RFP: Telecommunications System Replacement and Services

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
AND SERVICES
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
No. BOC-4-26
Owner: Borough of Carlisle
53 West South Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
Owner's Representative: Richard JT Juday
(717) 249-4422
Email: RJuday@carlislepa.org

BOROUGH OF CARLISLE
FOUNDED 1751
COUNCIL MEMBERS
SEAN SHULTZ, MAYOR
SAFRONIA PERRY, DEPUTY MAYOR
RACHEL JAMES
CATE MELLEN
JACKIE ROOS
MITCH SHILES JR.
JEFF STUBY
BOROUGH MANAGER
SUSAN ARMSTRONG
ASSISTANT BOROUGH MANAGER
RICHARD JUDAY

BOROUGH OF CARLISLE
PUBLIC ADVERTISEMENT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Separate and sealed proposals will be received by the Borough of Carlisle, Municipal Building,
53 W. South Street, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 17013, until 12:00 p.m., prevailing time, August
25, 2026.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM REPLACEMENT AND SERVICES
If you would like to receive a copy of this proposal please obtain it from the Borough website:
www.carlislepa.org, or contact the Finance Department at 717-249-4422 and a copy will be
mailed to you.
No bid may be withdrawn for sixty (60) days after same has been opened with the Borough of
Carlisle.
This project is subject to the requirements of the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act and the
Pennsylvania Public Works Employment Verification Act.
The Carlisle Borough Council reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or any portion
therein, and to waive any informalities in proposals received.
BY ORDER OF THE BOROUGH COUNCIL
Richard JT Juday
Assistant Borough Manager

INFORMATION FOR BIDDERS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM REPLACEMENT AND SERVICES
No. BOC-4-26
1.0 GENERAL
The Borough of Carlisle invites qualified telecommunications vendors and Unified
Communications as a Service (UCaaS) providers who possess the capability and expertise
to provide a turn-key replacement of the Borough's existing phone system. The selected
vendor will provide hardware, software, installation, training, and ongoing support
services according to the requirements of this request for proposals.
The purpose of this process is to obtain a modern, reliable, and cost-effective
communication solution to modernize or replace the existing AVAYA platform. Written
proposals using the Proposal form format provided herein will be received until 12:00 PM,
August 25, 2026 via the Reception Desk, Borough Hall, 53 W. South Street, Carlisle, PA
17013.
1.10 PROCEDURAL INSTRUCTIONS
1.11 Intent
The intent of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select one qualified vendor to implement
a Borough-wide Unified Communications solution. The Borough is open to proposals for
Hosted VoIP (UCaaS), On-Premise IP-PBX, or Hybrid architectures. The primary objective
is to select the solution that best balances cost, modernization, and critical high-availability
needs for the Police Department.
1.12 Proposal Form
Each proposer should follow the outline contained under section 8.0 "Proposal Form and
Content". It is required that the proposal be completed in its entirety.
1.13 No Proposal
If a proposer cannot meet a service requirement, then the term "No Proposal" should be
entered on the Proposal form for that specific requirement. In the case of a "No Proposal"
remark, the proposer should explain why no proposal was entered and may offer an
alternative equivalent service.
1.14 Sealed Proposals
A proposal must be submitted in a sealed envelope or package and be clearly marked
"Borough of Carlisle - Telecommunications System Replacement & Services RFP." The
proposer shall return one (1) copy of completed Proposal Forms and other pertinent

information (technical specs, Service Level Agreement, etc.) no later than August 25, 2026
12:00 PM, to Richard JT Juday, Assistant Borough Manager via the Reception Desk located
at 53 West South Street, Carlisle, PA 17013. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure
that the proposal arrives on time at the right place.
1.15 Public Information
All submitted proposals and information included therein or attached thereto shall become
a public record upon their opening by the Borough.
1.16 Letter of Intent
Vendors wishing to submit proposals are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) via
email to RJuday@carlislepa.org by July 17, 2026.
* Content: Please identify the Proposer's name, company name, address, and the
direct contact information (email and phone) for the person who will serve as the
primary contact for all correspondence regarding this RFP.
* Requirement Status: Submission of a Letter of Intent is not mandatory to submit a
final proposal. However, it is required in order to be placed on the official
distribution list. Only vendors who have submitted an LOI will receive automatic
updates, official addenda, and the Borough's written responses to vendor questions.
1.17 Responses to Proposer Questions
A proposer may submit written questions to clarify any matters relating to this RFP no later
than July 28, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The proposer's question and the Borough's answer will
become public record and will be distributed via email to all vendors who have submitted
a Letter of Intent per Section 1.16. Telephone responses will not be provided. No
communication in any form shall be had with any member of Borough Council concerning
the RFP or the proposed project.
1.18 Borough Contact
The contact person for the Borough is:
Richard JT Juday
Assistant Borough Manager
Borough of Carlisle
53 W. South Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
(717) 249-4422
RJuday@carlislepa.org
1.19 Pre-Proposal Conference
There will be a pre-proposal conference at the Borough Municipal Building, 53 W. South
Street, Carlisle, PA 17013. The conference will be held on July 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM. This

conference is offered to provide any further information needed, to review current
infrastructure, and to clarify and answer proposer questions. Attendance is not mandatory
for proposal submission; however, it is highly recommended that all proposers attend this
conference.
1.20 Right to Reject Proposals and Waive Informalities
The Borough reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, the right in its sole discretion
to accept the proposal considered most favorable to the Borough, and the right to waive
minor irregularities in the procedures or proposals if it is deemed in the best interest of the
Borough.
The Borough reserves the right to conduct personal interviews or request product
demonstrations of any or all proposers prior to selection. A live demonstration will be
mandatory for the top 2 finalists.
1.21 Classification
This RFP is treated as a proposal for professional services and technology implementation.
Therefore, this RFP process is intended to discern qualified proposers and to determine by
proposal evaluation, personal interviews, pre-contract negotiations, and by other methods,
in the sole discretion of the Borough, the selection of one vendor to provide comprehensive
telecommunications services.
2.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Borough of Carlisle is located in south central Pennsylvania approximately 18 miles
southwest of Harrisburg. The Borough currently utilizes a legacy Avaya VoIP platform
with nodes at Borough Hall and the Police Department. The existing handset inventory has
reached end-of-life, necessitating a complete hardware refresh. The system is connected via
secure network links and VPNs.
2.10 Current Environment & Locations
The new system must connect the following key locations via a unified extension dialing
plan:
* Borough Hall: 53 W. South Street (Primary Administrative Hub).
* Police Department: 240 Lincoln Street.
* Water Treatment Plant: 165 Longs Gap Road.
* Sewer Treatment Plant: 54 North Middlesex Road.
* Community Center / Parks & Rec: 415 Franklin Street.
* Carlisle Community Pool: 1236 Franklin Street, Carlisle, PA 17013
* Public Works Garage: 7 E. Garland Drive.
2.20 Objectives

The Borough seeks to replace or upgrade the existing system to a modern standard. The
goal is to obtain a feature-rich solution that utilizes the Borough's existing network
infrastructure. Proposals may utilize a Cloud delivery model or a modern On-Premise
server architecture. Regardless of the deployment model, the solution must provide robust
redundancy for the Police Department.
3.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES
The selected vendor will coordinate with our existing IT Professionals (Hinton &
Associates) and be the primary resource responsible for the design, installation,
configuration, and training for the new system.
3.10 System Architecture & Redundancy
* Primary Solution: The Borough requests vendors to propose architecture that
provides the best Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over a 5-year period. Vendors may
bid:
o Option A: Fully Hosted (Cloud/UCaaS).
o Option B: On-Premise IP-PBX (Hardware/Virtualized).
o Option C: Hybrid (On-premise for Police; Cloud for Admin).
* High Availability & Failover (Police Dept): The Carlisle Police Department utilizes
a Dual-WAN network architecture with redundant internet connections (Primary
Fiber and Secondary Coax/Comcast).
o Failover Capability: The proposed handsets and system configuration must
support automatic failover. In the event the primary internet circuit fails and
the network switches to the backup circuit, the phones must automatically re-
register to the host system within three (3) minutes or less.
o No Manual Intervention: The failover process must not require manual
intervention (e.g., physically rebooting phones or unplugging cables) by
Borough staff.
o Testing Acceptance: As part of the final system acceptance testing, the
vendor must demonstrate a live failover (simulating a primary circuit cut) to
prove that inbound and outbound calls function correctly on the backup
circuit.
* Remote Work Strategy: Regardless of the architecture proposed (Cloud or On-
Premise), the vendor must describe how remote work is handled for administrative
staff, specifically regarding the use of mobile apps or softphones outside the
Borough network.
3.20 Hardware Requirements
The proposal must include the cost of new handsets to replace the entire existing inventory.
The Borough does not intend to reuse the existing legacy endpoints. Based on current
inventory, the estimated quantities are:

* (4) Reception Consoles: High-button count/sidecar capability.
* (10) Manager Style Phones: Larger screens, multiple line keys.
* (75) Standard Desk Phones: Gigabit pass-through, PoE compliant.
* Conference Units: For meeting rooms (quantity to be determined during survey).
* Analog Gateways: Equipment necessary to support analog lines for fax machines,
alarms, and emergency communications at each physical location.
* Disposal / Trade-In & Data Security: The Borough possesses approximately 80
legacy Avaya endpoints and associated central processing equipment
(Cabinets/Servers).
o Trade-in/Disposal: The vendor should specify if there is any trade-in value
for this equipment or if they will include the cost of environmentally
compliant disposal in their proposal.
o Certificate of Destruction: For the central server hardware and voicemail
storage units, the vendor must remove the hard drives and provide a formal
Certificate of Destruction. This certificate must guarantee that all storage
media has been physically destroyed or digitally wiped in accordance with
industry standards to prevent data recovery.
3.30 Critical Features
The proposed solution must include:
* Police Department Recording: The system must record calls placed to/from Police
Department dispatch phones, E911 transfers, and designated patrol room phones.
Recordings must be retained for a minimum of 90 days and be exportable in
standard industry formats (MP3/WAV).
* Mobility: Mobile applications (iOS/Android) for remote staff to make/receive calls
from their business number.
* Unified Messaging: Integration with Microsoft 365 (Teams/Outlook) for voicemail-
to-email and directory integration.
* Auto-Attendant: Multi-level menus for different departments (e.g., Finance, Codes,
Police Non-Emergency).
* E911 Compliance: Full compliance with Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act, ensuring
dispatchable location information is sent to Public Safety Answering Point for every
device.
3.40 Implementation and Training
* Project Management: The vendor will provide a dedicated Project Manager.
* Number Porting: The vendor must handle the porting of phone numbers if a new
carrier is proposed, or coordinate with the Borough's existing carrier to migrate
circuits to the new hardware.
* Training:
o End Users: Estimated (4) 2-hour sessions (Seminar style). Vendor to

coordinate with Borough on scheduling to maximize attendance.
o Receptionists: Estimated (2) 2-hour specialized sessions focusing on high-
volume call handling and console operations.
o Administrators: Estimated (1) 4-hour deep-dive session for IT staff (Hinton
& Associates/Internal IT) on system management, user
moves/adds/changes, and reporting.
o Digital Materials: Vendor must provide a "Quick Start Guide" (PDF) and,
while preferred but not required, access to a library of short training videos
for future onboarding of new staff.
3.50 Support and Warranty
The proposal must clearly separate annual support and maintenance costs. The vendor
must describe hardware replacement policies in the event of device failure (e.g., advance
replacement vs. repair-and-return).
Proposals must include a detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA) defining Response Times
and coverage hours. The Borough requires the following minimum standards:
* Standard Support (Administrative Offices): Support for non-critical issues at
Borough Hall and administrative sites may be provided during standard business
hours (Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST).
* Critical Public Safety Support (Police Department): The Borough requires
24/7/365 support coverage for the Police Department.
o Critical Severity Definition: Any outage affecting the Police Department's
ability to make or receive calls, or a failure of the automatic failover system.
o Response Time: For Critical Severity issues, the vendor must guarantee a
response within one (1) hour for remote diagnostics and four (4) hours for
onsite technician arrival if the issue cannot be resolved remotely, regardless
of the time of day, weekend, or holiday.
3.60 Prevailing Wage Requirements
This project is anticipated to exceed $25,000 and is therefore subject to the following state
requirements for public works:
(a) Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act: The installation, cabling, and mounting of
telecommunications equipment for this project is classified as public work. The
successful vendor must pay prevailing wages for all applicable labor and shall base
their bid upon the applicable minimum wage rates as determined by the Secretary
of Labor and Industry. The official Prevailing Wage Rate Determination has been
requested from the PA Department of Labor and Industry and will be provided to
all registered proposers via formal Addendum prior to the Pre-Proposal
Conference. Proposers must separate the cost of equipment/hardware from the cost
of installation labor on the Fee Schedule (Appendix A) to ensure compliance.
(b) Pennsylvania Public Works Employment Verification Act: Each bidder must
submit to the Borough with their proposal an executed verification form as

published by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. The form and
information regarding the requirements of this Act and of federal law with respect
to the use of the E-Verify Program are available on the Department of General
Services' website.
4.0 ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO VENDOR
The Borough's Information Technology (IT) provider (Hinton & Associates) will be
available to assist with:
* Providing access to the existing network infrastructure (PoE switches and cabling).
* Configuring VLANs and Firewall rules based on Vendor specifications.
* Providing user data (extensions, names, emails) for system programming.
* Note: The selected vendor must perform a Network Readiness Assessment prior to
implementation to certify that existing cabling and PoE switching capacity meets
VoIP standards. If cabling modifications are required, they will be addressed as a
separate project; however, the vendor must identify these needs during the
assessment.
5.0 ADDITIONAL SERVICES
It is expected that the firm retained shall be available throughout the contract term for
consultation regarding feature upgrades and expansion. The vendor should identify any
new technologies (e.g., AI transcription, video conferencing integration) that the Borough
might find useful.
6.0 SELECTION PROCESS
6.1 Criteria for Selection
Criteria for evaluation of proposals will be as follows:
* Qualifications: Experience with municipal government and Public Safety (Police)
environments.
* Solution Fit: Ability to meet specific technical requirements (Recording, Failover).
* Capacity: Ability to provide implementation and training on a timely basis.
* Cost: Total cost of ownership (TCO) including acquisition and ongoing operating
costs.
6.2 Evaluation of Criteria
The Borough will evaluate whether or not firms commit to fixed pricing and the specific
experience of the implementation team. The Borough reserves the right to reject any
proposal that does not explicitly address the Police Department recording and redundancy
requirements.
7.0 CONTRACT TERMS