VOIP Phone System

Harrison Community Schools, in coordination with the Clare-Gladwin Regional Educational Service District in Michigan's Clinton County, issued a Request for Proposal on February 14, 2018, for a comprehensive VoIP Phone System to replace its existing InterTel PBX system. The procurement encompasses a complete turn-key solution including a voice server, PRI gateway, voicemail with audio-to-email capability, IP phones, low-voltage page output for the PA system, and removal of existing PBX equipment and cabling. The system must support 95 users across two buildings (50 at the high school and 45 at the middle school) while remaining expandable to 1,500 users without requiring base equipment replacement. Qualified bidders must possess a current USF SPIN number approval and provide references from four educational institutions that have implemented VoIP systems within the past five years. Evaluation criteria prioritize total cost of ownership over seven years, vendor experience with VoIP systems in educational settings, system capability to support long-term district technology plans, and completeness of the response, with the lowest bid not guaranteed selection. The bid submission deadline is February 28, 2018, at 2:00 PM to the Administration Building at 710 S. Fifth St., Harrison, MI 48625, with project implementation scheduled from July through August 2018 and system cutover targeted for the last week of August. The contractor must provide a five-year warranty covering defects in workmanship and product, including system inspection and repair at no additional cost, along with 40 hours of onsite end-user training and service maintenance contracts for years one through five included in the base bid.

The RFP does not indicate any specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types eligible to respond. Bidders must comply with Michigan school safety legislation and Iran Economic Sanctions Act certification requirements, and the contractor must coordinate with local and long-distance carriers and 911 services to ensure seamless integration with existing infrastructure. The district is tax-exempt and will not pay applicable federal and state taxes, with payment terms requiring approval of invoices within 30 days of receipt. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the available documentation, though evaluation will consider the total cost of ownership across the seven-year service period. The existing InterTel PBX system, consisting of multiple chassis with approximately 200 phones, will be partially replaced while maintaining compatibility with a portion of the system that will remain operational for two additional years, requiring the vendor to design integration that accommodates this transitional infrastructure requirement.