St. Albert Public Library (SAPL) is seeking proposals from qualified IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to deliver Tier 1 and Tier 2 help desk support.
This opportunity covers front-line and technical support for an approximately 70-user, primarily Microsoft Windows environment across two library locations in the City of St. Albert.
ORGANIZATION AND ENVIRONMENT
SAPL operates two locations: the downtown/central branch in St. Albert Place and the Jensen Lakes branch at 880 St. Albert Trail. We support approximately 70 end users (about 40 FTE) and roughly 100 total endpoints, including staff individual computers, staff shared workstations, public computers, public catalogue stations, self-checkout machines, printers, digital signs, and an automated sorter machine.
Our current environment includes:
- Operating systems: Windows 10 / 11
- Productivity suite: Currently Google Workspace, with staff using Microsoft Office and some leadership already on Microsoft 365. Our goal is to migrate all users to Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive) within the first year of the contract.
- Identity and access: On-premises Microsoft Active Directory
- Servers and networking: Two main physical servers running Hyper-V with multiple VMs. Core applications include the Integrated Library System (ILS), a Windows file share, and Active Directory. Switching is Meraki; firewalls are pfSense with WireGuard VPN.
- Connectivity: St. Albert Place is served by the Alberta SuperNet through Bell; Jensen Lakes has a Telus Business Internet connection.
- Phones: The VoIP phone system is provided by the City of St. Albert and is outside the initial scope of service.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
We require, at minimum, the following Tier 1 (front-line) and Tier 2 (technical) support services.
Tier 1 — Front-Line Support:
- Password resets and account unlocks
- Microsoft application issues (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint)
- Printer and peripheral troubleshooting
- Basic hardware triage (user error vs. software vs. hardware failure)
- New user onboarding and offboarding support
- Ticket intake, logging, and routing
Tier 2 — Technical Support:
- Workstation imaging, deployment, and re-imaging
- Windows OS troubleshooting and repair
- Active Directory user and device management, including how the vendor would support our desired future state of hybrid Entra ID user and device management
- User account administration (mailbox issues, licensing, permissions)
- VPN and remote access troubleshooting
- Escalation handling from Tier 1
- Vendor coordination for hardware warranty and repair
Optional additional scope will be considered added value: network infrastructure management (switching and firewall configuration); server administration (monitoring, patching, backup and recovery); and security operations / SOC services.
Vendors are also encouraged to describe rates and processes for special project work such as migrations and new service deployments.
SERVICE LEVELS
We require extended-hours coverage of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Mountain Time, Monday through Friday, with defined escalation and on-call processes for Priority 1 incidents outside covered hours. Proposals should include SLA commitments detailing priority levels, descriptions, response times, and resolution targets.
PRICING
To allow consistent comparison, vendors are asked to provide pricing under the one of the following models: per-user, per-month (preferred) for the full Tier 1 + Tier 2 scope; For extended services and special projects block/prepaid hours; break/fix time and materials (remote and onsite rates); and any one-time onboarding or setup fees.
SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION
Proposals are due August 17, 2026, and should be submitted as a PDF document to Jason Harris, Director, Service Infrastructure, at jharris@sapl.ca.
Responses should be well structured and address the needs of the full RFP document, which is available on request and is downloadable from the APC in the attachment area.
Submissions will be evaluated on price, SLA commitments, local presence, team depth.
Shortlisted respondents will be invited to deliver a brief presentation (approximately 30 minutes) of their service offering and to provide references for organizations of similar size and scope.
Interested vendors should refer to the complete Request for Proposal for full environment details, vendor qualification questions, and desired terms. We thank you for your interest and look forward to reviewing your proposal.
