QA 1.docx

This document is a Question and Answer (QA) file for the Illinois Department of Information Technology's (DoIT) Quincy Metro Ethernet contract (MAR-R611). The procurement seeks a Fiber-Based Point to Point Metro-Ethernet Transport Service for wide area network (WAN) connectivity across Adams County and Illinois, with service bandwidth ranging from 20MB to 1GB delivered via fiber. The contract term is 72 months, with 60 months of core service provision, and requires complete service installation within 180 calendar days of service order execution. Vendors must provide service inside telecom rooms at both endpoints, terminating on a vendor-provided switch, and guarantee 99.98% service availability on a 30-day average. The bid is due on March 7, 2025, and must be submitted electronically through BidBuy.

Pricing will be evaluated based on total cost of ownership, calculated by multiplying monthly recurring charges by the service term and adding non-recurring installation costs. Bidders must complete pricing for all optional bandwidth tiers to be considered responsive and may submit contract term exceptions via a redlined contract version. The procurement appears open to telecommunications service providers capable of meeting technical specifications for metro ethernet connectivity, with potential connectivity to 13 Illinois Century Network (ICN) Point of Presence sites. No specific set-aside designations were detailed, and the contract requires vendors to provide synchronous bandwidth and maintain 24/7/365 service availability, focusing on expanding and maintaining state government network infrastructure through reliable, high-speed point-to-point fiber connections.