Enterprise-Wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) and Commodity Broadband Circu

Agency:	State of Vermont
State:	Vermont
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541519 - Other Computer Related Services
Posted Date:	Mar 17, 2026
Due Date:	Apr 10, 2026
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	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) and

Commodity Broadband Circuits for the State of

Vermont

ISSUE DATE

QUESTIONS DUE

RFP RESPONSES DUE BY

March 17, 2026

March 27, 2026 – 4:30 PM ET

April 10, 2026 – 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. It is anticipated that

this RFP will have multiple awardees based on this logic.

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

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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 (Attachment A).

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

• Hosting

• Application Solution

• 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.

Revised March 11, 2025

Page 3 of 78

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:

• 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

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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.

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

10%

Response Form Part 1)

Vendor Proposal/Solution and ability to meet the State’s Functional and 30%

Non-Functional Requirements (Bidder Response Form Part 2-4)

Professional Implementation Services: Project Management and Technical 15%

services (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 30%

Form Part 8)

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.

Revised March 11, 2025

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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) and Commodity Broadband Circu Bidder Response Form	03/27/2026 04:30PM		04/10/2026 04:30PM

Enterprise-Wide Direct Internet Access (DIA) and Commodity Broadband Circu

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