Specifications include, but are not limited to: select a Value Added Reseller (“VAR”) and an Original Equipment Manufacturer(s) (“OEM”) for UA’s Next Generation Network (“NGN”). The goal of the NGN is to advance UA’s strategic goal to Adopt a service-first culture that provides secure, agile, resilient network services that are centrally managed with sustainable funding, and reduces risk. UA operates a large multi-vendor network supporting a variety of campus constituents, including students, faculty, staff, researchers, guests, and third-party vendors and partners, among others. The NGN program is a foundational infrastructure migration to modernize and unify the network architecture to achieve advanced capabilities, including: Improved segmentation of the campus network serving different constituent groups (e.g., administrative campus network computing vs. secure research enclaves for NIST 800-171 compliance vs. student residential Wi-Fi-centric commodity internet, etc.) Identity-based networking to manage access control and policy enforcement for all campus network users Comprehensive centralized network management supporting automation and orchestration of network configuration, user experience monitoring, and rapid fault detection and resolution Seamless deployment of hybrid cloud infrastructures to extend and assure network controls, data center applications and workloads, and evolving secure access service edge (SASE) capabilities Integration with existing information security toolsets and extended capabilities to rapidly detect and respond to security events Frameworks for third-party support of design, deployment, and operations of network and security capabilities There are two phases to the process. Phase I will consist of a mandatory pre-qualification process through the submission of Attachment I to this RFP. In Phase II, Value Added Resellers who have been pre-qualified will be invited to participate in Phase II and to submit a comprehensive technical and financial response to the requirements in this document and will conclude with an intent to select VAR/OEM solution that best meets UA needs.
