modifications to its HSP.
B.

A detailed description of the HSP and required forms to be submitted with the
proposal submission are included as Exhibit J.2.

The Contractor shall provide notice to all subcontractors of their selection as a
subcontractor for this Contract. The notice must specify, at a minimum, this
Agency's name, the name of the Contract Specialist, this Contract's assigned
Contract number, the subcontracting opportunity the subcontractor will
perform, the approximate dollar value of the subcontract and the expected
percentage of this Contract's total value that the subcontract represents. A
copy of the notice shall be provided to the Contract Specialist no later than ten
(10) working days after this Contract is awarded.

The Contractor shall submit to the Contract Specialist on a monthly basis (by
the fifth [5th]) of the following month) the Prime Contractor Progress
Assessment Report, which is included in Exhibit J.2.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.2.2.

H.3

TRANSITION
A.

Upon termination of this Contract, the Contractor agrees to work with the
Department under the Department's management supervision for a period of
sixty (60) Days, prior to the expiration of the Contract, to ensure the orderly
transfer and efficient transition from current Contractor management to
either the Department management or management by a third party of the
program.

During this transition period, the Contractor shall transfer all Offender records
to the Department if requested to do so by the Department. In the event the
Contractor requires copies of any records after Contract expiration and
program management transition, the Department will furnish copies to the
Contractor at the Contractor's expense.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.3.
H.4

RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE

H.5

UTILIZATION OF PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS PRODUCED IN TEXAS
A.

The Contractor shall comply with Texas Government Code, Section 2155.4441,
relating to service contract use of products produced in the State of Texas.

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In performing Services under this Contract, the Contractor shall purchase
products and materials produced in the State of Texas when they are available
at a price and time comparable to products and materials produced outside of
Texas.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.5.

H.6

CRIMINAL HISTORY INFORMATION COMPLIANCE
The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that in order for the Contractor to perform
the Services contemplated herein, the Department may have to provide the
Contractor with, or the Contractor may have access to, certain information regarding
Offenders and former Offenders known as "criminal history information." Criminal
history information means information collected about a Person by a criminal justice
agency that consists of identifiable descriptions and notations of arrests, detentions,
indictments, information and other formal criminal charges and their dispositions.
The term does not include information as to convictions, fingerprint information, and
driving records. In the event the Department provides the Contractor with criminal
history information, the Contractor agrees to comply with the confidentiality
requirements of 28 CFR 20.21; 42 U.S.C. 3711, et seq., as amended; and Texas
Government Code, Section 411 .083; and with the FBI Criminal Justice Information
Services (CJIS) Security Policy. More specifically, the Contractor agrees and
acknowledges as follows:
A.

The Department hereby specifically authorizes that the Contractor may have
access to criminal justice history to the extent such access is necessary or
appropriate to enable the Contractor to perform the Services contemplated
herein.

The Contractor agrees to limit the use of such criminal justice information for
the purposes set to herein.

The Contractor agrees to maintain the confidentiality and security of the
criminal justice history information in compliance with federal and state
statutes, rules and regulations, and return or destroy such information when it
is no longer needed to perform the Services contemplated herein.

In the event that the Contractor's employee(s) fails to comply with the terms
hereof, the Contractor shall take corrective action with the employee(s). Such
corrective action must be acceptable to the Department. An intentional or
knowing violation may also result in civil and criminal violations under federal
and state laws. Additionally, the Contractor shall submit for the Department's
approval, the Contractor's corrective action plan to ensure full compliance
with the terms hereof. Until such time as the corrective action plan is
approved by the Department, the Contractor shall not be authorized to fill any

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vacant positions unless special authorization is granted in writing by the
Department which authorization shall not be unreasonably withheld.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.6.
H.7

OTHER CONFIDENTIAL OR SENSITIVE INFORMATION
A.

The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that in order for the Contractor to
perform the Services contemplated herein, the Department may have to
provide the Contractor with, or the Contractor may have access to, certain
information, other than criminal history information, that is confidential
pursuant to federal or state laws, rules, or regulations, or that is personal
information considered to be "sensitive." The Contractor agrees that such
confidential or sensitive information shall only be used for the purpose of
performing Services contemplated herein. Such information shall not be
disclosed, copied or transmitted for any purpose other than for the
performance of Services contemplated herein.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.7.

H.8

BOOKS AND RECORDS
All records and documents pertinent to the Services contracted hereunder shall be
kept for a minimum seven (7) years after the expiration or termination hereof. If any
litigation, claim, or audit involving these records begins before the retention period
expires, the Contractor must continue to retain said records and documents until all
litigation, claims, or audit findings are resolved, meaning that there is a final Court
Order from which no further appeal may be made, or a written agreement is entered
into between the Department and the Contractor.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.8.

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H.9

ORGANIZATIONAL AND NAME CHANGE
The Contractor shall submit written notification to the Department within thirty (30)
Days of any changes in the Contractor's name, address, telephone number, facsimile
number and/or e-mail address with an effective date of such change. The Contractor
shall submit to the Department a copy of any registration "to do business as,'' "OBA,''
or "also known as," "AKA,'' and any legal corporate name change filed with the
Secretary of State.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.9.
H.10

FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION
The Contractor is prohibited from substantially burdening an employee's or
Offender's Free Exercise of Religion.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.10.
H.11

DELAY OF SERVICES
The Contractor shall meet its obligations to commence services at the facility within
the time frames defined by the Contract. In the event the Contractor fails to meet
those time frames as defined by the Contract, absent force majeure events and/or
extensions from the Department, the Department will have the right to calculate
reasonable revenues that are lost and charge the Contractor for each day the facility
is inoperable due to delays caused by the Contractor's nonperformance (Exhibit J.4).
The Department will provide written notification to the Contractor by certified mail,
return receipt requested, of the charges which will include the date of imposition and
the amount that was accrued daily as the date of the notification.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.11.
H.12

RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE

H.13

SECURITY
The Contractor's employees and representatives, vehicles and equipment must be
under security surveillance at all times and are subject to inspection at any time while
on state property. The Contractor agrees to abide by all Department Policies and unit
rules and regulations on state property. These rules, in part, prohibit the introduction
of alcohol, narcotics, weapons, gambling paraphernalia, pagers and cellphones to any
state property. This includes having these items in personal vehicles of on-site
employees. The Contractor's employees may not carry more than $25.00 in cash into
any Department Facility. Tobacco products are strictly prohibited on TDCJ units, but
are allowed in the personal vehicles of on-site employees or in designated smoking

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areas. All vehicles must be kept locked when not in use and the Contractor's
employees must stay with the vehicle when it is unlocked.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION H.13.

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SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES
I.1

RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE

I.2

ADVERTISING OF AWARD
The Contractor agrees not to refer to awards in commercial advertising in such a
manner as to state or imply that the products or services provided are endorsed or
preferred by the Department or is considered by the Department to be superior to
other products or services.

I.3

DEFAULT AND TERMINATION

I.3.1

DEFAULT BY CONTRACTOR
Each of the following shall constitute an Event of Default on the part of the
Contractor:
A.

A Material Failure to keep, observe, perform, meet, or comply with any
covenant, agreement, term, or provision of this Contract to be kept, observed,
met, performed, or complied with by the Contractor hereunder, when such
failure continues for a period of twenty (20) Days after the Contractor's receipt
of written notice thereof;

A Material Failure to meet or comply with Department Policy, federal or state
requirement or law, when such failure continues for a period of twenty (20)
Days after the Contractor's receipt of written notice thereof;

The Contractor's Material Failure to comply with any Department Policy for
which the Contractor has been expressly required to comply and for which the
Contractor has not received a prior written waiver from the Department, when
such failure continues for a period of twenty (20) Days after the Contractor's
receipt of written notice thereof;

Insolvency of the Contractor as evidenced by any of the following occurrences:
1.

Its inability to pay its debts;

Any general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

Any decree or order appointing a receiver or trustee for it or
substantially all of its property to be entered and, if entered without its
consent, not to be stayed or discharged within sixty (60) Days;

Any proceedings under any law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, or
the reorganization or relief of debtors to be instituted by or against it

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and, if contested by it, not to be dismissed or stayed within sixty (60)
Days; or
5.

I.3.2

I.3.3

Any judgment, writ of attachment or execution, or any similar process
to be issued or levied against a substantial part of its property which is
not released, stayed, bonded, or vacated within sixty (60) Days after
issue or levy.

The discovery by the Department that any statement, representation or
warranty in this Contract is false, misleading, or erroneous in any material
respect; or

A failure by the Contractor to comply with contractual terms and conditions,
resulting in a breach of security or health and safety standards. This Event of
Default may result in the immediate termination of this Contract.

Further Opportunity to Cure
A.

If an Event of Default of the type specified in Section 1.3.1 occurs and the
Contractor reasonably believes that such Event of Default cannot be cured
within the twenty (20) Days allowed in Section 1.3.1 but that such Event of
Default can be cured through a diligent, on- going, and conscientious effort on
the part of the Contractor, within a reasonable period not to exceed three (3)
months, then the Contractor may, within the twenty (20) Day cure period,
submit a detailed plan for curing the Event of Default to the Department.

Upon receipt of any such plan for curing an Event of Default, the Department
shall promptly review such plan and at its discretion, which must be
reasonable in the circumstances, may allow, or not allow, the Contractor to
pursue such plan of cure.

The decision of the Department will be communicated in writing to the
Contractor.

The Department agrees that it will not exercise its remedies thereunder with
respect to such Event of Default for so long as the Contractor diligently,
conscientiously, and timely undertakes to cure the Event of Default In
accordance with the approved plan.

If the Department does not allow the Contractor an extension of the cure
period, the twenty (20) Day time period shall be tolled during the period of
time the request is pending before the Department.

Remedy of the Department
When an Event of Default by the Contractor has been determined to exist, the
Department's Authorized Representative will notify, in writing, the Contractor of such

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Event of Default, and subject to the provisions of Section 1.3.2, the Department will
have the right to pursue any remedy it may have by law or in equity including, but not
limited to:
A.

Reducing its claim to a judgment;

Exercising a Termination for Default.
1.

In the event of Termination for Default the Department shall offset
against Payments owed to the Contractor any reasonable amounts
expended by the Department to cure the Event of Default.

The Department will have no further obligations to the Contractor after
such termination and the Contractor shall comply with Section H.3 with
respect to the transition to new management.

The Department may also acquire, in the manner the Department
considers appropriate, services similar to those terminated and the
Contractor will be liable to the Department for any increase in costs for
those services.

The Department shall not be liable for any increase in costs if the
failure to perform the Contract arises from and without the fault or
negligence of the Contractor as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Acts of God or of the public enemy,
Acts of the State in either its sovereign or contractual capacity,
Fires,
Floods,
Epidemics,
Quarantine restrictions,
Strikes,
Freight embargoes, and
Unusually severe weather.

In each instance the failure to perform must be beyond the control and
without the fault or negligence of the Contractor.
I.3.4

RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE

I.3.5

RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE

I.3.6

Termination for Convenience
The Department may, in its sole discretion, terminate this Contract, with or without
cause, by providing the Contractor with sixty (60) Days prior written notice of such
termination.

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I.3.7

Termination by Mutual Agreement
The parties may terminate this Contract by mutual agreement, the terms of which
shall be set forth in writing.

I.3.8

Termination Procedures
A.

Upon Termination for Default, Termination for Convenience, Termination by
Mutual Agreement as heretofore mentioned, the following procedures will be
adhered to:
1.

The Department will immediately notify the Contractor in writing
specifying the effective termination date.

After receipt of the Notice of Termination, the Contractor shall
immediately proceed with the following obligations, regardless of any
delay in determining or adjusting any amounts due at that point in the
Contract:
a.

Place no further subcontracts or orders in support of this
Contract;

Terminate all subcontracts; and c. Cancel all orders as
applicable.

Upon termination, the Department shall be entitled to receive from the
Contractor, payment for all revenue owed under this Contract up to and
including the date of termination.
The Department has no authority to reimburse a Contractor for capital
equipment costs in the event that the Contract is terminated by mutual
agreement or for cause before the expiration of the base period.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Contract is terminated prior to the end
of the base period, the Department shall require any new service provider to
compensate Contractor in an amount that equates to the undepreciated or
unamortized portion of any equipment and infrastructure installed by
Contractor which is used by the new service provider. In the event Contractor
transfers ownership of or title to any equipment and infrastructure to the
Department, including any equipment and infrastructure which become the
property of the Department pursuant to the terms of this Contract, the
compensation owed to the Contractor pursuant to the preceding sentence
shall be calculated as if the ownership of such equipment and infrastructure
had remained with Contractor and in accordance with an
amortization/depreciation schedule to be provided by the Contractor to the
Department at time of transfer of ownership of the equipment.

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I.3.9

Default by the Department
Each of the following shall constitute an Event of Default on the part of the
Department:
A.

Failure by the Department to observe and perform any material covenant,
condition, or agreement on its part to be observed or performed; or

Its failure or refusal to substantially fulfill any of its material obligations
hereunder, unless caused by the default of the Contractor; and

Unless cured by the Department within twenty (20) Days after receiving
written notice thereof.

I.3.10 Remedy of the Contractor
Upon an Event of Default by the Department, the Contractor's sole remedy shall be to
follow the dispute resolution process in Section 1. 3.11 below.
I.3.11 Dispute Resolution
A.

Any dispute arising under this Contract, which is not disposed of by mutual
agreement between the Department and the Contractor shall be resolved as
follows:
1.

The dispute resolution process provided for in Texas Government Code,
Chapter 2260, shall be used, as further described herein, by the
Department and the Contractor to attempt to resolve any claim for
breach of Contract made by the Contractor.

A Contractor's claims for breach of this Contract that the parties cannot
resolve in the ordinary course of business shall be submitted to the
negotiation process provided in Texas Government Code, Chapter 2260,
Subchapter B.

To initiate the process, the Contractor shall submit written notice, as
required by Texas Government Code, Chapter 2260, Subchapter B, to
the Contracts and Procurement Director or designee, at Two Financial
Plaza, Suite 525, Huntsville, Texas 77340.

Said notice shall specifically state the provisions of Texas Government
Code, Chapter 2260, Subchapter B, are being invoked, and shall also be
given to all other representatives of the Department and the
Contractor otherwise entitled to notice under the parties' Contract.

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I.4

Compliance by the Contractor with Subchapter B, is a condition
precedent to the filing of a contested case proceeding under Texas
Government Code, Chapter 2260, Subchapter C.

The contested case process provided in Texas Government Code,
Chapter 2260, Subchapter C, is the Contractor's sole and exclusive
process for seeking a remedy for an alleged breach of Contract by the
Department if the parties are unable to resolve their disputes under
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.

Compliance with the contested case process provided in Texas
Government Code, Chapter 2260, Subchapter C, is a condition precedent
to sue from the Legislature under Chapter 107 of the Civil Practices and
Remedies Code.

Neither the execution of this Contract by the Department nor any other
conduct of any representative of the Department related to the
Contract shall be considered a waiver of sovereign immunity to suit.

In addition to complying with Texas Government Code, Chapter 2260, the
Department and the Contractor shall comply with the rule published in Texas
Administrative Code, Title 37, Part 6, Chapter 155, Subchapter C, Rule 155.31.

At all times during the course of the dispute resolution process, the Contractor
shall continue with providing Services as directed, in a diligent manner and
without delay, shall conform to the Department's directive , decision or order,
and shall be governed by all applicable provisions of this Contract.

Records of the Services performed shall be kept in sufficient detail to enable
Payment in accordance with applicable provisions of this Contract, if this
should become necessary.

This provision shall not be construed to prohibit the Contractor from seeking
any other legal or equitable remedy to which it is entitled.

NO WAIVER OF RIGHTS
A.

No failure on the part of any party to exercise, and no delay in exercising, and
no course of dealing with respect to any right hereunder shall operate as a
waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right hereunder
preclude any other or further exercise thereof or in the exercise of any other
right.

The remedies provided in this Contract are cumulative and non-exclusive of
any remedies provided by law or in equity, except as expressly set forth herein.

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I.5

INDEMNIFICATION OF THE DEPARTMENT

I.5.1

Acts or Omissions
The Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the State of Texas, the Department
and the TBCJ, and/or their officers, agents, employees, representatives, contractors,
assignees, and/or designees from any and all liability, actions, claims, demands, or
suits, and all related costs, attorney fees, and expenses arising out of, or resulting
from any acts or omissions of the Contractor or its agents, employees, subcontractors,
order fulfillers, or suppliers of subcontractors in the execution or performance of the
Contract and any purchase orders issued under the Contract. The defense shall be
coordinated by the Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General when Texas
State Agencies are named defendants in any lawsuit and the Contractor may not
agree to any settlement without first obtaining the concurrence from the Office of the
Attorney General. The Contractor and the Department agree to furnish timely written
notice to each other of any such claim.

1.5.2

Infringements
A.

The Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the State of Texas, the
Department and the TBCJ, and or their employees, agents, representatives,
contractors, assignees, and/or designees from any and all third party claims
involving infringement of United States patents, copyrights, trade and service
marks, and any other intellectual or intangible property rights in connection
with the performances or actions of the Contractor pursuant to this Contract.
The Contractor and the Department agree to furnish timely written notice to
each other of any such claim. The Contractor shall be liable to pay all costs of
defense including attorneys' fees. The defense shall be coordinated by the
Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General when Texas State Agencies
are named defendants in any lawsuit and the Contractor may not agree to any
settlement without first obtaining the concurrence from the Office of the
Attorney General.

The Contractor shall have no liability under this Section if the alleged
infringement is caused in whole or in part by:
1.

Use of the product or Service for a purpose or in a manner for which the
product or Service was not designed;

Any modification made to the product without the Contractor's written
approval;

Any modification made to the product by the Contractor pursuant to
the Department's specific instructions;

Any intellectual property right owned by or licensed to the Department;
or

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I.5.3

I.6

Any use of the product or Service by the Department that is not in
conformity with the terms of any applicable license agreement.

If the Contractor becomes aware of an actual or potential claim, or the
Department provides the Contractor with notice of an actual or potential
claim, the Contractor may (or in the case of an injunction against the
Department, shall), at the Contractors sole option and expense:
1.

Procure for the Department the right to continue to use the affected
portion of the product or Service; or

Modify or replace the affected portion of the product or Service with
functionally equivalent or superior product or Service so that the
Department's use is non-infringing.

Taxes/Workers' Compensation/Unemployment Insurance - Including Indemnity
A.

The Contractor agrees and acknowledges that during the existence of this
Contract, the Contractor shall be entirely responsible for the liability and
payment of the Contractor's and the Contractor's employees' taxes of
whatever kind, arising out of the performances in this Contract. The
Contractor agrees to comply with all state and federal laws applicable to any
such Persons, including laws regarding wages, taxes, insurance, and Workers'
Compensation. The Department and/or the State shall not be liable to the
Contractor, its employees, agents, or others for the payment of taxes or the
provision of unemployment insurance and/or Workers' Compensation or any
benefit available to a State employee or employee of another governmental
entity customer.

The Contractor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Department, the
TBCJ, the State of Texas and/or their employees, agents, representatives,
contractors, and/or assignees from any and all liability, actions, claims,
demands, or suits, and all related costs, attorneys' fees, and expenses, relating
to tax liability, unemployment insurance and/or Workers' Compensation in its
performance under this Contract. The Contractor shall be liable to pay all cost
of defense including attorneys ' fees. The defense shall be coordinated by the
Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General when Texas State Agencies
are named defendants in any lawsuit and the Contractor may not agree to any
settlement without first obtaining the concurrence from the Office of the
Attorney General. The Contractor and the Department agree to furnish timely
written notice to each other of any such claim.

NO WAIVER OF DEFENSES
A.

Neither the Department nor the Contractor shall waive, release or otherwise
forfeit any possible defense the Department or the Contractor may have

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regarding claims arising from or made in connection with the performance of
the Services by the Contractor without the consent of the other party.
B.

I.7

I.8

The Department and the Contractor shall reserve all such available defenses
and cooperate with each other to make such defenses available for each
other's benefit to the maximum extent allowed by law, including any defenses
the Department may have regarding litigation, losses and costs resulting from
claims or litigation pending at the time the Contract becomes effective, or
arising thereafter from occurrences prior to the effective date hereof.

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
A.

The Contractor is associated with the Department only for the purposes and to
the extent set forth herein, and with respect to the performance of Services
hereunder, the Contractor is and shall be an independent contractor and shall
have the sole right to supervise, manage, operate, control, and direct the
performance of the details incident to its duties hereunder.

Nothing contained herein shall be deemed or construed to create a
partnership or joint venture, to create the relationships of an employeremployee or principal-agent, or to otherwise create any liability for the
Department whatsoever with respect to the indebtedness , liabilities, and
obligations of the Contractor or any other party.

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for (and the Department shall have
no obligation with respect to) payment of all Federal Income, FICA, and other
taxes owed or claimed to be owed by the Contractor, arising out of the
Contractor's association with the Department pursuant hereto, and the
Contractor shall indemnify and hold the Department harmless from and
against any and all liability from all losses, damages, claims, costs, penalties,
liabilities, and expenses howsoever arising or incurred because of, incident to,
or otherwise with respect to any such taxes.

LAWS OF TEXAS
This Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of Texas. The venue of any suit arising under this Contract is fixed in any court of
competent jurisdiction of Travis County, Texas.
In the event of a conflict between the Contract and the State laws of Texas, the laws
shall prevail. If there is no conflict between the laws and the Contract, the
requirements most favorable to the Department shall prevail.

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I.9

ASSIGNMENT
A.

The Contractor may not assign any interest in this Contract without the prior
written consent of the Department which consent the Department may
withhold at its sole discretion.

If the Department so elects in its sole discretion, this Contract will terminate
upon the occurrence of any of the following:

I.10

I.11

I.12

More than fifty percent (50%) of the assets of the Contractor are sold;

The Contractor is merged into, acquired by, or consolidated with
another corporation or business entity; or is otherwise the subject of
reorganization; or

Any shareholder or owner of the Contractor who owns at least ten
percent (10%) beneficial ownership of the Contractor fails to continue
to own at least ten percent (10%).

In the event that any sale, transfer, or assignment, as referenced in
paragraphs A and B above, is consented to by the Department, the transferee
or its legal representative shall agree in writing with the Department to
assume, perform and be bound by the covenants, obligations and agreements
contained herein.

MAINTENANCE OF CORPORATE EXISTENCE AND BUSINESS
A.

The Contractor, if incorporated, shall at all times maintain its corporate
existence and authority to transact business and be in good standing in its
jurisdiction of incorporation and the State of Texas.

The Contractor shall maintain all licenses, permits and franchises necessary
for its businesses where the failure to so maintain might have a material
adverse effect on its ability to perform its obligations under this Contract.

APPROVAL OF CONTRACT
A.

This Contract is subject to written approval of the Executive Director of the
Department and shall not be binding until so approved.

For Contracts valued over $1,000,000 in the initial Contract Term, the Executive
Director's approval shall be given only on the approval of the TBCJ.

NON-DISCRIMINATION
In the performance of this Contract, the Contractor warrants that it shall not
discriminate against any employee, subcontractor, participant or provider on account

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of race, color, disability or perceived disability, religion, sex, national origin, genetic
information or age, and in accordance with the following :

I.13

The Contractor shall not discriminate against employees, subcontractors,
participants or providers who have or are perceived to have a disability
because AIDS/HIV infection, antibodies to HIV, or infection with any other
probable causative agent of AIDS. The Contractor shall post notices setting
forth the provisions of this Non-Discrimination Clause in conspicuous places,
available to employees and applicants for employment.

In all solicitations or advertisements for employees and/or the purchase of
Services, the Contractor shall state that it is an equal opportunity employer;
provided, however, that notices, advertisements and solicitations placed in
accordance with federal law, rule or regulation shall be deemed sufficient for
the purpose of meeting this requirement.

The Contractor shall include the provisions of the foregoing paragraphs in
every subcontract so that such provisions shall be binding upon each
subcontractor or vendor.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND OPEN RECORDS

I.13.1 Confidentiality
Any confidential information provided to or developed by the Contractor in the
performance of the Contract shall be kept confidential unless otherwise provided by
law and shall not be made available to any individual or organization by the
Contractor or the Department without prior approval of the other party.
I.13.2 Open Records
In accordance with Texas Government Code, Section 2252.907, the Contractor
acknowledges that this Contract and information created or maintained in connection
with this Contract is public information and subject to disclosure as provided by Texas
Government Code, Chapter 552 (Texas Public Information Act). The Texas Public
Information Act may require the Contractor to make information related to this
Contract available to the public pursuant to a request for public information. The
Contractor agrees, upon request, to make information related to this Contract that is
not otherwise excepted from release by the Texas Public Information Act available to
the public in hard copy, unless the requester of the information consents to receive
the information in another mutually agreeable format. The Contractor acknowledges
that the agency shall not provide legal counsel related to the Contractor's compliance
with the Texas Public Information Act.

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I.14

I.15

CONTRACT CHANGES
A.

Changes/modifications to this Contract (except Contract extensions in
accordance with Sections 1. 15 and 1. 16; administrative changes, such as
changing the Contract Specialist designation or correcting typographical
errors; or other unilateral changes discussed elsewhere in the Contract) shall
be mutually agreed to by the parties and executed in writing with the
authorized signatures .

The Department, at its sole discretion, may revise funding during the course of
this Contract by issuing a unilateral modification to the Contractor.

OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT
A.
The Department may, at its sole discretion, extend the Contract Term by
written notice to the Contractor within ten (10) Days of Contract expiration, provided
that the Department shall give the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its
intent to extend at least sixty (60) Days before the Contract expires.

I.16

I.17

The preliminary notice does not commit the Department to an extension.

If the Department exercises this option, the extended Contract shall be
considered to include this option provision.

OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES
A.

The Department may require continued performance of any Services within
the limits and at the rates specified in this Contract.

The Department reserves the right to extend this Contract for a ninety (90) Day
period at the end of each Contract and/or extension period for the purpose of
re-advertising the Service, awarding a new Contract, and transitioning into a
new Contract.

This option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total
extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed six (6) months.

The Department may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor
within the period specified in Section 1.15.

SEVERABILITY
In the event that any provision of this Contract is later determined to be invalid, void,
or unenforceable, then the remaining terms, provisions, covenants, and conditions of
this Contract shall remain in full force and effect, and shall in no way be affected,
impaired, or invalidated.

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I.18

IMMIGRATION
The Contractor represents and warrants that it will comply with the requirements of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.) and all subsequent
immigration laws and amendments.

I.19

NO LIABILITY UPON TERMINATION
If this Contract is terminated for any reason, the Department and the State of Texas
shall not be liable to the Contractor for any damages, claims, losses, or any other
amounts arising from or related to any such termination. However, the Contractor
may be entitled to the remedies established in Section 1.3.11.

I.20

LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY
The Contractor shall have no authority to act for or on behalf of the Department or
the State of Texas except as expressly provided for in this Contract; no other
authority, power or use is granted or implied. The Contractor may not incur any debts,
obligations, expenses, or liabilities of any kind on behalf of the State of Texas or the
Department.

I.21

I.22

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INDEMNIFICATION
A.

The Contractor will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the State of Texas
and the Department against any action or claim brought against the State of
Texas and/or the Department that is based on a claim that software infringes
any patent rights, copyright rights or incorporated misappropriated trade
secrets. The Contractor will pay any damages attributable to such claim that
are awarded against the State of Texas and/or the Department in a judgment
or settlement.

If the Department's use of the software becomes subject to a claim, or is likely
to become subject to a claim, in the sole opinion of the Department, the
Contractor shall, at its sole expense (1) procure for the Department the right to
continue using such software under the terms of this Contract; or (2) replace or
modify the software so that it is non-infringing.

ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION RESOURCES ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS, as required
by Texas Administrative Code, Title 1, Part 10, Chapter 213
A.

Effective September 1, 2006 State Agencies and Institutions of Higher
Education shall procure products which comply with the State of Texas
Accessibility requirements for Electronic and Information Resources specified
in Texas Administrative Code, Title 1, Part 10, Chapter 213, when such products
are available in the commercial marketplace or when such products are
developed in response to a procurement solicitation.

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I.23

The Contractor shall provide the Department with the URL to its Voluntary
Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for reviewing compliance with the State
of Texas Accessibility requirements (based on the federal standards
established under the Rehabilitation Act, Section 508), or indicate that the
product/service accessibility information is available from the General Services
Administration "Buy Accessible Wizard" (http://www.buyaccessible.gov).
Contractors not listed with the "Buy Accessible Wizard" or supplying a URL to
their VPAT must provide the Department with a report that addresses the
same accessibility criteria in substantively the same format. Additional
information regarding the "Buy Accessible Wizard" or obtaining a copy of the
VPAT is located at http://www.section508 .gov/.

RIGHTS TO DATA, DOCUMENTS AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE (STATE OWNERSHIP)
Any software, research, reports, studies, data, photographs, negatives or other
documents, drawings or materials prepared by the Contractor in the performance of
its obligations under this Contract shall be the exclusive property of the State of Texas
and all such materials shall be delivered to the Department by the Contractor upon
completion, termination, or cancellation of this Contract. The Contractor may, at its
own expense, keep copies of all its writings for its personal files . The Contractor shall
not use, willingly allow, or cause to have such materials used for any purpose other
than the performance of the Contractor's obligations under this Contract without the
prior written consent of the Department; provided, however, that the Contractor shall
be allowed to use non-confidential materials for writing samples in pursuit of the
work. The ownership rights described herein shall include, but not be limited to, the
right to copy, publish, display, transfer, prepare derivative works, or otherwise use
the works.

I.24

FORCE MAJEURE
A.

Neither the Contractor nor the Department shall be liable to the other for any
delay in, or failure of performance, of any requirement included in this
Contract caused by force majeure. The existence of such causes of delay or
failure shall extend the period of performance until after the causes of delay or
failure have been removed provided the non-performing party exercises all
reasonable due diligence to perform.

Force majeure is defined as acts of God, war, fires, explosions, hurricanes,
floods, failure of transportation, or other causes that are beyond the
reasonable control of either party and that by exercise of due foresight such
party could not reasonably have been expected to avoid, and which, by the
exercise of all reasonable due diligence, such party is unable to overcome .

Each party must inform the other in writing, with proof of receipt, within three
(3) working days of the existence of such force majeure, or otherwise waive
this right as a defense.

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I.25

NOTICES
Any written notices required under this Contract will be delivered by carrier service to
the Contractor's office address specified on Page 1 of this Contract or by U.S. mail.
Notices to the Department shall be sent to:
Terri Bennett, CTPM, CTCM
Contract Specialist
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Contracts and Procurement Department
Information Technology, Construction and Utilities Branch
Two Financial Plaza, Suite 525
Huntsville, Texas 77340
Notice will be effective on receipt by the affected party. Either party may change the
designated notice address in this Section by written notification to the other party.
This change shall be incorporated with a unilateral modification.

1.26

SUBSTITUTIONS
Substitutions are not permitted without written approval of the Department.

1.27

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S E-VERIFY SYSTEM
A.

By entering into this Contract, the Contractor certifies and ensures that it
utilizes and will continue to utilize, for the term of this Contract, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system to determine the eligibility
of:
1.

All Persons employed to perform duties within Texas, during the
Contract Term; and

All Persons (including subcontractors) assigned by the Contractor to
perform work pursuant to the Contract, within the United States of
America.

The Contractor shall provide, upon request of the Department, an electronic or
hardcopy screenshot of the confirmation or tentative non-confirmation screen
containing the E-Verify case verification number for attachment to the Form 19 for the three (3) most recent hires that match the criteria above, by the
Contractor, and the Contractor's subcontractors, as proof that this provision is
being followed.

If this certification is falsely made, the Contract may be immediately
terminated, at the discretion of the State and at no fault to the State, with no
prior notification. The Contractor shall also be responsible for the costs of any

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
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249

re-solicitation that the State must undertake to replace the terminated
Contract.

CENTURYLINK HAS READ, UNDERSTANDS, AND WILL COMPLY WITH EACH ITEM
OUTLINED IN SECTION I

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Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
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ATTACHMENTS

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Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
251

Attachment F:
Preliminary Implementation Plan

Attachments G:
Quality Control Plan

Attachment H
Sample SCP Reports

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
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ATTACHMENT F:
PRELIMINARY
IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
253

ID
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Task Name
35
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Duration
4 days
15 days
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Cut sheet distribution
Post cutover activities
Open project tickets for post cutover monitoring
Monitor site activities of product functionality
Agency acceptance and project closure

Page 2

Start
Thu 5/2/19
Wed 5/8/19
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Finish
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Tue 5/28/19
Tue 5/28/19

ATTACHMENT G
QUALITY CONTROL
PLAN

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
256

CENTURYLINK
OFFENDER TELEPHONE & RELATED
SERVICES
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL
JUSTICE

QUALITY CONTROL PLAN
MAY 23, 2018

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Solicitation No.696-IT-18-P014
Volume Two – Technical Proposal
257

PREFACE
The ability to quantify and measure objectives provides both the Department and the CenturyLink
Team with the necessary information to ensure that they are met. In this section we address the
Quality Control Plan and the tools to quantify and measure the objectives of the Department.
Accurate and thorough assessments of each of the Departments expectations, and how we can
meet those expectations, are critical to our continued success. In most instances specific
performance measures or service standards are results of a combination of the proposal, contract
commitments, meeting industry standards and specific customer requests and requirements. The
purpose of this document to identify the performance measures and action plans which enable the
CenturyLink Team to provide the highest quality service, applications and features.
The CenturyLink Team’s Service Organization assumes responsibility for this document and
updates it, as required, to meet the needs of the Department. Users of this document may report
deficiencies or corrections using the Document Change Request found at the end of the
document. Updates to this document will be performed, at least annually.

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this plan is to define the Offender Telephone System for the Departments
Quality Control (QC) including tasks and responsibilities and to provide reference documents
and guidelines to perform the QC activities; provide the standards, practices and conventions
used in carrying out QC activities; and provide the tools, techniques, and methodologies to
support QC activities, and reporting.

1.2 Document Overview
This document identifies the organizations and procedures to be used to perform activities
related to the TDCJ QC program:
Section 1 Introduction and Quality Control Plan Application including an overview of the system
Section 2 Organizational Responsibilities
Section 3 Organization Quality Metrics
Section 4 Quality Plan Objectives and Methodologies
Section 5 Quality Plan Monitoring Process

1.3 System Overview
Secure Call Platform (SCP)
The first step in any QC plan is a calling architecture that inherently maximizes feature quality
and reliability. As discussed in Section L requirement 1, this reliability is one of SCP’s unique
advantages and derives from its centralized, fully redundant capabilities and digitally clear
transport method.

Carrier-Class Centralized Architecture:
Virtually eliminates on-site equipment, easing operation and reducing downtime

•
•

•

Expedites installation due to fewer components and no
elimination of on-site “tuning”

•

Reduces maintenance problems; fewer visits to the site

•

Improves time-to-repair; no “windshield” time needed for
system break-fix

•

Provides a carrier-class physical environment for
equipment

Ensures call records are backed up in real-time, rather than through a nightly batch
process
Provides one, centralized platform for faster service delivery
• Delivers a single platform for focused new service development; no need to manage
multiple software versions
• Enables software updates/upgrades to occur
simultaneously across all facilities

•

Facilitates system expansion; additional sites are turned up with “flip of a switch”
Consolidates all communications (voice and data) into a single network

•

Speeds provisioning time

•

Simplifies network management, speeding fault isolation

•

Improves security through encrypted transmission

Digital Transport:
Analog transport systems can be slow and prone to noise and static interruptions. The effect on a
phone conversation is oftentimes, garbled conversations.
SCP’s fully digital system provides clear delivery across the entire call-processing network. Digital
transport is an extremely efficient means of moving data, and the more efficient a system is at
moving data, the faster it gets to its destination and the "cleaner" the data remain. Benefits include:
•

High-quality recordings, allowing investigators to easily discern key words as well as
suspicious background sounds in both the offender’s and the called party’s environment

•

Reduced complaints due to poor sound quality

•

Improved effectiveness of the OTS to detect and prevent fraudulent activity, such as 3way calling attempts

TRADITIONAL PROVIDERS

— LIMITED VoIP System
Processing Area

RESTRICTED Non-VoIP
Processing Area

JAIL/PRISON

SECURE CALL PLATFORM
UNLIMITED END-TO-END VoIP
System Processing Area

JAIL/PRISON

GATEWAY

CALL PROCESSNG

GATEWAY

CALLED PARTY

Carrier Termination

SECTION 2: ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILTIES
The following are the major functional groups that influence the quality of the OTS with a brief
description of the primary role each plays in delivering service, features and applications.

2.1 Sales and Marketing
Sales and Marketing identifies customer needs and requirements and matches services and
solutions to those needs. Clearly articulates the proposed solution to each customer and
gains their complete approval through contractual commitments and other supporting
documentation. Identifies new customer requirements and provides them to Product
Management for evaluation.

2.2 Product Management
Product Management is an organizational function within the CenturyLink Team dealing with
our products at all stages of the product lifecycle including the proposed OTS. The core
activities of the product management organization include; defining new products, gathering
market requirements and building product roadmaps, particularly technology roadmaps.

2.3 Information Technology
The CenturyLink Team Information Technology (IT) departments are responsible for design,
development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information
systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware which are the functional
components of the CenturyLink Team’s OTS. Our IT uses computers and computer software
to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

2.4 Engineering
The CenturyLink Team’s Engineering organization is responsible for building the best
possible OTS solution for the Department. Based upon comprehensive facility location
surveys as well as input from the customer and the sales organization, this group identifies all
required equipment and network telecom facilities required to provide a comprehensive
solution to each customer.

2.5 Telecom Services
Telecom Services is responsible for identifying the telecommunications network requirements
for all facilities, placing orders for all required telecommunications and following up with the
carriers to ensure the service is delivered to the correct location in time to meet the schedule
of the Implementation Plan.

2.6 Support Systems Management
Support Systems Management is responsible for ongoing management and quality control for
critical non-billing systems not inherent in the OTS. These include management of IVR
systems for offenders and/or the public (if desired), auto dialer callouts in the case of an
emergency, and even commissioning database support.

2.7 Installation
There will be multiple installation teams dedicated to installing the OTS. These installation
teams will be led by dedicated project managers who have the overall responsibility for the
execution of the Implementation Plan.

2.8 Technical Support
Technical Support is responsible for receiving OTS issues for customers and members of the
CenturyLink Team, opening a trouble ticket in the HEAT system, responding back to the
customer with confirmation that the issue is being work by the technical support staff,
troubleshooting the issue and taking the appropriate corrective action and confirming with the
customer that the issue has been resolved to their satisfaction.

2.9 Network Operations
Network Operations Center (NOC) proactively monitors all of the network components and
systems used to provide service to the Departments facilities. Any activity outside of normal
operating parameters is logged into the HEAT and is immediately investigated.

2.10 Billing Operations
Billing Operations is responsible for gathering the billing information associated with each
site, applying the specific rate table to the calls made from the offender telephones and
formatting the billing information in the exact form required by the billing method selected by
the end user.

2.11 Rates & Regulatory
Rates and Regulatory confirms that rates comply with the requirements of all tariffs and that
all other government regulations are being stringently followed.

2.12 Field Maintenance
Field Technicians perform routine maintenance on the telephone and equipment at TDCJ
facilities as well as responding to specific trouble reports. Service Representatives provide
administrative support to facilities and are responsible for resolving offender complaints,
updating offender calling lists and managing biometric enrollments.\

2.13 Securus Correctional Billing Services (SCBS)
Provides account establishment, account management and billing customer service to the
friends and families of offenders. Securus Correctional Billing Service has in-house trained
customer service specialists on staff to handle customer calls 7 days a week, 24 hours per
day. In addition, customers may also use a web based customer service portal or check
balances or fund accounts with our automated telephone support system featuring a state of
the art (Integrated Voice Response) system.

2.14 Finance and Accounting
Finance and Accounting are responsible for providing the funding for the initial installation,
monitoring the revenue performance and the integrity of the revenue reporting from TDCJ
facilities. This group is responsible for accumulating revenue information on a monthly basis
and calculating an accurate commission payment for TDCJ and sending the commission
payment and a report detailing the underlying usage to TDCJ on time each month.

2.15 Training
The CenturyLink Training Team is responsible for initial and follow-up training. Training will
be available on site during the initial implementation. Follow-up training for system
enhancements of for new employees will be scheduled based upon the needs to the
Departments.

2.16 Customer Satisfaction
The Customer Satisfaction Team is a completely independent group which acquires direct
customer feedback and measures customer satisfaction on scheduled and incidental basis.
This group compiles all of the customer surveys and distributes the information to all
departments and to senior management. The Director of Customer Satisfaction Team leads
the Improvement Opportunity Team which is tasked with addressing identified service or
product issues at the individual customer level.

SECTION 3: ORGANIZATIONAL QUALITY METRICS
Metrics are obtained through a variety of methods. A primary source of feedback for each
group is the annual Customer Satisfaction survey (refer to Attachment I - Customer Surveys).
This survey gives customers the opportunity to numerically rate our performance on dozens
of objectives, and provide subjective feedback through several open-ended questions.
Portions of this survey particularly relevant to each group are presented below, noting that
written comments are also scrutinized to understand root cause and drive corrective action
with the appropriate group.

3.1 Sales/Account Management & Marketing
The quality metrics for the Sales and Marketing have both an internal and external
component each of which is critical to the success of the Departments OTS project.
The primary sales metric is 100% sales order accuracy. One of the processes of the
CenturyLink Team are driven by is the accuracy of the sales order. It is internal
representation of the specific agreement between Department and the CenturyLink Team.
This is a mechanized process that Account Management uses to document all customer
requirements and, along with the implementation plan developed from site surveys conducted
by our installation team, is the backbone of delivering the OTS.
It is also critical that we understand the Department’s opinion of the performance of all of the
members of the CenturyLink Team. On an annual basis our Customer Satisfaction Group
surveys each customer to determine how they believe the CenturyLink Team is performing.
The following are the specific elements we ask our customers to measure for the sales team.
Our objective for these metrics is an overall score of 9, with remedial action immediately
taken for scores less than 7.

3.2 Product Management
It is essential that Product Management communicate all of the functional requirements of
new applications to the development team and to the Sales and Service teams. An important
metric for successful performance is the complete accuracy in the description of functional
requirements and the successful communication of those requirements. A second critical
metric is the on-time delivery of features and applications that completely meet requirements
within the scheduled timeframes.

3.3. Information Technology
Overall call processing performance of the OTS is the primary responsibility of Information
Technology team, including measured system availability, processing speed, and OTS data
accuracy. The introduction of new applications and features must be accomplished through
thoroughly tested implementation protocols and without an interruption in the existing
functionality of the OTS.

3.4 Engineering
Engineering must accurately identify all required equipment and network telecom facilities
required. They are required to develop a meticulously accurate Build of Materials (BOM) and
the identification of the scope of network facilities required to ensure a successful
implementation plan.

3.5 Telecom Services
Accurately order and deliver all required telecommunications services needed provision the
OTS at each and every facility. 100% order accuracy and delivery is the standard metric for
Telecom Services.

3.6 Support Systems Management
Each system supported by this group has individual associated performance metrics. For IVR
systems, availability, blocked call attempts, and redials within 24 hours are checked daily for
1-2 weeks before reducing checks to a weekly process. For auto dialer management, request
receipts are logged and compared to the time of initial and final call attempt. For
commissioning database support, success is measured by the timeliness of commissions
paid.

3.7 Installation
Meeting the scheduled end completion date is a critical quality metric for the Installation
Teams. The comprehensive Implementation Plan identifies all of the metric components
which will drive the successful completion of the project and is the guiding force and
measurement tool for the Installation team. Each site will also be asked to provide their
evaluation of the performance of the CenturyLink Team based upon the following survey:

An overall score of 9 is the benchmark/objective for a successful installation, and any
individual score of 7 of less is considered unacceptable and immediate corrective active
action is initiated.

3.8 Technical Support
Technical support is a highly measured function, with objectives driven by meeting service
level commitments that are specific for the requirements of the Department, including initial
response time, time to resolution, and frequency of repeat problems. The following is an
example of the tracking that will be used to ensure we are meeting our Department
commitments:

Priority

Ticket
Number

Initial # Tickets
Non-Compliant

Initial Percent
Compliant

Corrected#
Tickets NonCompliant

Corrected
Percent
Compliant

82.14%

100.00%

4724

100.00%

1-4

94.32%

100.00%

4724

100.00%

Total

4812

99.90%

100.00%

Additionally we will solicit TDCJ feedback on the level of service provided through the
Customer Experience Questionnaire.

3.9 Network Operations
Network Operations is also a highly measured function, with metrics including network
availability, transmission latency, performance of peripheral equipment, and the overall
availability of the OTS.

3.10 Billing Operations
We are highly sensitive to the need for accurate customer billing and have independent
groups who perform regular collect and prepaid collect test calls to ensure billing and rating
accuracy. In addition, we perform monthly audits of call detail records to ensure each call was
rated at the proper rates per the contract.
Critical metrics for Billing Operations include accurate application of rates, delivering accurate
and timely billing information to each of the billing applications supported by the CenturyLink
Team, and providing accurate billing and revenue information are the critical metrics for
Billing Operations.

3.11

Rates & Regulatory

The critical metric for Rates and Regulatory are one hundred percent compliance with call
rates and local, state and federal tariffs.

3.12

Field Service & Maintenance

Field Technicians are responsible for meeting Department requirements for service level
commitments when a dispatch is required. Service Representatives and Field Technicians
both have expected levels of production for routine maintenance and for administrative
activities required to provide the OTS service to the Department.
Measures of technician performance are calculated and stored within the trouble ticketing
system, and include troubles per 100 phones managed, repeated troubles, time to respond,
and time to restore.
In addition to these measures, the following survey information is solicited from our
customers with regard to field technician performance:

3.13

Securus Correctional Billing Services (SCBS)

It is crucial to operating an OTS system that friends and families are able to establish
telephone accounts and to quickly and easily have any questions and concerns addressed.
key metrics for SCBS include, the availability of customer service representatives as
measured by hold time before reaching a representative and resolution time as measured by
the amount of time required by the customer service representative to handle the customers
calls. The following automated telephone survey is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the
customers experience with SCBS:
Questions
Q1. The hold time I experience while attempting to reach a customer service representative
was satisfactory.
Q2. The customer service representative was professional and courteous throughout the call.
Q3. Customer Service representative understand and answered my question(s) accurately.
Q4. The customer service representative resolved my issue on this call within company
policy.
Q5. The Phone System was easy to use.
Q6. I found Securustech.net website helpful and will continue to use it in the future.
Q7. Please provide additional feedback (Optional):

Q8. What was most helpful to you on the Securustech.net website?
Q9. Did you experience any difficulty using the Securustech.net website?
Q10. Securus made it easy for me to handle my issue.

The CenturyLink Team will also solicit the input of the Department regarding the performance
of the SCBS organization through our Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

3.14 Finance & Accounting
Finance and Accounting metrics for the Department will be 100% accuracy of all revenue
information used to calculate commissions, 100% on time performance in delivering
commission payments and commission reports, and 100% successful compliance with all
audits.

3.15 Training
The performance metrics for facility training include the timely delivery of training, the
relevance of the course content to the group which is being trained and the value the training
had for the facility. The measure of timeliness has been established in the RFP. Post course
completion surveys will be used to determine the validity of the course content and the value
of the training including the method it was delivered.

3.16 Customer Satisfaction
A performance metric for Customer Satisfaction is to survey 100% of the Department’s
facilities annually for overall satisfaction and value assessment. This group will also use the
data for all of the CenturyLink Team’s surveys to identify issues and service trends. Any
survey with an individual component less than a 6 rating becomes an Improvement
Opportunity and the specific issue is addressed by an interdepartmental task force, led by the
Director of Customer Satisfaction.

SECTION 4: QUALITY PLAN OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
4.1 Quality Control Plan Objectives
•

Generate and maintain a consistent view of the
performance measurement data

•

Perform reviews of the timeliness and accuracy of
performance data

•

Maintain a pro-active communication with our customer
regarding the performance of the services we provide

•

Ensure OTS is in compliance with the Departments
expectations and requirements through excellent
performance driven by systematic measurement and
pursuing continuous quality improvement

4.2 Quality Control Plan Methodology
•

Document the information that is expected by the
customer based on contract and the Departments
approval of CenturyLink’s implementation plan

•

Assign the responsible ownership for each service
expectation

•

Determine monitoring methods that must be put in place
to provide the details of each reporting requirement to
the Department

•

Develop a timetable of each customer’s reporting needs
along with associated Quality review timeframes

•

Maintain all Department required reporting on the
CenturyLink Team secure customer portal (S-GATE)

•

Schedule quarterly Department reviews to present
trends in performance and to identify operational
improvement opportunities

SECTION 5: QUALITY REVIEW PROCESS
5.1 Project Control Documentation Objectives
•

The CenturyLink Team’s staffing and resource plan,
including equipment, telecom services, rates and
appropriately meets the implementation schedule
requested by our customer.

•

Our Quality Control Plan appropriately represents the
complexity and criticality of the customer’s
implementation requirements.

5.2 Installation Process Documentation
Daily updates to the Implementation Plan are required on all closed tasks and revision to the
plan to address any open issues. Results of all measurements and metrics are documented
and posted to a shared drive accessible to all the CenturyLink Team members. HEAT Tickets
are used to document vital information that needs to be retained and accessible to the
service team
5.3 Quality Control Inspections
CenturyLink’s dedicated Project Manager will work with the Department’s Project Manager to
establish a process for conducting monthly Quality Control inspections which will help to
ensure that offender telephones at each of the Departments facilities are maintained in good
working order. These monthly inspections will be documented in the monthly maintenance
reports for each facility. Our technicians will check each phone for physical damage a
minimum of once a month and test the performance of all on site equipment at least once per
month.
5.4 Monitoring Methods & Frequency
Our monitoring capabilities include a suite of diagnostic software that continuously monitors
your hardware, software, and system performance from our Redundant Network Operation
Centers in Atlanta and Dallas. This allows our personnel to diagnose and resolve issues on
your system, often before you notice a problem yourself. Both commercial and proprietary
technologies are used to gather system level status continuously from the call processing
platforms.
Highly-trained technical support personnel continuously monitor facility servers connected to
the OTS WAN (wide area network). Each call processing platform and supporting server or
workstation is automatically polled every five minutes to determine its status. Graphical alarm
indicators make it easy to see problem areas at a glance.
The monitoring system maintains an automatic and several-tiered alert notification system.
Depending on different time thresholds and the severity of the problem, issues are
automatically escalated to team personnel who are in a position to bring additional resources
to bear to get those issues resolved quickly.
5.5 Call Detail Data Integrity and Monitoring
On a real time basis CDRs (Call Detail Records) are automatically recorded in our fully
redundant data centers and copied to the billing production CDR Server and associated data
bases. If CDR data is not being processed from a site for any reason, including legitimate

facility driven issues such as lock downs, the Network Operations Center recognizes this
condition and opens a HEAT ticket for investigation.
The billing production group reviews all transmittals detailing daily call volume per facility and
opens a trouble ticket to determine why a significant fluctuation occurred. All CDRs are stored
in a centralized repository (CDR Data Base). This is an automated monitoring process that
keeps track of the CDR files for all active sites. This repository also contains the different
status of the CDRs and provides reports for billing operation monitoring.
Processes and procedures are in place to ensure the accuracy of all rates for calls originating
from the Department’s facilities. The Department specific rates will be uploaded to the
Regulatory Drive and a Sales compliance Drive by the Governmental Affairs Department. A
Billing Tables Specialist accesses this information to create the correct rate. Access to the
rate tables is limited to the Billing Specialists and their Supervisor.
Any change to the rates must be initiated and approved by the Rates and Regulatory group.
Signed approvals will be required at the Director level. All changes are documented by the
HEAT Ticketing System. A Heat ticket is opened to initiate a rate table update on the
platform. At the Technical Support Center our Technical Support Staff will review the rate
sheets on the Regulatory shared drive or Sales compliance Drive to ensure when they load
the new rate, that the rate matches the Rate Analyst approved rates. In addition, all rate table
entries are reviewed by the Table Management Supervisor.
On daily basis, all billable calls are rated based on configuration tables. Within the rating
process, there are control parameters that prevent duplication of CDR data. The rating
process creates a “missing table configuration” report listing the site, error id and number of
calls. This report is distributed to several Billing department personnel and managers. The
table management group researches the report and resolves issues as quickly as possible.
On a daily basis any CDRs identified on this report are re-processed through rating.
Once the CDRs are rated, files with unique layouts required by the LECs are created. These
files are delivered daily to the LECs via password protected FTP. There is a defined control
between the numbers of CDRs sent vs. the CDRs received. There are different methods on
the confirmation itself, such as counts on header and trailers, transmittal reports and
confirmation reports we receive from each of the LECs.
After the export CDR files are created, these are marked against the CDR data base
repository, to track how many CDRs were received vs. how many were rated and exported.
There are reports that detail how many CDRs were in the input, how many were in the output,
and how many are missing processing (exception reports). These reports are reviewed on a
daily basis and any back billing identified is processed by the billing analyst.
The billing production group keeps track of all files transmitted to the LECs. There is a daily
log of all files that is kept and reconciled on a daily basis. At the end of the month it is also
verified against the revenue reports generated. Number of CDRs and Rated amounts are
matched between both reports to ensure all files and CDRs were included in the month end
process.

ATTACHMENT H:
SAMPLE SCP
REPORTS

Secure Call Platform User Interface Sample Reports

SECURUS Technologies

Selected Sample SCP Reports


Call Detail Search Screen



Informant Line Report



Call Detail Results Screen



Emergency Call Report



Three Way Call Detection Report



Word Spotting Search Report



Call Frequency Report



Comprehensive System Change Log



Custody Account Call Usage Report



Management Change Log



Call Tracker Report



Custody Account Change Log



Hourly Usage



PAN Entry Change Log



Covert Alert Report



Phone Number Change Log



Officer Check In Report



User Management Change Log



PAN Frequency and Detail Report



Security Template Change Log



PAN Management Report



System Access Report



SCP Debit Report



Recording Log



Voice Biometric Status Report



Scan Patrol Log



Voice Biometrics Frequency of Failure Report



Crime Tip Report

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Call Detail Search Criteria Screen
Call Detail Report (CDR) – Provides users with an intuitive and user friendly report that enables them to view or search on
virtually anything related to an inmate call. SCP’s Call Detail Report provides industry-leading investigative, fraud prevention,
and administrative capabilities to all approved users from anytime, anywhere.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Call Detail Results Screen
Call Detail Result Screen – After criteria have been selected and a user selects the “search” button, CDR results are shown.
From these results, users can select a record, playback recorded calls, add a note, access audit logs for the record(s), save the
record(s) to another medium, and much more.

SECURUS Technologies

Three-Way Call Report
Three-Way Call Report – Investigators can run a comprehensive three-way report to display calls that have been flagged as
having three-way activity. They can also use additional features to understand what happened to the call, make notes on the
call, (and much more) – to uncover why the inmate attempted to “hide” the number. SCP can then be used to correct the
behavior or flag the inmate or dialed number for further investigation.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Call Frequency Report
Call Frequency Report – an essential investigative report. The report allows users to look up phone numbers in the system
that have been called a certain number of times, within a given time frame by using criteria, such as threshold (of the number
of times a number was called), international, watched, private, termination category, call type, call status, and date range.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Custody Account Call Usage Report
Custody Account Call Usage Report – allows users to view how much time an inmate spends on the phone for a selected
period and whether or not they speak to the called party—right from an inmate’s Custody Account record. If required, full call
detail reports are also available by entering an inmate’s name, PIN, or custody account number in the Call Detail Report.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Call Tracker Report
Call Tracker Report – an investigative report that allows users to track CDR notes (notes made by themselves of other
investigators for a specific inmate call). Users can also export the report results to Excel, PDF, and CSV file formats.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Hourly Usage Report
Hourly Usage Report – is a valuable administrative report that displays the number of phone calls that have taken place on a
given date within a specific time range. Search criteria includes international, watched, private, call status, and date/time.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Covert Alert CDR Report
SCP’s Cover Alert Feature – is a sophisticated investigative tool providing a live, call-forwarding feature for dialed numbers,
phones, or PINs that are under surveillance by an investigative unit. This feature enables authorized personnel to monitor a
call—undetected—from any designated location while the call is in progress and even “barge into” the call if necessary. Covert
Alert Report—shows investigators the triggered Covert Alerts by useful criteria such as date/time, PIN, Alertee name/number,
inmate name, dialed number, call status, and termination category. Reports can be exported into Excel, PDV, and CSV formats.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Officer Check-In Report
Officer Check-In Report – is a valuable administrative report showing users when officers have “checked in” at different
phones and provides the ability to select and list to an messages they have left.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Personal Allowed Number (PAN) Frequency Report
Personal Allowed Number (PAN) Frequency Report – allows investigators to research multiple occurrences of phone
numbers among PAN lists. Users have the ability to enter threshold numbers to define search criteria. For example, a
threshold of “3” will show phone numbers that appear in PAN lists more than three times.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Personal Allowed Number (PAN) Management Report
PAN Management Report – interactive report providing a dashboard view of all PAN entries in the system. If a PAN entry is
entered through the Inmate-Managed PAN System, it is indicated on this report. Users can select from more than 20 criteria to
produce reports with multiple data points. All reports are exportable to Excel, CSV, and PDF.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample SCP Debit Report
SCP Debit Report – is a valuable administrative report allowing users to:


Query Inmate Debit/Prepaid call detail records (CDRs) by the user-specified criteria.



View all debits and credits that occurred during a specific time period for an individual inmate - for all inmates within a
facility or for all facilities.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Voice Biometrics Status Report
Voice Biometrics Status Report – allows users to see the status and configuration settings for each site, custody account,
phone number, phone group, and phone. This report also shows changes to an inmate’s account to assist administrators and
investigators in tracking user accountability.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Voice Biometrics Frequency of Failure Report
Sample Voice Biometrics Frequency of Failure Report – an administrative and investigative report that allows users to see
which inmates have failed voice biometrics verification attempts. Users may also see what percentage of inmates are passing
or failing. Search criteria includes key information such as custody account, first and last name, and date range.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Crime Tip Report
Crime Tip – is a critical feature that enables anonymous two-way communication between inmates and facility staff. For inmates,
the feature provides a secure method for reporting information about criminal activity. For facilities, the feature provides a flexible,
configurable solution for gathering critical evidence to support investigations and prevent crimes from taking place in the facility.
The Crime Tip Report shows detailed results for all Crime Tip calls. Results can be narrowed by using intuitive search criteria. Users
can select to listen to, extend, download, add notes to, or audit each call record to manage the safety and security of their facility.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Informant Line Report
SCP’s Informant Line – is an investigative tool that allows inmates to communicate directly and anonymously with
investigators. The call can be routed to a specific investigator, voicemail box, or answering machine. The Informant Line Report
allows investigators to research and view details about these calls.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Emergency Call Report
SCP’s Emergency Call – is an optional SCP feature allowing individuals to enter a bypass code to connect to facility personnel for
emergencies, such a medical, violent, riotous, or suspicious incidents. For users who are authorized to view and listen to historical
Emergency Calls, SCP provides an Emergency Call Report as shown in the image below.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Word Spotting Search Report
Word Spotting Search Report – is an essential investigative report that allows investigators to display all of the recordings
that were submitted for Word Spotting processing with select criteria. Because Word Spotting is fully integrated with SCP, this
report can be generated from the SCP user interface.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Comprehensive System Log Search
Comprehensive System Log Search – can be used by administrators to monitor the changes that have been made to the
system. Administrators can use search criteria—such as username, name, and date range—to narrow their search. The tool
can also omit changes made to the system through automated processes to narrow search results to only changes made by
personnel.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Management Level Change Log Report
Management Level Change Log Report – can be used by administrators to monitor the changes made to features at each of
the management levels. Administrators can use search criteria—such as username, name, and date range—to narrow their
search.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Custody Account Change Log Report
Custody Account Change Log Report – can be used by administrators to monitor the electronic and manual changes to
custody accounts. Administrators can use search criteria—such as PIN, username, name, and date range—to narrow their
search.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample PAN Entry Change Log Report
PAN Entry Change Log Report – PAN Change Log functionality records all actions that SCP users make to the verified field in the
SCP user interface. It also allows administrators to examine all PAN list changes; specifically, when changes occur, and by whom,
helping administrators and investigators track user accountability.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Phone Number Change Log Report
Phone Number Change Log Report – allows administrators to review all changes to controlled numbers on the Global list at
both the agency and facility levels.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample User Management Chang Log Report
User Management Change Log Report – allows administrators to review changes made to the account by selected users.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Security Template Change Log Report
Security Template Change Log Report – allows administrators to review modifications made to security templates. Users can
narrow their search by using criteria such as username, name, phone number, and date range.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample System Access Log Report
System Access Log Report – allows administrators to manage user access by reporting lists of system users by date range.
Users can narrow their search by using criteria such as username, name, and date range.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Recording Audit Log Report
Recording Audit Log Report – allows administrators to report and manage all activity for recording usage. Administrators can
search on key criteria such as recording usage, name, call start/end, access start/end, dialed number and PIN.

SECURUS Technologies

Sample Scan Patrol Audit Log Report
Scan Patrol Audit Log Report – allows administrators to report and manage all activity for live monitor scans. Administrators
can search on key criteria—such username and date range—to narrow their search. Users can also select to view the call
detail records associated with each scan for additional information.

SECURUS Technologies

Texas DCJ - CenturyLink bid Volume 2

Prison Phone Justice Articles and Documents

PLN Coverage of Prison Phone Justice

Florida County Makes Free Jail Phone Calls Available

Massachusetts Becomes the Fifth State to Make Prison Phone Calls Free

Minnesota Prison on Lockdown After Protest Over Dirty Water, Lack of Phone Use and Out-of-Cell Time

Ninth Circuit Revives Challenge by Federal Prisoner in Arizona to BOP’s 300-Minute Monthly Phone Cap

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