1440941-event.pdf

08 September 2026

RFP 26-023: PRE-QUALIFY VENDORS

PRE-QUALIFY VENDORS WHO CAN PROVIDE TELECOMMUNICATIONS OUTSIDE PLANT SERVICES IN

SELECTED ZONES.

08 September 2026

Open 9/8/2026, 8:00 AM CDT Type RFP - Request for Proposal Close 11/6/2026, 3:00 PM CST Number RFP 26-023-336-RFP-3062-2027 Currency US Dollar

Sealed Until 11/6/2026, 3:00 PM CST

Contacts Brian Clayton brian.clayton@iowa.gov

Phone +1 515-725-4616

Sheri Stephens sheri.stephens@icn.state.ia.us

Phone +1 515-725-4747 Lori Larsen lori.larsen@iowa.gov

Phone +1 515-725-4713

Commodity Codes Commodity Code Description

96200 MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES, NO. 2 (NOT OTHERWISE CLASSIFIED)

96100 MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES, NO. 1 (NOT OTHERWISE CLASSIFIED)

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NOTICE TO VENDORS: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Download all documents for complete bid information.

The Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commission operating the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) will be receiving sealed Bid Proposals until 3:00 p.m., November, 6, 2026 for:

RFP 26-023

PRE-QUALIFY VENDORS WHO CAN PROVIDE TELECOMMUNICATIONS OUTSIDE PLANT

SERVICES IN SELECTED ZONES.

PART I: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

CHAPTER 1: ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

1.1 Purpose. The State of Iowa, Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commission, operating the Iowa Communications Network (collectively ICN) is seeking proposals for Vendors capable of providing telecommunications outside plant services in the 5 zones of the State as needed and requested by the Iowa Communications Network. The ICN intends to pre-qualify 3 Vendors in each zone to provide this service.

1.2 Schedule and Submission of Proposal.

1.2.1 Vendor Conference. A Vendor Conference is not being scheduled for this solicitation.

1.2.2 Questions and Answers. Vendors are invited to submit written questions and/or requests for interpretation/consideration/acceptance concerning this RFP on or before 4:00 p.m. central time October, 5th, 2026. Vendors with questions concerning this RFP may submit their questions in writing by mail or hand delivery to Sheri Stephens, ICN Purchasing Agent II, at the address below, or electronic mail at sheri.stephens@iowa.gov. Oral questions will not be accepted, and verbal communications shall not override written communications. Only written communications are binding on ICN. ICN will prepare a written response to all pertinent questions submitted by Vendors. These questions and responses will be transmitted via e-mail no later than October 7th, 2026, to all Vendors to whom the RFP has been sent.

1.2.3 Changes and Amendments. In the event it becomes necessary for ICN to amend, add to or delete any part of this RFP, the amendment will be provided to all Vendors to whom the RFP has been sent. Vendors’ Bid Proposals must include acknowledgment of all addenda issued by ICN.

1.2.4 Receipt of Bid Proposals. Bid Proposals must be received at ICN’s office no later than 3:00 p.m. central time November 6th, 2026. This requirement is a mandatory requirement and is not a minor deficiency subject to waiver by the ICN. No Bid Proposals will be accepted after the date and time specified. A late Bid Proposal shall be returned unopened to the Vendor.

Additionally, no Bid Proposal will be accepted by telephone, electronic mail or facsimile. The Bid Proposals must be mailed (with mailing in sufficient time to arrive on or before this deadline requirement) or be delivered as follows:

Mailing and Delivery Address:

Description mailto:sheri.stephens@iowa.gov

Iowa Communications Network ATTN: Sheri Stephens Grimes State Office Building 400 East 14th Street Des Moines, IA 50319

If Bid Proposals are delivered by mail service, express courier, delivery service or company, or in person, it shall be the sole responsibility of the Vendor submitting the proposal to ensure that such delivery takes place prior to the aforementioned deadline. There shall be no waiving of the deadline due to mis-deliveries on the part of the Vendor, Vendor’s delivery staff or Vendor’s choice of delivery service(s). Deliveries made directly to ICN must be placed with the ICN Contracting Section or with an ICN staff person able to accept such delivery.

1.2.5 Bid Proposal Opening. Bid Proposals will be opened at 3:00 p.m. central time on November 6th, 2026. The Bid Proposals and the evaluation documents created by the ICN will remain confidential subject to Iowa Code Section 72.3 until the evaluation committee has evaluated all of the Bid Proposals submitted in response to this RFP and the selection process is complete. The Bid Proposals submitted and the evaluation documents created by the ICN will be available for inspection subject to the exceptions described in Iowa Code Chapter 22 or other applicable law after the selection process is complete.

1.2.5.1 Failure to comply with or supply any and all information requested to accompany Bid Proposals may be cause for rejection of the proposal as non-compliant.

1.2.5.2 All Bid Proposals shall be firm for a period of 120 days to allow the evaluation committee to fully evaluate all proposals and make an award deemed to be in the best interest of ICN and the State of Iowa.

1.2.5.3 By submitting a Bid Proposal the Vendor agrees to the terms and conditions contained within this RFP.

1.3 Proposal Format.

1.3.1 Proposals shall be printed on 8.5" x 11" paper. One original and one (1) copy must accompany each submission. In addition, one soft copy shall be provided on USB drive containing Word/PDF documents and the Attachment 7 Unit Price Sheet in native Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format. The original Bid Proposal must be in a package CLEARLY MARKED RFP 26-023 on the outer envelope or wrapping. This is necessary to ensure that the response package is handled properly for verification against the RFP deadline. Lack of notation of the RFP number may affect the receipt timing and affect the evaluation process. Vendor should consider this item as a critical factor when submitting a response.

1.3.2 To achieve a uniform review process and the maximum degree of comparability, proposals shall be organized in the following manner:

o Completed Proposal Compliance Form (Attachment 2).

o Completed Authorization to Release Information Form (Attachment 3).

o Completed Bid Proposal Submittal Form (Attachment 4).

o Completed Vendor Qualifications Response Form (Attachment 5).

o Completed Zone Bid Form (Attachment 6).

o Completed Unit Price Sheet (Attachment 7).

1.4 Clarification of Proposals and Obtaining Information. ICN reserves the right to contact a Vendor after submission of Bid Proposals for the purpose of clarifying a Bid Proposal to ensure mutual understanding. This contact may include written questions, interviews, site visits, a review of past performance if the Vendor has provided goods or services to the ICN, or any other political subdivision wherever located or requests for corrective pages in the Vendor’s Bid Proposal. This information may be used to evaluate the Vendor’s Bid Proposal. However, the information received from the Vendor shall not be considered in the evaluation of a Vendor’s Bid Proposal if the information materially alters the content of the Bid Proposal. ICN reserves the right to obtain information concerning any Vendor or any proposal from any source and to consider such information in evaluating the Vendor’s Bid Proposal.

1.5 Waiver of Deficiencies. ICN reserves the right to waive minor deficiencies in a Bid Proposal if, in the judgment of ICN, ICN’s best interest will be served. The decision as to whether a deficiency will be waived or will require the rejection of a Bid Proposal will be solely within the discretion of ICN. There is no guarantee or assurance that any deficiency will be deemed minor and that a deficiency will be waived. Each Vendor is specifically notified that failure to comply with or respond to any part of this RFP requiring a response may result in rejection of the Bid Proposal as not responsive.

1.6 Cost of Bid Proposal. ICN is not responsible for any costs incurred by a Vendor which is related to the preparation or delivery of the Bid Proposal or any other activities carried out by the Vendor as it relates to this RFP.

1.7 Bid Proposal Obligations. The contents of the Bid Proposal and any clarification thereto submitted by the successful Vendor shall become part of the contractual obligation and incorporated by reference into the ensuing Contract.

1.8 Bid Proposals Property of ICN. All Bid Proposals become the property of the ICN and the State of Iowa and shall not be returned to the Vendor unless all Bid Proposals are rejected. In the event all Bid Proposals are rejected, Vendors will be asked to send prepaid shipping instruments to the ICN for return of the Bid Proposals submitted. In the event no shipping instruments are received by the ICN, the Bid Proposals will be destroyed by the ICN. Additionally, the evaluation documents created by the ICN will be destroyed in the event all Bid Proposals are rejected. Otherwise, at the conclusion of the selection process, the contents of all Bid Proposals will be placed in the public domain and be opened to inspection by interested parties subject to the exceptions provided in Iowa Code Chapter 22 or other applicable law.

1.9 Rejection of Bid Proposals.

1.9.1 ICN reserves the right to reject any and all Bid Proposals, in whole and in part, received in response to this RFP at any time prior to the execution of a written Contract. Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by ICN to award the Contract. This RFP is designed to provide Vendors with the information necessary for the preparation of competitive Bid Proposals.

This RFP process is for ICN’s benefit and is intended to provide ICN with competitive information to assist in the selection of goods and services.

1.9.2 A Bid Proposal shall be rejected outright and not evaluated for any one (1) of the following reasons:

1.9.2.1 Failure of Vendor to deliver the Bid Proposal by the due date and time.

1.9.2.2 Failure of Vendor to include the Bid Proposal Compliance Form signed by an officer of the Vendor submitting the Bid Proposal (Attachment 2).

1.9.2.3 Failure of the Vendor to include the Authorization to Release Information Form (Attachment 3).

1.9.2.4 Failure of Vendor to include the Bid Proposal Submittal Form (Attachment 4).

1.9.2.5 Failure of the Vendor to include the Vendor Qualifications Response Form (Attachment 5).

1.9.2.6 Failure of the Vendor to include the Zone Bid Form (Attachment 6).

1.9.2.7 Failure of the Vendor to include the Unit Price Sheet (Attachment 7).

1.9.3 Failure of the Vendor to comply with additional information requests may be cause for rejection of the Bid Proposal as non-compliant.

1.10 Public Records and Requests for Confidentiality.

1.10.1 The release of information by ICN to the public is subject to Iowa Code Chapter 22 and other applicable provisions of law relating to the release of records in the possession of a State agency. Vendors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these provisions prior to submitting a Bid Proposal. All information submitted by a Vendor may be treated as public information by ICN unless the Vendor properly requests that information be treated as confidential at the time of submitting the Bid Proposal. In the event the Vendor marks each page of its Bid Proposal as proprietary or confidential without adhering to the requirements of this Section, the ICN may reject the Bid Proposal as non-compliant.

1.10.2 Any requests for confidential treatment of information must be included in a cover letter with the Vendor’s Bid Proposal and must enumerate the specific grounds in Iowa Code Chapter 22 or other legal reasons which support treatment of the material as confidential and must indicate why disclosure is not in the best interests of the public. The request must also include the name, address and telephone number of the person authorized by the Vendor to respond to any inquiries by ICN concerning the confidential status of the materials.

1.10.3 Any documents submitted which contain confidential information must be marked on the outside as containing confidential information, and each page upon which confidential information appears must be marked as containing confidential information. The confidential information must be clearly identifiable to the reader wherever it appears. All copies of the proposal submitted, as well as the original proposal, must be marked in this manner. Failure to properly mark information as confidential shall relieve the ICN from any responsibility if the information is viewed by the public, a competitor, or is any way accidentally released.

1.10.4 In addition to marking the material as confidential material where it appears, the Vendor must submit one copy of the Bid Proposal from which the confidential information has been excised. The confidential material must be excised in such a way as to allow the public to determine the general nature of the material removed and to retain as much of the document as possible. These pages must be submitted with the cover letter and will be made available for public inspection.

1.10.5 The Vendor’s failure to request in the Bid Proposal confidential treatment of material pursuant to this Section and the relevant laws and administrative rules will be deemed by ICN as a waiver of any right to confidentiality which the Vendor may have had.

1.11 Restrictions on Gifts and Activities. Iowa Code Chapter 68B contains laws which restrict gifts which may be given or received by State employees and requires certain individuals to disclose information concerning their activities with State government. Vendors are responsible for determining the applicability of this Chapter to their activities and for complying with these requirements. In addition, Iowa Code Chapter 722.1 provides that it is a felony offense to bribe a public official.

1.12 Restriction on Communication. In the event that a Vendor or someone acting on the Vendor’s behalf attempts to discuss this RFP orally or in writing with any Commission member or any employee of the ICN other than the ICN Procurement Specialist II, Vendor may be disqualified. No questions are to be asked of State of Iowa employees regarding this RFP, except for contact with the State Targeted Small Business Office by Vendors certified as Targeted Small Business Entities, without prior notification and approval by the ICN Procurement Specialist II, except as otherwise permitted by this RFP. All RFP contacts shall be made through the ICN Procurement Specialist II only.

1.13 Copyrights. By submitting a Bid Proposal, the Vendor agrees that ICN may copy the Bid Proposal for purposes of facilitating the evaluation or to respond to requests for public records. The Vendor consents to such copying by submitting a proposal and warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of any third party. ICN will have the right to use ideas or adaptations of ideas which are presented in the proposals. In the event the Vendor copyrights the proposal, the ICN may reject the proposal as noncompliant.

1.14 Conflict Between Terms. ICN reserves the right to accept or reject any exception taken by the Vendor to the terms and conditions of this RFP. Substantial variations between the Vendor’s terms and conditions and those contained in this RFP may be grounds for rejection of the Vendor’s Bid Proposal as non-responsive and non-compliant.

1.15 Release of Claims. With the submission of a Bid Proposal, Vendor agrees that it will not bring any claim or have any cause of action against ICN or the State of Iowa based on any misunderstanding concerning the information provided herein or concerning ICN’s failure, negligent or otherwise to provide the Vendor with pertinent information as intended by this RFP.

1.16 Construction of RFP with Laws and Rules. This RFP is to be construed in light of pertinent legal requirements including Iowa Code Chapter 8D and Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 751.

Changes in applicable laws and rules may affect the award process or the resulting Contract. Vendors are responsible for ascertaining pertinent legal requirements and restrictions. Vendors are encouraged to visit a web site containing references to the Iowa Code and the Iowa Administrative Code for information. A suggested address is www.legis.iowa.gov or www.icn.iowa.gov.

1.17 Soft Copy. Soft copies of the RFP will be available by request to sheri.stephens@iowa.gov.

1.18 Downloading RFP from the Internet. All amendments will be posted on the ICN’s website at www.icn.iowa.gov. Vendors are advised to check the ICN’s website periodically for amendments to this RFP, particularly if the Vendor downloaded the RFP from the Internet because the Vendor may not automatically receive amendments if it did not contact the ICN for a copy of the RFP. If the Vendor received this RFP as a result of a written request to the ICN, the Vendor will receive amendments.

1.19 Definition of Contract. The full execution of a written contract shall constitute the making of a contract and no Vendor shall acquire any legal or equitable rights relative to the contract services until the Contract has been fully executed by the successful Vendor and the ICN.

1.20 Bid Proposal Evaluation and Award. All Bid Proposals submitted shall be evaluated in accordance with the requirements set forth in Chapter 4 of this RFP. The ICN shall not necessarily award the Contract to the Vendor offering the lowest cost to the ICN. The ICN may award a Contract mailto:sheri.stephens@iowa.gov to the most responsible Vendor meeting the requirements of this RFP and which, in the sole discretion of the ICN, provides the best value to the State after considering price and compliance with the provisions of Chapter 3. The award of this Contract in the judgment of ICN may be made in more than 90 days after the Bid Proposals are received and opened. See 751 IAC 5.2(9).

1.21 Award Notice and Acceptance Period. The ICN will send the Notice of Intent to Award the Contract to all Vendors submitting a timely Bid Proposal. Negotiation and acceptance of the contracts shall be completed with the successful Vendors no later than sixty (60) days after Notice of Intent issuance date if there are no appeals filed. If an apparent successful Vendor fails to negotiate and deliver the executed contract by that date, the ICN may, in its sole discretion, cancel the award for that Vendor. The ICN reserves the right to continue negotiations after sixty days if, in ICN’s sole discretion, ICN deems it to be in the best interests of ICN to do so.

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Buyer Attachments

1. 26-023 RFP Document.docx

2. ATTACHMENT 1 Contractual Terms and Conditions Sample Agreement.docx

3. ATTACHMENT 2 Bid Proposal Compliance Form.docx

4. ATTACHMENT 3 Authorization to Release Information.docx

5. ATTACHMENT 4 Bid Proposal Submittal Form.docx

6. ATTACHMENT 5 Vendor Qualifications and Business Information.docx

7. ATTACHMENT 6 Zone Bid Form.docx

8. ATTACHMENT 7 Unit Price Sheet.xlsx

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