MET6-CY25 Metro Ethernet (IFB)

The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) solicitation number 26-448DOIT-TELEC-B-50519 to procure fiber-based point-to-point metro ethernet transport services for multiple state agency locations throughout Illinois. The procurement seeks to establish wide area network (WAN) connectivity between various agency sites and Illinois Century Network (POP) points of presence, with bandwidth speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps and a required service availability of 99.98% or better on a 30-day average, operating continuously 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year with guaranteed synchronous bandwidth. The contract encompasses eleven locations across state agencies including the Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Health, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Department of Innovation and Technology, and county clerk offices in Pike, McDonough, and Henderson counties, with service delivery to designated Points of Presence Z End Locations including facilities in Springfield, Chicago, Peoria, Carbondale, Sterling, and other regional locations. Bidders must submit all required documentation through BidBuy by the bid opening date of March 4, 2026, with a non-mandatory pre-bid conference scheduled for February 4, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. via WebEx; bids must remain firm for 180 days from opening, and pricing must include Monthly Recurring Costs (MRC), Non-Recurring Costs (NRC), and all optional line items calculated as (MRC × Service Term) + Non-Recurring Installation Cost, with all pricing all-inclusive and final containing no additional taxes, fees, surcharges, or pass-through charges. Awards will be made separately by location to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the lowest total cost per site, and if a vendor has entered into a contract with DoIT within the past twelve months for similar services, the negotiated terms from that previous contract will apply without further negotiation.

This solicitation contains no Business Enterprise Program (BEP) or Veterans Small Business Program (VBP) goals or set-aside designations, allowing any responsive and responsible vendor to compete. Current incumbent service providers for existing locations include Clearwave, Frontier, Stratus, and MTC, with one site (DOT-R621) representing new service establishment while the remaining locations represent incumbent service transitions or renewals. All bidders must submit an active IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure or standard Vendor Disclosure form, complete an Offer to the State of Illinois Information and Technology form, and provide applicable Business Enterprise Program/Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plans; no bid or performance bonds are required. The resulting contract will be governed by Illinois Information and Technology Standard Terms and Conditions and Standard Illinois Certifications, with compliance requirements including $1,000,000 general commercial liability insurance, worker's compensation insurance as required by law, audit rights with records retained for three to five years depending on federal funding, and the State's right to terminate for convenience with thirty days' notice or for cause immediately upon notice. The procurement may be partially or fully funded with federal funds, with the specific percentage and dollar amount to be disclosed upon notice of award; specific budget values or total contract amounts are not disclosed in the solicitation materials.