RFP No. 902705 Network Systems Modernization

It is the intent of these specifications, terms, and conditions to describe network systems modernization being requested by the County.

The County intends to award a three (3) year contract (with the option to renew for two (2) years) to the Bidder selected as the most responsive and responsible Bidder whose response conforms to the RFP and meets the County’s requirements.

The Network Modernization Project will encompass both on-premises enterprise data centers and public cloud environments to deliver resilient, secure, and scalable network services across approximately 200 locations throughout the County of Alameda’s geographically dispersed footprint. The modernization effort will address an environment supporting 30,000 wired switchports and approximately 10,000 remote and on-site users, ensuring seamless connectivity and optimized performance. This infrastructure supports essential County operations serving approximately 1.6 million residents who rely on these systems for critical public services.

The County of Alameda’s current technology infrastructure has reached a point where modernization is essential to meet the demands of emerging technologies and evolving County initiatives. The County’s agencies require a secure, scalable, and efficient infrastructure framework capable of supporting diverse services and continuous innovation. To achieve this, the County of Alameda is advancing toward automated device and network management solutions designed to improve operational efficiency, consistency, and resiliency. The new architecture will be built upon Zero Trust principles, emphasizing continuous verification, least privilege access, and robust endpoint security.

A key objective of this modernization effort is to strengthen software and configuration management across all infrastructure components, ensuring standardized deployment, improved governance, and enhanced visibility. These improvements will deliver stronger security controls, better compliance, and improved oversight of County assets. As part of this initiative, the County of Alameda is also embarking on a comprehensive branch and campus modernization program to upgrade network infrastructure, enhance connectivity, and enable secure, high-performance access across all County locations. This modernization will support both remote and on-site operations, aligning with the County’s goals for automation, security, and efficient service delivery.

The County of Alameda has adopted a hybrid computing model that integrates on-premises and cloud environments. This includes virtualization technologies such as Broadcom VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Oracle VirtualBox, as well as cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The awarded Contractor will be expected to assist in maintaining, optimizing, and evolving this hybrid and distributed environment to ensure ongoing alignment with industry’s best practices and County standards and integrating this architecture with the current County systems and operations.

The County’s vision is to evolve toward a zero-trust architecture that ensures every user, device, and workload connecting to the County of Alameda network is authenticated, authorized, and continuously monitored. This initiative will strengthen County operations, improve service delivery, and enhance the overall security posture while aligning with modern technologies and regulatory requirements. The modernization effort includes significant upgrades to branch and campus networks, ensuring that all County locations benefit from standardized, automated, and policy-driven network infrastructure. These enhancements will improve performance, security, and manageability across all campuses and remote sites, providing consistent user experience and unified security posture regardless of location.