Microsoft Support Services RFP REBID

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, through the Commonwealth Office of Technology (COT), is conducting a rebid Request for Proposal (RFP 758 2400000439) for Microsoft Support Services to be awarded to up to five vendors in each of two categories. Category 1 encompasses Microsoft Support Services delivered on an hourly rate basis, while Category 2 provides Enterprise Coverage based on each agency's Microsoft software ownership and cloud services consumption. The procurement solicits comprehensive support across the entire Microsoft product suite for all state agencies statewide, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and enterprise infrastructure, excluding hardware maintenance. Deliverables include incident response with 24x7 prioritized problem resolution, proactive services to improve IT infrastructure health, service delivery management, security and cybersecurity incident response services, engineering and architecture advisory services, monitoring solutions, planning and implementation services, maintenance services, health assessments, optimization services, development support assistance, solutions architecture services, and event management for critical business events. Mandatory qualifications require vendors to be Microsoft Certified Partners with a minimum of five years of partnership status and demonstrated experience supporting large enterprise organizations exceeding 30,000 employees, with all staff possessing current Microsoft certifications specific to their service areas and based exclusively in the United States with no offshore resources permitted. The RFP was released May 24, 2024, with vendor written questions due June 3, 2024, and Commonwealth responses issued June 14, 2024; a second round of questions closed June 21, 2024, with responses issued June 27, 2024. The original proposal deadline of June 25, 2024, was extended to July 12, 2024, and further extended to July 19, 2024, at 3:30 PM ET. Evaluation criteria include technical proposal scoring (1,000 points maximum for both categories), cost proposal evaluation for Category 1 only (400 points), and potential oral presentations or demonstrations (200 points), with proposals scoring below 500 of 1,000 technical points deemed non-responsive and excluded from consideration. Category 1 vendors must submit fully loaded, not-to-exceed hourly rates for three service categories (Microsoft Support Partner, Microsoft Solutions Partner, and Microsoft Consulting Partner) covering thirty-one distinct service line items without allowance for reimbursement of travel, lodging, administrative support, or additional charges beyond stated rates. Category 2 pricing is determined through individual quotes and statements of work based on each using agency's specific enterprise coverage needs and is not established through fixed RFP pricing.

No set-asides or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions are specified in the RFP documentation, though the Commonwealth reserves the right to negotiate with top-ranked proposers or reject all proposals. The current contract incumbents are Microsoft Corporation, Converge Acquisition LLC, and Kizan Technologies LLC; however, no preference is given to incumbent vendors. Vendors must comply with the Commonwealth's Personal Information Security and Breach Investigation Act requirements (HB5 062023), maintaining security standards applicable to non-affiliated third parties and providing breach notification within seventy-two hours to the contracting agency, Office of Procurement Services, Commonwealth Office of Technology, and the NG-KIH Program Office. All proposals must be submitted electronically and accompanied by proof of Microsoft Certified Partner status, a completed Mandatory Requirements Checklist, vendor certifications and affidavits addressing campaign finance compliance and resident bidder status, evidence of Commercial General Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, and Professional Liability insurance of $1,000,000 minimum. The Commonwealth intends to establish a contract with an initial one-year term from the effective award date, renewable for five additional one-year periods upon mutual agreement, with price increases prohibited during the first twelve months and thereafter requiring written justification based on industry-wide changes subject to Commonwealth approval. Specific budget ranges or award values are not disclosed in the RFP documentation, as contract utilization varies significantly across participating state agencies; the current Microsoft agreement expires October 31, 2024. Support services must be provided during standard working hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST) with telephone response within two hours, plus 24x7 emergency support capability for mission-critical systems. All Commonwealth data classified as sensitive or higher must be maintained within the contiguous United States with required encryption in transit and at rest, and vendors must utilize current commercial virus detection software prior to any software delivery.