Newport RI pots replacement solution

The Department of the Navy Naval Supply Systems Command is seeking qualified telecommunications vendors to develop a replacement solution for the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) infrastructure at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. The procurement targets the transition of approximately 131 users across 54 buildings from traditional copper cable telephone service to a digital replacement using LTE or 5G cellular data, with a "POTS in a Box" telephony service recommended as the solution approach. Key requirements include achieving 99.9% monthly uptime, implementing dual LTE modems with carrier diversity, ensuring voice encryption, supporting advanced telephony features such as voicemail with transcription, call blocking, call forwarding, Enhanced 911 compliance, and maintaining compliance with standards including FirstNet, HIPAA, PCI, and RoHS. The solution must support analog voice, fax, and modem services without routing traffic over the internet and must utilize a Class 5 Switch for security purposes. This is a sources sought notice only, with no contract award resulting from this phase; interested firms must submit a capabilities package addressing company profile, employee count, business designations, and potential partnerships by December 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM EST to robert.p.joas.civ@us.navy.mil and kathryn.l.santos.civ@us.navy.mil, with the anticipated contract award targeted for Fiscal Year 2026 Quarter 2.

No set-aside designations have been applied to this opportunity, though small businesses, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, HUBZone, and 8(a) certified firms are encouraged to respond. Granite Telecommunications has been identified as the local exchange carrier, and Verizon is the current infrastructure provider whose copper cable service will cease operations on March 31, 2026, creating the urgency for this replacement solution. The contract may be structured as a one-year agreement or as a base period with up to four option years plus a potential six-month extension, though specific budget or award value information has not been disclosed in the solicitation materials. The procurement falls under NAICS code 517111 (Wired Telecommunications Carriers) with a size standard of 1,500 employees and is categorized under PSC DG10 (IT and Telecom - Network as a Service). The telephone lines breakdown includes 105 voice lines, 17 modem lines, 6 elevator voice lines, 2 security alarm lines, and 2 point-of-sale PCI device lines across 53 identified buildings requiring service.