When is the submission deadline?

Submissions are due July 24, 2026. Questions must be submitted by July 10, 2026.

It was issued by Princeton University. The work is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.

Who is a good fit for this opportunity?

Expertise in higher education data center strategy and planning. Experience leading large-scale IT infrastructure assessments and roadmaps. Ability to facilitate stakeholder visioning and planning workshops. Familiarity with industry benchmarking and financial modeling for data centers. Demonstrated experience with comparative analysis of on-site, off-site, and hybrid models.

Data Center Strategy Consultant Service (Due July 24, 2026)

Overview

Management Consulting & Admin Support

Princeton, New Jersey, United StatesPosted: June 19th, 2026Deadline: July 24th, 2026

Fit Score

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SUMMARY

The University requires a strategic consultant to assess its data center environment and develop a mid- and long-term roadmap informed by stakeholder input and industry benchmarking.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Must provide a proposal in response to question 1.1
Must provide a workplan for the 9-month planning effort
Must identify key personnel and their roles
Must provide up to three examples of similar consulting projects
Must provide three relevant and recent references
Must provide a not-to-exceed fixed fee for the study
Must provide flexible pricing models for ongoing advisory services
Must be prepared to negotiate or sign the University's Services Agreement

CONTRACT DURATION

9 months

TIMELINE

RFP Release: June 18th, 2026

Initial Meeting / Q&A (Virtual): July 7th, 2026

Deadline for Written Questions: July 10th, 2026

Answers for Questions: July 17th, 2026

Deadline for Proposal Submittal: July 24th, 2026

Finalist Interviews: Mid August 2026

Proposal Evaluation: Mid August 2026

Final Selection Period/Award: Early September 2026

Contract Execution: Early September 2026

Engagement to Begin: Mid September 2026

QUESTION DEADLINE

July 10th, 2026

CONTACTS

Primary procurement contact — name, title, email, and phone

Additional decision-makers and their departments

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Issuing Agency

Princeton University

Organization overview and procurement intelligence available on paid plans.

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DESCRIPTION

The University seeks a consultant to evaluate its current data center environment and develop a comprehensive strategic roadmap for mid-term (3–5 years) and long-term (5+ years) infrastructure needs, covering computing, data and storage management, and data movement. The development of this roadmap will be informed by a series of collaborative workshops with university leadership, faculty, researchers, and other stakeholders.

The scope includes a thorough review of existing data center inventory and IT facilities infrastructure, forecasting future needs and required computing capacities. The consultant will analyze organizational and staffing structures—including IT, Facilities, and end user support—while reviewing strategies and long-term approaches of peer research institutions. The engagement will provide evaluation metrics and benchmarking relative to industry standards and peers.

The consultant is expected to conduct comparative analyses of various data center models (on-site, off-site, hybrid, and fully external own/build/lease/partnership arrangements) using weighted-scorecard methodologies with detailed financial proformas for both mid- and long-term scenarios. Each scenario will account for cost implications related to computing assets and physical data center space. Further, the strategy will address geographic risk, grid capacity, interconnection feasibility, industry trends (such as cooling methods and densities), and will outline detailed timelines for expansion and change management.

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Frequently asked questions

When is the submission deadline?: Submissions are due July 24, 2026. Questions must be submitted by July 10, 2026.
Who issued this RFP?: It was issued by Princeton University. The work is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.
Who is a good fit for this opportunity?: Expertise in higher education data center strategy and planning
Experience leading large-scale IT infrastructure assessments and roadmaps
Ability to facilitate stakeholder visioning and planning workshops
Familiarity with industry benchmarking and financial modeling for data centers
Demonstrated experience with comparative analysis of on-site, off-site, and hybrid models

Analysis generated by Settle AI from the source RFP.

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