Rural Health Switched Ethernet Connectivity

The Arkansas Division of Information Systems (DIS) and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) are jointly procuring switched Ethernet connectivity services for 94 rural health care sites across the state, including in Pulaski County and the City of Little Rock. The objective is to provide additional bandwidth and lower the cost per unit of bandwidth for these facilities. The contract term is 4 years, with options to renew for up to 3 additional 1-year terms. The technical requirements include support for the transport of existing applications and data, virtual private network traffic, and specific quality of service parameters. Billing, payment, and invoicing requirements are also detailed. Bids will be evaluated based on the lowest average cost per Mbps over 48 months for each address. The contract will require compliance with the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) program and Arkansas Public Service Commission and FCC requirements. The bid opening is scheduled for March 13, 2024, and the anticipated contract start date is July 1, 2024.

The solicitation does not mention any set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond. The current incumbents providing services to these rural health care sites are eligible to bid on the new contract, but they will need to install new circuits with new identifiers. The contract does not specify the total award value or budget range, but it will be funded through the ADH consortium's general state revenues and grant money set aside for maintenance and operations, with the state contributing 35% of the costs for consortium members.