Haralson County

Request for Proposal

Outsourced Managed IT and Phone Services

ISSUED DATE: AUGUST 7, 2026

SUBMISSION DEADLINE DATE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 AT 3:00 PM EST

RFP COORDINATOR:

JULIA WATSON

HARALSON COUNTY

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

(770) 646-2002

155 VAN WERT STREET

BUCHANAN, GA 30113

WWW.HARALSONCOUNTYGA.GOV

Table of Contents

1 Request for Proposal (RFP) 3 2 Introduction to Haralson County 3 3 Overview of Current Haralson County Technical Environment 3 4 Service Requirements 4 5 Selection Criteria 8 6 Response Contents and Format 8 7 Information Requirements 8

7.1 Corporate Information 8

7.2 Proposed Approach and Solution 8

7.3 Support 9

7.4 Financials 9

8 Communications and Response 10 9 Notification of Intent to Respond and Clarification Questions 10 10 Response Delivery Instructions 10 11 Vendor Presentations 10 12 Key Dates 10 13 No Obligation 10 14 Agreement of Non-Disclosure 11 15 No Guarantee 11

1 Request for Proposal (RFP)

Haralson County Board of Commissioners invites you to respond to this Request for Proposal (RFP). The focus of the RFP is to select a single organization to provide IT managed services, cyber security and Phone service/support to Haralson County local government over a three-year period, beginning on January 1, 2027 and ending no later than January 1, 2030. This MUST be a fixed cost proposal, with exceptions for large or unplanned projects.

The proposal format on the sealed envelope must be as follows:

Title: IT RFP 2026 Proposal Company Name: XXX Point of Contact: Name and phone number

2 Introduction to Haralson County

Haralson County is a vibrant county in west Georgia. With a population of over 29,000 the county is located approximately one hour west of Atlanta, Ga, and borders Carroll County and Paulding County. The county values its excellent resources for public education, sustained growth, and quality of life of its residents, small-town atmosphere, and close-knit low crime communities. There is a professional staff of 267 full-time employees.

3 Overview of Current Haralson County Technical Environment

● Who oversees the environment? – Julia Watson, County Clerk and a vCIO, Cabot Howell

● How many user endpoint (laptops and desktops)? – 165

• How many Servers? – 2 Physical Host Servers – ProxMox (post server project 2026) o 1 will be running Windows Server 2025 o 1 running ProxMox

• 10 Virtual Servers o 1 running Windows Server 2016 (needs to be upgraded before Jan 2027) o 8 running Windows Server 2019 (needs to be upgraded before Jan 2029) o 1 running Windows Server 2025 o Another project over the next 3 years will be migrating to Azure managed system and migrate premise-based authentication. This is to facilitate Microsoft central management of devices and end user authentication.

● Where are those servers located? – E911 center server room

● Current Backup System? – In place is the current Vendor solution for cloud DR, Veeam for

BCDR, Datto is utilized for individual workstation backups where data is not stored on a server.

Backup:

• Cloud Based Workstation backup x 165

• Cloud Email Backup x 252

• Server backup local (immutable) x 10

• Server Backup Cloud (air gapped) x 10

How many email users? – Microsoft Email

• Business Premium x 8

• Business Standard x 142

• Exchange online x 119

• Entra ID P1 x 1

● Firewall is Fortigate 100F located at 911 center – one live and one cold backup spare are in place

Infrastructure is designed for redundant transport of voice services over a primary circuit via ATT fiber with backup utilizing Parker FiberNet. All web activity, other than phone traffic, is over the Parker FiberNet fiber circuit centralized at the E911 center. Dark fiber is utilized in connecting all the office buildings back to the E911 center building but for the Sheriff’s Office/Jail as it traverses another vendor along the railroad on Hwy 27, handled by Parker Systems. Secure wireless access points in every government building for government business only utilizing Cisco Meraki wifi. Fax over IP for 12 traditional fax machines.

• Switches o 911 Center – 1 48 port live, 1 48 port hot spare – 1 10 port switch live , 1 10 port switch hot spare –

1 12 port aggregate switch live, 1 12 port aggregate switch hot spare o Commissioners Office – 1 48 port switch live o Tax Assessors Office – 1 48 port switch live o Tax Commissioner’s office - 1 48 port switch live o Public works - 1 48 port switch live o Recreational Center - 1 48 port switch live o Animal Control - 1 48 port switch live o District Attorney - 1 48 port switch live o Fire Station - 1 48 port switch live o Court house – 3 48 port switches live, 2 10 port switches live o Sheriff’s office - 2 48 port switch live – 1 24 port switch live o WAPS x 24

Phone Service:

• Phones extensions (Office seats) x 165

• DIDs x 62

• Fax Service x 12

• SMTP Relay

• 100Mbps internet connection at 911 center for phone service and as a redundant data path

Number of handsets:

Device Type Count Polycom SoundPoint IP 335 90 Polycom VVX3xx 39 Polycom VVX4xx 15 Polycom SoundPoint IP 450 14 Polycom SoundPoint IP 650 3 Panasonic Cordless 2

4 Service Requirements As part of this RFP, the following services are the current priority items for Haralson County:

● Fixed IT support and maintenance cost - Include in the proposal any end user changes such as installing a printer, installing, or changing out the workstation or laptop, setting up a scanner, etc. A tech on site is not required daily but will be required a minimum of 1X a week. Except for large, approved projects, this RFP must include all IT monthly costs over the 3-year period.

Presently, the monthly IT hourly average is approximately 40 hrs. Most of the IT support can be performed remotely.

● Cyber Security – Provide a comprehensive and cost effective, core cyber and endpoint security program that addresses the current threat environment. This program should be used as a basis to develop a more comprehensive program as part of a future budget. The program must include as part of the overall solution the following components:

a. Managed endpoint security (AI-EDR, malware protection) for Desktops and Servers.

b. URL and DNS filtering and monitoring for mobile and fixed endpoints

c. Ongoing cyber security awareness training for all end users

d. Ongoing simulated phishing attacks to test all users

e. External penetration testing

f. Systems to detect anomalous activity inside the network

g. Inventory management – to include alerts for EOL and to understand the threat landscape

h. An assigned CISO to review security posture no less than quarterly with CIO and County Commissioner’s office personnel.

i. GAP assessments yearly to review cyber security and BCDR capabilities, determine deficiencies in vulnerabilities and recommendations to fill those gaps.

● Comprehensive Backup and Disaster Recovery – Provide a comprehensive and cost effective backup and disaster recovery program to ensure all data is secured while providing system level recovery options. The program must include as part of the overall solution the following components:

a. Hardware and Software to protect all production server data and systems.

Currently the County has sufficient hardware for on-prem backups

b. Backup data encrypted at rest and in transit

c. Replicated copy of on-site data

d. If off-site is recommended such as a cloud space offering

e. Capability to rapidly restore individual or groups of servers using onsite stored data in 24-48 hours, 8 hours for only one server.

f. Management and monitoring of backups for consistency on and off-site

g. Routine backup restore testing

h. Automated monitoring and alerting of backup status

i. Comprehensive workstation restoration and O365 restoration

● Maintenance and Support – Provide a maintenance and support program to enhance and augment existing systems and resources as part of the overall solution. The program must include the following components:

a. Fixed cost for IT maintenance and support – Include in the proposal any end user changes such as installing a printer, installing or changing out the workstation or laptop, setting up a scanner, etc. A tech on site is required a minimum of one day a week such that most onsite required MACDs, (moves, adds, changes and deletions) can be handled during the weekly visits, if a site visit is required for the MACD.

Most of the IT support can be performed remotely.

b. A Ticketing system to track all service requests with access provided to existing

IT resources

c. Remote management capabilities

d. Patch management for Microsoft desktops and all Servers regardless of OS.

These include switches, firewalls, WAPS or any other device that requires OS or firmware updates.

e. Office hours and after-hours support via helpdesk – phone, email and verbal – most support is during business hours but for the Jail. Few after-hours support incidents have been required over the past 20 years. Mostly the issue has been with phone service and not IT related. After hours is mostly with server or infrastructure maintenance, which is customary in the technology sector.

f. 24/7 monitoring of Haralson County’s network with proactive communication and escalation protocols based on the severity of any unscheduled outages.

g. Inventory management – all system inventories must be maintained and the current status of all passwords, IP addresses, patching, security posture and future plans to upgrade or replace devices.

h. The Superior Court Judges and Clerk of Court office is provided computers and their own Internet access through the State of Georgia. No RMM agents are allowed nor Admin privileges for local IT. The selected MSP will need to be helpful in any troubleshooting and printer setups, computer moves, network troubleshooting, etc., that they need. Over the past several years, this amounts to around 10 hours a year, at most estimations, and mostly handled with the weekly site visits. Approximately 10 computers, 6 local printers and 2 large plat printers. Printers are managed along with a printer vendor.

● Technology strategy planning – Working with current county staff to develop a long-term strategic technology plan. The plan will take advantage of new and existing technologies to produce a pragmatic and effective future roadmap that enables the organization to fulfill its overall mandate in the community.

● Solution design – Solution packages (e.g., hardware, software, licensing) and associated consolidation of data.

● Secure Wireless solution – Maintain current Meraki WIFI throughout the County buildings.

● Fax over IP – IP based fax offering for 12 fax machines – provide the hardware and service for such ATA devices that translate analog into digital.

● IT policy review and development – Development of customized policies related to the use of technology, cyber security and acceptable use of County owned equipment.

● Implementation planning and guidance – Assistance in deployment planning and execution.

● Life cycle management of hardware units – Process for end-of-life notification, replacement, and asset decommissioning/disposal.

● Software licensing control – Oversight of automatic renewal of software applications and maintenance of appropriate documentation to meet compliance requirements.

● Architectural Documentation – Any changes made, and new implemented systems/policies will be documented.

● GCIC Certification – Certification is required by account management technicians to work on criminal justice agencies such as the Sheriff's Office and the E911 Center. The Rules of the GCIC Council mandate performance audits of criminal justice agencies that access the Georgia CJIS network to assess and enforce compliance with the Rules of the GCIC Council, O.C.G.A.

§ 35-3-30 through 35-3-40, other relevant Georgia code sections and pertinent federal statutes and regulations. In addition, the FBI requires GCIC to triennially audit criminal justice agencies in order to ensure compliance with applicable statutes, regulations and policies.

● Website development - IT group will assist with the transition and ongoing management of the website by configuration of necessary DNS records and/or granting access to the hosting services. Website development is not part of this RFP.

● Phone system and phone support -

a. Provide a dedicated circuit for voice traffic outside of existing fiber, for which the existing fiber circuit will be used for redundancy

b. Must include any and all devices required to terminate dedicated primary circuit

c. Have redundancy plan in place with documentation

d. Provide plan and system to manage call flows

e. Must be capable of preparing customer service record (CSR) and local service request

(LSR) for phone-number ports

f. Must be able to configure routers and switches for voice and data network presently consisting of at least 13 VLANs

g. Must include CPE for quality control and traffic prioritization

h. Must be able to support existing Polycom handsets

i. Provide ATA devices for continued use of existing analog fax machine

j. Auto Attendant for multiple departments

k. Hunt groups for multiple departments; at least 20 hunt groups

l. Presence feature capable

5 Selection Criteria Haralson County will use multiple criteria to select the most appropriate partner. Respondents are encouraged to be as aggressive and creative as possible in their proposals. The following list summarizes the major qualitative areas that will be evaluated, along with their overall weighting.

● Industry expertise and experience

● Demonstrated customer service quality and support

● Previous relevant experience

● Phone system offering and phone support

● Account management – GCIC certification required

● Reporting capabilities

● Financial considerations

● Creative solutions for Value-Add offerings

● Backup, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans

6 Response Contents and Format Please complete all sections of the RFP. If additional material is required for one or more questions, please label attachments clearly and reference them in your response. Your response to this RFP will serve as the basis for the consideration of your potential as a partner.

7 Information Requirements For the purposes of understanding more about your company and your ability to successfully fulfill this important Haralson County requirement, please provide the information below as part of your response, clearly referencing each specific question.

7.1 Corporate Information

1. Give a brief overview of your organization’s involvement in providing IT value added services in the marketplace.

2. How long has the organization been in this business and what is your current market share?

3. Provide your organization’s annual sales volume?

4. Indicate the number of employees in your organization. How many of those are dedicated to account management and/or technical support?

5. How many are full-time vs. contract?

6. What differentiates your organization from your competitors in the marketplace and how will this be relevant to us?

7. Please describe your organization’s experience in transitioning clients to public or private cloud technology from more traditional IT service models.

8. Please provide details of at least two current customer accounts that are similar in scope and requirements to those of Haralson County.

9. May want to contact customers and verify services (contact info of two current customers)

7.2 Proposed Approach and Solution

1. Please provide a proposed work plan for a migration to your organization as a Haralson County preferred vendor. Specifically, provide the following information:

i. Key activities

ii. Timing

iii. Information/resource requirements from Haralson County

iv. Deliverables

v. Key milestones, checkpoints, and other decision points

2. If we elect to move forward with your organization, what Haralson County resources would you require (e.g., information, data, staff resources, communication) during the course of migration and on an ongoing basis?

3. Please identify the team that will be assigned to the account and describe how you plan to interact with us and any third party providers that may provide services to Haralson County.

4. Please describe your experience in providing the following value-added services:

a. Backup that includes Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans

b. Technology strategy planning

c. Solution design

d. Procurement management

e. Technical support, including remote user support

f. Reporting and communication

g. IT policy review and development

h. Asset inventory management

i. Software licensing control

j. Comprehensive security solutions

k. Phone system consulting and support

l. Phone service consulting and support

m. Phone network design and implementation

5. Please describe your experience in providing server technology and service for your customers, focusing on planning, implementation, and ongoing support.

6. How can we be confident that hardware pricing levels will be aggressive and will remain highly competitive over a multi-year period during which new models may be introduced?

7. Please describe in detail a phone system and phone service install your company deployed for an organization of 150 users or more.

7.3 Support

1. Describe fully your technical support options including the assistance request process, escalation process, support hours, response times, staffing levels, staff expertise, and physical location of the help desk.

2. Please provide details on your standard reporting capabilities.

3. Describe any documentation and support (e.g., user manuals, online help, interactive demos, web-based seminars, and online knowledge base) that will be available, both from the technical perspective and the end user perspective.

4. What options are available for user cyber security training?

5. How do you monitor customer satisfaction and quality assurance on an ongoing basis and how might Haralson County benefit from this process?

6. The Haralson County user base varies considerably in its level of technical sophistication. Please describe your experience in successfully supporting users that may be remote and possess limited technical skills.

7.4 Financials

1. Describe the pricing model(s) that you typically employ for your standard services.

2. Do you offer service bundles and if so, describe the effect of this bundling on pricing.

8 Communications and Response Julia Watson is the designated Haralson County representative for this initiative. For any information, relative to this RFP, please direct all inquiries to her contact information is as follows:

Julia Watson, County Clerk Haralson County Board of Commissioners 155 Van Wert Street Buchanan, GA 30113 Juliawatson@haralsoncountyga.gov (770)646-2002

9 Notification of Intent to Respond and Clarification Questions Please indicate your intention to respond, by email, to the above email address by the Intent to Respond and Questions Due date outlined in the Key Dates table below. In addition, please provide the contact details of the individual responsible for coordinating your RFP response. Answers will be provided to all respondents by the Answers Provided date.

10 Response Delivery Instructions Please submit a sealed bid of your proposal to the address indicated in the Communications and Response section above. No email submissions will be accepted. All responses must be received no later than 12:00 pm ET on the Sealed Proposals Due date indicated in the Key Dates section below.

The proposal format on the sealed envelope must be as follows:

Title: IT RFP 2026 Proposal Company Name: XXX Point of Contact: Name and phone number

11 Vendor Questions A question-and-answer virtual meeting is scheduled for 8/14/2026 at 10 am. All interested vendors must attend this Q&A meeting for clarification. Any pertinent information can be requested at this meeting. A virtual meeting invitation must be obtained by email to Julia Watson at juliawatson@haralsoncountyga.gov on or before 5 pm EST on 08/12/2026. All bidding vendors must provide intent to respond to the RFP by the date below.

12 Key Dates (all times are EST)

RFP Issued 08/07/2026

Mandatory MS Teams meeting 08/14/2026 at 10 am Questions Due by 08/17/2026 by 5 pm Answers by 08/21/2026 by 5 pm Intent to Respond Due 08/25/2026 by 5 pm Sealed Proposals Due 09/08/2026 by 3:00 PM EST

13 No Obligation The submission of a proposal shall not in any manner obligate Haralson County to enter into a contract or to be responsible for the costs incurred by your organization in responding to this request.

14 Agreement of Non-Disclosure This document is proprietary and shall not be disclosed to any other party. It is designed, developed, and submitted to potential partners of Haralson County solely for the benefit of Haralson County.

15 No Guarantee Haralson County makes no guarantee of future volumes and offers volume information for directional purposes only, to assist vendors with proposal preparation.

16 IT RFP EVALUATION SCORECARD

Before giving it to reviewers the Procurement Team Leader should enter each evaluation criteria to be scored in first column and indicate the priority level under the “multiplier” column. The evaluation criteria with the highest priority will have the highest multiplier, e.g., “x 10” and the lowest priority criteria will have the lowest multiplier, e.g., “x 1”. Multiply the multiplier by “5” to obtain the highest number of points for each criterion (since “5” is the highest score).

Reviewers must check one score (0-5) for each criterion. Multiplying the marked score by the multiplier will result in the total points awarded for that criterion

NAME OF

BIDDER:

RFP TITLE:

NAME OF

REVIEWER:

Score Unsatisfactory

0 pts

Satisfactory

1 pt

Good

2 pts

Very Good

3 pts

Excellent

4 pts

Outstanding

5 pts

Multiplier

Points Awarded

(mark score from (0-5 and multiply by multiplier)

Maximum Points

Availabl (5 x multiplie

EVALUATION

CRITERIA

LISTING

EXAMPLE - 1 XX (x 5) 25 25 EXAMPLE - 2 XX (x 2) 6 10 EXAMPLE - 3 XX (x 1) 2 5

1. Industry expertise and experience

(x 6)

2. Demonstrated customer service quality and support

(x 5)

3. Previous relevant experience

(x 4)

4. Phone system offering and support

(x 9)

5. Secure Wireless offering

(x 3)

6. Reporting capabilities

(x 2)

7. Financial considerations

(x 1)

8. Comprehensive Security Solution

(x 8)

9. Backup, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

(x 7)

10. GCIC

certification to meet Account Management required criteria

(x 10)

Comments on individual score selections or general comments during review of response: