Request for Information # 274-IT2026-03

Request for Information # 274-IT2026-03
Title: Messaging and Public Notification Platform
Issue Date: April 9, 2026
Due Date: April 24, 2026, no later than 3:00PM EST
Issuing Department: Information Technology
Direct all inquiries concerning this RFI to:
Eric Jamison
Enterprise IT Business Analyst
Email: Eric.Jamison@raleighnc.gov
Please note that this Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only, and no
contract will be awarded as a result. A firm or organization's response to the RFI or lack thereof

will have no impact on the evaluation of responses to any subsequent Request for Proposals
(RFP) released. Responses will be used solely for information and planning purposes.
(v.09/15/25)

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 2
1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................. 2
1.2 Background ........................................................................................ 2
1.3 RFI Timeline ...................................................................................... 3
1.4 Submission Requirements & Contact Information ......................... ....3
1.5 Business Engagement & Opportunities ............................................ .4
1.6 Rights to Submitted Material .............................................................. 4
2. Scope of Information Requested ............................................................ 4

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
The City of Raleigh (the "City") is seeking information from qualified vendors regarding
modern, enterprise-level messaging and public notification platforms. This Request for
Information (RFI) is intended to support market research by gathering details on available
solutions, key capabilities, implementation approaches, and high-level cost estimates. The
information collected will help inform future budgeting, planning, and potential procurement
efforts.
Through this RFI, the City aims to:
* Identify modern messaging and notification platforms
* Understand available features and capabilities
* Gather preliminary cost estimates for enterprise deployment
* Explore implementation approaches and timelines
* Inform future budgeting and procurement decisions
Identify solutions that support resident subscription-based critical alerting and notification
services
As a result, the City is conducting this market research effort to better understand the range
of available technologies and identify solutions that can support reliable, scalable, and user-
friendly communication with residents.
This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). Responses will be used for research and planning
purposes only.
A detailed scope of services is provided in Section 2 of this document.
All information related to this solicitation, including any addenda, will be posted to the
North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) at https://evp.nc.gov/.
All questions related to this solicitation must be submitted in writing (via email) to the
following individual - questions submitted via telephone will not be answered:
Contact Name Email Address
Eric Jamison Eric.Jamison@raleighnc.gov
1.2 Background
The City of Raleigh, the Capital City of North Carolina, remains one of the fastest growing
areas in the country. A great economy, top educational institutions, and exceptional health
care facilities are some of the characteristics that attract people to the triangle area. The
mild climate, diverse work force and proximity to Research Triangle Park combine to make
Raleigh a great place to live.
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Raleigh is a 21st Century City of Innovation focusing on environmental, cultural, and
economic sustainability. The City conserves and protects our environmental resources
through best practice and cutting-edge conservation and stewardship, land use,
infrastructure and building technologies. The City welcomes growth and diversity through
policies and programs that will protect and enhance Raleigh's existing neighborhoods,
natural amenities, history, and cultural and human resources for future generations. The
City leads to improve quality of life for neighborhoods and standard of living for all citizens.
The City works with universities, colleges, citizens, and local partners to promote new
technology, create new job opportunities, and encourage local businesses and
entrepreneurs. The City enlists and prepares 21st Century staff with the skill sets to carry
out the duties of the City through transparent civic engagement and by providing the very
best customer service to our citizens.
1.3 Request for Information (RFI) Timeline
Provided below is a list of the anticipated schedule of events related to this solicitation.
The City of Raleigh reserves the right to modify and/or adjust the following schedule to
meet the needs of the service. All times shown are Eastern Time (EST):
RFI Process Date and Time
April 9, 2026
RFI Date
Due Date and Time April 24, 2026 3:00PM EST
1.4 Submission Requirements and Contact Information
Proposals must follow the format as defined in Section 2 (PROPOSALS) and be
addressed and submitted electronically to eric.jamison@raleighnc.gov by 3:00 p.m. on
the due date. The email subject should be RFP #274-IT2026-03 - Messaging and Public
Notification Platform- [Company Name]. Attached to the email should be a signed
original of the proposal. Alternatively, you may submit it electronically via the Messaging
and Public Notification Platform Submission Form.
We are accepting electronic submissions only. Responses should be submitted as a
viewable and printable Adobe Portable Document File (PDF).
Responses must be received by the City on or before the RFI due date and time provided
in RFI Timeline (Section 1.3). Responses received after the RFI due date and time may
not be considered.
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1.5 Business Engagement & Opportunities
The City of Raleigh maintains processes to conduct business with all business
enterprises, including small, emerging, growing, under-capitalized, and under-resourced
firms or organizations.
1.6 Rights to Submitted Material
All responses and supporting materials, as well as correspondence relating to this RFI,
shall become the property of the City. Any proprietary data must be clearly marked. In
submitting a response, each Prospective vendor agrees that the City may reveal any trade
secret materials contained in such response to all City staff and City officials involved in
the review process and to any outside consultant or other third party who serves on the
review Team.
Responses marked entirely as "confidential", "proprietary", or "trade secret" will
be removed from the review process.
2 SCOPE OF INFORMATION REQUESTED
Vendors are asked to provide information on the following:
2.1 Company Overview
* Company name, headquarters location, and years in business
* Experience working with government or municipal clients
* Description of similar implementations
2.2 Platform Overview
* Description of the platform and core capabilities
* Deployment model (cloud-based, SaaS, etc.)
* Scalability for large municipalities
2.3 Functional Capabilities
Please describe how your solution supports the following:
* Emergency notifications (e.g., SMS, voice, email, push notifications)
* Messaging platform for critical alerts and public notifications that enables residents to:
Subscribe via multiple channels (web, SMS keyword, QR code, etc.)
o
Manage preferences by topic, department, or geographic area
o
Easily opt in and opt out of notifications
o
* Non-emergency/public information messaging (subscription-based alerts)
* Two-way communication (if available)
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* Contact management and segmentation
* Multilingual messaging capabilities
* Accessibility compliance (ADA)
2.4 Reliability and Performance
* Message delivery success rates and reporting
* Redundancy and uptime guarantees
* Incident history or known service disruptions
* Monitoring and alerting capabilities
2.5 Administration and User Experience
* Ease of use for administrators
* Role-based access controls
* Training and onboarding support
* Customer support model and response times
2.6 Integration and Interoperability
* Integration with existing systems (e.g., CRM, GIS, public websites)
* API availability
* Data import/export capabilities
2.7 Reporting and Analytics
* Delivery tracking and reporting tools
* Engagement metrics
* Audit logs and compliance reporting
2.8 Security and Compliance
* Data security standards and certifications
* Compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., CJIS, HIPAA if applicable)
* Data ownership and access controls
2.9 Implementation Approach
* Typical implementation timeline
* Required City resources
* Data migration capabilities
2.10 Pricing Structure
Please provide high-level cost estimates, including:
* Licensing or subscription fees
* Pricing model (per user, per message, tiered, etc.)
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* Implementation costs
* Optional add-ons or modules
* Availability of unlimited or high-volume messaging plans, including:
Any limits, throttling, or fair-use policies
o
Pricing for bulk or enterprise-level SMS usage
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Cost differences between capped vs. unlimited messaging models
o
2.11 Additional Considerations
The City is also interested in understanding:
* Options for managing or integrating QR code-based engagement (e.g., signage tied to
messaging systems)
* Flexibility to operate independently of county-managed systems
* Ability to support both centralized and department-level use cases
* Support for high-volume outbound messaging, particularly during emergencies or
major public events
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