Acquisition of Information Technology (IT) Staff Augmentation Services

The South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT) is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP #25RFP12070) for IT Staff Augmentation Services to establish a list of qualified vendors who can provide comprehensive technology staffing solutions. The procurement seeks vendors capable of delivering services across multiple technical domains, including mainframe systems, system administration, applications programming/development, consulting services, and cloud platform expertise in ServiceNow, Azure, and AWS. Proposals are due by February 28, 2025, at 5:00 PM CST, with a contract period beginning upon final signature and ending on June 30, 2027, and potential for up to four two-year renewals. The state will evaluate proposals based on several key criteria: company specialization (30%), resources (25%), past performance (25%), availability (5%), familiarity with project locale (5%), project management techniques (5%), and ability to handle constraints (5%). Key deliverables include on-demand IT staffing resources through individual Statements of Work (SOWs), with mandatory background checks required for personnel accessing state systems and data. Written questions were due by February 7, 2025, with responses published on the State of South Dakota's Bureau of Administration Central Bid Exchange website.

The RFP does not mandate specific set-aside designations or diversity requirements, though government experience is preferred. Currently, 19 incumbent vendors are providing similar services, with total spending of $32,301,036.89 since 2020 and 101 resources engaged across various technical roles. The most frequently requested positions include mainframe development resources in Natural/ADABS and COBOL/VSAM, as well as .NET developers. The total contract value across all Statements of Work cannot exceed $25 million, with vendors required to provide hourly rates for different skill sets and adhere to South Dakota per diem rates for travel and expenditures. Resources may work remotely or onsite based on specific engagement requirements, and the State will provide Cloud PCs for accessing state systems. Background checks, which typically take 4-6 weeks, are mandatory for staff accessing state resources, systems, or data. Vendors must also comply with the State's comprehensive Information Technology Security Policy, which includes strict protocols for data protection, access controls, and incident reporting.