UNSPSC 43222624: Optical cross connects equipment

Fitted to network hardware to perform cross connections bewteen all kinds of pleiochronous and sychronous port at all switching levels

UNSPSC 43222624 Optical cross connects equipment, a Commodity code, represents network switching and routing infrastructure that state and local governments procure to modernize and maintain their digital communications systems. Recent opportunities show state and local purchasers buying integrated switching solutions—often bundled with installation, configuration, and support services—to replace aging network infrastructure at traffic management centers, airports, schools, county facilities, and municipal data centers. The work spans hardware procurement (network switches, transceivers, fiber optic cabling, UPS systems, and related components), professional services (design, installation, testing, configuration, training), and managed support across multi-location deployments.

Issuing bodies include state education agencies, county school districts, city transportation and aviation departments, county utilities, and regional purchasing cooperatives serving education. School districts dominate the recent activity, particularly through E-Rate–funded procurements for network lifecycle replacements across 20–140 school buildings. State agencies and counties use the code for similar infrastructure refresh projects. Georgia school systems (Bibb County, Houston County, Fayette County, Savannah-Chatham, Gwinnett County) and Florida school districts (Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Sarasota County) show heavy recent activity, alongside Oregon, North Carolina, California, Michigan, Texas, and Washington jurisdictions. Representative recent opportunities include Hillsborough County Public Schools' $10.3 million Enterprise License Agreement for Cisco Meraki platform licensing (ITB 26045ITBDST, due February 22, 2026), Houston County School District's request for HPE Aruba wireless access points and edge switches (RFP 26-029, due February 23, 2026), and Bibb County School District's E-Rate–funded switch upgrade across 45 locations (RFP 26-029, due March 2, 2026, via Bonfire). Procurement structures vary from open IFB/RFP solicitations to cooperative purchasing agreements (Region 7 Purchasing Cooperative network systems catalog bid NET2628, due July 28, 2026), with most school districts requiring E-Rate compliance, SPIN numbers, and lowest corresponding price certifications. Evaluation typically weights cost (30–45 points), technical approach and vendor qualifications (20–30 points), and past E-Rate experience (10–25 points). Mandatory qualifications frequently include manufacturer certifications (Cisco, HPE Aruba, Extreme Networks, Meraki partner status), three or more customer references from similar institutions, proof of E-Rate experience, and compliance with prevailing wage, background check, and federal debarment rules.