ESnet Telecommunications Request for Information

The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is the Office of Science’s high-performance network user facility, delivering highly-reliable data transport capabilities optimized for the requirements of large-scale science. In essence, ESnet is the circulatory system that enables the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) science mission.

ESnet is stewarded by the Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program (ASCR), and managed and operated by the Scientific Networking Division (SND) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), which is managed by the Regents of the University of California under Prime Contract to the U.S. Department of Energy.

ESnet interconnects the DOE’s national laboratory system, dozens of other DOE sites, and approximately 200 research and commercial networks around the world—enabling tens of thousands of scientists at DOE laboratories and academic institutions across the country to transfer vast data streams and access remote research resources in real-time.

ESnet exists to provide the specialized networking infrastructure and services required by the national laboratories, large science collaborations, and the DOE research community. This project is to establish telecommunications Master Agreements (MAs) with telecommunications suppliers in support of the ESnet network operations. This RFI is intended to discern sources that are able provide services as described in the scope of work.

Orders for commercial telecommunications/networking and operational services will be placed under the pre-negotiated MAs. For clarification and for purposes of this RFI, the term “telco” refers to a telecommunications or communication service provider (CSP) company that transports information electronically through telephony, data communication services, and Internet service providers (ISPs) in the networking industry.

Additionally, references to telecommunications transport networks comprise the largely unseen infrastructure that provides local, regional, and international connections for voice, data, and even video signals. The scope of work for these MAs will cover Colocations, Dark Fiber, Telecommunications Circuits, Peering, Network Fabric, and Optical Spectrum, further detailed in the attached document.