CrisisLink Seeks Proposals for New Telephony System Made Possible by Philip L. Graham Fund

Online, December 6, 2010 (Newswire.com) - A generous grant from the Philip L. Graham Fund has enabled CrisisLink to upgrade its telephony infrastructure to support current operational needs, improve staff productivity and crisis call management, and allow for future growth in volume and services provided. An RFP for the new system was prepared following a comprehensive needs assessment and qualified vendors are encouraged to submit proposals by noon on December 16, 2010. The RFP is available online at www.netprocompany.com/crisislink/.

"CrisisLink has grown significantly since acquiring its existing telephone system second-hand in 2004 and now handles more than three times as many calls on 11 inbound and three outbound hotlines," says CrisisLink Executive Director Linda Eatmon-Jones. "Our current system is no longer able to consistently handle the volume or routing complexities of our hotline operations in 2010. We are so grateful to the Philip L. Graham Fund for recognizing the vital role CrisisLink plays in the community and for generously funding the purchase of a new telephony system to make sure we can continue providing uninterrupted access to our services."

The scope of the telephony enhancement project is to replace the current voice telephone/ACD system, voice station devices, data switches, firewall, and router at CrisisLink utilizing VoIP technology throughout the systems. System includes server based call processor with call group routing and reporting (UCD/ACD), voice gateway, unified messaging, call recording, POE enterprise level data switch, router/firewall, and UPS. The project includes but is not limited to, providing all labor, equipment, materials, scaffolding, hoisting and incidentals to complete all work in accordance with the specifications, drawings, schedules and applicable codes detailed in the RFP. A review team will evaluate the proposals received and make the final selection by December 31, 2010. Please visit www.netprocompany.com/crisislink/ to view the RFP.

About the Philip L. Graham Fund
Named for the late publisher of The Washington Post and president of The Washington Post Company, the Philip L. Graham Fund devotes its resources to the betterment of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and the field of journalism. The Fund awards several million dollars in grants annually to groups providing educational, social, community enrichment, and arts programs and services to communities in and around Washington, D.C. The Fund also supports efforts to foster improvements nationally in the field of journalism. www.plgrahamfund.org

About CrisisLink
CrisisLink brings immediate help, hope, and healing to empower individuals facing serious life challenges, suicidal thoughts, emotional or situational problems. www.crisislink.org