Telecom Line Audit and Optimization Assessment

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued as a means of discovery and information gathering for an opportunity to explore offerings in the marketplace that could potentially assist the City of Phoenix (City) Information Technology Services in reducing costs and optimizing expenses through the review of the City's legacy telecommunications services.

The RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation nor should it be construed as an obligation on the part of the City to make any purchases.

This RFI should not be construed as a means to pre-qualify vendors.

This is not a formal solicitation, but a request for interested parties to provide information as specified herein.

Participation in this RFI is voluntary.

No purchases will be made as a result of this request. Any price information provided shall be used for general comparison purposes only. Do not include applicable state and local taxes.

OBTAINING A COPY OF THE RFI AND ADDENDA

Interested parties may download the complete RFI and addenda from https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix. Internet access is available at all public libraries.

Background

The City of Phoenix Information Technology Services has over 460 facilities over 520 square miles. The city has an inventory of almost 2000 legacy services that require review and disposition.

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFI 26-0508
• Department: Finance Central Procurement
• Department Head: Austin Soldano (Chief Procurement Officer)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-17T21:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• PREPARATION OF RESPONSE —

  It is the responsibility of all vendors to examine the entire RFI and seek clarification of any requirement that may not be clear and to check all responses for accuracy before submitting a response.

  1. The City does not reimburse the cost of developing, presenting or providing any response to this RFI. Responses submitted for consideration should be prepared simply and economically, providing adequate information in a straightforward and concise manner. The vendor is responsible for all costs incurred in responding to this RFI. All materials and documents submitted in response to this RFI become the property of the City and will not be returned.
• General Overview —

  The City of Phoenix (City) desires to understand the costs associated with legacy telecom line audits and if vendors offer this service on a contingency basis or performance-based pricing. In other words, the vendor's compensation is contingent upon the savings achieved from the audit.

• Scope of Information Requested —

  Audit information requested shall cover all legacy telecom lines, including but not limited to POTS, ISDN, analog private line, and T1 lines, throughout the city. Information provided by the vendor shall document how the current state of these lines could be provided, identifying any discrepancies, and providing recommendations for disposition.

  Audit process expectations the City may seek include:

  1. Review the City’s internal and carrier telecommunications inventories
  2. Document current state
     1. Create inventory database
     2. Categorization of services
  3. Identify discrepancies
     1. Analyze services
     2. Interview departments to determine need
     3. Conduct site visits to assess the utilization of services.
  4. Provide recommendations for optimization
     1. Identify unused or redundant lines
     2. Suggest other cost-cutting methods.
• SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION —

  Responses must be in possession of the Department on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events. Late submittals may not be considered. The prevailing clock will be the City Department’s clock.

  Offers should be submitted electronically via the City’s e-Procurement Portal by clicking on “Draft Response” via https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/268525. Offerors that are unable to submit electronically should contact the Procurement Officer to discuss the logistics of hard copy submittals. Offerors must be registered with OpenGov by signing up via https://procurement.opengov.com/signup. Vendor training guides can be found at: https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/ca6d1285-1e48-4a21-bb0d-715edb7794ed

  It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that the Offer is timely and to confirm that there are no technical reasons that any Offer submitted electronically may be delayed. The date and time on the upload as received/stamped by the City’s e-Procurement Portal will provide proof of submission and verification whether the Response was received on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events.

  Please DO NOT submit links to Google Docs, Dropbox Paper, or similar services. Your offer may be deemed non-responsive if your offer is supplied utilizing these services.

• Technical Requirements —

  The Contractor shall:

  1. Describe the methodology used to conduct telecom line audits, including any specific methodologies or frameworks used.
  2. Explain the tools and technologies used during the audit process.
  3. Describe the data security measures taken to ensure data security and confidentiality.
• WITHDRAWAL OF SUBMITTAL —

  At any time prior to the solicitation due date and time, an Offeror (or designated representative) may withdraw the Offer by clicking “Unsubmit Response” on the Offer submission via the City’s e-Procurement Portal.

• Contractor Profile —

  The Contractor shall provide:

  1. The Company Profile - a brief description of your company, including its history, size, and areas of expertise.
  2. Experience and Qualifications - experience with similar projects, including any relevant case studies or references.
• INQUIRIES —

  All questions that arise relating to this solicitation should be directed via City’s OpenGov e-Procurement Portal and must be received by the due date indicated in the Schedule of Events. The City will not consider questions received after the deadline. All questions concerning or issues related to this solicitation must be presented in writing.

  The Procurement Officer will answer written inquiries in an addendum and publish any addenda on the City’s OpenGov e-Procurement Portal.

• Contractor Questions —

  (Also included as PDF in Section 5. Vendor Questionnaire)

  The Contractor may provide answers to questions which may include, but are not limited to:

  1. Inventory Accuracy
     1. Describe your methodology for establishing an accurate and complete inventory of all telecom lines, circuits, and services across multiple carriers and locations.
  2. Billing Reconciliation
     1. Explain how your team identifies unused, obsolete, duplicate, or incorrectly billed telecom lines.
     2. Describe your approach to reconciling telecom billing records, circuit IDs, service addresses, and carrier terminology to create a clean, unified dataset.
     3. Explain your process for identifying billing errors, contract misalignments, zero‑use lines, and other cost‑recovery opportunities.
     4. Describe your experience working with multiple telecom carriers and managing fragmented telecom account structures.
  3. Legacy Line Rationalization
     1. Outline your process for validating the operational status of lines and determining which can be safely disconnected without impacting business operations.
  4. Partnership
     1. Explain what level of access, data, or coordination you require from the client to complete a telecom audit effectively.
     2. Describe the tools, systems, or analytics platforms you use to support telecom audits and ongoing optimization.
     3. Describe your ability to provide a repeatable or ongoing process for telecom cost management beyond the initial audit.                           
  5. Shared-Savings Verification
     1. Outline how you determine and quantify savings associated with disconnects, optimizations, and corrections.
     2. Explain how you validate and confirm that disconnect‑related savings appear accurately on subsequent billing statements.
     3. Explain how your organization manages and reports on a shared‑savings model, including transparency, auditability, and calculation methods.
  6. Industry Experience
     1. Provide an overview of your team’s expertise in identifying and rationalizing legacy services such as POTS, PRI, copper lines, or outdated technologies.
     2. Describe your recommended project timeline, milestones, and deliverables for a full telecom line audit.
• PUBLIC RECORD —

  All submittals in response to this RFI shall become the property of the City and become a matter of public record available for review pursuant to Arizona State law.

  If a vendor believes that a specific section of its response is confidential, the vendor shall isolate the pages marked confidential in a specific and clearly labeled section of its response. The vendor shall include a written statement as to the basis for considering the marked pages confidential including the specific harm or prejudice if disclosed and the Procurement Officer will review and make a determination.

• Cost and Pricing —

  The Contractor shall provide:

  1. Pricing Structure - Outline your pricing model.
  2. Describe areas for cost savings, bundles, or any pricing programs offered.
• DEMONSTRATIONS —
  1. Vendors may be invited to construct a hands-on demonstration or presentation of their solution at the City of Phoenix.
  2. The City does not reimburse the cost of developing, presenting, or demonstrating a solution, and the vendor is responsible for all costs incurred.

Submission Requirements

• One-Page Cover Letter - Contractor Summary (required) —

  Upload per submittal requirements.

• Contractor Responses to Question Statements (required) —

  Please download the list document below, complete responses, and upload.