Enterprise-wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) Circuits

Agency:	State of Vermont
State:	Vermont
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541519 - Other Computer Related Services
Posted Date:	Nov 26, 2025
Due Date:	Dec 22, 2025
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Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
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Department of Buildings and General Services

Office of Purchasing & Contracting

133 State Street, 5th Floor | Montpelier VT 05633-8000

802-828-2211 phone |802-828-2222 fax

http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing

Agency of Administration

SEALED BID

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Enterprise-Wide Direct Internet Access (DIA)

Circuits

ISSUE DATE

QUESTIONS DUE

RFP RESPONSES DUE BY

November 26, 2025

December 8, 2025 – 4:30 PM (ET)

December 22, 2025 – 4:30 PM (ET)

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES, AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED WITH

THIS RFP WILL BE POSTED AT:

http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php

THE STATE WILL MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT INTERESTED PARTIES WITH UPDATED

INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH BIDDER TO PERIODICALLY CHECK THE ABOVE

WEBPAGE FOR ANY AND ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS

RFP.

STATE CONTACT:

E-MAIL:

USE SUBJECT:

Kyle Emerson, State Purchasing Agent

sov.thepathforward@vermont.gov

DIA CIRCUITS

1. OVERVIEW:

1.1. SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) the Agency of Digital Services,

Chief Technology Office (hereinafter the “State”) is seeking to establish contracts with one or more

companies that can provide Enterprise-Wide Direct Internet Access Circuits for the State of Vermont.

1.2. CONTRACT PERIOD: Any Contract(s) arising from this RFP will be for a period of five (5) years with an

option to renew for up to two (2) additional twelve-month periods. The State anticipates the start date for

such contract(s) will be July 1, 2026

1.3. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed in writing

to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Actual or attempted contact with any other

individual from the State concerning this RFP is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.

1.4. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD: Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this RFP or

wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFP must submit specific questions in writing no later than

the deadline for question indicated on the first page of this RFP. Questions may be e-mailed to the point of

contact on the front page of this RFP. Questions or comments not raised in writing on or before the last day

of the question period are thereafter waived. At the close of the question period a copy of all questions or

comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State’s web site

http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Every effort will be made to post this information as soon as

possible after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. All

information provided by vendors during this process will be public and bidders shall not provide confidential

information, except as described in Section 4 below.

1.5. CHANGES TO THIS RFP: Any modifications to this RFP will be made in writing by the State through the

issuance of an Addendum to this RFP and posted online at http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php .

Modifications from any other source are not to be considered.

2. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:

2.1. The State of Vermont is issuing this Request for Proposal to procure broadband and Dedicated Internet

Access (DIA) circuits to replace legacy ELAN and ELINE transport services. This procurement supports a

broader shift away from centralized, carrier-bound network architecture in favor of a flexible, broadband-

based model that aligns with ongoing SD-WAN deployment.

Under the legacy model, most remote sites route all traffic—including internet and cloud-bound traffic—

through centralized datacenters using ELAN circuits. This results in unnecessary latency, complexity, and

cost, particularly for cloud-based services. As part of the State’s modernization effort, it is moving toward

direct internet access at the edge where appropriate, while maintaining secure tunnels to centralized

infrastructure when needed.

This RFP seeks vendors capable of delivering reliable broadband and DIA circuits to State sites across a wide

geographic footprint, including support for path diversity at critical locations. Circuits must support SD-

WAN integration and must be sourced from a broad mix of providers, including local, regional, wireless, and

satellite, depending on site feasibility.

While SD-WAN deployment and management are out of scope for this RFP, the connectivity being procured

here will serve as the foundation for that platform. Vendors responding to this RFP are expected to deliver

high-performance, cost-effective, low latency connectivity that supports a distributed, cloud-integrated

network environment.

2.2. Functional and Non-Functional Requirements

2.2.1. The State’s Functional and Non-Functional Requirements are provided in the attached

State of Vermont Bidder Response Form (Exhibit A).

2.2.2. The Non-Functional Requirements include requirements for the following:

• Hosting

• Application Solution

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• Security

2.2.3. Data Compliance: Solutions must adhere to applicable State and Federal standards,

policies, and laws. The Bidder Response Form includes a table of data types and their applicable

State and Federal standards, policies, and laws. The boxes in the table that are checked are the ones

that are applicable to this procurement.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

3.1. PRICING: Bidders must price the terms of this solicitation at their best pricing. Any and all costs that

Bidder wishes the State to consider must be submitted for consideration. If applicable, all equipment pricing

is to include F.O.B. delivery to the ordering facility. No request for extra delivery cost will be honored. All

equipment shall be delivered assembled, serviced, and ready for immediate use, unless otherwise requested

by the State.

3.1.1. Prices and/or rates shall remain firm for the initial term of the contract. The pricing policy

submitted by Bidder must (i) be clearly structured, accountable, and auditable and (ii) cover the full

spectrum of materials and/or services required.

3.1.2. Cooperative Agreements. Bidders that have been awarded similar contracts through a

competitive bidding process with another state and/or cooperative are welcome to submit the pricing

in response to this solicitation.

3.2. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select the

Bidder(s) as may be determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the goals and

performance requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain clarification

or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Failure of bidder to respond to a request

for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of that bidder's proposal. To secure a

project that is deemed to be in the best interest of the State, the State reserves the right to accept or reject any

and all bids, in whole or in part, with or without cause, and to waive technicalities in submissions. The State

also reserves the right to make purchases outside of the awarded contracts where it is deemed in the best

interest of the State.

3.2.1. Best and Final Offer (BAFO). At any time after submission of Responses and prior to the

final selection of Bidder(s) for Contract negotiation or execution, the State may invite Bidder(s) to

provide a BAFO. The state reserves the right to request BAFOs from only those Bidders that meet

the minimum qualification requirements and/or have not been eliminated from consideration during

the evaluation process.

3.2.2. Presentation. An in-person or webinar presentation by the Bidder may be required by the

State if it will help the State’s evaluation process. The State will factor information presented during

presentations into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all costs associated with providing

the presentation.

3.3. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:

3.3.1. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCOI): An OCOI arises when a bidder as a business

entity has interests (for example, customers, partners, contracts) that could undermine, or reasonably

be perceived to undermine, its faithful and unbiased performance of a contract with the State that

may result from this solicitation.

3.3.2. Personal Conflict of Interest (PCOI): A PCOI arises when an interest held by an

individual, agent or employee of a bidder could undermine, or reasonably be perceived to

undermine, its faithful and unbiased performance of a contract with the State that may result from

this solicitation.

3.3.3. Requirements: The State does not seek to contract with any individual or business entity

having a conflict of interest which cannot be mitigated to the State’s satisfaction. To ensure the

State’s awareness of actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs and OCOIs, bidders shall:

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• Prior to submitting a proposal, conduct an internal review of its current affiliations and

activities and identify actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs or OCOIs relative to

a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation.

• Disclose in your proposal any actual or potential PCOI or OCOI or the existence of any

facts that may cause a reasonably prudent person to perceive a PCOI or OCOI with respect

to a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation. Disclose, also, any actions

proposed to mitigate the PCOI or OCOI.

3.3.4. The State shall have sole discretion to determine whether a PCOI or OCOI can be mitigated

to the State’s satisfaction and may discuss the conflict with the bidder if and to the extent the State

deems discussion necessary to its determination. The State reserves the right to (a) reject from

further consideration any proposal having a PCOI or OCIO that cannot be mitigated to the State’s

full satisfaction and (b) terminate a contract upon discovery that a contractor failed to disclose facts

pertaining to a PCOI or OCOI in its proposal, or otherwise misrepresented relevant information to

the State.

3.4. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Section 32 of

The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), Bidders must comply with the following

provisions and requirements.

3.4.1. Self Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidder shall complete the

appropriate section in the attached Certificate of Compliance for purposes of self-reporting

information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related

to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers. The State is requiring

information on any violations that occurred in the previous 12 months.

3.4.2. Subcontractor Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidders are hereby

notified that upon award of contract, and prior to contract execution, the State shall be provided with

a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors’ subcontractors, together with the identity of

those subcontractors’ workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or

requested information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54). This requirement does not apply to subcontractors

providing supplies only and no labor to the overall contract or project. This list MUST be updated

and provided to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. A sample form is available online

at http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing-contracting/forms. The subcontractor reporting form is not

required to be submitted with the bid response.

3.5. EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS IN STATE

PROCUREMENTS:

3.5.1. For bid amounts exceeding $25,000.00 Bidders are requested to complete the Climate

Change Considerations in State Procurements Certification, which is included in the Certificate of

Compliance for this RFP.

3.5.2. After consideration of all relevant factors, a bidder that demonstrates business practices that

promote clean energy and address climate change as identified in the Certification, shall be given

favorable consideration in the competitive bidding process. Such favorable consideration shall be

consistent with and not supersede any preference given to resident bidders of the State and/or

products raised or manufactured in the State, as explained in the Method of Award section. But,

such favorable consideration shall not be employed if prohibited by law or other relevant authority

or agreement.

3.6. METHOD OF AWARD: Awards will be made in the best interest of the State. The State may award one or

more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to other compliant bidders at any time if such

award is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. All other considerations being equal, preference will

be given first to resident bidders of the state and/or to products raised or manufactured in the state, and then

to bidders who have practices that promote clean energy and address climate change, as identified in the

applicable Certificate of Compliance.

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3.6.1. Evaluation Criteria: Consideration shall be given to the Bidder’s project approach and

methodology, qualifications and experience, ability to provide the services within the defined

timeline, cost, and/or success in completing similar projects, as applicable, and to the extent

specified below.

Evaluation Factors

Total Points for This

Factor

Vendor Profile: Experience, Financial Strength, References (Bidder Response Form 10%

Part 1)

Vendor Proposal/Solution and ability to meet the State’s Functional and Non-

30%

Functional Requirements (Bidder Response Form Part 2-4)

Professional Implementation Services: Project Management and Technical services 15%

(Bidder Response Form Part 5 and 6)

Maintenance and Support Services (Bidder Response Form Part 7)

15%

Pricing, includes licensing, maintenance and warranty (Bidder Response Form Part 30%

Adherence to Mandatory Bidding Requirements

Rated Good,

Moderate, or Poor

3.6.2. If the RFP requires a minimum amount of experience or qualifications, the State will award

no points for meeting the minimum. The State will award points for experience and qualifications

that exceed the stated minimums.

3.7. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION: Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State may select one or

more bidders with which to negotiate a contract, based on the evaluation findings and other criteria deemed

relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the State. In the event State is not

successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the State reserves the option of negotiating with

another bidder, or to end the proposal process entirely.

3.8. COST OF PREPARATION: Bidder shall be solely responsible for all expenses incurred in the preparation

of a response to this RFP and shall be responsible for all expenses associated with any presentations or

demonstrations associated with this request and/or any proposals made.

3.9. CONTRACT TERMS: The selected bidder(s) will be expected to sign a contract with the State, including

the Standard Contract Form, Attachment C and Attachment D as attached to this RFP for reference.

3.9.1. Business Registration: To be awarded a contract by the State of Vermont a bidder (except

an individual doing business in his/her own name) must be registered with the Vermont Secretary of

State’s office https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/registration/and must obtain a Contractor’s

Business Account Number issued by the Vermont Department of Taxes http://tax.vermont.gov/ .

3.9.2. The contract will obligate the bidder to provide the services and/or products identified in its

bid, at the prices listed.

3.9.3. Payment Terms: Percentage discounts may be offered for prompt payments of invoices;

however, such discounts must be in effect for a period of 30 days or more in order to be considered

in making awards.

3.9.4. Retainage: In the discretion of the State, a contract resulting from this RFP may provide

that the State withhold a percentage of the total amount payable for some or all deliverables, such

retainage to be payable upon satisfactory completion and State acceptance in accordance with the

terms and conditions of the contract.

3.9.5. Quality: If applicable, all products provided under a contract with the State will be new

and unused, unless otherwise stated. Factory seconds or remanufactured products will not be

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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

TITLE	QUESTIONS DUE	ANSWERS POSTED	DUE DATE	NO POSTING AFTER
Enterprise-wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) Circuits Bidder Response Form	12/08/2025 04:30PM		12/22/2025 04:30PM

Enterprise-wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) Circuits

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