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Overwhelmed by the RFP Process? Simplify Your Life with Our Sourcewell Contract

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Work for a government, education, or nonprofit agency? You can choose between two options when you’re ready to purchase a communications system — both of which will satisfy your bid requirements:

  1. Request for Proposal (RFP)
  2. Sourcewell Contract Purchasing

Why Do Bid Requirements Exist?

Every publicly funded agency must put projects up for bid to provide companies with equal opportunity to win the agency’s business in a standardized format to ensure fairness. Agencies must also use the bidding process to document how they spend the funds they’re being given. The most common method for doing this has traditionally been an RFP. But depending on your needs, Mitel’s Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contract may be a better alternative.

Though the traditional RFP process was designed with good intentions, it can present some purchasing challenges for government, education, and nonprofit agencies.

First, RFPs can limit the quality of responses you receive (not necessarily the quantity). Responding to RFPs is time-consuming, so it can cause the following:

  • Best agencies choose not to respond.
  • Businesses only respond if they see a significant benefit and/or a high chance of winning the bid.
  • Those that do respond put little energy into their proposal.

Second, and more importantly, this process is very time-consuming for agencies going out to bid. In a standard RFP process, each agency will typically go through the following steps:

  1. Identify potential providers
  2. Develop equipment and service specifications
  3. Create and advertise RFP
  4. Receive responses to RFP
  5. Evaluate proposals
  6. Award lowest bid
  7. Offer a protest period
  8. Have equipment delivered and installed
  9. Review and maintain the contract throughout its term

At a minimum, the RFP process takes three to six months but usually takes six to nine months from RFP build to installation. And even after all that, the way the RFP process is designed means there is no way to guarantee you will get the products or services that best suit your needs. Factors like cheap hardware and contract structuring barely related to your core needs may skew the final decision.

The Sourcewell Alternative

Sourcewell contracts eliminate these RFP challenges. They take the burden of RFPs off government, education, and nonprofit agencies. Sourcewell is a government agency that conducts its own rigorous RFP process and awards a vendor a national contract. Since the RFP work is already done, agencies can purchase communication technology outright through a Sourcewell contract, saving months, words, and uncertainty.

If you’re interested in a Mitel communication system, you’re in luck — Sourcewell has awarded Mitel a communications solutions vendor contract.

The purchasing process and timeline are significantly reduced using Sourcewell cooperative contracts. Instead of the time-consuming, nine-step process listed above, you only need to complete four steps:

  1. Become a member of Sourcewell (if you aren’t already)
  2. Get in contact with TCI to determine your specific phone system needs
  3. Indicate that you want Sourcewell pricing for procurement
  4. Coordinate with TCI for design, installation, and implementation.

Reach out today. We’ll step you through your options. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 




Serving the Public Sector… Get Responsible, Reliable Communications Without the Hassle of Procurement

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Governments require a unique mix of features, flexibility, and economy in their telecommunications solutions. TCI enables organizations in the public sector to increase productivity with seamless communications solutions tailored to their unique needs.

Challenges You Might Be Facing

  • Every crisis needs a tailored response – No matter what their size, emergencies cause both uncertainty and confusion. A one-size-fits-all communications system hampers your efforts to tailor and enhance public safety alerts and limits your ability to take advantage of proactive solutions.
  • Taxpayers expect cost-effective solutions – Being able to demonstrate to taxpayers that communications, services, and access will be heightened while being judicious with the budget goes a long way to building credibility.
  • Resources – Outdated telecommunications technology is expensive to maintain, making it hard to invest in new initiatives.
  • The demand for smart services is growing – With sensor technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), agencies can manage assets and resources more efficiently as they meet consumer demand for smart infrastructure.

How the Right Communications Can Drive Results

  • Enhance public safety – Your communications system should extend the possibilities of mass notification, enabling you to message the entire community or target only affected neighborhoods.
  • Easily integrate – The system should streamline interoperability with other applications, like G Suite. Its APIs should need minimal coding to solve unique communications needs.
  • Be forward-looking – Your system should be ready for technical advances such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
  • Meet government mandates – Flexibility is critical to meeting new mandates and legal requirements.
  • Reduce expenses – By lowering capital and operating expenses. UCaaS enables government teams to fund new projects.

Significant Discounts

Working with TCI as your local technology partner, Sourcewell members in the public sector – i.e., schools, non-profits and agencies – can purchase Mitel telecom solutions without issuing an RFP, including:

  • Public Cloud
  • Private Cloud and On-site Systems
  • Contact Center
  • Team Collaboration
  • Mass Notification
  • Business Phones
  • Devices and Accessories

Mitel is the exclusive Sourcewell telecommunications equipment vendor based on its record of innovation, product quality, customer service, pricing, and overall market leadership.

For simplified procurement and savings, get started with TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.


Focus on K-12 Education… 6 Technology Trends Schools Are Preparing For

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Digital transformation — the rapid evolution of technology to connect people, things, and information — has been a business trend for years. Upon graduating, many high school students will enter a workforce where employees spend more than six hours daily using digital tools to communicate.

To prepare students to thrive in these digital environments, elementary and high schools must embrace digital transformation, passing on benefits to administrators, staffers, and parents. Amid this transformation, schools have several considerations about how digital transformation is altering the educational experience. Here we look at the top six education technology trends your school should prepare for.

1. Increased Parent Interaction with Teachers and Administrators

Parents often have meetings several nights a week with teachers and administrators. Beyond meeting in person, parents look to digital media for important contact from teachers and administrators.

Important messages can get lost when a parent receives 300 or more emails from teachers in a year. Instead, collaboration and communication tools can help parents, teachers, and administrators better communicate in one location using one app for messaging, to-do lists, and even submitting homework.

2. Students Expect More Out of Their Education

The world is becoming increasingly digital, and many school-aged children have known nothing but digital. Even college students can be considered digital natives. If the technology in the traditional classroom isn’t there to facilitate their learning, they have STEM, charter, and private school options that will afford them the technology they need.

Whether offering your on-campus students the technology they need to learn and succeed or providing the technology for massive online open courses and distance learning, a phone system that can support these tools is essential.

3. Staff Can Utilize More Resources

District staffers often look for open educational resources and try to accommodate new curricula like common core. Teachers now turn to YouTube, Google, and other online tools for help.

But they also need more from their communications or PBX systems than “hello, goodbye” functionality, and voicemail being the main application. Today’s communications systems are more evolved than ever, including capabilities like automatic call distribution, hot desking, twinning, reporting, and a range of unified communications applications. Ultimately, teachers have a right to expect that their PBX system will have a wide range of functionality.

4. Legislation Demands Changes

More oversight by state and federal governments often has school districts scrambling to find the money and resources to comply – and that even applies to communications.

It’s a common requirement for your communications system to tell 9-1-1 responders exactly where an emergency phone call is coming from within the building. If it doesn’t, the school district could be liable.

New laws regarding education for children with special needs also require time-sensitive communications and hours of meetings and collaboration. Teachers, therapists, and principals need communications tools that comply with these laws and help them do their jobs.

5. IT Directors Face New Challenges

IT professionals have long dealt with an environment that is rapidly changing. But only recently have those changes made their way into the classroom. Many classes now use Chromebooks, Macs, PCs, Smartboards, and a Wi-Fi infrastructure that allows them to access cloud software, like the G Suite.

They are also expected to provide functional and updated communications software for their districts. But with E-Rate shrinking and eventually going away, administrators and elected officials are looking to do more with less regarding technology and communications. But just as there are grants for student technology, there is also help for IT directors in the form of Sourcewell, which takes the burden of RFPs off of government, education, and nonprofits.

6. People Need to be Notified on a Large Scale

Schools are also expected to communicate minor and significant announcements to large swaths of parents, students, and staff. Emergency alerts, weather alerts, and even schedule reminders or changes can now be communicated from one central district location to any combination of groups that deal with the district. Whether parents need to fill out prom paperwork or students need to know the next football game has been rescheduled, mass notification is essential today.

Digital transformation is changing how students, parents, teachers, and administrators interact. Let’s talk about what’s next for your school’s technology. Contact us: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Attn. Nonprofits… 4 Things to Prioritize in Your Communications Solution

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Nonprofits are built on connections from donors to community members, board members to beneficiaries, and staff to clients.

Whether large or small, saving the environment or helping those in need, a nonprofit’s everyday operations hinge on its ability to link staff, volunteers, and the community. It’s vital to have seamless communication at every level to ensure mission success.

TCI supports leading associations and nonprofits across the DC region.

We recognize nonprofits have unique needs, and their communication solutions should reflect that. Here are 4 key requirements that should go into nonprofit communications systems…

1. Budget-friendly

Many nonprofits operate on shoestring budgets, dedicating their limited resources to those most in need. Cost efficiency is high on the list of priorities, so they’re looking to get the highest return on whatever they invest in their organization.

Often, nonprofits can only afford to update one operation element at a time. They may have the funds to update their phone system but still rely on their existing computers or vice versa.

Nonprofits also require multipurpose, budget-friendly solutions. Integrated technology that combines several functions in one easy-to-use package gives staff more tools to work with and less hassle.

2. Reliable

Nonprofits are often busiest in times of crisis. Whether they offer food and shelter after an emergency or provide guidance for those navigating financial difficulties, representatives must be a calming presence when their clients need them the most.

Nothing is more frustrating than waiting in a call center queue for hours only to have the line cut out or bounced from agent to agent while your case is processed. With clients and donors often revealing sensitive information, they also want to be reassured their data is safe.

Often, nonprofits serve an expanded client base with only their original, limited resources. This can lead to a frustrating disconnect between donors, workers, and the people they serve. Nonprofit staff and the people they help deserve the best communications systems so everyone can get the help they need.

3. Flexible

The people who run nonprofits often wear many hats: the executive director may double as the face of public relations; the finance manager might also hand out donations and plan events; the head of marketing could very well be the IT guru. Everyone pitches in and does what they need for the sake of the organization’s mission.

These multitasking heroes need their communications solutions to be as modern and flexible as they are. Whether they’re coordinating fundraising events from their office or conducting research in the field, they must be able to connect seamlessly no matter where they’re based.

Modern collaboration apps put teamwork in the palm of your hand – or on your mobile phone, laptop, desk phone, or tablet. With the ability to instant message, video chat, share documents, and route calls, nonprofit staff can deliver better client experiences and increase productivity.

4. Easy to Use

The average schedule in a nonprofit is packed. With their days devoted to service, staff doesn’t always have the time for complicated training or inefficient interfaces.

TCI’s Commitment to Nonprofits

Like nonprofit organizations, TCI is dedicated to improving the local communities we serve through technology that supports connections and collaboration. Our locally supported solutions support nonprofits so they can focus on fulfilling their essential missions.

Are You Exploiting Sourcewell’s Discounts for Telecom Solutions? Learn more

TCI’s affordable communications solutions can improve connections between your staff, donors, and clients. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Schools, Non-Profits, Gov’t… Are You Exploiting Sourcewell’s Discounts for Telecom Solutions?

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Sourcewell is a municipal contracting government agency serving the public sector.

Who qualifies for Sourcewell membership?

  • Educational institutions – both public and private, including K to 12, special education districts, charter schools, and higher education/universities
  • Non-profits – including hospitals and nursing homes, rural power cooperatives, housing authorities, member associations, and groups
  • State and local government agencies – including cities, counties, water districts, and tribal nations

How does Sourcewell work?

First, Sourcewell goes out to competitive bid nationally on a wide range of products and services that would benefit their members. They then award the contract to the selected vendor. Sourcewell sets up the legal authority between vendor and member.

The member organizations then have access to the vendor’s services at Sourcewell, resulting in accolades like this from a school district:

“Sourcewell contracts have streamlined our purchasing process, saving our district thousands of dollars.”

Significant Discounts

Working with TCI as your local technology partner, Sourcewell members can purchase Mitel telecom solutions without issuing an RFP, including:

  • Public Cloud
  • Private Cloud and On-site Systems
  • Contact Center
  • Team Collaboration
  • Mass Notification
  • Business Phones
  • Devices and Accessories

Mitel is the exclusive Sourcewell telecommunications equipment vendor based on its record of innovation, product quality, customer service, pricing, and overall market leadership.

Simplified procurement and savings … More reasons to go with TCI and Mitel. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Attention Educators, Government, Non-Profits… Overwhelmed by the Bid Process?
Simplify with our Sourcewell Contract

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Your organization needs better technology… now the hard work begins. You face some important decisions:

  • What solution or service are you going to select?
  • How will you evaluate it?
  • How are you going to buy it?

While the bid and procurement process can be complex, time consuming, and overwhelming, your local TCI team helps you tap into Mitel’s national competitively awarded contract with Sourcewell to streamline and simplify purchasing the communication technology solutions your organization needs.

What is Sourcewell and how can the Sourcewell Contract benefit your organization?

Sourcewell – formerly National Joint Powers Alliance – is a service cooperative that provides programs and services to 50,000+ member organizations and agencies.

Sourcewell’s exclusive agreement with Mitel as its telecommunications provider is a multi-year contract allowing the public sector to access better collaboration and communication solutions through contract # 022719-MBS.

Who is eligible?

The contract is available to state, local & tribal government, education agencies including K-12, higher education, public or private, and nonprofits including churches, credit unions, and trade associations.

The advantages of buying through Mitel’s Sourcewell Contract

  • Offers the best value and is competitively bid
  • Streamlines the purchasing process, saving time and money
  • Satisfies the competitive solicitation process
  • Access to volume pricing nationwide

Simplify your procurements and learn more about our Sourcewell co-op purchasing agreement… Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Great Pricing & One-Stop Public Sector Procurement via Mitel’s Sourcewell Contract

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Sourcewell (formerly known as The National Joint Powers Alliance) is a contracting agency serving the public sector.

How does Sourcewell work?

First, Sourcewell issues competitive bid RFPs nationally on a wide range of products and services that benefit their members. Following a rigorous competitive evaluation process, they then award the contract to the selected vendor. Sourcewell sets up the legal authority between vendor and member. The member organizations then have access to the vendor’s services at Sourcewell-negotiated rates.

“Sourcewell contracts have streamlined our purchasing process, saving our district thousands of dollars.”  — School District Member

What Mitel products does Sourcewell cover? 

Working with TCI as your local technology partner, Sourcewell members can purchase Mitel telecom solutions without issuing an RFP.  Mitel is a preferred provider of telecommunications equipment based on its record of innovation, product quality, customer service, pricing, and overall market leadership. The Sourcewell contract extends the decade-long relationship with Mitel for 4 years and spans the full range of Mitel’s product portfolio, including:

  • Unified Communications On Premises
  • UCaaS (Cloud Services)
  • Contact centers
  • Collaboration tools
  • Phones and accessories
  • Mass notification
  • Professional services

Who qualifies for Sourcewell membership?

  • All Educational institutions, both public and private – including K thru 12, special education districts, charter schools, and higher education/universities
  • Non-profits – including hospitals and nursing homes, rural power cooperatives, housing authorities, member associations and groups
  • State and local government agencies – including cities, counties, water districts, and tribal nations

The organization’s 50,000 members currently purchase more than $3.5 billion annually through awarded contracts – an indication of Sourcewell’s success in simplifying the procurement process to save members time and money.

Simplified procurement and savings… More reasons to go with TCI and Mitel. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.