St. Louis Data Center Colocation Space for ICN (IFB)

The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB B-52081) to establish a 10-year colocation services contract at the St. Louis Data Center, located at either 900 Walnut Street or 210 North Tucker Street in St. Louis, Missouri, operated by Netrality Data Center. The procurement seeks comprehensive colocation services to support DoIT Network Services and the Illinois Century Network (ICN) in serving K-12 customers, state agencies, and paying customers across Illinois. Required deliverables include provision of physical rack space cabinets (42RU cabinet configuration), power delivery systems (-48VDC, 120VAC, and 208VAC at 20 Amp capacity with A+B feeds), environmental controls maintaining ASHRAE standards with 99.99% uptime availability, 24/7 physical security and access, fiber optic patch panels and cross connects, on-site "Smart Hands" technical support with maximum six-hour response times, and a 24/7 Network Operations Center. The contract is structured as an indefinite quantity agreement with current requirements including one 42RU cabinet, dual 48V DC power feeds, nine cross connects, one dark fiber extension, one 24-count fiber homerun, and ad hoc Smart Hands support, with installation and full operability required within 180 days of contract execution. Pricing shall remain firm for the first six years, with vendors eligible to request one upward price adjustment in year seven and one in year nine based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), subject to DoIT approval with requests due at least 60 days prior to the effective date. Evaluation criteria include responsiveness, responsibility, past performance, financial stability and capability, and ability to deliver services as specified. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference was held on May 5, 2026, at 10:30 AM CST via Webex; written questions must be submitted by May 6, 2026, to Jenny Kesselring at Jenny.Kesselring@Illinois.gov, with answers posted as BidBuy amendments; and all bids must be submitted electronically through BidBuy by May 11, 2026, at 9:00 AM CST, remaining firm for 90 days from opening.

Responding vendors must be registered with the Illinois Procurement Gateway or submit appropriate vendor disclosure forms (either the IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure for registered vendors or the comprehensive Vendor Disclosure form for non-registered vendors) and must verify good standing status with the Illinois Secretary of State and the Illinois Department of Human Rights, register with the Board of Elections at the time of proposal submission, and submit a signed contract executed by an authorized representative. No prevailing wage requirements apply to this procurement, and subcontractors are not permitted. The solicitation indicates that the contract may be eligible for set-asides for minority-owned, women-owned, or disadvantaged business enterprises as applicable under Illinois procurement regulations, though specific designations are not detailed in the current posting. All services must be performed in the United States, and the vendor must maintain $1,000,000 in general commercial liability insurance and comply with Illinois information technology accessibility standards and NIST Special Publication 800-53 Revision 5 security controls. The contract is an "ability to buy" arrangement with no specific quantities guaranteed at contract award, though future growth is anticipated. The contract amount is listed as "TBD" (to be determined) without formal amendment, and the State reserves the right to terminate for convenience with 30 days' notice or for cause immediately upon notice, with payment to be made in accordance with the Illinois Prompt Payment Act.