RFP 26-023: pre-qualify vendors

The Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commission operating the Iowa Communications Network is pre-qualifying vendors to provide telecommunications outside plant services across five zones within Iowa under RFP 26-023, with proposals due November 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM CST. The ICN intends to pre-qualify three vendors per zone for on-call service delivery.

This is a qualification-based procurement; the ICN will not necessarily award to the lowest-cost vendor but to the most responsible vendor offering best value after evaluating price and compliance with all RFP provisions. Vendors must submit completed compliance forms, authorization to release information, bid proposal submittal forms, vendor qualifications responses, zone bid forms, and unit price sheets. The ICN reserves the right to contact vendors for clarification via written questions, interviews, site visits, and past-performance review.

NIGP commodity codes are 96200 and 96100 for miscellaneous services. Place of performance spans the designated five zones within Iowa. Proposals must be submitted in one original and one copy on 8.5" × 11" paper plus one soft copy on USB drive containing Word/PDF documents and the Unit Price Sheet in native Microsoft Excel format. All proposals must be clearly marked with RFP 26-023 on the outer envelope.

All bid proposals remain firm for 120 days. Award may be made more than 90 days after opening, with negotiation and acceptance to be completed within 60 days of Notice of Intent to Award if no appeals are filed. No vendor conference has been scheduled. Written questions are due October 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM central time, with responses provided by October 7. Vendors downloaded the RFP are advised to check www.icn.iowa.gov periodically for amendments. Contacts: Sheri Stephens (ICN Purchasing Agent II) at sheri.stephens@icn.state.ia.us, Brian Clayton at brian.clayton@iowa.gov, and Lori Larsen at lori.larsen@iowa.gov.