VoIP Phone System

The Vendor is required to provide VoIP service providers about cloud-based telephony solutions.
- Provide a modern, secure, and scalable VoIP solution capable of supporting desk phones, softphones, and mobile users, while also providing advanced administrative controls, high availability, and integration with platforms such as Microsoft 365.
- Gain insight into available cloud-based VoIP platforms and services that are suitable for municipal use.
- Understand the technical and operational capabilities of modern solutions, including integration with Microsoft Teams and hybrid deployment options.
- Evaluate the breadth and depth of features, including administration, analytics, mobility, disaster recovery, and security.
- Identify solution providers with relevant public sector experience and a strong track record of support and service delivery.
- Explore pricing models, licensing options, and migration strategies to support budgeting and planning for implementation.
- The limitations of this system - including a lack of robust vendor support, and limited integration with cloud services - have made it increasingly challenging to meet operational and security.
- Current environment include:
• Approximately 300 phone users spread across 30 physical locations, including administrative offices, public facilities, and emergency services.
• Use of desk phones, softphones (on desktop PCs/laptops), and shared/public phones (e.g., reception desks, lobbies).
• Growing demand for mobile VoIP access to support hybrid work and remote staff.
• Existing Microsoft 365 environment, including active use of Teams, SharePoint, and Exchange Online.
• Mixed user needs ranging from full-featured unified communications to basic call handling for frontline or part-time staff.
1. Telephony and User Features
•    Support for desk phones (please list supported models or recommended vendors).
•    Support for softphones on Windows/macOS.
•    Native mobile apps for iOS and Android.
•    Call handling features such as call forwarding, transfer, hold, park, waiting, and screening.
•    Voicemail-to-email or voicemail transcription options.
•    Call recording capabilities (manual, automatic, policy-based).
•    Fax options (e.g., digital faxing, fax-to-email).
•    Three-way calling, conference bridges, and video calling (if applicable).
•    Self-service portals for staff to manage their phone settings.
2. Mobility and Multi-Use Environments
•    Support for hot desking/shared phones including login/logout profiles.
•    Solutions for public or communal phones in libraries, counters, and offices.
•    “Find Me/Follow Me” or presence-aware call routing.
•    Calendar or time-based call forwarding and routing automation.
3. Call Routing and Management
•    Multiple auto-attendants, configurable by time of day or department.
•    Call queues, ring groups, and hunt groups.
•    Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capabilities.
•    Customizable music on hold per site or group.
•    Paging and intercom support.
4. Administration and Reporting
•    Centralized web-based admin portal with multi-site management capabilities.
•    Role-based access controls for different administrative roles.
•    Comprehensive and robust call reporting and analytics, including:
o    Inbound and outbound call logging
o    Queue statistics
o    Department- and user-level call summaries
•    Ability to audit system changes and maintain change history logs.
5. Security and Compliance
•    Encryption for both signaling and media (e.g., TLS, SRTP).
•    Secure admin access (e.g., multi-factor authentication, SSO support).
•    Compliance with Canadian data residency preferences.
•    Relevant certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, or equivalent).
6. Disaster Recovery and Resiliency
•    High availability and geographic redundancy.
•    Service failover and automatic rerouting of calls in case of failure.
•    Manual and automated failover to alternate call destinations.
•    Bandwidth requirements for optimal call performance.

- Questions/Inquires Deadline: July 29, 2025