RFP-Cloud-Based Phone System

Wharton County Junior College is requesting proposals for a cloud-based phone system migration from its legacy on-premises infrastructure across all campus locations, with proposals due July 8, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. The RFP is posted under solicitation ID 26_00002 and proposals must be submitted in sealed form to the Purchasing office at 911 E. Boling Highway, Suite A-107-A, Wharton, Texas 77488.

The scope encompasses design, implementation, hardware, software, configuration, training, support, and maintenance for the migration of approximately 550 existing physical phones (Shoretel 230 and 655 devices, Mitel IP420(g) and IP480 phones) and fewer than ten fax lines across five locations: Wharton, Sugar Land, Richmond, Bay City, and El Campo. All proposed solutions must be TX-RAMP certified, maintain SOC 2 Type II compliance, and meet Ray Baum's Act E911 and Kari's Law requirements. The vendor must demonstrate 99.9% system uptime capability and provide 24/7 support for critical outages.

The contract term is three years from execution with additional one-year renewal options at WCJC's sole discretion. Either party may terminate with 90 days' written notice without cause; WCJC may terminate immediately for cause, including failure to meet service levels or security requirements. The vendor must maintain Technology Errors & Omissions/Cyber Liability Insurance of $2 million per occurrence, Commercial General Liability Insurance of $1 million per occurrence, and Workers' Compensation Insurance as required by Texas law.

Proposals must clearly distinguish recurring monthly costs, one-time implementation costs, optional costs, licensing costs, and taxes or fees. The submission must include three hard copies, one USB electronic copy, and a post-warranty three-year maintenance proposal. Evaluation weighting: technical solution and functionality (25%), vendor experience and qualifications (20%), implementation and support approach (15%), cybersecurity and compliance (10%), references and past performance (5%), and price (25%). Written questions are due June 24, 2026. Specifications are available through Texas Smart Buy at https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd or via buenoc@wcjc.edu.