Q3-CY24 Metro Ethernet Transfer Service (IFB)

The Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) for the State of Illinois is seeking bids for Fiber-Based Point to Point Metro-Ethernet Transport Service through an Invitation for Bid (IFB) B-43891. The procurement will cover service locations in Jefferson, Lawrence, and McLean Counties, with bandwidth requirements ranging from 20 MB to 1 GB for various state agency sites. The desired services will provide wide area network (WAN) connectivity between state offices and Illinois Century Network (ICN) Point of Presence (POP) sites, with stringent performance requirements including 99.98% service availability, guaranteed synchronous bandwidth, and 24/7/365 technical support. DoIT anticipates making multiple awards, with each site being evaluated and awarded separately to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The contract will have an initial term of 6 years, with the option to renew for up to 4 additional years. The bid is due on November 1, 2024, and bidders must submit pricing for all line items at a specific location to be considered for award, with the final selection based on a total cost of ownership calculation.

The IFB suggests potential set-asides for small businesses, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses, though specific goals are not explicitly defined. Vendors must complete and submit several mandatory forms, including the State of Illinois Vendor Disclosure form and the IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure form, which require detailed information about business operations, ownership structure, and potential conflicts of interest. Current service providers for the targeted locations include Stratus, Frontier, Clearwave, AT&T, Wabash, Comcast, and MTC, indicating an existing telecommunications infrastructure that the new contract will potentially replace or upgrade. Bidders must demonstrate compliance with various state laws and regulations, including the Drug Free Workplace Act, Illinois Procurement Code, and Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the comprehensive nature of the service and the multi-year contract duration suggest a significant procurement value spanning multiple state agency locations.