12-26-009RA Enterprise Internet Access with Transport-Secondary.pdf

Rev 7/25

Fort Bend Independent School District

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Enterprise Internet Access with Transport - Secondary

RFP NUMBER 26-009RA

PROPOSAL OPEN DATE: Thursday, September 18, 2025

PROPOSAL CLOSE DATE: Thursday, October 23, 2025

TIME: 2:00 PM (CST)

SUBMIT PROPOSAL PACKET THROUGH:

FBISD BID Portal: https://fortbendisd.bonfirehub.com https://fortbendisd.bonfirehub.com/

Enterprise Internet Access with Transport - Secondary

BACKGROUND

Fort Bend ISD (FBISD) is a K-12 public school district in Fort Bend County serving a student enrollment of over 80,000. The district currently consists of 83 campuses and multiple administrative sites. The intention of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals for Enterprise Internet Access with Transport - Secondary

PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING:

A pre-proposal conference will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 10:00 am (CST). Meeting will be held virtually using Microsoft Teams. Proposers are highly encouraged to attend to have a better understanding of the requirements of this Request for Proposal (RFP). (Link to join the meeting): Join the meeting now

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Questions or clarifications regarding this RFP should be submitted through Bonfire’s 'Ask a Question' section by Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 10:00 am. Questions received by the deadline, along with corresponding answers, will be included in an Addendum and posted on Bonfire. Messages cannot be sent after the Q&A deadline. Vendors are responsible for checking for addenda and obtaining them through the portal before submitting their proposal. All addenda must be acknowledged and included with the proposal submission.

DEMONSTRATIONS/INTERVIEWS

The Evaluation Committee will review submissions and reserve the right to create a short list of vendors based on the factors used to evaluate proposals. Product Demonstrations/Interviews may be scheduled with the short-list vendors. The District reserves the right to use the same weight factors for Product Demonstrations/Interviews as in the Evaluation Criteria or adapt new factors.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please be reminded that all Fort Bend ISD campuses and departments are tobacco, drug, and weapon free facilities. Vendors are responsible for the conduct of their employees and adherence to Fort Bend ISD building policies. No work shall interfere with school or system activities or environment unless permission is given by the District.

For the purposes of Pre-proposal and demonstrations, persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Regy Ambooken FBISD Buyer at 281-634-1928 at least two (2) days prior to the conference.

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GENERAL SOLICITATION TERMS AND REQUIREMENTS

This solicitation shall be governed by the documents incorporated and the general provisions posted on the FBISD website. A copy may be obtained at https://www.fortbendisd.com/General- Provisions-for-Purchasing-Solicitations-and-Contracts.pdf or by contacting the Fort Bend ISD Buyer for this solicitation.

Proposers are required to respond to all requests outlined in this RFP. By submitting a proposal, each Proposer affirms that they have reviewed and agree with the agreement for services, general provisions, terms, specifications, and requirements stated in this RFP. The submission of a proposal constitutes the proposer’s acceptance of and agreement to the terms and conditions of this Request for Proposal. Proposers are required to sign the Vendor Acknowledgement Form to confirm their assent to the terms and conditions.

Proposers are required to sign the Vendor Acknowledgement Form to confirm their assent to the terms and conditions.

Only authorized dealers may bid on requested equipment. At the discretion of FBISD, a certificate, executed by the manufacturer, may be requested stating that the bidder is an authorized agent of the manufacturer and is duly authorized to sell, service, and maintain the equipment.

The terms, conditions, specifications, and requirements in this RFP, along with any issued Addenda, will become part of the Agreement between FBISD and the Vendor. The selected Vendor will be required to execute a written contract for all goods, services, and deliverables required under the Agreement. No Vendor will acquire any rights or interest until the District executes the Agreement. The District reserves the right to modify Agreement terms if deemed in FBISD’s best interest and do not substantially change the scope of the Board award.

FBISD does not sign Vendor contract forms. If a Vendor requests changes to the District’s standard Agreement form after a project is awarded, the District reserves the right to cancel the award and re-award the project to an alternate Vendor. If a Vendor requires the execution of a license agreement or additional contract documents, the District may review and amend them at its discretion.

The initial term of this Contract shall be for a period of three (3) years, commencing on the Service Commencement Date, July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2029. The District shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to renew this Contract for up to two (2) additional one-year terms, covering the periods of July 1, 2029, through June 30, 2030, and July 1, 2030 through June 30, 2031.

FBISD reserves the right to waive minor technical defects in proposals, reject any or all proposals or parts thereof, advertise for new proposals, or make purchases on the open market if better prices or services are available. The District may also award contracts that are in its best and most advantageous interest and reserves the right to waive or take exception to any specifications when in the best interest of FBISD.

https://www.fortbendisd.com/General-Provisions-for-Purchasing-Solicitations-and-Contracts.pdf https://www.fortbendisd.com/General-Provisions-for-Purchasing-Solicitations-and-Contracts.pdf

All Fort Bend ISD solicitations and addendums can be accessed on Bonfire e-bidding portal at https://fortbendisd.bonfirehub.com PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE

PROPOSER TO CHECK FOR ANY ADDENDUM ON FBISD BONFIRE ELECTRONIC

BIDDING SYSTEM PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL.

Compliance with Gov’t Code 552.372: The requirements of the Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, Subchapter J, may apply to this bid or contract if it is valued at more than $1 million. The contractor or vendor agrees the contract can be terminated if the contractor or vendor knowingly or intentionally fails to comply with a requirement of that subchapter, including the preservation of all “contracting information” (as defined in 552.003) and the provision, upon request of the governmental entity with whom you are contracting, of all contracting information. Contracting information includes, but is not limited to, records, communications and other documents related to the bids process, contract, payments, receipts, scope of work/services, and performance. Therefore, FBISD must and will provide all procurement and bid submittal information to any third-party that submits a Public Information Act request for the documents, with the exception of vendor financial statements.

INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGH

THE CENTRAL TEXAS PURCHASING ALLIANCE

A. Membership. Fort Bend Independent School District is a member in good standing of the Central Texas Purchasing Alliance (CTPA / txctpa.org), an alliance of over 40 school districts in Texas representing over a million students, sharing information, documents, services and contractual opportunities. CTPA is an alliance created in accordance with Section 791.001 of the Texas Government Code through interlocal agreements.

B. Adoption of Awarded Contracts. In support of this collaborative effort, all awards made by Fort Bend Independent School District may be adopted by other active CTPA member districts. By adopting a contract from another CTPA member district, the adopting district has met the competitive bidding requirements established by the Texas Education Code, Section 44.0331(a)(4) and as required by the adopting district’s policies. There is no obligation on either party to participate unless both parties agree. The goods and services provided under the contract will be at the same or better pricing and purchasing terms established by the originating district.

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE:

Fort Bend ISD uses PeopleSoft as its financial software system. Vendors will have ecommerce capability to interface with PeopleSoft for electronic ordering capabilities. FBISD may implement electronic commerce capability for awarded vendors. All orders would then be sent to the awarded vendor electronically, thus significantly reducing the order processing lead-time. Vendors will enable electronic commerce (Punch-out or catalog) capabilities to enable the district to purchase goods electronically from an awarded vendor’s website with contracted prices and discounts thereby facilitating a shopping cart experience similar to Internet shopping. If enabled the vendor will be responsible for updating their electronic catalog.

VENDOR COMMUNICATION:

Communication between the Purchasing Department and vendors is imperative and encouraged.

Steps must be taken, however, to maintain a fair and equitable opportunity to compete for all vendors and avoid any appearance of favoritism. To protect the integrity of the process, the following guidelines apply once the solicitation is issued:

1. Communication regarding this RFP with district employees, staff, consultants, or Board members, other than the assigned Buyer listed, is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.

2. All requests for clarifications, additional information, or questions must be submitted in writing to the Assigned Buyer during the Question-and-Answer period as outlined in the solicitation document.

3. All responses to inquiries and any necessary corrections to the solicitation will be communicated through the addendum process by the Assigned Buyer.

By adhering to these guidelines, the District ensures a “level playing field” among all eligible vendors throughout the solicitation process.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The award of this contract will not be based solely on price. Rather, Fort Bend ISD will award the contract on the basis of “best value”, considering all applicable mandatory evaluation factors listed in Texas Education Code Section 44.031. Proposals will be evaluated using the criteria outlined below. Fort Bend ISD reserves the right to award the contract in a manner that best meets the District’s needs, including by section, line item, group, single award, dual award, or multiple awards.

Evaluation Criteria Point System

Purchase price

• Offer a fair and reasonable price for goods and services to be procured by Fort Bend ISD

• Pricing will be evaluated for reasonableness relative to the goods and services offered by each proposer.

• Pricing will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness relative to the proposed approach, to ensure alignment with the District’s requirements and successful contract performance.

35 points

Reputation of the Vendor and of the Vendor’s goods or services

• Vendor should have a solid reputation with other ISD’s, Government or Collegiate entities that show a high level of customer service, a high level of quality of good or services.

• Experience: Use and success of the product(s) and/or services in school districts or similar entities. (References will be contacted via e-mail with a deadline. If no response is received by the deadline, there will be points deducted in this section.)

5 points

3 Quality of the Vendor’s goods or services

• Service capabilities, report capabilities training, on-going maintenance, and technical support

• Demonstrated peering capability with other tier 1 or 2 providers

• Demonstrate SLA’s on a five nines uptime with clear remedies for service interruptions.

• Vendor’s service should be of the highest quality

30 points

4 Extent to which the goods or services meet the district’s needs

• Services that meet district requirements

• Integrated solution that meets district’s needs.

• Solution that will scale to meet district’s needs without hardware change.

• License requirements

25 points

5 Vendor’s past relationship with the district For reference, the vendor shall list the following:

• Past projects or contracts of similar service that the vendor has had with the district.

• Past projects or contracts of similar service the vendor has had with K-12 districts of similar size or larger.

• Past projects or contracts of similar service the vendor has had with businesses or universities the size of our district.

5 points

6 Long-term cost to the district to acquire the Vendor’s goods or services

• Warranty, setup fee; maintenance or other fees and other added cost

0 points

7 Vendor’s Principal place of business is in the state of Texas or employs 500 people in this state.

0 points

8 Insurance requirements:

• Certificate of Insurance as requested in the solicitation.

Pass/Fail

Service Agreement:

• Extent to which the vendor agrees to our Standard Form of Agreement by signing the Vendor Acknowledgement Form, vendor assent to the Terms and Conditions of Fort Bend ISD.

Pass/Fail

10 The impact on the ability of the district to comply with laws and rules relating to Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB). N/A

TOTAL 100 points

SOLICITATION SCHEDULE:

Fort Bend ISD anticipates following the schedule outlined below for this RFP.

Please note that the schedule is an estimate, and actual dates may vary.

Activity Date

1. Job starts to advertise (1st run)

Thursday, September 18, 2025

2. Job advertises (2nd run)

Thursday, September 25, 2025

3. Pre-Proposal Meeting 10:00 am(CST)

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

4. Vendor Questions Due

10:00 am(CST) Thursday, October 9, 2025

5. Proposal Due Date 2:00 pm(CST)

Thursday, October 23, 2025

6. Demos/Interviews N/A N/A

7. Presentation to the Board of Trustees Tentative – January 2026

8. Awards will be posted in the Bonfire Portal fortbendisd.bonfirehub.com/past Opportunities

Tentative – January 2026

SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

DELIVERY OF GOODS:

1. All deliveries shall be marked with the proper Fort Bend Independent School District purchase order number. Any item received without a purchase order number may be returned to the vendor at their expense. Invoice numbers are unacceptable.

2. Two or more purchase orders shall not be combined in one package. All purchase orders must be boxed separately.

3. FBISD prefers that orders be shipped complete rather than partial. Therefore, there shall not be more than three (3) shipments to complete any purchase orders. Shipments from two

(2) or more locations at similar time periods will be considered as one shipment. Split shipments shall be indicated on the packing slip.

4. When multiple purchase orders are shipped, the FBISD receiving clerks shall sign only the vendor/shipper manifest which should contain the total amount of containers and the total listing of purchase order numbers. One signature shall be required and not one signature per purchase order.

5. There shall be no substitutes of any item without prior approval from Fort Bend ISD Purchasing department and indicated on the packing slip.

6. All items shall be new and unused.

7. Items with an expiration date, earlier than one (1) year from date of shipment are unacceptable and will be returned at vendor’s expense. If there is a discrepancy, please contact the FBISD Purchasing Department at 281-634-1802.

8. All items are delivered F.O.B to FBISD location indicated on the purchase order.

https://fortbendisd.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=pastOpportunities

9. Successful bidder must furnish current material safety data sheet for any items containing any element, chemical compound or mixture of elements that is a physical hazard or health hazard as defined by federal regulations (if applicable).

PURCHASE ORDER:

1. All Purchase Orders shall include the proper Fort Bend Independent School District purchase order number.

2. FBISD purchase order number shall be referenced on all Invoices.

3. Items and/or services are to be delivered or rendered to Fort Bend Independent School District ONLY when a district approved purchase order has been received by your company. Under no circumstances should items and/or services be provided to the District without a properly drawn District purchase order.

4. VENDOR UNDERSTANDS THAT NO GOODS OR SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED

WITHOUT A DISTRICT PURCHASE ORDER. GOODS OR SERVICES PROVIDED BEFORE

RECEIVING A PURCHASE ORDER WILL BE AT THE VENDOR'S OWN RISK AND WILL

BE CONSIDERED A DONATION TO THE DISTRICT.

5. Please inform any staff member that handles the Fort Bend Independent School District account of these procedures.

INVOICE:

1. Invoices should be submitted showing Itemized description of the products delivered.

2. Each invoice shall reflect the agreed upon pricing.

3. Invoices shall reference the purchase order number and the campus/department placing the order.

4. Invoices shall indicate back-order, cancellations and substitutions.

5. Invoices shall be sent to Accounts Payable AccountsPayable.Invoices@fortbendisd.gov with a copy to the FBISD requesting department/campus.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:

Vendors’ performance will be evaluated on a quarterly basis at the discretion of the district. These evaluations will play a critical role in determining whether to continue with the contract. Key performance indicators and criteria will be assessed to ensure vendors meet the district's standards and expectations. Consistently poor performance, failure to meet outlined criteria, or significant deviations from agreed-upon standards and terms may result in the cancellation of the contract.

This process will uphold accountability and ensure that the highest quality of service is provided to the district.

mailto:AccountsPayable.Invoices@fortbendisd.gov

READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.

DO NOT ASSUME THAT IT IS THE SAME AS OTHER SIMILAR DOCUMENTS

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, EVEN IF IT WAS ISSUED BY FBISD.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT

Fort Bend ISD will accept proposals submitted electronically through the Bonfire e-bidding portal at https://fortbendisd.bonfirehub.com until 2:00 pm (CST) on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

To ensure a uniform review process and achieve the highest level of comparability, all requested information must be submitted in the manner specified in this RFP. All proposal documents, including Questionnaires and the Pricing BidTable, should be completed and uploaded in the designated sections as part of the proposal submission.

Complete and upload the Requested Documents listed below in the 'Requested Information' section of Bonfire:

• Proposal Submission o Scope of Services/Proposal Narrative o Addendum/Questions and Answers (Q&A) o Proposal Questionnaire (Q-29AN) o Project Information Questionnaire (Q-79FH) o Reference Questionnaire(Q-58RS)

• Cost Proposal o Pricing BidTable BT-04FR

• Forms o 1295 Form: Complete on https://www.ethics.state.tx.us o Conflict of Interest Questionnaire (CIQ) o Vendor Acknowledgement Form o Suspension and Debarment Certification o Pre-employment or pre-service affidavit for educational entities

• Sample Documents:

Contractual documents provided as examples. Vendor will be required to sign and/or submit these upon notification of award.

o Agreement for Services o EDGAR Certification o Data Protection Addendum (DPA) o Insurance Requirements

Please note: All forms must be uploaded to the specific slot assigned in the proposal submission portal. Forms requiring signatures must be signed. Failure to submit the requested documents in the correct slot may result in the documents being overlooked and your proposal being deemed non-responsive.

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/ https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/filinginfo/videos/Form1295

Proposal Questionnaire Download and complete the Proposal Questionnaire in its entirety. Any missing information will result in the questionnaire being considered incomplete. An incomplete questionnaire may automatically disqualify the proposer from consideration.

Pricing BidTable (Ref# BT-04FR):

Provide pricing for all items listed in the Bid Table. All fields must be completed to allow FBISD to fairly assess each proposal and evaluate competitiveness. No remanufactured or refurbished products will be considered.

Insurance Requirement:

Vendors must submit a Certificate of Insurance (COI) as outlined in the solicitation upon award notification. Coverage must be effective from the contract start date and maintained throughout the contract term. Failure to maintain required insurance may result in non-renewal of the contract.

Submission Upload:

The District will only accept proposals submitted through FBISD designated electronic submission Portal

To prepare your submission, download all required files under the Supporting Documentation section in Bonfire, complete the necessary forms, and upload them under the Requested Information section.

We strongly recommend starting the upload process at least one (1) day before the deadline to ensure ample time for submission. Once your proposal is finalized, confirm your submission status as “Submission Complete” in Bonfire. After the deadline, no changes to submitted documents will be allowed.

It is the vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure timely submission. FAXED OR E-MAILED

SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The public bid opening will be conducted via Teams. To join this meeting, click the link or copy and paste into your browser, and follow the instructions from Microsoft Teams using the information provided: Link to join the meeting: Join the meeting now

SCOPE OF WORK

Introduction

This Request for Proposals (RFP) provides interested suppliers with sufficient information to prepare and submit Proposals for consideration with the intent of contracting for the Enterprise Internet Access Service with Transport for Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD).

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FBISD is a K-12 public school district in Fort Bend County serving a student enrollment of over 80,000. The district currently consists of over 80 campuses and multiple administrative sites. The intention of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals for Enterprise Internet Access Service with Transport for all campuses and facilities.

Description

The District will only consider existing E-Rate approved vendors with a current Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) and Service Provider Annual Certificate (SPAC) for this proposal.

Proposer(s) must provide their SPIN number as part of their response.

A contract with the selected Proposer(s) and the District will be executed by both parties once it is awarded by the District. The District is seeking USAC E-Rate funds for these products and the vendor must agree to meet this program’s requirements. The proposed solution is for E-Rate Enterprise Internet Access Service with Transport.

All ineligible items proposed must be clearly identified. A service provider must label all equipment with the District bid number that clearly shows that the equipment is purchased with E- Rate funds.

To ensure E-Rate compliance, the District requests a scalable contract. The contract itself should include pricing for each additional service level from 10–100 Gbps (minimum 10G increments or lower) and must allow FBISD the ability to upgrade to any of those service levels at any time (possibly multiple times) during the term of the contract, without entering into a new contract. The contract may reference an attachment with those pricing levels as long as the attachment is submitted at the same time as the contract (e.g., “Service provider will allow upgrades during the term of this contract to any service level/price identified in Pricing Bid Table”).

Proposal Should Include (but not limited to):

1. Cost effectiveness

2. Unlimited data transfers

3. High quality service

4. Dedicated, non-oversubscribed transport

5. Dedicated Internet Port Service

6. Bandwidth monitoring to ensure good throughput to the internet

7. High reliability (99.99% uptime or higher) with clear remedies for disruptions in service.

8. IPv4 and IPv6 routing using eBGP

9. eBGP advertising multiple /24 subnets of customer-owned IPv4 address space with customer ASN.

10. Clear description of how maintenance windows will be communicated.

11. Clear description for the process to report outages and disruptions.

Major Project Timeline

The targeted installation date for this location is May 30, 2026. Proposer may be required to begin installation or deployment activities immediately following the contract award. Specific project schedules will be coordinated with the successful proposer following the contract award.

Installation and Service Commencement

The targeted installation date for the services at the designated location is May 30, 2026 (the “Installation Date”). The Parties acknowledge that installation, and related preparatory work may occur prior to the Service Commencement Date. Pursuant to ERATE program requirements, no billable services shall begin before July 1, 2026 (the “Service Commencement Date”).

Term of Agreement

The initial term of this Contract shall be for a period of three (3) years, commencing on the Service Commencement Date, July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2029. The District shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to renew this Contract for up to two (2) additional one-year terms, covering the periods of July 1, 2029, through June 30, 2030, and July 1, 2030 through June 30, 2031.

Installation The Vendor shall complete installation by the Installation Date before July 1, 2026. In the event the Vendor fails to complete installation by the Installation Date, the Vendor shall provide the District with written notice of the cause of delay and an updated installation schedule. If installation is not completed within thirty (30) days after the Installation Date, the District may, at its sole option:

1. Require the Vendor to implement an accelerated installation plan at no additional cost.

2. Withhold payment until installation is completed; or

3. Terminate this Contract without penalty and seek alternate service providers.

Internet Access

The Vendor’s cost to provide Internet Access (Bandwidth) shall include the following:

1. The available bandwidth shall be a minimum of 20 Gbps or higher.

2. The service handoff shall be directly to the Vendor’s existing Local Area Network.

3. Internet access shall be available 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

4. Route all Vendor’s TCP/IP data traffic from their network to the internet.

5. Vendor must maintain connections to multiple Tier 1 and Tier 2 internet providers.

Internet Connection

The Vendor’s cost to provide an Internet Connection shall include the following:

1. The necessary physical connection from the Vendor to FBISD, including but not limited to any/all one-time special construction cost(s), permits and licensing, and Vendor-supplied on-site premise equipment necessary to successfully transmit the requested service.

2. All costs necessary, including but not limited to, “curb-to-demarc,” to deliver the requested handoff to FBISD’s existing “point of demarcation.”

o Point of Demarcation: Element Critical Data Center, 22000 Franz Rd, Katy TX 77449

3. Demarcation hand-off will be a Single Mode Fiber connection with desired port speed of 100 Gbps. The vendor will provide and maintain all premise equipment necessary to provide FBISD with the specified hand-off type of service requested.

4. Full duplex operation (bi-directional connection).

5. The requested service shall allow the following network protocols:

o All TCP/IP protocols o All Layer 1 and Layer 2 protocols. Minimum Layer 3 protocols (eBGP). Preferred

Layer 2 handoff Ethernet o Carrier will advertise multiple /24-bit IPv4 customer-owned subnets to the global internet on customer-owned Autonomous System Number (ASN).

6. No other Vendor’s customer will have any physical or logical access to District’s traffic/VLAN.

All proposals from Vendors will include any/all costs associated with switching services from the District’s present service provider. By providing a proposal to the RFP, the Vendor is acknowledging and accepting this requirement.

Additional Services List

• Quotes for Distributed Denial of Service services.

Experience

FBISD will assess the prospective Vendor’s experience based on their ability to successfully deliver the requested services. This evaluation will also take into account the Vendor’s prior history with FBISD. Positive or negative outcomes will be derived based on this history, with a neutral result resulting in equal scoring for all Vendors.

Accuracy of Response

The Vendor’s proposal will be evaluated for completeness and clarity, including but not limited to the submission of all required documentation, and the quality and detail of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) included with the proposal.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Vendors must submit a signed and dated copy of their multi-year SLA with their proposal. The SLA cannot be linked to websites.

The SLA should include:

• Uptime Commitment: A minimum uptime of 99.99% or greater.

• Remedies for Non-Compliance: Specific remedies in case of outages, maintenance, or service disruptions.

• Growth Clause: Details of bandwidth growth and pricing for potential future upgrades, as outlined in the Service Growth Clause of the Contract or SLA.

Upon evaluation of all proposals, FBISD will execute and return the successful Vendor’s agreement. The SLA must reference the RFP number and name for this solicitation.

Qualifications

FBISD will evaluate the Vendor’s qualifications, including but not limited to:

• A list of references as requested in the “Request for Information” section of the RFP.

• Technical expertise and service coverage.

• The number of successfully completed projects of similar type and scope.

E-Rate Requirements

Per the requirements of the E-Rate program:

• No billing and/or service may begin for this contract prior to July 2026 and may not extend past June 30, 2027.

• Per E-Rate rules, applications will be submitted each year of multi-year contracts for funding consideration.

• The Vendor is required to provide the Lowest Corresponding Price (LCP) for equipment and/or services as has been provided to other customers in the area. In the event of an audit and a rule violation pertaining to LCP, any funds requested to be returned to compensate the difference, or any rule violation, will be the responsibility of the service provider that has failed to provide the LCP.

Program Review

All E-Rate applications, including special construction, are subject to detailed questioning during Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review where the cost of proposed special construction will be reviewed based on the cost of historical fiber builds in the region.

Additionally, certain information on necessary special construction is needed to accurately fill out Form 471. Vendors are required to complete the Pricing BidTable. Additionally, Vendors are required to submit the additional information described in Pricing BidTable., as this information will be required in a PIA review. If Vendors do not submit the additional information as listed in Pricing BidTable., the Vendor’s bid can be deemed non-responsive and excluded from the bid.

Response Package Requirements

No bid will be accepted from, or contract awarded to, a Vendor:

1. Who is not licensed in accordance with the law.

2. Who does not hold a license qualifying them to perform work under this contract in the

State of Texas.

3. Who does not plan to hold or acquire a valid SPIN and is not in good standing with the

FCC/USAC.

4. Who has not successfully performed one project of similar character and scope of the proposed work.

FBISD has the right to choose the type of invoicing method used to pay for the services provided.

The Vendor acknowledges this right upon submission of a response to this request.

Service Provider Invoicing

The Vendor will invoice FBISD directly by emailing accountspayable.invoices@fortbendisd.gov.

All invoiced items will be clearly itemized with clear dates of service. Any fees or charges will have clear descriptions. FBISD will not retrieve invoices through websites or other means.

BEAR Invoice Method

When utilizing the BEAR method of invoicing, the Vendor will invoice FBISD for the entire amount of the service rendered. FBISD will invoice USAC for the discounted portion of the services provided.

Termination

FBISD reserves the right to terminate any contract and/or agreement with any Vendor, even the apparent winner, regardless of USAC’s approval or denial of funding; any funding requested because of this RFP, prior to any work starting. FBISD reserves the right to accept the pricing proposal solely dependent upon SLD approval.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT:

To ensure your proposals are considered, vendors must carefully review this RFP and submit a complete response in the required format. Proposals must include all requested documents and information and comply with the terms and conditions outlined herein. The following section corresponds to the Evaluation Criteria. Failure to provide a complete response or to comply with RFP requirements may result in disqualification.

I. Detailed Scope and Narrative of Proposed Services Vendors responding to this Request for Proposal (RFP) shall submit a comprehensive proposal under the Detailed Scope and Narrative of Proposed Services section. Proposals must address, at a minimum, the requirements set forth below. Failure to provide the requested information in sufficient detail may result in disqualification of the proposal.

a. Cover Letter and Executive Summary The proposal shall include a cover letter and executive summary that:

• Is signed by an authorized representative of the Vendor; and

• Provides a concise overview of the Vendor’s qualifications, relevant experience, and demonstrated commitment to meeting all requirements of FBISD.

b. Vendor Information and Certifications Vendors shall provide complete organizational and compliance information, including but not limited to:

• Legal business name, physical address, and primary contact information.

mailto:accountspayable.invoices@fortbendisd.gov

• Current Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN).

• Current Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC); and

• Verification of good standing with the Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).

c. Technical Proposal The technical proposal shall describe in detail the Vendor’s proposed approach to delivering the required services. At a minimum, the proposal should include:

• Confirmation of available bandwidth levels, beginning at a minimum of 20 Gbps and scalable up to 100 Gbps.

• Description of the proposed service handoff type (Single Mode Fiber, 100 Gbps port).

• Confirmation of support for full duplex operation and network protocols including TCP/IP, Layer 1/2/3, eBGP, IPv4, and IPv6.

• Statement of guaranteed internet access reliability (99.99% uptime or higher);

• Description of network redundancy and connectivity to multiple Tier 1 and Tier 2 providers.

• Availability of bandwidth monitoring tools and associated reporting capabilities.

• Procedures for handling static IP addresses, if applicable; and

• Written assurance that no other customer will have access to FBISD’s traffic or

VLAN.

d. Service Level Agreement (SLA)

• Vendors shall provide a signed and dated Service Level Agreement that references the RFP number.

• Defines the guaranteed uptime and specifies remedies for non-compliance.

• Includes a growth clause addressing potential increases in future bandwidth requirements Failure to submit a signed SLA meeting the above requirements will be grounds for disqualification.

e. Project Plan and Timeline Vendors shall submit a detailed project plan and timeline that:

• Identifies the proposed installation and cutover schedule.

• Confirms the Vendor’s ability to meet the targeted installation date of May 30, 2026.

• Outlines all implementation steps, testing procedures, and milestones

• Identifies the resources and project staff assigned to the FBISD engagement.

FBISD reserves the right to reject any proposal that is deemed incomplete, non-responsive, or non-compliant with the requirements outlined in this RFP. Submission of a proposal shall be considered evidence of the Vendor’s acknowledgement and acceptance of these conditions.

II. References Information Form

a. Vendors must provide contact information for five (5) client references for similar projects completed within the last five (5) years, including at least three (3) from clients listed in the Project Information Sheet.

b. References must attest to the quality, timeliness, and outcomes of your work, and should be aware they may be contacted.

c. Submit all information using the Reference Questionnaire (Q-58RS). Incomplete or inaccurate submissions may negatively affect scoring.

d. References cannot be FBISD employee.

III. Project Information Sheet

a. List three (3) projects completed within the last five (5) years that are similar in scope to the services requested in this RFP.

o FBISD may be listed under this section as part of contracts completed within the last five (5) years, provided you have rendered similar services to the District.

b. For each project, provide the following:

1. A brief description of the services provided.

2. Contract information (e.g., contract start date, end date, contract number and title).

3. An explanation of why the contract is relevant to the services requested in this RFP.

4. Contact information for the client.

c. Provide this information in the Project Information sheet (Q-79FH).

d. The District reserves the right to use additional information or references as needed to establish the vendor’s ability to perform the services requested in this RFP.

IV. Cost Proposal Submission

a. Provide pricing using the RFP Pricing Bid Table (Ref. BT-04FR).

b. Offer a fair and reasonable price for the goods and services requested by Fort

Bend ISD.

c. Pricing will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness relative to the services offered and the proposed approach, ensuring alignment with the District’s requirements and successful contract performance.

d. Proposals that do not meet the technical requirements or performance assurances may be deemed non-responsive or scored lower; lower-priced proposals that fail to meet RFP requirements may be excluded from award consideration.

e. List any additional costs or fees not included in the Pricing Bid Table.

f. All pricing is subject to negotiation by Fort Bend ISD

V. Required Forms Download, complete, sign, and upload the following forms under their respective sections:

a. 1295 Form

b. Conflict of Interest Questionnaire (Form CIQ)

c. Vendor Acknowledgement Form

d. Suspension and Debarment Certification

e. Pre-employment or pre-service affidavit for educational entities

VI. Agreement for Service, Data Protection Addendum (DPA) and COI

a. After award notification, the vendor will sign the FBISD Agreement for Services, EDGAR Form, and Data Protection Addendum (DPA) and submit a valid Certificate of Insurance (COI) via DocuSign. After Board approval, FBISD will then sign and return the agreement.

b. The FBISD DPA covers all software, online resources, training, support, and services involving staff or student data shared between the District and the vendor.

c. Insurance requirements are outlined in the Insurance Requirements Exhibit.