rfp school district phone system with Helpdesk.docx

Department of Business Services Jamison Wagner, Director of Business Services 24951 East Highway 50 Pueblo, CO 81006 Phone: 719-295-6545 Fax: 719-545-7075 Email: jwagner@district70.org

Request for Proposal (RFP) – School District Phone System with Integrated HelpDesk, Faxing, and Voicemail

1. Introduction Pueblo County School District 70 (hereafter referred to as "the District") is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide and implement a comprehensive, modern phone system with integrated HelpDesk, faxing, and voicemail functionalities. The District aims to replace its existing telecommunications infrastructure with a robust, scalable, and feature-rich solution to enhance communication, improve support services, and increase overall efficiency for our students, staff, parents, and community across all our locations.

Supplemental Information:

Vendors may provide any supplemental correspondence or information in the format of vendors’ choice. Pueblo D70 welcomes general business and services information from vendors as a complement to the RFP response. Such information will be integrated into Pueblo D70 Vendor Library and used for research or sourcing for future procurements. Such supplemental information must be provided in a separate document or as an addendum easily removed from the RFP response itself. Any costs incurred by vendors in preparing offers shall be on their own account.

2. About Pueblo County School District 70

· The district consists of 22 schools, including ten elementary schools, one kindergarten through eighth grade, five middle schools, three high schools, one alternative, and three charter schools. Below are the school names and locations involved with the project.

· For detailed information on the existing phone equipment and locations, please refer to Appendix A

· Providers

· SIP trunks for Mesa and Pueblo West area- Reinvent(888-704-7346)

· SIP trunks for Colorado City/Rye area- Highline (888-212-0054)

· POTS lines for Beulah- Pine Drive(719-485-3400)

· SIP Trunk Info

· Pueblo West High School - 20 SIP Trunks feeding the Pueblo West area

· Admin Building- 30 SIP Trunks feeding the Mesa area

· T1 Info

· Craver Middle School- 1 T1 23 Channels feeding the Mountain area

· The District serves approximately 10,217 students within a 1,900 square mile rural area in Pueblo County, including St. Charles Mesa, Vineland, Avondale, Boone, Rye, Colorado City, Beulah, and Pueblo West.

· Pueblo County School District 70 employs approximately 997 people, including instructional staff, support staff, and administration. There are ten departments within the district.

· The District is a multicampus environment that requires each location to have at least two external numbers for parents and community members to contact the school directly. At the same time all of the schools must have extensions internally reachable from anywhere within the school district.

· Pueblo West High, County High, Rye High, and the Admin building have caller menus to help callers decide what department they want to reach.

· The District voicemail is broken up in the three regions Mountain, Pueblo West, and Mesa. These zones each have a Mitel HX controller that is handling the voicemails for the regions. Pueblo West High School services the Pueblo West Schools, Admin Building services the Mesa Schools, and Craver Middle School services the Mountain Schools.

· The District currently has at least one fax/copier at each school that is used by the staff. The administration building has Fax/copiers but are also using a FaxFinder Fax server for some of the departments. At this time the use of the FaxFinder server is limited in use but it is our goal to eventually go completely to a online Fax system.

· The District is using the existing phone system to provide a Callcenter that allows staff to call in for technology and maintenance help.

3. Objectives The primary objectives of this project are to:

· Implement a reliable, scalable, and feature-rich phone system across all District locations.

· Integrate a comprehensive Help Desk solution to efficiently manage high call volumes for IT and maintenance support questions.

· Provide integrated digital faxing capabilities to eliminate the need for physical fax machines.

· Offer robust and user-friendly voicemail functionality with enhanced features.

· Enhance internal and external communication efficiency and effectiveness.

· Improve safety and security through robust emergency communication capabilities, including precise location identification for E911 services.

· Provide modern Unified Communications (UC) features to support staff productivity and collaboration.

· Improve the overall communication and support experience for parents and the community.

· Reduce operational costs associated with telecommunications and support services.

· Provide comprehensive reporting and analytics for the phone system and HelpDesk activities.

· Ensure scalability to accommodate future growth and technological advancements.

· Implement duplicate components so that if one fails, another can immediately take over. This will include spreading system resources across multiple data centers in different geographic locations.

· If possible provide LTE backup for when the internet connection goes down.

· Include 10% spare stock of phones with training on how to deploy them.

4. Scope of Work and Requirements The proposed solution must include, but not be limited to, the following:

4.1 Phone System Requirements:

· System Type: Vendors should propose the most suitable system type (Cloud-based/Hosted VoIP, Premise-based VoIP, or Hybrid) with clear justification, considering the District's infrastructure and needs.

· Core Features:

· Basic call handling (inbound/outbound calling, hold, transfer, voicemail access).

· Automated attendant and interactive voice response (IVR) with customizable greetings and routing options.

· Advanced call routing features (e.g., time-based routing, departmental routing, find-me/follow-me, skills-based routing for HelpDesk).

· Internal and external directory with presence information.

· Call queuing and management with estimated wait times and customizable announcements.

· Music on hold and customizable announcements.

· Support for a standardized internal dialing plan across all sites (e.g., four or five-digit extensions).

· Ability to map DID (Direct Inward Dailing) numbers to an extension.

· Spam filtering for incoming calls

· Unified Communications (UC) Features:

· Presence status for users.

· Instant messaging and chat capabilities for internal communication.

· Audio and video conferencing for meetings and collaboration.

· Desktop and mobile softphone applications.

· Mobility:

· Mobile applications for iOS and Android with full phone system functionality.

· Integration Capabilities:

· Seamless integration between the phone system, Help Desk, faxing, and voicemail features.

· API or other methods for integration with existing school systems ( SIS, emergency notification system, bell system, etc.). Vendors should detail their experience with integrating with educational platforms.

· Emergency Services:

· Enhanced 911 (E911) support with accurate location identification for all phone endpoints.

· Integration with emergency notification systems for mass alerts via voice, SMS, and email.

· Options for panic buttons or similar emergency calling features.

· Reporting and Analytics:

· Comprehensive call detail records (CDR) and reporting capabilities (e.g., call volume, duration, missed calls, agent performance, queue statistics).

· Real-time dashboards for monitoring system usage and performance, including HelpDesk activity.

· Customizable reports and the ability to export data.

· Call Recording:

· Secure call recording capabilities for HelpDesk interactions and potentially other lines, with options for selective or automatic recording, with adherence to legal and compliance requirements.

· Endpoint Devices:

· A range of compatible IP desk phones (basic, intermediate, and advanced models with varying features).

· Wireless headset compatibility.

· Options for common area phones and intercom systems.

· Management and Maintenance:

· User-friendly web-based administration portal for system configuration and management.

· Remote diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities.

· Clear procedures for software updates and maintenance.

· Security:

· Robust security features to protect voice communications and data (e.g., encryption, password protection).

· Compliance with relevant data privacy regulations (e.g., FERPA).

· Scalability:

· The system must be easily scalable to accommodate future growth in users, locations, and HelpDesk agent needs.

· Reliability and Redundancy:

· Details on system uptime guarantees and any built-in redundancy or failover mechanisms.

4.2 Integrated Helpdesk Features:

· Queue Management:

· Customizable call queuing with options for announcements, music on hold, and estimated wait times.

· Overflow routing to alternative queues or voicemail.

· Real-time queue statistics and dashboards for supervisors.

· Reporting and Analytics:

· Detailed reports on HelpDesk performance metrics (e.g., call volume, average handle time, agent utilization, abandoned calls, service levels).

· Customizable reports and the ability to export data.

4.3 Integrated Faxing Features:

· Digital Faxing:

· Ability to send and receive faxes electronically via a web interface, email, or desktop application.

· Secure transmission and storage of faxes.

· Integration with user accounts and permissions.

· Reporting on fax activity.

· Compatibility:

· Compatibility with existing fax numbers (porting capabilities).

4.4 Integrated Voicemail Features:

· User-Friendly Interface:

· Easy access to voicemail messages via phone, web portal, and email (voicemail-to-email).

· Customizable voicemail greetings.

· Options for message forwarding and saving.

· Visual voicemail capabilities.

· Administrative Control:

· Centralized management of voicemail boxes.

· Options for setting storage limits and retention policies.

5. Implementation and Deployment Vendors should provide a detailed implementation plan, including:

· Project management methodology and team structure.

· Timeline for each phase of the implementation, including planning, configuration, installation, data migration (if applicable), porting of existing phone numbers and fax lines, and testing of all features (phone, HelpDesk, fax, voicemail).

· Detailed explanation of the installation process at each school and administrative building, including any requirements from the District (e.g., network access, physical access).

· Strategy for minimizing disruption to school operations during the implementation.

· Training plan for District staff on all aspects of the new system, including end-user training for phone and voicemail, and specialized training for HelpDesk agents and supervisors, as well as system administrators. Include documentation and ongoing support resources.

6. Vendor Qualifications and Experience Respondents should provide the following information about their company:

· Company name, address, website, and year founded.

· Overview of the company's experience and expertise in providing phone systems with integrated HelpDesk, faxing, and voicemail solutions, particularly to K-12 school districts of similar size and complexity in Colorado.

· Number of years in business providing these types of solutions.

· Detailed descriptions of at least three (3) relevant projects completed for school districts or similar organizations, including contact information (name, title, email, phone) for references (with their permission). Highlight projects that included HelpDesk implementations.

· Financial stability information (e.g., Dun & Bradstreet report or equivalent).

· Certifications and partnerships relevant to the proposed solution.

7. Technical Specifications Vendors should provide detailed technical specifications for all proposed hardware and software components, including:

· Hardware specifications (e.g., phone models, server specifications if premise-based).

· Software architecture and platform details for the phone system, HelpDesk, faxing, and voicemail components.

· Network requirements (bandwidth, latency, QoS recommendations per site, specifically addressing the needs of voice and potential video traffic).

· Security protocols and compliance information, including how the solution addresses FERPA requirements.

· Integration methods and API documentation (if applicable) for integrating with other District systems.

· Firewall requirements to communicate between internal and external devices.

8. Pricing and Cost Proposal Vendors must provide a clear and detailed breakdown of all costs associated with the proposed solution, including:

· Capital Costs:

· Hardware (phones, servers, etc.) – per unit and total.

· Software licenses (per user, concurrent agent, or site-based for each feature).

· Implementation and installation fees (broken down by phase or service).

· Data migration and number/fax line porting costs.

· Training costs (differentiated for end-users, HelpDesk agents, and administrators).

· Recurring Costs:

· Monthly or annual fees for software subscriptions or cloud services (per user, per HelpDesk agent, etc.).

· Maintenance and support fees (including Service Level Agreements - SLAs). Clearly define response times and escalation procedures for both the phone system and HelpDesk functionalities.

· Communication charges (e.g., call rates, long distance, fax transmission costs).

· Any other recurring fees.

· Optional Costs:

· Pricing for any optional features or services.

· Pricing for extended warranties or support plans.

Please provide pricing in a clear, itemized format. Indicate any potential discounts for educational institutions or volume purchases.

9. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria (weights may be assigned):

· Completeness and Responsiveness of the Proposal: (e.g., addressing all requirements, clarity, organization)

· Functionality and Features: (e.g., meeting the mandatory requirements for phone, HelpDesk, fax, and voicemail, strength of UC features, integration potential)

· Technical Solution: (e.g., architecture, scalability, reliability, security, suitability for a school district environment)

· HelpDesk Capabilities: (e.g., agent management, queue management, reporting, ease of use for supervisors and agents)

· Faxing and Voicemail Integration: (e.g., user-friendliness, reliability, feature set)

· Implementation Plan: (e.g., feasibility, timeline, risk mitigation, training for all user types)

· Vendor Qualifications and Experience: (e.g., relevant experience, references, financial stability, experience with K-12 HelpDesk implementations)

· Cost-Effectiveness: (e.g., total cost of ownership, value for money)

· Integration Capabilities: (e.g., seamlessness of integration between all components, ability to integrate with other District systems)

· Local Support and Presence: (e.g., local office, Colorado-based support staff)

· Phone support number located within the United States

10. Proposal Submission Guidelines

· Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to mrobinson@district70.org.

· The subject line of your email should be: "RFP Response – School District Phone System, Help Desk, Fax, Voicemail – Pueblo County School District 70".

· The deadline for submitting your proposal is December 1st 2025 MST.

· Proposals should be organized according to the sections outlined in this RFP.

· Please include an executive summary that briefly highlights your proposed solution and its key benefits for the District, with specific attention to the integrated HelpDesk functionality.

11. Questions and Clarifications Should you require further explanation of any portion of the technology equipment and resources of this Request for Proposal, please contact Monroe Robinson, Network Administrator, at mrobinson@district70.org. Should you require further explanation of the financing portion, please contact Jamison Wagner, Pueblo D70 Accountant, at jwagner@district70.org Questions will only be accepted via email to ensure documentation. Any questions or responses that constitute a change in the RFP will be communicated to all respondents. All questions and answers will be posted on the District 70 website

12. Proposal Validity Submitted proposals must remain valid for a period of no less than 30 days from the proposal submission deadline.

RFP TIMELINE AND DEADLINES:

Totals:

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