Alaska Railroad seeks technology contractors in eight service areas, proposals due Dec. 9

The Alaska Railroad Corporation is seeking technology firms to supplement its information-technology staff across eight service areas, ranging from cybersecurity to Salesforce administration to IBM i, an IBM operating system the railroad runs. The request for proposals was published Oct. 30. Proposals are due at 3 pm Dec. 9.

The other areas are application development, data and analytics, service desk and end-user support, servers and cloud infrastructure, and technology project management. The railroad says the work would supplement, not replace, its own IT workforce and could include consulting, project work, staff augmentation and temporary backfill. Work may be done at railroad facilities or remotely within the United States. Offshore workers need the railroad's written approval for each assignment. Work on the railroad's business management software, known as ERP, is handled under a separate contract and is excluded.

The railroad will score and award each of the eight service areas separately and may hire more than one firm in an area. Resulting contracts run two years, with up to three one-year renewal options, though none guarantee a minimum amount of work: the railroad commits to no task orders, hours, staffing levels or spending. Work would be assigned through individual task orders, each with a spending cap.

Hourly rate ceilings can rise only when a contract renews, and any increase is capped by the consumer price index for Anchorage. Technical merit carries 80 points and price 20. Qualifying Alaska bidders, who must hold a current Alaska business license and have kept a staffed place of business in the state for six months, get a 5% price reduction for evaluation.

Proposals must be physically received at the railroad's Anchorage offices by the deadline. Email and other electronic submissions will not be accepted. Written questions are due 10 days before the deadline.