300 Mbps Ethernet Circuit for VoIP/Data Services Supporting Telecommunications and Wi-Fi for remote IHS location.

Sources Sought Notice

Sources Sought ID: SS-OMAS-26-HIS-2000.

Title: 300 Mbps Ethernet Circuit for VoIP/Data Services Supporting Telecommunications and Wi-Fi for remote IHS location.

This notice closes on Friday April 10, 2026, 5:00 PM MST, any responses must be submitted before this date.

NAICS – 517810 - All Other Telecommunications, with a size standard of $40M.

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. Pursuant to 48 CFR Part 326, Subpart 326.603-3 and IHM 5.5-6, Indian Health Service must use the negotiation authority of the Buy Indian Act, 25 U.S.C. 47, to give preference to Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE) whenever the use of that authority is authorized and practicable.

The Government is seeking to identify Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEEs), Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE), and any other category of vendor capable of performing the below Indian Health Services (IHS) requirement. Any vendor responding to this notice should submit their capability statement as well as the Buy Indian Act Indian Economic Enterprise Representation Form (attached).

Consistent with the revised Buy Indian Act, HHS/IHS adopted the definition of an Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) set forth in 48 CFR 1480.201. This definition includes the following requirement, amongst others: “the Indians or Indian Tribes must, together, receive at least a majority of the earnings from the contract.”.

Instructions for submission are outlined further below.

DEFINITIONS

INDIAN ECONOMIC ENTERPRISE (IEE):

Any business activity owned by one or more Indians, Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, or Alaska Native Corporations provided that:

• The combined Indian, Federally Recognized Indian Tribe or Alaska Native Corporation ownership of the enterprise constitutes not less than 51%.

• The Indian, Federal Recognized Indian Tribes, or Alaska Native Corporations must, together, receive at least 51% of the earnings from the contract; and

• The management and daily business operations must be controlled by one or more individuals who are Indians.

INSTRUCTIONS TO INDUSTRY

ISBEEs are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms must also understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. To be considered a capable source, responses must directly demonstrate the company’s capability, experience, and ability to provide services as shown below.

Responses Shall Include, but not limited to:

• Number of years of experience in providing VoIP/Data Services Supporting Telecommunications and Wi-Fi.
• List of past jobs/contracts;
• The resources and capabilities your company possesses to provide the services.
• SAM.GOV Unique Entity ID number and demonstrate how your company meets the definition for Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) in consideration to this requirement: NAICS 517919 as 100% set-aside for Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises.

Failure to address these items in your capability statement could exclude your firm from being determined a capable IEE/ISBEE source.

SUBMISSION

Interested parties capable of performing the required services may submit a response via email to: jesse.weidow@hhs.gov, no later than the closing of this sources sought announcement, Friday April 10, 2026, 5:00 PM MST.

Interested parties shall submit their capability response as instructed above and include a copy of the Buy Indian Act Indian Economic Enterprise Representation Form. The sources sought ID SS-OMAS-26-HIS-2000 must be included in the subject email line.

Statement of Need

Indian Health Service (IHS)

300 Mbps Ethernet Circuit for VoIP/Data Services

Supporting Telecommunications and Wi-Fi
 

Facility Description

This requirement supports telecommunications and network connectivity for the following IHS facility:

• Facility Name: Indian Health Service White Earth Health Center
• Facility Address: 40520 County Highway 34, Ogema, MN 56569
• IHS Area: Bemidji Area

Purpose

The purpose of this effort is to provide a dedicated 300 Mbps Ethernet circuit to support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), wired data, and Wi-Fi services at the identified IHS facility. The solution shall ensure secure, reliable, and high-quality connectivity to support clinical, administrative, and mission-critical healthcare operations.

Ethernet Circuit Provisioning

The Contractor must have the ability to:

• Design, furnish, install, provision, test, and activate a dedicated carrier-grade Ethernet circuit.
• Provide 300 Mbps symmetric bandwidth (300 Mbps download / 300 Mbps upload).
• Deliver service to the IHS demarcation point within the facility.
• Ensure the circuit meets VoIP performance requirements for latency, jitter, and packet loss.
• Provide scalability for future bandwidth upgrades upon Government request.

Network Integration

The Contractor shall have the following capabilities:

• Provide Ethernet handoff via fiber (preferred) or RJ-45, as required by the facility.
• Support VLAN segmentation for VoIP, data, and Wi-Fi traffic.
• Support Quality of Service (QoS) to prioritize VoIP traffic.
• Ensure compatibility with existing IHS routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points.

VoIP and Telecommunications Support

• Support standard VoIP protocols including SIP and RTP.
• Ensure sufficient capacity to support concurrent voice calls without degradation.
• Maintain voice quality suitable for healthcare and administrative communications.

Wi-Fi and Data Services

• Ensure sufficient throughput to support enterprise Wi-Fi for clinical staff, administrative users, and authorized guests.
• Support multiple wireless access points and concurrent users.

Security and Compliance

The Contractor shall have the capabilities of:

• Comply with FISMA, NIST SP 800-53, HHS, and IHS IT security requirements.
• Support secure traffic segmentation and integration with IHS security controls.
• Protect against unauthorized access and support denial-of-service mitigation where available.
• Ensure all Contractor personnel meet applicable federal security and privacy requirements.

Testing and Acceptance

The Contractor shall have the capability of:

• Perform end-to-end testing of the Ethernet circuit, including:
  • Throughput (300 Mbps validated)
  • Latency
  • Jitter
  • Packet loss
• Validate VoIP call quality and Wi-Fi performance.
• Provide written test results prior to Government acceptance.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

The Contractor shall have the capability of providing SLAs that include, at a minimum:

• Availability: ≥ 99.9%
• Latency: ≤ 30 ms
• Jitter: ≤ 5 ms
• Packet Loss: ≤ 0.1%
• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): ≤ 4 hours
• 24x7x365 network monitoring and incident response

Deliverable: The Contractor shall have the capability of Delivering:

• Fully provisioned and operational 300 Mbps Ethernet circuit
• Network configuration and as-built documentation
• Testing and acceptance reports
• SLA documentation
• Technical support and escalation contacts

Contractor Responsibilities

The Contractor shall have the capabilities of:

• Provide all labor, materials, equipment, and services necessary to perform this work.
• Coordinate all activities with the IHS Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).
• Comply with all applicable FAR, HHSAR, and IHS policies.

Acceptance Criteria

The Government will accept the service when:

• The 300 Mbps Ethernet circuit is installed and fully operational.
• Performance meets or exceeds SLA requirements.
• All required documentation has been delivered and approved.