Data Communications

The upcoming Data Communications RFP (SPB-RFP-2025-0563LS), issued by the State of Montana and scheduled for release on September 26, 2025, aims to establish new master agreements to replace the current NASPO ValuePoint Data Communications contract with Cisco Systems, Inc., which is set to expire on September 30, 2026. The solicitation is open for responses until November 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM MST. This initiative is part of a cooperative effort involving RFx Premier, a contracting organization partnering with Montana, and is designed to support data communications needs across government entities nationwide, including the State of Wisconsin, which plans to utilize the resulting contracts via a participating addendum. The procurement targets a contract value estimated between 50 million and 150 million dollars, with the scope outlined in Attachment B, the Scope of Work, which details product categories and service requirements. The process is informed by market research through an initial RFI (28456-RB), which sought industry input on available solutions and capabilities, but does not specify evaluation criteria, pricing, or detailed contractual clauses in the current documentation. The existing master agreement with Utah (NASPO AR3227) and Wisconsin’s addendum (505ENT-M21-DATACOMMUN-01) serve as references for current arrangements, but the new RFP will establish fresh contractual terms. No specific FAR clauses, regulatory provisions, or detailed contractual language are incorporated or referenced in the available documents; the governing terms will be those set forth in the resulting master agreements and the RFP itself. The scope of work emphasizes broad support for data communications products and services, with performance expected to commence after the expiration of current agreements, and the primary delivery location is broadly defined as governmental entities across the United States. The procurement process involves electronic proposal submission via the eMACS portal, with no explicit page limits or formatting requirements specified in the current documents. Contact for questions about the RFP is Lauren Spatzierath at Montana’s procurement office, while Wisconsin’s point of contact for market intelligence remains Russell Bowe. Overall, the solicitation represents a strategic effort to modernize and expand data communications procurement for public sector entities through a competitive, cooperative contracting process.