Telephone Answering Services Countywide

Pinellas County, Florida, is seeking telephone answering services through Invitation to Quote (ITQ) #23-0413-REQ for multiple county departments including Public Works, Utilities, Business Technology Services, and Animal Services. The 36-month contract requires comprehensive telephone answering services covering evenings, weekends, holidays, and occasional daytime hours, with call takers responsible for receiving incoming calls, electronically relaying messages, and dispatching emergency calls to designated staff. Key service requirements include maintaining a 100% availability with a 0% abandonment rate, providing a Spanish-speaking call taker, having internet access, and following complex call routing procedures. The solicitation was released on March 7, 2023, with a question submission deadline of March 10, 2023, and a response deadline of March 16, 2023, at 3:00 pm. Vendors must provide daily call logs, message dispatching, and detailed monthly reporting, with the contract including a 3-month trial period and options for two 12-month extensions.

The procurement does not explicitly mention specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. The county will pay only for live talk time, with pricing structured as per-minute rates for different departments: Public Works estimates 200 minutes per month, Utilities 3,400 minutes, Business Technology Services 3,600 minutes, and Animal Services 1,400 minutes. While no incumbent vendors are identified in the documentation, the contract appears designed to be open to qualified telecommunications or call center service providers capable of meeting the stringent operational requirements. The comprehensive nature of the services required suggests a potential annual contract value in the range of $50,000 to $150,000, depending on actual call volume and service complexity. The county's detailed specifications and performance expectations indicate a preference for experienced, technologically capable vendors with robust communication infrastructure and the ability to provide seamless, multi-department support.