Telecommunications Services

A. Introductory

This is a Sources Sought set aside for Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) and Indian Small Business Economic (ISBEE). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought # IHS1523710 is to obtain telecommunications services for the Desert Visions Youth Wellness Center (DVYWC) located at 214 S. Skill Center Road, Sacaton, AZ 85147. The purpose of this procurement is to establish a reliable, high-capacity, business-grade telecommunications connection and associated voice services to support healthcare operations.

B. Project Description

B.1 Background:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Indian Health Service (IHS), is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally recognized tribes grew out of the special government to government relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. The IHS is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for the Indian people. The goal is to assure that comprehensive, culturally acceptable personal and public health services are available and accessible to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS currently provides health services to approximately 1.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to more than 557 federally recognized tribes in 34 states.

Navajo Area Indian Health Service (NAIHS) administers health centers and hospitals providing health care to approximately 201,583 members of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation is the largest Indian tribe in the United States and has the largest reservation, which encompasses more than 25,516 square miles in northern Arizona, western New Mexico, and southern Utah, with three satellite communities in central New Mexico. The NAIHS is the primary provider of inpatient, ambulatory care, preventive and community health, and environmental health services for members of the Navajo Nation and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.

B.2 Requirements:

Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS) is conducting market research to prepare for the continued requirement of providing telecommunications services to the Indian Health Service (IHS). The Contractor shall provide telecommunication services for the Desert Visions Youth Wellness Center (DVYWC) located at 214 S. Skill Center Road, Sacaton, AZ 85147. The purpose of this procurement is to establish a reliable, high-capacity, business-grade telecommunications connection and associated voice services to support healthcare operations. The scope of this project includes acquiring, installing, and activating telecommunications and internet services for the Desert Vision Treatment Center (DVTC). The vendor will provide a 100Mbps x 100Mbps dedicated Ethernet connection, a PRI T-1 circuit, a static IP block, 50 block DID and six Basic Business Voice (POTS) lines as specified in the quote. Deliverables include all required hardware, network terminations, service provisioning, and successful activation of all circuits, ports, and voice lines. Installation charges cover Ethernet port setup, channel termination, PRI activation, and IP block configuration.

C. Eligible Vendors:

Businesses must be Indian Economic Enterprises (IEEs) (at least 51% Indian owned and controlled).
Business size and type of business (e.g., ISBEE/IEE, 8(a), SDVOSB, etc.). All respondents should be registered on the System for Award Management (SAM) located at https://www.sam.gov.
Submission of Invoices: The contractor will submit invoices in accordance with FAR 52.212-4(g) on a monthly basis.

D. Anticipated Period of Performance:

The anticipated start of performance is for a base + 4 years. The estimated start date for the base period of performance is June 2, 2026 – June 1, 2027.

E. Compliance Requirements:

The ISP must comply with:
• All FCC and telecommunications regulations
• IHS cybersecurity requirements for static IP services
• HIPAA-related expectations for transmission security

F. Exclusions:

As noted in the quote, the ISP shall not include construction costs unless separately itemized. Internal facility cabling, LAN equipment, switches, and PBX systems are out of scope.
The contractor shall comply with the following listed regulations:
- Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a - Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties | Privacy Act of 1974
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) - eCFR :: 45 CFR Part 164 -- Security and Privacy
- CFR 42 Part 2 - eCFR :: 42 CFR Part 2 -- Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records

G. Required Services and Deliverables:

Telecommunication Service and all associated services shall be performed at: Desert Visions Youth Wellness Center, 198 S. Skill Center Road, Sacaton, AZ 85147
G.1 Dedicated Internet Connectivity:

The ISP shall provide a 100 Mbps × 100 Mbps dedicated Ethernet connection, for establishing ethernet connection line 5201302216 including:
• Ethernet Channel Termination – 100 Mbps
• Ethernet Virtual Connection – 100 Mbps
• Ethernet Basic Port Fee – 100 Mbps
• Dedicated Internet Bandwidth provisioning

G.2 Voice Services:

The ISP shall provide the following using established lines and account numbers:
• 1 PRI T-1 Circuit for enterprise voice services
DVWYC Voice circuit number: 0000000603
• 6 Basic Business POTS Voice Lines-6-Voice and Fax line
DVWYC 6 Telephone numbers: (520)562-1377,1378,1379,3415,3416,3417
• One DID Block (62 numbers) assigned to (DVYWC)

G.3 Static IP Block:

The ISP shall provide a static IP block suitable for secure connections to IHS/OIT networks and enterprise applications.

G.4 Installation & Activation:

The ISP is responsible for maintaining, configuration, and activation required to maintain complete working solutions, including:
• Installation of Ethernet termination equipment
• PRI circuit activation
• Static IP configuration
• Validation testing confirming bandwidth, stability, and voice functionality
Installation charges listed in the quote (e.g., Ethernet Channel Termination, Port Fee, Virtual Connection, Bandwidth, Static IP) inform the expected work components.

G.5 Service Levels:

ISPs must provide:
• 99% or higher uptime availability
• 24/7 technical support
• Maximum latency thresholds appropriate for healthcare operations
• Defined escalation procedures

G.6 Experience:

The Contractor shall possess basic knowledge, skills and abilities to maintain and provide network services on a monthly basis.
The Contractor shall be in full compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
The contractor shall define license and all relative documents.
Government Furnished Information, Property and Services:
Inspection: all services rendered will be inspected, reviewed, and monitored by the COR.
Contracting Officer Representative (COR): TBD
Department Point of Contact: TBD

H. SMALL BUSINESS STATUS: Provide business size and socioeconomic status (e.g., ISBEE, IEE), along with your UEI, organization name, address, and point of contact. The anticipated NAICS code for this requirement is (ENTER HERE) - Other Computer Related Services-Information Technology Value Added Resellers.

I. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  Provide any additional information that may assist the Government in refining its acquisition strategy or determining whether a competitive set-aside or other RFO-aligned commercial approach is appropriate.

J. CLOSING STATEMENT: Point of Contact: Maliaka Pinkney, Contract Specialist, at maliaka.pinkney@hhs.gov. Submission Instructions: Interested parties shall submit capability via email to maliaka.pinkney@hhs.gov. Must include Sources Sought Number SS-IHS1523710 in the Subject line and complete the attached IEE Representation Form. The due date for receipt of statements is May 18, 2026, 9:00 AM, EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. This notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of HHS. HHS/OMAS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, HHS/OMAS may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ). THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against HHS shall arise as a result of a response to this notice or HHS’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Information Submission Instructions:

Questions regarding the contents of this Sources Sought shall be submitted via email to: maliaka.pinkney@hhs.gov no later than 9:00am EST on April 13, 2026. Phone calls will not be accepted. The Government reserves the right to respond to some, all, or none of the questions that will be submitted.
Interested companies should review the attached and then submit a response that provides feedback, if any, on the attached and that addresses all of the information listed under “Capability Statement/Information Sought”. Capability statements and responses shall be submitted via email to maliaka.pinkney@hhs.gov no later than 12:00PM EST on May 18, 2026. The subject line for the email heading shall be “Telecommunications Services”– SS-26-HHS-1523710. Please provide succinct detail and depth to enable Government review and assessment. Please limit responses to ten (10) pages (8 ½ x 11, single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, ¾ inch margins).
Please add a cover letter to your response with the following information:
1. Company Name
2. Company Unique Entity ID number
3. Company points of contact, mailing address, telephone and website address
4. Any Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule vehicle, or other available procurement vehicles your company maintains that could meet this requirement
5. Business Size relative to NAICS code 517810 – All Other Telecommunications
6. Type of Company (e.g., large business, small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as registered in the System for Award Management (SAM)
7. Identify any/all teaming arrangements
8. Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) Representation Form
Disclaimer and Important Notes:
This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by the respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed.
Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondent are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.
Any solicitation resulting from the analysis of information obtained will be announced to the public in SAM in accordance with FAR Part 5. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate to responses to a solicitation.
 

Confidentiality:

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s