09F67296-962E-4EBD-A582-7C97B1780DA4.pdf

Revised 2026

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CLAUSE

The Contractor will not unlawfully discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, familial status or military status. The Contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, familial status or military status. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment up-grading, demotion, or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training. The Contractor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices summarizing the provisions of this Equal Opportunity Clause.

The Contractor will, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the Contractor, state that the Contractor is an equal opportunity employer.

It is the policy of the City of Columbus that program members as defined in section 3901.01 of the Columbus City Codes shall have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts awarded by the City.

The Contractor shall permit access to any relevant and pertinent reports and documents by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Director for the sole purpose of verifying compliance with

Title 39 of the Columbus City Codes, and with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion regulations.

All such materials provided to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Director by the Contractor shall be considered confidential.

The Contractor will not obstruct or hinder the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Director or his/her deputies, staff and assistants in the fulfillment of the duties and responsibilities imposed by Title 39 of the Columbus City Codes.

The Contractor and each subcontractor will include a summary of this Equal Opportunity

Clause in every subcontract. The Contractor will take such action with respect to any subcontractor as is necessary as a means of enforcing the provisions of the Equal Opportunity Clause.

The Contractor agrees to refrain from subcontracting any part of this Contract or contract modification thereto to a contractor not holding a valid certification number as provided for in

Title 39 of the Columbus City Codes.

Failure or refusal of a Contractor or subcontractor to comply with the provisions of Title

39 of the Columbus City Codes may result in cancellation of this contract.

RFQ033329 City of Columbus Department of Technology (DoT) Fiber Network Maintenance, and

Restoration Services Best Value Procurement

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INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS (BVP)

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

Special conditions included in the specifications, if inconsistent with provisions included in "Information for Offerors (BVP)", shall take precedence over any provisions in "Information for Offerors (BVP)" to the extent inconsistent.

PERSONAL EXAMINATION

Offerors are required to satisfy themselves by personal examination of the proposed contract documents and investigation of the conditions at the site of the work in order that they may be fully informed of the contract requirements, the conditions existing, and the difficulties likely to be encountered in the execution of the work.

SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE

Refer to the "Proposal Information" section of the Specifications for instructions for submission.

All proposals and other material submitted in response to this Best Value Procurement (BVP) become the property of the City of Columbus. The City may choose to retain or return these materials to the offeror, at the offeror’s expense.

The City is not liable for any cost associated with the preparation of the proposal or any other costs incurred by any bidder prior to the execution of the contract. The rejection of any proposal in whole or in part, at it discretion, will not render the City liable for incurring any cost or damage.

If at any time prior to the closing date the invited offeror decides not to provide a proposal, the City will appreciate that a letter to that effect be supplied to the City prior to the deadline.

ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION

This response submitted by the offeror to the City of Columbus will be accepted or rejected within a period of 180 days from due date. The City reserves the right to waive technicalities, and to cancel and renew the request on the required service. If more than one service, prices shall be quoted on the services requested. However, each service may be considered a separate offer and the City reserves the right to award a contract on each service separately or on all services as a whole or any combination thereof. Offerors whose proposal is made on an "All or None" basis must clearly state such fact in their written responses.

Each invitation for Bids, Request for Statements of Qualifications, and Request for Proposals issued by the City shall state that the Bid or Request may be cancelled and that any bid or proposal may be rejected in whole or in part when it is for good cause and in the best interests of the City.

WITHDRAWAL OF RESPONSE PROPOSALS

Offerors may withdraw their responses at any time prior to the time specified in the advertisement as the closing time for the receipt of responses. However, no offeror shall withdraw or cancel a proposal for a period of 180 calendar days after said advertised closing time for the receipt of the proposals.

SIGNATURE REQUIRED

By submitting this response electronically, bidder/proposer is affixing an electronic signature as defined by the Ohio Uniform Transactions Act. Said signature represents that he/she has the authority to bind the entity to the terms and conditions contained herein.

DEFAULT PROVISION

In case of default by the offeror or the contractor, the City of Columbus may procure the articles or services from other sources and hold the offeror or contractor responsible for any excess costs occasioned or incurred thereby.

CONTRACT AND BOND

The offeror to whom an award is made will be required to execute a written contract with the City of Columbus, Ohio within ten days after receiving such contract for execution, and if specified in the legal notice, furnish a good and approved bond conditioned upon the faithful performance of the same. The proposal, contract, proposal bond, (if applicable), and performance bond (if applicable) shall be in the form herein specified.

If, at any time during the continuance of the Contract, any surety shall, in the opinion of the contracting agent of the City, become irresponsible, then said agent shall have the right to require additional and sufficient surety or sureties. The Contractor shall furnish the surety or sureties to the satisfaction of the said agent, within ten (10) days after notice. In default thereof the default provision herein shall apply.

LIABILITY, INSURANCE, LICENSES AND PERMITS

Where offerors are required to enter or go onto City of Columbus property to deliver materials or perform work or services as a result of contract award, the offeror will assume full duty, obligation and expense of obtaining all necessary licenses, permits, and insurance when required. The offeror shall be liable for any damages or loss to the City occasioned by negligence of the offeror (or his agent) or any person the offeror has designated in the completion of his contract as a result of his response. Particular attention is directed to the statutory requirements of the State of Ohio relative to the licensing of corporation organized under the Laws of any other State.

TAXES

The City, being a municipality, is tax exempt and will provide appropriate certificate upon request. Federal and/or State Taxes are not to be included in prices quoted. The successful offeror will be furnished an exemption certificate if needed.

PRICING

Offerors are to quote firm or fixed prices for the duration of any contract, which may be a result of the proposal unless otherwise noted in the specifications. In case of discrepancy in computing the amount of the cost, the UNIT PRICE quoted will govern.

DELIVERY

Time will be of the essence for any orders placed as a result of this response. Purchaser reserves the right to cancel such orders, or any part thereof, without obligations if delivery is not made within the time(s) specified. Delivery shall be made during normal working hours and to the destination shown on the proposal.

(INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS continued next page)

INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS (BVP) (Continued)

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CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Contractor hereby certifies the following: that it is familiar with Ohio Revised Code (“O.R.C.”) Section 3517.13; that all applicable parties listed in Division (I)(3) or (J)(3) of O.R.C.

Section 3517.13 are in full compliance with Divisions (I)(1) and (J)(1) of that Section; that it is eligible for this contract under the law and will remain in compliance with O.R.C. Section 3517.13 for the duration of this contract and for one year thereafter.

QUALITY

Unless otherwise stated by the offeror, the proposal will be considered as being in strict accordance with the specifications outlined in this BVP document.

SAMPLES

Samples, when requested, must be furnished free of expense to the City and if not destroyed, will upon request be returned at the bidder's expense.

CHANGES AND ADDENDA TO BVP DOCUMENTS

Each change or addenda issued in relation to this document will be published on Bonfire website no less than five (5) working days prior to the scheduled BVP due date. In addition, to the extent possible, notice will be e-mailed to each person registered as having interest in the commodities selected for this

BVP.

REPUDIATION OF AGREEMENT

The liability of the City for repudiation of any agreement which might result from this request shall be limited to the difference between the market price at the time and place for tender of the service and the unpaid sales price together with any incidental damages, but less expenses paid in consequence of the breach by the City. The liability of the city shall not be measured by the profits or overhead of seller.

CONTRACT MODIFICATION

An agreement which may result from this request shall not be modified or altered by any subsequent course of performance between parties or by additional terms contained in any subsequent documents unless said additional or differing terms are incorporated by contract modification authorized to be entered into by ordinance.

APPLICABLE LAWS

The Revised Code of the State of Ohio, the Charter of the City of Columbus, and all City ordinances insofar as they apply to the laws of competitive bidding, contracts, and purchases, and wage theft prevention, are made a part hereof.

REMEDIES

All claims, counterclaims, disputes and other matters in question between the City, its agents and employees, and the Contractor arising out of or relating to this agreement or its breach will be decided in a court of competent jurisdiction within the County of Franklin, State of Ohio.

OFFERORS TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and conditions, submitted with this proposal, which are contrary to City Code or Charter shall be disregarded for the purpose of any subsequent contract. The successful offeror shall be notified as to which terms and conditions, if any, have been deleted or changed.

PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS

The City of Columbus, as a political subdivision of the State of Ohio, is subject to Ohio Revised Code Chapter 149, known as the Ohio Public Records Law. Consequently, the Offeror understands that ALL documents submitted in response to this

BVP are considered public records and WILL be released when a public records request is made by news media, competitors, or other interested parties, in accordance with the law. If you contend that certain CLEARLY MARKED portions of your response constitute an exception to Ohio’s public records law, you MUST submit your legal basis in support of that assertion with your response.

If a public records request is made for any portion of the documents that you have submitted and you have NOT clearly marked such documents as information constituting an exception to Ohio’s public records law, your information will be released immediately.

If a public records request is made for such information and you HAVE clearly marked portions of your response as information constituting an exception to Ohio’s public records law, AND you have submitted the legal basis supporting such claim, the City will release a redacted version of your information to the requestor and notify you that a request was made and that a redacted version of your response was released. Should the requestor indicate that the redacted version is not sufficient for their purposes, you then will be IMMEDIATELY responsible for obtaining an order from a Court of competent jurisdiction in Franklin County, Ohio enjoining release of your clearly marked information constituting an exception to Ohio’s public records law.

If a public records request is made for such information and you HAVE clearly marked portions of your response as information constituting an exception to Ohio’s public records law, but you have NOT submitted the legal basis supporting such claim, the City WILL RELEASE your information to the requestor and notify you that a request was made and that your response was released.

DO NOT mark your entire response/submittal as information constituting an exception to Ohio’s public records law. If your entire response/submittal is so marked, the City of Columbus will not consider your offer.

COSTS INCURRED FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS

The City is not liable for any cost associated with the preparation of the proposal or any other costs incurred by any offeror prior to the execution of the contract. The rejection of any proposal in whole or in part, at it discretion, will not render the City liable for incurring any cost or damage.

WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

If at any time prior to the closing date the invited offeror decides not to provide a proposal, the City will appreciate that a letter to that effect be supplied to the City prior to the deadline.

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Successful vendor shall at all times while performing duties, adhere to all rules of their particular industry, with regard to mandates by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and/or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and any other regulation applicable to the circumstance.

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ADDITIONAL CONTRACT TERMS AND REQUIRED

DOCUMENTS IN THE EVENT OF A CONTRACT

This section sets forth contract terms and the required contract documents that the successful offeror must execute following the award of the contract by the contracting authority.

PUBLICATIONS

The Contractor agrees to submit to the City’s Contract Administrator all advertising, sales promotion, and other publicity matters relating to this Contract wherein the City’s name is mentioned or language used from which the connection of the City’s name therewith may, in the City’s judgment, be inferred or implied. The Contractor further agrees not to publish, or use such advertising, sales promotion, or publicity matter without the prior written consent of the City except that may be required under law.

TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE

The City upon thirty days written notice may terminate this agreement at its convenience. The party providing goods or services shall be entitled compensation for goods provided or services rendered under the terms of this contract up to the date of notification of termination.

TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT

If either the City or the Contractor violates any material term or condition of this Contract or fails to fulfill in a timely and proper manner its obligations under this Contract, then the aggrieved party shall give the other party written notice of such failure or violation. The responsible party shall give the other party written notice of such failure or violation. The responsible party will correct the violation or failure within thirty (30) calendar days or as otherwise mutually agreed. If the failure or violation is not corrected, this Contract may be terminated immediately by written notice from the aggrieved party to the other party. The option to terminate shall be the sole discretion of the aggrieved party. If it determined for any reason the failure to perform is without the defaulting party’s control, fault, or negligence, the termination shall be deemed to be a Termination for Convenience.

APPLICABLE LAW, REMEDIES

This agreement shall be governed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio. All claims, counterclaims, disputes and other matters in question between the City, its agents and employees, and the Contractor arising out of or relating to this agreement or its breach will be decided in a court of competent jurisdiction within the County of Franklin, State of Ohio. The remedies provided for in this Contract shall not be exclusive but are in addition to all other remedies available under law.

ASSIGNMENT

This agreement may not be assigned or otherwise transferred to others by the contractor without the prior written consent of the City.

SAVE HARMLESS

Contractor shall protect, indemnify and save the City harmless from and against any damage, cost, or liability, including reasonable attorneys’ fees resulting from claim, by third parties for any or all injuries to persons or damage to property arising from the acts or omissions of the Contractor, its officers, employees, agents, or Subcontractors in providing goods or services under the terms and conditions of this contract. The City will not indemnify the contractor and is prohibited from doing so.

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS

The Contractor shall perform its duties as an independent contractor and not as an employee. Neither the contractor nor any agent or employee of the contractor shall be or shall be deemed to be an agent or employee of the City of Columbus.

The Contractor shall pay when due all required employment taxes and income tax on any monies paid pursuant to the contract. Contractor shall acknowledge that the contractor and its employees are not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits unless the contractor or a third party provides such coverage and that the City does not apply for or otherwise provide such coverage. Contractor shall have no authorization, express or implied, to bind the City to any agreements, liability, or understanding except as expressly set forth in the contract.

Contractor shall provide and keep in force worker’s compensation (and show proof of such insurance) and unemployment compensation insurance in the amounts required by law, and shall be solely responsible for the acts of the contractor, its employees and agents.

WAGE THEFT PREVENTION

Chapter 377 of the Columbus City Codes is hereby incorporated into the contract and seller is required to comply with said chapter. This includes, but is not limited to reporting requirements and the obligation to review the commission list of contractors and subcontractors that received an adverse determination. Penalties for failure to comply with the wage theft prevention code include suspension for three years, up to permanent disbarment.

-3C- Revised 09-07-2021

IN THE EVENT OF A CONTRACT (continued)

PROTECTION OF CITY’S CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The contractor shall acknowledge that some of the material and information which may come into its possession or knowledge in connection with the contract or its performance, may consist of confidential information, the disclosure of which to, or use by, third parties could be damaging. Therefore, access to information concerning individual recipients of the City’s services to individual clients, among other items, shall not be granted except as authorized by law or agency rule. The contractor shall agree to hold all such information in strictest confidence, not to make use thereof for other than the performance of the contract, to release it only to authorized employees or subcontractors requiring such information, and not to release or disclose it to any other party. The contractor shall agree to release such information or material only to subcontractors who have signed a written agreement expressly prohibiting disclosure. The contractor shall further agree to either destroy or return all such information at the end of the term of the contract.

This section does not impose any obligation on the contractor if the information is: (1) publicly known at the time of disclosure;

(2) already known to the receiving party at the time it is furnished to the contractor; (3) furnished by the City to others without restrictions on its use or disclosure; or (4) independently developed by the receiving party without use of the proprietary information.

WITHHOLDING OF CITY INCOME TAX

Pursuant to Section 362 Columbus City Codes, 1959: "Said Contractor hereby further agrees to withhold all City income tax assessment due or payable under the provisions of Chapter 362, Columbus City Codes for wages, salaries and commissions paid to its employees and further agrees that any of its subcontractors shall be required to agree to withhold any such City income tax assessments due under said chapters for services performed under this Contract."

WORKER'S COMPENSATION INSURANCE

The contractor shall take out and maintain, during the life of the contract, adequate worker's compensation insurance for all his employees employed at the site of the project and, in case any work is sublet, the contractor shall require the subcontractor similarly to provide worker's compensation insurance for the latter's employees, unless such employees are covered by the protection afforded by the contractor. The contractor shall furnish three (3) copies of the worker's compensation certificate showing that the contractor has paid his industrial insurance premium.

AUTHORITY TO BIND

The signatories to this Contract represent that they have the authority to bind themselves and their respective organizations to this Contract.

LIABILITY INSURANCE

The contractor shall take out and maintain during the life of the contract, such liability (bodily injury and property damage) Insurance as shall protect it from claims from damages for personal injury, including accidental death, as well as from claims for property damage which may arise from operations under the contract, whether such operation be by itself or any subcontractor or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by either of them. Such insurance policy shall include the City as additional insured. The contractor shall maintain coverage of the types and in the amounts specified below. Proof of such insurance coverage shall be evidenced by submitting a certificate of insurance. A contractor's "umbrella" type policy with limits specified below may be submitted for this requirement with the City as additional insured.

The amount of such insurance shall be as follows:

Bodily Injury Liability:

Each Person $1,000,000.00 Each Accident $1,000,000.00

Property Damage Liability:

Each Person $1,000,000.00 All Accidents $1,000,000.00

Such insurance shall remain in full force and effect during the life of the contract.

Insurance may not be changed or cancelled unless the insured notifies the City in writing not less than thirty days prior to such change or cancellation. If any part of the contract is sublet, the contractor is responsible for the part sublet being adequately covered by insurance hereinabove described.

Contractor assumes all risk of loss and damage to the equipment provided unless loss or damage occurs at the time the operator and equipment are being operated for the purpose designated by the City and such loss or damages is caused by an act of the City or its employee which constitutes gross negligence or wanton misconduct

1.0 SCOPE AND CLASSIFICATION

1.1 Scope: The City of Columbus is seeking Request for Proposals in response to a Best Value Procurement (BVP) to enter into a Universal Term Contract (indefinite quantity) to purchase routine cable maintenance, and restoration services, to include labor, parts, materials and supplies, for the City of Columbus fiber optic network. The City will negotiate a contract with the selected vendor for a term of three (3) years beginning upon contract execution with two (2) additional one year extension options.

1.2 Classification: The contracts resulting from the BVP will provide the City with fiber optic cable maintenance, and restoration services as detailed herein.

1.3 Specification Questions: Questions regarding this BVP must be submitted on the Vendor Services portal by 11:00 am Monday, August 3, 2026. Responses will be posted on the RFQ on Vendor Services no later than Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 11:00 am.

1.4 For additional information concerning this BVP, including procedures on how to submit a proposal, you must go to the City of Columbus Vendor Services web site at https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/projectDrafts/245994/ details and view this bid number.

1.5 Best Value Procurement Model: The City of Columbus is using a Best Value Procurement in lieu of the Invitation to Bid model. The award will not be made to the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidder. The contract will be awarded based upon: (1) the company’s stability and history, (2) capacity and efficacy of the services for a large network, (3) total cost of the services to meet the operational needs of the City, and (4) past performance of the vendor as determined by customer satisfaction (5) acquisition cost and other evaluation criteria referred to in Columbus City Code 329.18 or as defined herein.

1.6 Background of City's Needs: Attached Exhibit #1a indicates approximately 1,000 miles of fiber optic cabling in various strand count quantities throughout the City. Any fiber acquired or constructed during the contract period will be covered by this contract. An Offeror must be able to initiate emergency fiber optic restoration services within a two (2) hour window, and maintain the network. Additionally, the City will negotiate a Universal Term Contract with the successful vendor, or vendors.

2.0 APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS AND STANDARDS

2.0 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Electrification Administration Specification for Totally Filled Optical Fiber Cable, PE-90

2.1 EIA/TIA 455-A, Standard Test Procedure for Fiber Optic Fibers, Cables, Transducers, Sensors, Connecting and Terminating Devices, and other Fiber Optic Components

2.2 EIA/TIA-455-25A, Repeated Impact Testing of Fiber Optic Cables and Cable Assemblies

2.3 EIA-455 28B, Method for Measuring Dynamic Tensile Strength of Optical Fibers https://columbusvendorservices.powerappsportals.com/

2.4 EIA-455-33A, Fiber Optic Cable Tensile Loading and Bending Test

2.5 ElA-455 34, Interconnection Device Insertion Loss Test

2.6 EIA-455-41, Compressive Loading Resistance of Fiber Optic Cables

2.7 EIA/TIA-455-81A, Compound Flow (Drip) Test for Filled Fiber Optic Cable

2.8 EIA/TIA-455-82B, Fluid Penetration Test for Fluid-Blocked Fiber Optic Cable

2.9 ElA-455 89A, Fiber Optic Cable Jacket Elongation and Tensile Strength

2.10 EIA-455 95, Absolute Optical Power Test for Optical Fibers and Cables

2.11 EIA-455-104, Fiber Optic Cable Cyclic Flexing Test

2.12 EIA/TIA-598, Color Coding of Fiber Optic Cables

2.13 EIA/ANSI-472 Generic Requirement for Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber Cables

2.14 ANSI/ICEA S-87-640

2.15 ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-7: OFSTP-7 Measurement of Optical Power Loss of Installed Single-mode Fiber Cable Plant.

2.16 Must meet or exceed all City, State, Federal safety guidelines and standards. All OSHA applicable guidelines and standards.

3.0 REQUIREMENTS

3.1 General Information:

3.2 Term: The proposed contract shall be for approximately three years, beginning upon contract execution. This will be negotiated with the finalist(s).

3.3 Contract Extension: Subject to mutual agreement, the period covered by the ensuring contract, under the same terms and conditions stated therein can be extended for two (2) additional one year periods on a year by year basis at the same pricing structure.

3.3.1 Quantity Estimate: The types and estimated quantities are for annual needs under this contract. These are for bidding purposes only. These estimates is not to be construed as representing an actual order for any amount, or a guarantee that any amount will actually be purchased. The City estimates spending up to $500,000 per year. The City reserves the right to purchase up to twice the estimated quantity.

3.3.2 Routine maintenance will encompass approximately 1000 miles of aerial and underground fiber optic cable and associated conduit. Exhibit 1a.

3.3.2.1 Pricing: Bidders are to bid firm or fixed prices, FOB Destination, Freight Prepaid and Allowed. All pricing must include manufacturer warranty. All manufacturer warranties will be passed on to the City of Columbus. Unless otherwise stated all bids will be considered to contain the following escalator/de-escalator cause:

3.3.2.2 Escalator Clause: No price adjustment shall be granted during the first twelve

(12) months duration of an awarded contract. Thereafter no more than one such increases may occur within any year of the contract. In the event the supplier receives a general price increase in the cost of the finished product contracted for, due to increase in the cost of raw materials, labor, freight, etc., upon giving thirty

(30) days prior notice and proper documentation as proof, said increase in addition to the unit price quoted herein, may be permitted, subject to the sole discretion of the City of Columbus Finance and Management Director. In the event any such increase is granted, no price adjustment shall be permitted on orders received by supplier which are in process or filled but awaiting shipment prior to the increase. All price decreases inure to the benefit of the City of Columbus. The written notice and following documentation shall be sent to: City of Columbus Purchasing Office, 5th Floor, 77 N. Front St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.

3.3.2.3 Price Documentation: The supplier shall submit the following documentation with each request for a price increase:

1) Copies of the old and the current price lists or similar documents which indicate the original base cost of the product to the supplier and the corresponding increase; and

2) Copies of correspondence sent by the supplier's supplier explaining the source of the increase in such areas of raw materials, freight, fuel or labor, etc.; and

3) Copies of excerpts from business publications, market quotations or trade journals recognized as being representative of their particular trade or industry, that indicate a trend toward an increase in the current market for the commodities under the awarded contract.

3.3.2.4 Right of Cancellation: If at any time during the term of the contract the supplier's total request(s) for a price increase(s) are greater than fifteen percent (15%), the City of Columbus may cancel this agreement with thirty (30) days written notification.

3.3.3 Universal Term Contract: This proposal is bidder's offer to sell the services set forth in its proposal, under the terms and conditions of this proposal. Offeror is to take notice that the City makes no warranties or representations that the estimated quantity, or any quantity at all, will be ordered by the City even though Offeror’s proposal is accepted by the City and a firm offer for sale executed.

If Offeror’s proposal is accepted by the City and the firm offer for sale is executed the bidder is to take further notice that no act, failure to act, or order placed by the City or by any official, employee or agent of the City shall constitute an order or contractually bind the City without the proper certificate by the City Auditor that funds sufficient for full payment due on any order are available. Each order placed under the firm offer for sale shall require execution of a purchase order. Therefore in consideration of one ($1.00) dollar received by the awarded Offeror, said bidder shall offer to sell buyer, City of Columbus, who shall have the Contract Term to exercise this option to purchase, at the price and on the terms set forth in the negotiated agreement arising from this proposal.

The City shall not be precluded from buying similar or the same services from other suppliers. In the event of an overlap in the annual term of subsequent Universal Term Contracts, the City may purchase the desired service from either awarded contract at the City's sole discretion.

3.3.3.1 Written Purchase Order: Written Purchase orders may be established for various City Agencies referencing the terms of this contract and specifying delivery locations.

Written Purchase Order(s) will represent a maximum obligation for the City of Columbus over a particular time period. The City may spend all, part or none of the funding noted on the Purchase Order. This Purchase Order shall not be construed as an actual order to manufacture ship or provide any items or services. Rather, written Purchase Order(s) enable properly authorized City agency personnel to make purchases on an "as needed" basis per this contract. Any number of written purchase orders may be used at the discretion of the City to increase or decrease available funds during the term of the agreement. At no time shall the maximum obligation of the City agency exceed the cumulative dollar amount of associated purchase orders.

Any available funds balance not obligated by the City for accounts payable on items/work ordered on or prior to that date shall be cancelled after that date.

3.3.4 Cooperative Agreement: The city reserves the right to negotiate a cooperative purchasing agreement. The successful Offeror shall also supply all the services under the terms and conditions of the proposed contract to agencies officially sanctioned by the City in its cooperative purchasing effort, the Central Ohio Organization of Public Purchasers (COOPP). Any agency that is not subject to a City of Columbus purchase order must be invoiced directly by the Offeror. Those agencies participation may be subject to a credit approval by the Offeror, as the City of Columbus is in no way obligated to those agencies' financial commitments. The supplier shall be notified of any additional agencies sanctioned by the City of Columbus via a letter signed by the Finance and Management Director.

3.3.5 Non-disclosure: The contractor agrees that no information will be disclosed to third parties or published in case studies, advertisements, white papers, customer testimonials, etc. without the written consent of the City.

3.4 BVP Overview: The Offeror’s response to this BVP should be a clear and concise

City of Columbus Department of Technology (DoT) Fiber Network Maintenance, and Restoration Services

Best Value Procurement description of the Offeror’s capabilities and proposed service offerings. The BVP will be evaluated using (1) company’s stability and history, (2) capacity and efficacy of the services for a large network, (3) cost of the services to meet the operational needs of the City, and (4) past performance of the equipment and vendor as determined by customer satisfaction.

3.4.1 Process Summary: The City will appoint an evaluation committee to evaluate proposals received. The committee will evaluate all Offerors and proposals received and rank the Offerors based upon the evaluation criteria specified in the BVP. The committee may then select two (2) or more of the highest qualified Offerors with which to hold additional discussions. The discussions may include, but are not limited to, presentations by the Offerors to the committee to elaborate upon their qualifications, proposals, and/or other pertinent information. Based upon the content of the proposals received including any revisions thereto, and upon any additional discussions with the Offerors the committee shall rank the remaining Offerors based upon the evaluation criteria specified in the BVP. The committee shall submit its ranking of the Offerors along with a written explanation to the Finance and Management Director. The Finance and Management Director shall select the Offeror(s) with which to enter into contract negotiations. If negotiations fail, negotiations with these Offeror(s) shall be terminated, and the city agency may enter into contract negotiations with another.

3.4.2 BVP Sequence of Events: The following BVP sequence of events represents the City’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. Exact due dates and times for questions and answers (in Section 3.2.2.1) are noted in this document and will be published on Bonfire and in the City Bulletin:

- BVP Issued July 23, 2026

- Deadline for written questions: August 3, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST.

- City response to questions: as asked, no later than four days after question deadline

- BVP Due: August 20, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST.

- Notification of finalists: approximately 15-20 days after BVP received

- Presentations to City (if needed): approximately 10-15 days after notifications sent

- Negotiations begin: approximately 5-10 days after presentations

- Contract completed: approximately 40 days after completed negotiations

3.4.2.1 Specification Questions: Questions regarding this BVP must be submitted on the Bonfire portal by August 3, 2026 11:00am EST. Responses will be posted as questions are asked, but no later than 11:00 a.m. (local time) on August 6, 2026.

Bidders whom have not registered and created a new user on the City's portal https://columbusvendorservices.powerappsportals.com/ are strongly encouraged to do so.

3.4.2.2 Communications: During the solicitation and evaluation process, Offerors are strictly prohibited from communicating with any City employees or officers regarding this solicitation except through the method stated immediately above during the Question and Answer period. Any communication from the vendor to the City after the Question and Answer period should be limited to only what is necessary. Necessary http://vendors.columbus.gov/sites/public http://vendors.columbus.gov/sites/public

Best Value Procurement communication required by the City will be communicated clearly to Offerors. If any Offeror has a need to communicate with the City, the communication should come only to the Chair of the Committee. If a City employee attempts to communicate with an Offeror contrary to this provision, the Offeror shall report said incident to the Chair of the Committee. The Chair is Charles Myers, Procurement Specialist, at chmyers@columbus.gov or 614-645-6796. A violation of this section on the part of the Offeror will lead to disqualification.

3.5

3.4.2.3 Proposal Submittal Guidelines: Submit per the instructions on the Bonfire portal.

Evaluation Criteria:

3.6 Section One Company’s Stability and History (20 points): The Company’s stability and history. Proposal should outline company’s background and experience showing successful results in this service. Include a list of similar projects with cost, size, and description. A proven track record and expertise in similar projects is a major factor in selecting the Proposer for this project. Proposers should elaborate in detail on their unique capabilities and experience.

3.6.1.1 Offerors At a minimum, the following questions should be answered:

- How many years has your company been in business?

- Describe your year to year growth in the requested services. Please include added staff, equipment, facilities, and profits.

- How many years has your company offered the requested services?

- Where is your company located?

- How long have you been at this location?

- Where was your previous location, if any?

3.6.2 Section Two Capacity and Efficacy of the services for a Large Network (25 points): The quality and feasibility of the proposal to comply with the operational requirements outlined below. The City of Columbus requires routine cable maintenance, and fiber restoration services, to include labor, parts, materials and supplies, for the City of Columbus fiber optic network. Four (4) Hour Service Initiation:

To facilitate prompt response and resolution of emergency fiber restoration incidents, Offeror must guarantee that any of the items listed herein can be deployed to a work site within four (4) hours of emergency service notification from the City.

3.6.3 This service may require work during the night time and weekend hours. Minimum Required Inventory: To facilitate prompt response to emergency repairs, Offeror must have available in inventory at least five-thousand (5,000) feet of single mode fiber each for strand counts of 24, 48, 144, and 288. In addition, available inventory must include at least four (4) fiber optic splice enclosures, seventy-two (72) 36 count splice trays, and two-thousand (2,000) fusion splice sleeves.

3.6.4 Advance Arrangements for Equipment: The Contractor will have advance arrangements in place to provide, if needed, heavy construction equipment such as mailto:kahaytas@columbus.gov mailto:kahaytas@columbus.gov

Best Value Procurement backhoes, trenchers, boring equipment, etc. as necessary.

3.6.5 Personnel: The Bidder must submit supplemental pages containing resumes of the primary staff that would be delivering service to the City. The information shall include current position with the Offeror, verifiable technical training, education and experience level on the specific fiber restoration service(s) they will be expected to perform. Offeror will also be expected to supply the same documentation for any additional technician(s) assigned to the City’s account during the terms of the contract (i.e., new hires, staff transfers to City account, subcontractors, etc.).

The quality of the services offered will be judged upon the ability of those services to perform in a manner consistent with the operational needs of the department. Please submit a full specification of the products offered.

At a minimum, the following questions should be answered:

- How often do you experience deficits with the offered services?

- What performance-monitoring systems are in place to determine the failure frequency and to ensure service quality?

- How do you differentiate your service quality from that of your competitors?

- What kind of research do you conduct to stay current with the latest developments in this field?

- What proportion of your revenue is dedicated to research and development?

- What are your best-selling services?

- Please explain any service enhancement, or unique qualities you offer customers?

- What is your company’s training program for employees?

- Does your company provide any performance analysis for fiber networks? Please describe.

- How does your company provide any innovative services to optimize network performance?

3.6.5.1 Section Three Past Performance of the Equipment and Vendor as Determined by Customer Satisfaction (20 points): The past performance of Offeror as reflected by client evaluations of the Offeror with respect to customer satisfaction. Offeror shall provide a brief history of its services to similar organizations and complexity. At a minimum, please have the attached Performance Evaluation completed by your professional references.

Professional References: The Offeror must provide professional references. A minimum of three (3) references are required. References should consist of projects of a similar scope, complexity, and cost. Please include the name of the individual, the name and location of entity, an e-mail address and a phone number. For each reference, indicate if your company installed the network or, onlymaintained the network. It is the full intent of the City to speak with multiple references in-depth about their experiences with your company and its services. Offerors should contact references with the following questions. Please include in your response the answers from the references to the following questions:

Best Value Procurement

3.6.5.2 Section Four Cost of the Services to Meet the Operational Needs of the City (35 points): Offeror should present in a detailed manner all pricing for any services proposed as potential solutions for the City of Columbus. This is to include replacement or repair of original network components. If Offeror wishes to offer multiple potential solutions, please clearly delineate which services are required to be purchased together. Pricing should be presented in the same manner as it will be invoiced. If Offeror wishes to offer a catalog of items, please provide the full catalog and the discount rates being offered. City will negotiate a contract with the selected Offeror for firm pricing on fiber location, maintenance, and repair costs.

3.6.5.3 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing: In evaluation of this bid pursuant to the City of Columbus Code (329.31 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing) preference shall be given to an environmentally preferable bidder. The bidder that will be considered environmentally preferred will have (but not be limited to) products or processes with one or more of the following certifications: Green Seal, ISO14001, Energy Star, SCS or other Eco-Friendly certification determined by the City as relevant.

Exhibit #1a: Fiber Service Area Map

City of Columbus Department of Technology (DoT) Fiber Network Maintenance, and

Restoration Services Best Value Procurement

PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE – DOT Fiber Network Maintenance and Restoration Services

To:

… .......... (Name of person completing survey)

Phone: ………………………………… E-mail: …………………………….

Subject: Past Performance Survey of: ………………………………………… (Name of Company)

….. (Name of individuals)

City of Columbus (the City) uses a process that collects past performance information on firms and their key personnel.

The information will be used to assist the City in the selection of firms. The Offeror listed above identified you as someone for whom the Offeror either currently provides a service and/or product or for whom the Offeror has provided this service and/or product in the past. Please take a moment to tell us about this Offeror’s performance. The City may contact you to gather further information about the Offeror

HOW SATISFIED. Rate each of the criteria on a scale of 1 to 10, with a 10 representing highly satisfied and a 1 representing highly dissatisfied. Use a number in between to show different degrees of satisfaction. Please rate each of these criteria to the best of your knowledge. If you have no knowledge of past performance in a particular area, leave it blank.

NO CRITERIA UNIT YOUR SCORE

1 Success in meeting your goals and expectations (1-10)

2 Quality of the Offeror’s work (1-10) 3 Ability to maintain schedules and meet deadlines (1-10) 4 Proven effectiveness of Offeror to maintain reports, logs, and records.

(1-10)

5 Experience/capability of personnel assigned to your project

(1-10)

6 Achievement of economic efficiencies (1-10)

7 Effectiveness of Offeror communication with you and to maintain good tenant relations

(1-10)

8 Your comfort level in hiring the firm/individual again based on performance

(1-10)

Printed Name (of Evaluator)

Signature (of Evaluator)

Thank you for your time and effort in assisting us in this important endeavor. Please e-mail survey back to [vendor insert e-mail address here].