Request for Proposal - Cloud Telephony

Request for Proposals
Cloud Telephony Phone System
ISSUE DATE: 06/24/2026
PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 07/15/2026, 4:30 PM CENTRAL
PROPOSALS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE
CONSIDERED
All proposals must be submitted in a sealed package and labeled, "Sealed Proposal: VoIP Telephone System." Proposals
received after the deadline will not be accepted and will be returned to the sender unopened. Proposals may not be delivered
via facsimile or e-mail. Proposals shall be sent by Federal Express (or comparable carrier) or hand delivered to the address
indicated in the Proposal Submission Summary. The full name and address of the proposer will be clearly marked on the
outside of the package that is inside the Federal Express package or comparable carrier.

Proposal Submission Summary
Submit: 1. One (1) printed, signed, original Proposal and signed addenda
2. One (1) flash drive containing Proposal which needs to include:
a. General Certifications Form
Send to: City of Lake Forest
Sealed Proposal: Lake Forest Cloud Telephony System RFP
Cameron Burrell, Director of IT
800 N. Field Drive
Lake Forest, IL 60045
Effective immediately upon release of this Request for Proposals (RFP) and until notice of
contract award, all communications from proposers regarding this RFP shall be directed to the
City designee:
Cameron Burrell, Director of IT
burrellc@cityoflakeforest.com
The City, or designee, shall distribute all official changes, modifications, responses to questions or
notices relating to the requirements of this RFP. Any information from any other source shall not be
considered official and proposers relying on information from other sources do so at their own risk.
Listed below are specific and anticipated dates and times of actions related to this RFP. The actions
with specific dates must be completed as indicated unless otherwise changed. An addendum to this
RFP will be issued in the event that it is necessary to change any of the specific dates and times in
the summary of events listed below:
Schedule
Milestone Timeframe
RFP Issuance 06/24/2026
Deadline for Clarification Questions 07/08/2026
Intent to Propose Requested 07/08/2026
City Distributes Final Addenda 07/10/2026
Vendor Proposals Submission Deadline 07/15/2026 by 4:30 PM Central
Demonstrations of System 08/05/2026
Contract Award 09/08/2026
Anticipated Receipt of Hardware &
09/09/2026
Installation Start
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Index
1 Scope of Work ..................................................................................................................................... 4
2 Submission Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 7
3 Proposal ............................................................................................................................................... 9
4 Contract Terms & Conditions .......................................................................................................... 15
5 Attachments ..................................................................................................................................... 18
5.1 Attachment A - General Certification ....................................................................................................................................................................... 18
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
1 Scope of Work
The City of Lake Forest is preparing to replace its on-premises Mitel telephony platform with a modern,
cloud-based Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution. To support that effort, the City
has elected to conduct a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process to select a technology supplier.
The specifications of this project are an integral part of the City's formal Request for Proposal (RFP).
All responders are required to review this document in detail and acknowledge their understanding of
the technical aspects of this project in order to be considered a responsible Proposer.
The intended primary objectives of this project are:
To improve communication to City residents by telephone
To provide uninterrupted and continuous service to constituents
To provide the capability to expand the services a telephone system offers
To replace outdated equipment which can no longer be adequately serviced
The project encompasses the following:
Gathering end-user information to be used in programming the new system
Providing, programming, installing and connecting all equipment necessary to provide a fully
functioning telephone telecommunications system that meets the City's voice call processing
requirements
Connecting the system and programming the system to external paging/intercom systems
Connecting the system and programming the system to support existing analog devices (fax,
credit card machines and analog telephone instruments)
Conduct end-user and system administration training
Provide on-site "post-cutover" support
Removal of the existing telephone system equipment after the new system is installed
Desired Functionality
The Desired Functionality section is intended to identify functionality that the City would require for
replacement and additions to our City's phone system. The City has experienced telephony outages
historically. Current hardware and servers are aging, and the Mitel platform is considered antiquated.
Reliability is the single most important objective. The goal is to move the phone system off premises
and into the cloud for improved reliability and supportability. We want to equip staff with modern
communication tools that are not available on the current platform. A mobile client will allow
employees to place and receive calls from their City phone number on a mobile device, which is
something they cannot do today, where calls can only be forwarded to a personal cell. Desktop and
mobile soft clients will give staff a consistent calling, voicemail, and presence experience whether they
are in the office, working hybrid, or in the field. This directly supports the City's hybrid workforce and
reduces reliance on personal devices for City business.
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
Current Environment
The City currently uses Mitel Connect on-premises. Our current SIP infrastructure contains ADTRAN
devices, a primary and a backup, that helped improved stability over the prior SIP setup, but is more
of a band-aid solution than anything else. The hardware we currently have in place is aging and
antiquated, which means we are still dealing with intermittent issues and the platform is effectively
end-of-life.
We have approximately 310 users, and that includes actual users and labeled locations within the City.
We have 11 sites that will need phone hardware and we are a hybrid workforce. With some users being
able to work from home, remote phone feature capability is a must. The City will also have a new police
department building completed with a target date by the end of 2026. We will need to account for an
external phone that routes to Glenview's dispatch center, along with one at our current Public Safety
building.
Our current carrier is BCMOne and we have recently renewed contract with them for one more year
until April 2027. We have a DID count of 251 that we would like to maintain and port over to the new
carrier. We understand that retaining each number, whether in use or held in reserve, comes with a
recurring cost.
We currently use Microsoft Teams for meetings and messaging in our environment as well. We know
that Teams phones are an option for cloud telephony. We currently use Microsoft 365 G3 licensing
which we know does not allow for direct routing. We are asking vendors to describe their G3 approach
and provide the optional path of upgrading to G5 and what that looks like for our users as well.
Our existing hardware consists of the IP480 series of ShoreTel phones, along with approximately six
IP930D conference room phones that would all be replaced as part of this project.
ACD/Group Calling
The City uses hunt groups at multiple locations. About 12 workgroup/supervisor licenses are currently
being used, but no formal queueing is in use. Our current hunt group setup is adequate, however, the
City would be interested in lightweight ACD with basic reporting features would be useful. We do not
currently use real-time or historical reporting.
AI Front Desk
The City is interested in exploring the opportunity to leverage current AI tools in order to provide a
better experience to residents who need to call in for different City services. We understand that large
advances have been made in this regard and would like the opportunity to assess how it would
function in our environment and how receptive residents would be. The City does not currently have
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
a live operator to field and direct calls strictly from the main number. We believe an AI agent would
help get people where they need to go much more quickly than our current system.
Analog Requirements
The City has 6 elevator phones that are currently on POTS lines that will need to be converted to a
cellular-based replacement devices at each location. The City already uses Granite cellular units for
emergency phones at other locations, something similar to this setup would work best for us. We also
user overhead paging at the City's Public Safety building and would need this update/replaced as well.
Voice Forms
The City currently uses a custom ShoreTel voice form tool that allow for residents to submit
information pertaining to different services like missed garbage pickups and other public works
services through a menu. We would like to either recreate this capability on the new system or come
up with a new way of doing this to ensure ease of use with our residents.
Professional Services for Configuration
Successful Proposer will provide hardware and network supplementation is anticipated to be
completed by City IT staff.
We are targeting a cloud-hosted platform to replace our on-premises system entirely. All
telephony endpoints (phones, paging, analog devices, door/panel phones) must be converted
to SIP endpoints supported by the cloud platform.
Successful Proposer will include remote training of approximately 6 general users and 4
administrators.
Licensing and Maintenance
Provide pricing for one year of usage licensing, 8x5 support and maintenance of the
recommended hardware.
Must include annual web-based administration and analytics in pricing.
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
2 Submission Procedures
Intent to Propose
Prospective Vendors are encouraged to submit an intent-to-propose email notification. See Proposal
Submission Summary on page 2 for deadline and recipient. Submitting an intent-to-propose
document does not obligate the Vendor to submit a proposal and is not mandatory to submit a
proposal.
RFP Clarifications and Questions
If any person contemplating submitting a proposal is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of
this RFP, they may submit to the City a written request for an interpretation thereof.
Proposal Evaluation and Vendor Process
Responses to this RFP will be evaluated by a City Selection Team consisting of various stakeholders
from multiple departments. At any point in time during the evaluations a Vendor may be excluded
from further consideration. Reference checking with comparable entities using the Proposer's product
will be conducted after Proposal submission. The top Proposers may be asked to provide a
system/hardware demonstration and/or professional services interview.
City of Lake Forest has a procedure by which proposals are reviewed; this approach allows the City to
evaluate the vendors based on the type of equipment proposed, the cost of their services and/or
equipment, their ability to complete the work within a required amount of time, their past record in
performing similar work and their ability to work with local staff. The following factors will be evaluated
for each vendor that submits a proposal:
1. Manufacturer Strength: Financial strength, years in business, system's market share,
product's current life cycle position, accessibility of support.
2. Vendor Support: Number of similar systems installed, manufacturer support, number of
certified technicians on proposed systems, number of systems under maintenance
agreements, references.
3. System Resiliency: The system's ability to survive component failure and/or public
telephone network failures (i.e. SIP failure, WAN failure).
4. The proposed system's ability to meet current and potential requirements: multi-site
integration, ease of system administration, and flexibility of system programming.
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
5. Telephone instruments: Ease of use, functionality, variety and cost.
6. System cost: System acquisition, post warranty support and telco installation. The City
reserves the right to adjust features and quantities from those requested to address budgetary
considerations.
7. User References: The vendor's current clients used as reference of system/service
operability and reliability.
8. Product Demonstrations: Proposed system to be demonstrated and evaluated by select City
staff for operability.
The City will select a vendor on the basis of the responsiveness of the proposal to the RFP requirements
and willingness to negotiate and execute an acceptable written agreement. The City reserves the right
to reject any, some or all proposals and to request written clarification of proposals and supporting
materials.
Responses may be rejected if the vendor fails to perform any of the following:
1. To adhere to one or more of the provisions established in this RFP
2. To submit a response and complete all required forms
3. To demonstrate technical competence
4. To submit a response on or before the deadline
5. To fulfill a request for an onsite presentation
6. To arrange and conduct a visit to a customer currently using the proposed system
Discussions may be conducted with responsible entities that have submitted proposals in order to
clarify certain elements. Proposals shall be afforded fair and equal treatment with respect to any
opportunity for discussion and revision. Any such revisions may be permitted after submissions and
prior to award for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers at the discretion of the City. In
conducting discussions, there shall be no disclosure of information derived from proposals submitted
by competing proposers. The selection shall be done by a review team and will be recommended to
the City Council for final approval.
The City of Lake Forest reserves the right to negotiate with more than one potential awardee after the
submission of all proposals.
The City of Lake Forest may award a contract based on initial proposals received without discussing
such proposals among the vendors.
The City of Lake Forest reserves the right to accept any submittal, or any parts or parts thereof, or to
reject any, some or all submittals.
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
3 Proposal
To be considered responsive, Proposals must be submitted by the due date and time and contains an
original signature of a company officer on the General Certification Requirements Form.
All proposals must be submitted in a sealed package and labeled. Proposals received after the deadline
will not be accepted and will be returned to the sender unopened. Proposals may not be delivered
via facsimile or e-mail. Proposals shall be sent by Federal Express (or comparable carrier) or hand
delivered to Municipal Services, 800 N. Field Dr., Lake Forest, IL 60045. The full name and address of
the proposer will be clearly marked on the outside of the package that is inside the Federal Express
package or comparable carrier.
Vendor Proposal to include:
A narrative describing the proposed scope of services for the performance of this project
List of equipment proposed with manufacturer and model numbers and itemized pricing
A proposed implementation schedule showing milestones given in days from contract
execution date
The names and qualifications of the project manager, lead technician, supporting technicians,
dedicated staff trainer, and all others who will be assigned to the project
List of any exceptions to the specifications, or a statement that no exceptions are being needed
List of references for similar projects with name, address, email and phone number
Acknowledgment of receipt of these specifications and any RFP addendums
The RFP is designed to provide each vendor the ability to discuss creative solutions to the
telecommunication requirements of the City. If your proposed system has additional capabilities,
functions, or enhancements that are not mentioned as standard in the specification, please provide
the necessary information.
While dependable service is of paramount concern to the City, price is very important. A system cost
analysis will include hardware acquisition, manufacturer upgrades and annual maintenance. After the
proposals have been reviewed, selected vendors may be requested to make a presentation. Until that
time, only the originally quoted price will be considered. The Proposer's quoted price should be as
competitive as possible. Prices submitted after the receipt of proposals, unless requested by the City,
will not be considered valid.
Responses to the RFP shall be in one volume. Any firm brochures and/or information pertaining to
the qualifications of the vendor and/or manufacturer may be submitted, but all must be included in a
single volume. Two (2) copies are required, including one unbound copy. The Proposer shall also
provide the response information in electronic format on a USB device.
If a Vendor omits from their RFP submission any of the materials described above, the City will retain
the right to eliminate the proposal from consideration.
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The City of Lake Forest
Request for Proposals
The City reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to use without limitation any and all information,
concepts, and data submitted in response to this RFP, or derived by further investigation thereof. The
City further reserves the right at any time and for any reason to cancel this solicitation, to reject any or
all Proposals, to supplement, add to, delete from, or otherwise change this RFP if conditions dictate.
The City may seek clarifications from a vendor at any time and failure to respond promptly may be
cause for rejection. The City also reserves the right to consider those vendors it determines shall
provide the most advantageous services and to negotiate with one or more vendors to develop
contract terms acceptable to The City.
To facilitate the analysis of responses to this RFP, the Proposer is required to prepare their proposals
in accordance with the instructions outlined in this section. The proposal should be organized as
follows:
Executive Summary
This part of the response to the RFP should be limited to a brief narrative not to exceed two (2) pages
describing the Vendor's ability to provide the City's solicitation identified in this RFP. Vendors must
provide information about their company so that the City can evaluate the Vendor's stability and ability
to support the commitments set forth in response to this RFP.
Proposed Services
The requirements defined in 'Scope of Work' contain the overall desired outcomes of the requested
goods and/or services. Each Vendor should review the desired services/scope of work requested and
respond as to their availability.
Cost
Please provide costs for the physical phone hardware count (300 desk phones, 6 conference
room phones), 300 DID numbers, and training.
Do not use, "To Be Determined," "Time and Materials," or similar annotations, as the City is
asking Proposers to provide pricing for all desired outcomes with the understanding that they
may have to make assumptions. Such assumptions should be stated in this section.
All on-going or recurring costs must be provided
Vendors may submit multiple versions of pricing forms to reflect multiple proposal options, if
offered.
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