Notice of intent to award sole source

The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration issued a Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source to GCI Communications Corp for commercial telephone and dedicated internet services supporting EDA's Seattle Regional Office and Anchorage Field Office, with responses due by August 4, 2026. The contract is sole source; no set-aside applies.

The performance period runs twelve months from award with four one-year option periods on a firm-fixed-price basis. Required services include one business voice line with local and long-distance calling and fax capability, plus one dedicated 10 Mbps internet circuit with continuous connectivity to support Department email and commercial-grade operations. The contractor must provide installation, testing, activation, maintenance, technical support, and repair services. All work must comply with Department of Commerce security requirements, including Privacy Act compliance, Controlled Unclassified Information handling, NIST SP 800-171 standards, and Department cybersecurity policies with incident reporting.

EDA justifies sole source award on the basis that GCI is the only telecommunications provider authorized by GSA to connect services into the existing building infrastructure within the federally managed Anchorage facility. Interested vendors must submit capability statements within 15 days of the July 22, 2026 publication date addressing authorization to operate within the Government facility, ability to work within existing infrastructure, capacity for uninterrupted service, support for Alaska-wide mission-critical communications, and commercial installation and maintenance capability. General marketing materials are insufficient. If no qualified responses are received within the 15-day window, award to GCI will proceed.