Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 36 - Technology › Part 2 - Information Systems Services › Chapter 7 - Procurement Types › Rule 36-2-7-207.4 - 013-050 Acquisition of Telecommunications Services by State Agencies

Current through June 25, 2024
ITS statute, Mississippi Code Section
				  25-53-111,
				  requires that ITS:
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Establish and coordinate through either state
				  ownership or commercial leasing, all telecommunications systems and services
				  affecting the management and operations of the state
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Act as the sole centralized customer for the
				  acquisition, billing and record keeping of all telecommunications systems or
				  services provided to state agencies whether obtained through lease or purchase
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Charge the respective user agencies for their
				  proportional cost of the installation, maintenance and operation of the
				  telecommunications systems and services
To fulfill this statutory mandate, ITS issues Requests for
				  Proposals to obtain the lowest and best provider of local and long distance
				  voice access services and of data communications services. The resulting
				  contracts are for the use of ITS in furnishing these services to all state
				  agencies. The contracts aggregate all telecommunications traffic into one
				  account with ITS as the sole customer on behalf of the state, as required in
				  the above statute. This aggregation allows ITS to get the best possible pricing
				  for the state as a whole; to better manage telecommunications facilities within
				  the state; and to have an accurate inventory of all telecommunications services
				  within state government.
There is no delegation of procurement authority for
				  telecommunications services for state agencies.
All such services must
				  be obtained through the Telecom Services and Data Services Divisions of ITS.
				  See ITS Telecommunications Contracts and Services for State Agencies for a list
				  of products and services within the scope of this policy and for links to the
				  associated pricing.
In addition to the line and access services provided via
				  vendor contracts, ITS is the direct provider of basic telephone installation
				  services and basic data cable installation services for customers in the
				  Capitol Complex and greater Jackson area. Note that neither agency staff nor
				  third-party vendors are to provide any cabling or telephone installation or
				  update services unless prior written approval has been obtained from ITS on a
				  case-by-case basis.
As an ITS telecommunications customer, a state agency
				  receives the following "value-add" services:
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Contractual terms and conditions negotiated
				  and enforced by ITS on behalf of the state
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Renegotiation for lower pricing at set
				  intervals throughout the life of each contract
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Uniform service and cost to all areas of the
				  state
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Facility reviews on request to evaluate
				  opportunities for cost savings (voice and data)
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Statewide authorization codes for long
				  distance
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Customized telephone billing to accommodate
				  the accounting requirements of the individual agency, including electronic
				  billing options
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State government telephone operator services
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Trouble/Help Desk support (voice and data)
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Customer service support (voice and data)
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Telecommunications training on request
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Voice communications needs analysis on
				  request
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On-line state telephone directory listings
				  and service
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Network Operations Center
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Core security administration (IDS and VPN)
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Domain name services
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System design and configuration (voice and
				  data)
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24x7x365 operations (voice and data)
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Problem determination (voice and data)
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Disaster recovery (voice and data)
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Capacity planning
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Telecommunications Express Products Lists
				  (2-way radios, E-911)
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Master Cellular Contract
To request additional information or to order services,
				  contact TelecomRequest@its.ms.gov. 25-53-111
25-53-111