Request for Proposal for Computer & Information Technology Services

1. APPROVE the Request for Proposals Scope of Work for Computer & Information Technology Services, subject to counsel approval;
2. AUTHORIZE staff to publish the Request for Proposals and return to the Board of Directors with a recommendation for approval of a consultant, including the final scope of work; and
3. APPROVE the use of funds from the approved project budget for this contract in an amount not to exceed $125,000.

The Agency’s current agreement for computer and network services with Alvarez Technology Group expires December 31, 2019. The agency is seeking to receive proposals from qualified firms to continue the routine maintenance, repairs, and upgrades of the agency’s computers, servers, mobile devices, and network.

The agency’s current contract with Alvarez Technology Group covers maintenance and security of the agency’s file and email servers, as well as the set up of mobile devices and workstations.  For this Request for Proposals, Agency staff is seeking qualified consultant(s) that will install and maintain a network monitoring and management appliance and configure all the covered servers to be monitored twenty four hours per day, seven days per week. The network monitoring and management appliance will alert the consultant(s) to any significant problem that arises on the servers and they will respond during normal working hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday thru Friday, excluding published holidays.

In addition to responding to alerts generated by the network monitoring and management appliance, the proposed scope of work includes provision for the Transportation Agency to also contact the consultant(s) at any time for server-side assistance.  In the event of server issues, the consultant’s technicians will monitor the health and welfare of the server or servers using the network monitoring and management appliance. The servers will be configured to send alerts to the consultant in case of significant problems. Consultant’s technicians will monitor the servers daily, responding automatically to any server alerts and resolving those issues remotely, if possible, or dispatching a technician to address the problem on-site.

Other tasks in the proposed scope of work cover the Agency's cloud-based email system, set up and maintenance of the wireless network, virus and malware protection, mobile device set up, backups and data loss prevention, annual evaluations, and monthly reporting.

In addition, the draft scope of work includes optional tasks for the following items:

1. Workstation 5-Year Lease Program: The consultant will lease workstations to the Transportation Agency, with monthly payments over a five-year period. The consultant will be responsible for maintenance of the hardware and software.
2. Server Migration to Cloud-Based Microsoft Azure / SharePoint: The consultant will migrate the Transportation Agency’s current on-site server to a Microsoft Azure virtual machine, with print server capabilities. Consultant will be required to plan the migration, set up and test, schedule a time in coordination with the Transportation Agency to conduct the change-over from the on-site server to the new Azure cloud-based server, and provide staff training.