CLOSED - Request for Proposals: Server Virtualization Consulting and Implementation (Solicitation #2122-08)

The City has “bare metal” Microsoft Windows servers (“bare metal” server = a physical server that is dedicated to a single tenant.) The City wants to virtualize these servers, create a process for snapshot backups, and implement (and test) a strategy for disaster recovery. The City wants to make this change strategically, with a minimal amount of additional hardware & software purchases. The City is not seeking a Managed Services Provider or a long-term commitment. This project is seen as a one-time surge of effort to quickly move to a virtualized server infrastructure.

The Server Virtualization project will consist of two phases.

• Phase one will be an analysis of the current server infrastructure that should result in a strategy, a list of necessary purchases, and a fixed-price proposal for the work.
• Phase two will be the virtualization effort.  Due to security requirements, all server work must be made by City staff with guidance by the Vendor through online meetings with a screen share.

This RFP seeks proposals for a Vendor who will partner with the City for an analysis (phase one) and then use the analysis to propose a fixed-price implementation (phase two).

It is the intent of the City that the successful Vendor for this RFP will perform both phases.  However, the City reserves the right to initiate a separate RFP for phase two or to decline to proceed.

• The work for phase one will be paid on a time & materials cost basis.  The project’s two phases will have different pricing mechanisms:
• Phase two’s implementation of the strategy will be performed at the fixed price proposed by the successful Vendor from phase one - or by the successful Vendor of a new RFP for phase two.

Responses are due by September 10, 2021 at 5 PM Central Time.