Discovery Services

Washington State Department of Enterprise Services is soliciting proposals for statewide master contracts in Discovery Services under Competitive Solicitation 02426, with a pre-bid conference on November 17, 2026 and bids due January 15, 2027. Reserved awards are available to Washington Small Businesses and Certified Veteran-Owned Businesses that do not receive main awards, with subcontractors also required to hold these certifications, and Category 2 requires FedRAMP and/or CJIS certification.

Eligible purchasers include Washington state agencies, institutions of higher education, political subdivisions, federal agencies, public benefit nonprofits, and federally recognized Indian tribes, all subject to identical contract terms and pricing. Scope covers data identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production, and hosting and storage for litigation, claims, or other matters, consistent with the Electronic Discovery Reference Model. Category 1 offers up to four main awards and one reserved award, Category 2 offers up to one main award and one reserved award, and Category 3 covers additional services for already-awarded bidders. Contractors must maintain SOC 2 Type II certification, comply with WaTech security standards, and register in the Washington Electronic Business Solution system.

Historical sales reflect prior annual total sales of approximately $8.65 million across state agencies, though Enterprise Services does not guarantee purchases from the resulting contracts. The base term is 36 months beginning in 2027, with an optional performance-based extension of up to 24 months. Bidders submit not-to-exceed unit pricing across personnel, data collection, processing, analysis and production, and data management line items. They absorb any credit card or electronic payment fees and embed a 1.25% vendor management fee in pricing. Pricing is adjusted annually against the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics index for Data Processing, Hosting and Related Services, and bids remain firm for 90 days.

Awards are scored on 800 points for cost and 200 points for non-cost factors, plus a 50-point preference for bidders certifying compliance with Executive Order 18-03, for 1,050 total points. Non-cost responses are scored from 0% to 100% on added value above a minimum standard of three similar discovery projects completed within the last three years, with Category 2 projects utilizing FedRAMP and/or CJIS certification requirements. Responses are limited to three pages per category.

Questions are due January 7, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, with answers anticipated by January 11, 2027. Apparent successful bidders will be announced March 22, 2027, and contract awards are anticipated April 20, 2027.