SMS & Voice Multi-Factor Authentication

The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, in agreement with the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services, is requesting bids for SMS and voice multi-factor authentication services under IFB 26-448DOIT-SEC44-B-52896, with bids due September 22, 2026. A 1% Business Enterprise Program participation goal and a 7% Veteran-Owned Small Business goal apply; vendors and subcontractors must be certified prior to bid opening.

The scope covers outbound SMS text messaging and automated voice call delivery supporting multi-factor authentication for state systems and authorized notifications, with current volume averaging approximately 2.5 million SMS messages and 60,000 voice minutes per month. The vendor must transition from the current messaging provider and achieve go-live by May 1, 2027, including configuration, testing, user acceptance testing, and documentation. The service must deliver 99.9% uptime, message delivery to carriers within five seconds with three redelivery attempts, and 95% first-attempt successful delivery rates. The solution must comply with Illinois Cloud Security Requirements and NIST 800-53 Revision 5 standards, maintain hosting within the contiguous United States, and include a System Security Plan and SOC 2 Type 2 report prior to go-live. Vendors must provide phone numbers for outbound SMS and voice services and submit pricing for four line items: domestic SMS, international SMS, domestic voice, and international voice, each as flat per-unit rates with no destination-based differentiation.

The contract has an initial three-year term with an optional two-year renewal period (Years 4–5), with a maximum total term not exceeding ten years. Price adjustments may be applied annually based on the Consumer Price Index, subject to approval. The contract is subject to prevailing wage requirements. For the renewal term evaluation line item, bidders must enter exactly $400,000; any other amount results in automatic disqualification. A non-mandatory pre-submission conference was held September 1, 2026. Questions were due September 15, 2026, with answers posted September 17. Bid prices must remain firm for 90 days following opening. No bid or performance bond is required.