NIGP 72584: Wide Area Telecommunications Services (Wats); Autovon

NIGP 72584 Wide Area Telecommunications Services (WATS); Autovon is an Item code for voice telecommunications services that state and local governments procure to support district-wide operations, life-safety communications, and emergency operations. Although the code was inactivated for new NIGP use as of March 1, 2007, state and local buyers continue to solicit managed voice network infrastructure, PRI and POTS lines, SIP trunks, long-distance service, and integrated life-safety communications systems under this legacy taxonomy. School districts are the primary issuing bodies active under this code, acquiring voice network services to support hundreds of facilities, maintain emergency notification compliance, and integrate with existing telecommunications infrastructure across their campuses.

Recent solicitations show activity concentrated in Florida school districts. Fort Bend Independent School District issued RFP 27007RA on September 17, 2026 (proposals due October 21, 2026) for districtwide life-safety Managed Facilities Voice Network and Managed Communication Services, requiring vendors to address network architecture, redundancy protocols, and service-level commitments tied to emergency operations. Hillsborough County Public Schools released RFP 26365RFPMST on September 7, 2026 (proposals due September 25, 2026) for telecommunications services-voice covering local, IntraLATA, InterLATA, and long-distance service across approximately 280 facilities and 235 schools, with a mandatory pre-proposal site visit on August 28, 2026. The Hillsborough RFP specifies approximately 4,225 existing telephone lines, demand for roughly 5,094 analog lines, PRI circuits supporting Nortel/Avaya systems, SIP trunks accommodating 12 to 100 voice sessions, and 99.99% uptime SLA requirements; evaluation weighs qualifications (30%), scope compliance (25%), cost and best value (35%), and small business enterprise utilization (10%), with a 45-day implementation window for new installations.