REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) Municipal IT Managed Services (MSP)

1. INVITATION
The Town of Ipswich seeks proposals from qualified Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to deliver comprehensive IT services, cybersecurity, and help desk support.
This procurement is conducted under M.G.L. Chapter 30B.
2. CONTRACT TERM
One (1) year from contract execution.
3. CURRENT ENVIRONMENT
Users
• Active Directory: ~230
• Microsoft 365: 376
Devices
• Endpoints: 165
Sites (11 total)
Includes Town Hall, Police, Fire, DPW, Library, Utilities, and other municipal facilities.
Key Conditions
• AD cleanup required
• M365 licensing optimization needed
• Multi-department + public safety environment
4. SCOPE OF SERVICES
Vendor must provide fully managed IT services, including:
A. Help Desk
• Full user support (all departments)
• After-hours + weekend coverage
• Public safety priority response
B. Cybersecurity (REQUIRED IN BASE FEE)
• EDR
• 24/7 monitoring
• Email security
• MFA
• Patch management
• Vulnerability scanning
• Incident response
C. Infrastructure
• Network management
• Server administration
• Microsoft 365 management
• Backup oversight
D. Additional Services
• VoIP support
• Vendor management
• Asset lifecycle management
• Strategic IT planning
5. IDENTITY & ENVIRONMENT CLEANUP (MANDATORY)
Vendor must:
• Normalize Active Directory
• Remove stale/duplicate accounts
• Align M365 licensing
• Implement onboarding/offboarding standards
6. SERVICE LEVELS (MINIMUM)
• Critical: ≤ 1 hour
• High: ≤ 2 hours
• Standard: ≤ 4 hours
7. MANDATORY SITE VISIT
Ipswich Town Hall, 25 Green Street Ipswich MA 01938; May 13th – 14th, 2026 08:00 AM– 12:00 PM.
8. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Technical Proposal
• Experience
• Staffing
• Approach
• Cybersecurity model
• References
Price Proposal (separate sealed)
Must use Town pricing form.
9. EVALUATION CRITERIA
Criteria
Weight
Experience
25%
Technical Approach
25%
Cybersecurity
20%
Staffing
15%
References
10%
Price
5%
10. BUDGET
Estimated: $200,000 – $250,000 annually.
11. SUBMISSION DEADLINE
May 20, 2026
12. RIGHTS
Town reserves right to reject any/all proposals.
Procurement Officer: Thomas Younger, Interim Town Manager, Chief Procurement Officer
PRICE PROPOSAL FORM (MANDATORY FORMAT)
Vendor Name: ______________________
1. BASE MONTHLY FEE (ALL-IN)
$____________ per month
Must include:
• Help desk (all users)
• After-hours support
• Cybersecurity stack
• Network/server management
• M365 administration
2. ANNUAL TOTAL
$____________
3. ONE-TIME COSTS
Onboarding: $________
Remediation (AD / cleanup): $________
4. TRANSPARENCY METRICS
Cost per user: $________
Cost per endpoint: $________
5. EXCLUSIONS (REQUIRED)
List anything NOT included:
6. ASSUMPTIONS
Must match Town environment:
Signature: ____________________
TAX COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION Pursuant to M.G.L. c.62C §49A, the bidder certifies compliance with all tax laws. Vendor: ____________________ Signature: ____________________
NON-COLLUSION CERTIFICATION The undersigned certifies this proposal is made independently and without collusion. Vendor: ____________________ Signature: ____________________ Date: ____________________