IT Infrastructure Upgrades

Colorado Mountain College's Central Services IT Department is soliciting competitive proposals for comprehensive IT infrastructure upgrades through a Request for Proposal (RFP) released on September 24, 2025. The procurement seeks qualified firms to supply, install, and support three critical technology components: a Storage Area Network (SAN), a backup system, and data center switches. Bidders may submit proposals for individual or multiple sections, with each component to be evaluated independently. The project is scheduled to commence after July 1, 2026, with proposals due on October 24, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. The target award date is November 6, 2025, and the college reserves the right to make multiple awards or no award at all. Specific technical requirements include a two-node SAN architecture with 60 TB of SSD storage and replication capabilities, a backup system to protect 20 TB of source data, and data center switches meeting high-performance specifications comparable to Cisco Nexus C93180YC-FX3. Evaluation criteria will focus on overall quality, company qualifications, pricing, warranties, references, and service capabilities, with the goal of selecting the best value proposal.

The RFP does not explicitly mention set-aside designations or restrictions for specific types of organizations. Vendors must comply with comprehensive insurance requirements, including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate), Automobile Liability, and Workers' Compensation at statutory limits. Insurance carriers must be licensed in Colorado with a minimum A.M. Best Rating of A-, and Colorado Mountain College must be listed as an additional insured. Vendors are required to submit a Certificate of Liability Insurance at least 5 working days before contract execution, with each insurance policy mandating 30 days' prior written notice of any cancellation or material changes. While specific budget ranges are not detailed in the documents, the proposal requires pricing to include separate line items for hardware, software, licensing, professional services, and support/maintenance costs. The procurement covers a significant geographic area, serving a 7,500 square mile region across nine Colorado counties, indicating a potentially substantial technology investment for the local college district.