Written Inquiries and Answers.pdf

RFI 2027000009 Entertainment & Information Delivery Systems

Written Inquiries and Answers

1. Section 1.D.ii.a states that vendors are responsible for providing all necessary infrastructure, including network connectivity, hardware, and cabling. Will the Department consider responses from vendors proposing only a portion of the described scope, such as a software or content delivery platform, either as a standalone component response or as part of a teaming arrangement with an infrastructure provider?

Answer: Yes, this will be considered with clear articulation of what portions will be covered.

2. Does the Department anticipate that a future solicitation would permit the awarded solution to operate over the facility network and endpoint devices already deployed under the Department's existing tablet program, or would the awarded vendor be required to deploy parallel infrastructure?

Answer: The Department is open to exploring the feasibility of utilizing the existing facility network and endpoint devices currently deployed under the tablet program.

However, respondents should be advised that this network infrastructure is owned and managed by our incumbent communications vendor, Securus. Any utilization of this network would be strictly contingent upon the Department successfully negotiating an agreement with Securus prior to any commitment. To help us properly evaluate this approach, we require respondents to provide detailed technical criteria regarding their proposed solution, including the specific delivery method, bandwidth requirements, and system architecture. Finally, please be explicitly aware that regardless of the proposed solution, the Department’s corporate network (Office of Information Technology / OIT LAN) is strictly prohibited and will not be available for this project.

3. Does the Department expect the awarded vendor to procure and hold content licensing and correctional exhibition rights for entertainment programming, or does the Department anticipate holding content agreements separately from the technology award?

Answer: This should be included by the vendor.

4. Section 2.A.iv.c requires the architecture to support 100 percent concurrent usage for 16,500 individuals. Does this requirement contemplate an individual unicast stream per viewer, or would distribution methods that are independent of viewer count, such as IP multicast or RF modulation to shared displays, satisfy this requirement?

Answer: The intent is to ensure every individual can view and select the content they want to view independently of any other individual. As long as the solution accomplishes this, it will satisfy the requirement.

5. Is the Department able to share the currently available wide area network bandwidth at each facility, and whether existing circuits would be available to the awarded solution or would need to be provisioned by the vendor?

Answer: To properly evaluate potential solutions, it is essential that respondents provide the specific bandwidth and network requirements of their proposed system. Please be advised that the Department cannot offer its existing Department corporate network (Office of Information Technology / OIT LAN). Generally, respondents should expect to provision their own circuits. However, we are willing to entertain alternative solutions that utilize existing non-State infrastructure. Please note that any use of that infrastructure is entirely contingent upon the Department communicating with 3rd party vendors and securing their explicit permission to place new services on the network they own. To explore the feasibility of these alternative options, respondents must provide comprehensive technical criteria so the Department can appropriately evaluate them.

6. Is the modernization anticipated to be funded through Department appropriation, through Colorado Correctional Industries, through an offender-funded or revenue-producing model similar to existing programs, or through a combination of these?

Answer: Depending on the cost, the department will evaluate the cost and how it will be funded.

7. Section 3.A directs that responses be submitted by email to the procurement point of contact, while Section 3.B states that responses must be submitted electronically through bidnetdirect.com//cdoc and that no other electronic submission methods, hard copy submittals, or emails will be accepted. Please confirm the required submission method for the August 21, 2026 response deadline.

Answer: All submissions must be submitted through bidnetdirect.com//cdoc. The solicitation document has been updated.