DISASTER RECOV & BUS CONT MAINT/TESTING

The South Carolina Judicial Branch is seeking a contractor for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity (BC-DR) maintenance and testing services through a Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation number 5400026055. The procurement aims to secure ongoing support for the judicial system's critical IT infrastructure, which serves forty-six counties and includes systems such as Case Management, Jury Management, Attorney Information, and E-Filing. Required services include annual testing of disaster recovery and business continuity plans, risk assessment updates, business impact analyses, IT staffing coordination, and documentation maintenance. Vendors must be US-based with demonstrated experience working with state government clients and possess certifications in business continuity planning and technical areas including VMware, Zerto, Citrix, Microsoft, and Cisco. The evaluation criteria will assess technical proposals (45 points), value/pricing (25 points), qualifications and experience (20 points), and project risk analysis (10 points). Key submission dates include a pre-proposal conference on March 12, 2024, at 2:00 PM ET, proposal questions due by March 13, 2024, at 5:00 PM ET, and proposal submissions due by April 25, 2024, at 11:00 AM ET. The anticipated contract award date is June 6, 2024, with a proposed contract term of seven years.

The solicitation requires vendors to maintain strict confidentiality and does not allow global resource delivery models. Vendor personnel will serve in an advisory capacity while South Carolina Judicial Branch personnel perform technical operations, and onsite resources are mandatory for BC-DR exercises. Only the winning vendor must provide NCIC background checks for assigned staff, who must have a minimum of five years' experience in disaster recovery and business continuity services. Contractors are required to procure and maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and information security and privacy insurance with $1,000,000 per claim and $2,000,000 aggregate. The contract will be fixed-price for the initial three-year term, with potential price increases on renewals limited to the Consumer Price Index for "Other Goods and Services." While no specific budget range is provided, the comprehensive nature of the services and the seven-year potential contract duration suggest a significant investment in maintaining the state's judicial IT infrastructure and business continuity capabilities.