MONTGOMERY COUNTY PURCHASING DEPARTMENT ONE MONTGOMERY PLAZA, SUITE 702 SWEDE AND AIRY ST. NORRISTOWN, PA., BOX 311, 19404-0311 PHONE (610) 278-3037 FAX (610) 278-3086 CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICE: F. THOMAS SNYDER OPENS 7/13/09 RFP 09-07
Telecommunications services
The County of Montgomery, Pennsylvania (hereafter known as “COUNTY”) intends procure to
telecommunication services (local and long distance voice services, etc.) from the selected
Service Provider (hereafter known as CONTRACTOR) for a three year period with two optional
years at the best value to the constituents of the County. This Request for Proposal is not subject
to the competitive bidding process and, therefore, any contract entered into as a result of any
proposal, will not be based on the “lowest bid” but will be awarded to the proposal(s) submitted
by the CONTRACTOR(S) as deemed solely by the County, to be the best value.
The County provides telecommunication services at no less than 85 unique locations, each
having somewhat unique requirements, but a common need for efficiency, reliability, and cost
effectiveness.
Many of these sites are connected via the County Wide Area Network that provides a minimum
of 2 Gigabits bandwidth over a network of more than 500 miles of fiber leased with Indefeasible
Right of Use until at least the year 2023. This network is the primary communication vehicle
between sites – including voice communications. The County does not intend to replace this
mission critical component of its network either as part of this procurement effort or anytime in
the foreseeable future.
This project is intended to renew or replace the existing telecommunications services that are
currently procured by the County from third party service providers, predominately Verizon.
These services are used to connect County employees, systems, and other users to entities
external to the County via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The existing
services agreement (and inventory) as provided by Verizon has functioned well and is adequate
for the foreseeable future, Ongoing funding for these services is budgeted operationally and
capital funds are not available to procure or implement replacement services.
An inventory of the existing services open for competition through this RFP, in a Contract Line
Item Number (CLIN) format, should be used in developing your response and is attached as an
electronic workbook (hereafter referred to as the CLIN Workbook) in Microsoft™ Excel format
as MontCoCurrentCLIN.xls.
There may be components included in this list that in your opinion, may not be required to
provide the full range of services needed by the County based on your proposed solution.
CONTRACTORS are encouraged to provide alternative services where those proposed services
meet the existing needs of the County at a lower cost and/or higher service level. While your
alternative approach may ultimately be acceptable to the County, your proposal shall address
each identified component and shall highlight each item that will be eliminated or replaced along
with a detailed technical explanation of how equivalent capabilities will be provided in this
