2026_0003 e_Rate Leased Lit Fiber Solution (M.pdf

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) e-Rate Leased Lit Fiber Solution (Managed WAN) Solicitation No. 2026-0003

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 www.rockdaleschools.org

770-483-4713

Rockdale County Public Schools 960 Pine Street

Conyers, Georgia 30012

Request for Proposal (RFP)

For

E-Rate Leased Lit Fiber Solution (Managed WAN)

January 12, 2026

RFP Number: 2026-0003

Due Date: February 13, 2026

Time Due: 11:00 a.m., ET http://www.rockdaleschools.org/

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

Table of Contents

Contents Section I - Preparation and Submission of Proposal

Section II - Contract Award

Section III - Post Award

Section IV - Other Additional Conditions Request for Proposal

Section 1 - Technical Capabilities

Section II - Business Stability

Section III - Price

1. Request for Information

2. Conflicts of Interest Disclosures

Request for Sealed Proposal

Commitment to Perform as Proposed

Offeror’s Checklist

APPENDIX A

Facility Information

APPENDIX B

Immigration and Security Form

Contractor Affidavit and Agreement

Subcontractor Affidavit and Agreement

APPENDIX C

Debarment Certification

Anti-Collusion Certification

Required Forms Checklist

APPENDIX D

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

Proposal Conditions

Section I - Preparation and Submission of Proposal

1. Introduction

a. To be entitled for consideration, sealed proposals shall be presented in accordance with the instructions of this solicitation and within the time constraints stated.

b. Sealed proposals, one original and three copies (1 original and 3 copies) shall be mailed to the office of the Rockdale County Public Schools, Attention: Chief Technology Officer 960 Pine Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012.

c. Proposals received after 11:00 am EST on Friday, February 13, 2026, will not be considered.

Release of Request for Proposals January 12, 2026 Deadline for Written Questions Email Questions to: mrotjan@rockdale.k12.ga.us

January 26, 2026

Questions and Answer posted on https://tinyurl.com/rcps20261

January 27, 2026

Request for Proposal Due Date ATTN: Michael Rotjan Rockdale County Public Schools 960 Pine Street Conyers, GA 30012

February 13, 2026, 11am

Evaluation of Proposals February 23, 2026 Projected Contract Award (contract pending Board and USAC approvals)

March 2, 2026

Implementation of Services July 1, 2026

d. The Rockdale County Public Schools Board of Education reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals and to waive minor irregularities and technicalities. The judgment of Rockdale County Public School BOE on such matters shall be final.

2. Request for Proposal Process

This solicitation is a Request for Proposal (RFP). In using this method for solicitation, we are asking the marketplace for its best effort in seeking a “best value” solution to our requirements. The offeror provided proposal(s) will be evaluated by an evaluation committee. Offeror(s) should make their best effort to satisfy the requirements at their best price because a contract may be awarded based on the initial evaluation. Often, however, it will be necessary to hold discussions with offeror(s) about their proposal. This will be done after the initial evaluation. The results of the evaluation will be reviewed, and a “competitive range” will be selected for discussions. Essentially, if an offeror’s proposal http://www.rockdaleschools.org/ mailto:mrotjan@rockdale.k12.ga.us https://tinyurl.com/rcps20261

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 is not evaluated as having a chance for contract award because of the content of the proposal and/or the price; the proposal will be dropped from the competitive range to save time and money for both the offeror and Rockdale County Public Schools.

Offerors in the “competitive range” may be notified of the weaknesses in their proposals and given an opportunity, in discussions, to ensure they understand the weaknesses. At the end of discussions with all offerors, best and final offers (BAFO) will be accepted from the offerors in the competitive range.

The BAFO’s will be evaluated and the results will be reported to a selection official who will select the proposal that presents the best value to Rockdale County Public Schools.

This selection will then be presented to the Rockdale County Public Schools Board of Education

3. Government Entity The government entity, the owner for whom work will be executed is:

Rockdale County Public Schools, Georgia (hereinafter “RCPS”).

4. Preparation of Proposals

a. All proposals shall be printed in ink or typewritten. Errors may be crossed out, and corrections printed in ink or typewritten adjacent to the error. The person signing the proposal shall initial corrections in ink.

b. Specifications used are intended to be open and non-restrictive. Potential offeror(s) are invited to inform the RCPS Chief Technology Officer whenever specifications or procedures appear not to be fair and open. Such information should be supplied as early in the procurement process as possible. Information received in less than five (5) days prior to the scheduled receipt of proposals will not be acted upon unless the RCPS Chief Technology Officer rules it is in the best interest of RCPS to consider.

c. Brand names and numbers when provided in solicitation are for reference to establish a quality standard. Any reference to a brand name shall not be construed as restricting to that manufacturer (unless “no substitutes” is stated).

Proposals on equal items will be considered, provided the proposal clearly describes the article offered and it is equal or better in quality and function and fully compatible with this requirement.

d. By submitting a proposal, the offeror warrants that any goods supplied to RCPS meets or exceeds specifications set forth in this solicitation, except as may be otherwise noted in offeror’s exceptions.

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e. If proposing on other than the make, model, brand or number as requested in the solicitation and offered as an equal, complete technical information, specifications, manufacturer’s name and catalog reference shall be clearly stated in the proposal.

Any deviation between the brand offered and brand specified shall also be clearly indicated. A complete list of deviations and a descriptive catalog cut shall be attached to the proposal.

f. If any supplies, materials, and equipment are provided to RCPS under this solicitation, then such items shall be new and in first-class condition unless the solicitation specifically allows offers of used, reconditioned, or remanufactured items. If newly manufactured products are specified, such products shall be of recent origin and not previously used. No equipment of any type is acceptable if serial numbers or any other manufacturer identification labels or marks have been removed, obliterated, or changed in any way. A Contractor delivering any such equipment to RCPS will be deemed to have breached the contract, and appropriate action will be taken by the RCPS Finance Department.

g. To be considered for award, goods of foreign manufacture shall meet all specifications contained in the solicitation, shall be in stock in the Continental United States, and shall be available for immediate shipment at the time an offeror submits a proposal.

h. The Department of Technology will be the sole judge in determining as to the quality and the appropriateness of the services proposed as well as the responsiveness and responsibility of the offeror.

i. Time of delivery is a part of the solicitation and an element of the contract that is to be awarded. If the offeror cannot meet the required delivery date, a proposal should not be submitted. Offeror(s) may provide alternative schedules and/or delivery dates in their proposals. Time shall be stated in “calendar” days. Failure to deliver in accordance with the contract awarded could result in the offeror being declared in default.

j. An authorized officer of the company shall sign proposals.

5. Failure to Respond to the Solicitation

If a proposal is not submitted, return RFP and mark as “no bid”.

6. Taxes

RCPS is exempt from all state sales tax and Federal Excise Tax. These taxes shall not be included in proposals.

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7. Charges and Extras Proposals shall define all pricing, and all pricing must remain firm for each year that the contract is in effect. When stating equipment pricing, at minimum, the stated price shall be F.O.B. destination to include all charges for delivery, unloading, placing in our buildings as directed by the authorities in the buildings, drayage, express, parcel post, packing, cartage, insurance, license fees, permits, costs of bonds and any other cost.

Any additional work, such as installation, shall be clearly stated in the proposal.

8. Addenda

Offerors are notified that they must thoroughly examine proposal documents, in their entirety, including, cover sheet, table of contents, proposal conditions and specifications, Request for Sealed Proposal and Offeror’s Checklist, together with Addenda thereto issued prior to the receipt of proposal.

Any addenda issued in writing during the time of solicitation shall be included in the proposal, and each will be incorporated into the subsequent contract.

If any offeror or firm contemplates submitting a proposal and is in doubt as to the meaning of any part of the solicitation documents, they may submit a written request to the Technology Department for interpretation. This must be submitted in writing not later than January 27, 2026.

Interpretations of proposal documents will be made by Addenda only. Copies of all addenda will be posted on the Purchasing Department Web Site, https://www.rockdaleschools.org/departments/financial-services/purchasing/bid-opportunities and uploaded to the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC), for all who have obtained a set of submittals. Rockdale County Public Schools will not be responsible for any other interpretations or explanations.

No oral interpretations will be made to offerors as to the meaning of proposal documents.

Requests for such interpretations shall be made in writing to the Chief Technology Officer. Failure on the part of the firm to do so shall not relieve them of the obligation to execute such work in accordance with a later interpretation by RCPS. All interpretations made to the offeror(s) shall be made in the form of addenda to the proposal documents and posted to the website. Offeror(s) are strongly urged to make arrangements to visit and inspect the site(s) prior to proposing if the configuration, structure, condition, etc., of the site will influence the proposal for contract performance.

9. Withdrawal of Proposals

A proposal cannot be withdrawn after it is delivered to RCPS, unless offeror(s) make a request in writing to the Chief Technology Officer prior to the time set for receiving the

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 proposal, or unless the Chief Technology Officer fails to accept or reject the proposal within one hundred twenty days (120) after the date fixed for receiving said proposals.

10. Compliance with Laws

All property or services furnished in a contract resulting from this solicitation shall comply with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, codes and regulations.

11. Protest

Protests shall be limited to challenging the project specification or procedures related to the implementation procedures of the solicitation and shall be filed not later than three

(3) working days following the proposal due date. Protests challenging the award of the RFP shall be filed not later than three (3) working days after the district announces the award of the RFP. All filed Protests shall specify exactly what is being protested, and the protest shall explain what policy, procedure, or law was violated. Protests are considered filed when received by the Chief Technology Officer. Protests which are not filed in a timely manner, set forth above, will not be considered. The Contractor agrees to pay the School District’s reasonable attorney’s fee and expenses of litigation for any protest arising out of this solicitation in which the School District is a prevailing party. Only Contractors who participated in the solicitation are eligible to file a protest.

12. Purchasing Policy

The RCPS Purchasing Policy, Purchasing Procedures, and Purchasing Regulations are incorporated to this solicitation (and, therefore, any contract awarded as the result of this solicitation) by reference. By participation in this solicitation, an offeror, potential offeror, or firm agrees to be bound by the RCPS Purchasing Policy, Purchasing Procedures, and Purchasing Regulations in any issue or action related to this solicitation or subsequent contract resulting from this solicitation.

13. Risk and Liability

a. Indemnification-Patent and Copyright

The Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the School District/public entity against any liability, including costs and expenses, for infringement of any patent, trademark, or copyright arising out of Contract performance or use by the School District/public entity of materials furnished or work performed under this Contract.

The School District/public entity shall reasonably notify the Contractor of any claim for which it may be liable under this paragraph.

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14. Suspension & Debarment RCPS may suspend or debar offerors from bidding on or performing as a subcontractor on all District contracts for a minimum period of one (1) year up to a maximum of three (3) years. However, if an offeror under suspension fails to correct or cure the deficiency in which they have been suspended during the suspension period, the District may convert the suspension into a debarment. Prior to formally suspending or debarring any offeror, the Director of Technology shall review and investigate all reasons and evidence supporting such a decision and shall inform the suspended or debarred offeror in writing of such decision. The suspended or debarred offeror may, at the conclusion of the suspension or debarment period, submit a formal request to be removed from such status. Upon receipt of this request, the Director of Technology will be required to investigate current and past performance by the debarred or suspended offeror to determine responsibility.

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Section II - Contract Award

1. Contract Letter

The contract award letter or establishing purchase order prepared and mailed by RCPS, or otherwise furnished, to the selected offeror within the time for acceptance specified, results in a binding contract without further action by either party. The contract award letter and any of its terms and conditions are a part of this contract. The contract shall consist of this Request for Proposal and any addenda thereto, the offeror’s proposal (as amended by a best and final offer if called for) and the contract notification letter and/or establishing purchase order. If an agreement is established, one negotiated by both parties and accepted and approved by the Superintendent and the Board of Education;

this will also become an official part of the contract. Unless specifically deleted in writing by addendum or amendment to one of the aforementioned documents of the contract by the RCPS Chief Technology Officer all terms and conditions of the RCPS contract documents shall be in effect and shall govern if in conflict with any term or condition otherwise presented.

2. Contract Award

A contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous and is of best value to Rockdale County Public Schools. Proposals will be evaluated on a combination of factors

It is within RCPS’ sole discretion to determine whether the Contractor is responsible or responsive under the terms and conditions of this solicitation. Further, it is within RCPS’ sole discretion to determine Contractor responsibility or responsiveness after a contract is entered into. Finally, it is within RCPS’ sole discretion to terminate this agreement, to not renew a Contractor or to not make an award to a Contractor who is determined to be not responsible or not responsive. None of the foregoing limits any other discretion that RCPS has in relation to its solicitation process

3. Conflicts in Terms and Conditions

In a conflict between terms and conditions in any document that will be part of the contract, RCPS’ terms and conditions shall govern.

4. Hold Harmless Agreement

The Contractor shall Hold Harmless Rockdale County Public Schools, its’ directors, employees and assigns, from any and all claims, suits, actions, damages, liability and expenses in connection with loss of life, bodily or personal injury or property damage, including loss of use thereof, directly or indirectly caused by, resulting from, arising out of, or occurring in connection with the performance of this contract. The Contractor’s

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 obligation shall not be limited by, or in any way to, any insurance coverage or by any provision in or exclusion of omission from any policy of insurance.

5. Insurance

When the selected offeror has been identified, he will be notified of the necessity to provide required insurance. Proof of insurance shall be provided within fifteen (15) days of the date of written notification to the offeror.

A. The following general requirements apply to any and all work under this contract by all Contractors and Sub-Contractors of any tier.

1. Any and all insurance required by this contract shall be maintained during the entire length of this contract, including any extensions thereto, and until all work has been completed to the satisfaction of Rockdale County Public Schools. Any and all insurance must be on an occurrence.

2. No Contractor or Subcontractor shall commence any work of any kind under a contract until all insurance requirements contained within the solicitation have been complied with and until evidence of all insurance requirements have been received demonstrating such compliance in each and every contract with each and every subcontractor of any tier.

3. Rockdale County Public Schools shall be covered as an Additional Insured under any and all insurance required by the contract. Confirmation of this shall appear on all certificates of insurance and on any and all applicable policies.

4. Rockdale County Public Schools shall be given no less than thirty (30) days’ notice of cancellation. Rockdale County Public Schools shall be given not less than thirty (30) days prior written notice of material changes of any insurance required under this contract.

5. Each and every agent shall warrant when signing the certificate of insurance that he is acting as an authorized representative on behalf of the companies affording insurance coverage under the contract and that he is licensed by the State of Georgia to conduct insurance business in the State of Georgia and that the companies affording insurance coverage are currently licensed by the State of Georgia and are currently in good standing with the Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Georgia.

6. All companies providing insurance required by a contract must meet the minimum financial security requirements as set forth below. The rating for each company must be indicated on the certificate of insurance. For all

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 contracts, regardless of risk, companies providing insurance under this contract must have a current:

a. Best’s Rating not less than A, and

b. Best’s Financial Size Category not less than Class VII

7. In the event the Contractor neglects, refuses, or fails to provide the insurance required by the Contract Documents, or if such insurance is cancelled for any reason, RCPS shall have the right, but not the duty, to procure the same, and the cost thereof shall be deducted from monies then due or thereafter to become due to the Contractor or shall have the right to cancel the contract.

B. Worker’s Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance

The offeror shall procure and maintain Worker’s Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance in the following limits. Such insurance is to cover each and every employee who is or may be engaged in work under the contract.

Worker’s Compensation Statutory

Employer’s Liability Bodily Injury by Accident $100,000 each accident Bodily Injury by Disease $100,000 each employee Bodily Injury by Disease $500,000 policy limit

C. Comprehensive General Liability Insurance

The offeror shall procure and maintain Comprehensive Insurance in an amount not less than $1,000,000.00 for bodily injury and property damage combined single limit. The following specific extensions of coverage shall be provided and indicated on the certificate of insurance.

1. Comprehensive Form

2. Contractual Insurance

3. Personal Injury

4. Broad Form Property Damage

5. Premises – Operations

6. Completed Operations

This coverage shall cover the use of all equipment, hoists, and vehicles on the site(s) not covered by Automobile Liability under the contract. Policy coverage must be on an occurrence basis.

D. Automobile Liability Insurance

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The Contractor shall procure and maintain Automobile Liability Insurance in an amount not less than $1,000,000.00 for bodily injury and property damage combined single limit. The following extensions of coverage shall be provided and indicated on the certificate of insurance.

1. Comprehensive Form

2. Owned, Hired, Leased and non-owned vehicles to be covered. If the

Contractor does not own any vehicles in the corporate name, non-owned vehicles coverage shall apply and must be endorsed on either the Contractor’s personal automobile policy or the Comprehensive General Liability coverage required under this contract.

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Section III - Post Award

1. Assignment

By the submission of this proposal, the offeror agrees not to assign the contract or purchase order to others unless specifically authorized in advance in writing by the RCPS Director of Technology.

2. Cost of Inspection or Testing

Cost of inspection or testing of products or materials delivered under an awarded contract which do not meet specifications shall be paid by the offeror.

3. Payment

The offeror shall invoice RCPS on a monthly basis or if payment is to be made by line item, when a single line item has been satisfactorily delivered complete payment will be made within thirty (30) days from either the date of delivery or the receipt of satisfactory invoice in triplicate, whichever occurs last. All invoices shall show the contract number, work performed and period of work performance.

4. Termination for Default:

a. In the event any property or service to be furnished by the offeror under a contract or purchase order should for any reason not conform to the specifications contained herein or to the sample submitted by the offeror with his proposal, RCPS may reject the property or service and may terminate the contract for default.

Prior to a termination for default, an offeror will be given the opportunity to respond to a “cure notice” and/or a “show cause notice”. In either case the offeror will be expected to either correct the offending situation or provide an acceptable plan and time frame for correction within (5) five days of receipt of either notice.

Failure to do so will be cause for termination.

In such event, with specific instructions by the Director of Technology, the offeror shall immediately remove the property without expense to RCPS and replace all rejected property with such property or services conforming to the specifications or samples.

b. If the contract is terminated for default, RCPS may procure such property or services from other sources and shall have the absolute right to deduct from any monies due the offeror, or that may thereafter become due to the offeror, the difference between the contract price and the actual cost of the property or service to be replaced or substituted.

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c. Failure by an offeror to perform on delivery of goods or services as specified may also result in the removal of the offeror from doing business with RCPS for a period of up to one year.

5. Termination for Convenience

RCPS reserves the right to terminate for convenience this contract in whole or in part, at any time for any reason with no penalty, any contract awarded through this solicitation by providing the Contractor with thirty (30) days written notice.

6. Permits, Taxes, Licenses, Ordinances, and Agreements The offeror shall, at his own expense, obtain all necessary permits, give all notices, pay all license fees and taxes, comply with all applicable local, State and Federal laws, ordinances, rules and regulations. The offeror shall maintain the licenses required in a current status after award and throughout the course of the contract.

The offeror shall agree that in the performance of the contract, they shall comply with all local agreements which they have made with any association union or other entity with respect to wages, salaries and working conditions, so as not to cause inconvenience, picketing or work stoppage.

7. Non-Appropriation

Notwithstanding any other provision of this agreement, the parties hereto agree that the charges hereunder are payable to the offeror by Rockdale County Public Schools solely from appropriations received by Rockdale County Public Schools. In the event such appropriations are determined in the sole discretion of the Chief Financial Officer of RCPS, no longer to exist or to be insufficient with respect to the charges payable hereunder, this agreement shall terminate without further obligation of RCPS at the end of any fiscal period (hereinafter referred to as “Event”). In such Event, the Chief Financial Officer for RCPS shall certify to the Contractor the occurrence thereof, and such certification shall be inclusive.

8. Progress Reports

When requested by the Department of Technology, the offeror shall furnish such reports as required.

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Section IV - Other

1. Non-Discrimination The offeror, by the submission of a proposal or the acceptance of an order or contract, does agree to provide the goods and services covered under the proposal or contract not to discriminate in any way against any person or refuse employment of any person or persons on account of color, religion, national origin, or sex.

2. RCPS Non-Discrimination

Rockdale County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation in any of its employment practices, education programs, services or activities.

3. Drug-Free Workplace

By submission of a proposal, the offeror certifies that he/she will not engage in the unlawful manufacture, sale distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance or drug during the performance of the contract and that a drug-free workplace will be provided for the offeror’s employees during the performance of the contract. The offeror also certifies that he will secure from any subcontractor who works on the contract, written certification of the same drug-free workplace requirements. False certification or violation by failing to carry out requirements of O.C.G.A. § 50-24-3 may cause suspension, termination of contract, or debarment of such offeror.

4. Certification of Non-Collusion

By submitting a proposal, the offeror certifies: “that this proposal is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation firm, or person submitting a proposal for the same materials, supplies, or equipment, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. That collusive pricing is understood to be a violation of State and Federal law and can result in fines, prison sentences, and civil damages awards.”

5. Authorized Official

It is agreed that all conditions of the proposal shall be abided and that the person signing this proposal is authorized to sign the proposal for the offeror

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6. Solicitation Termination In any event in which this solicitation is terminated or cancelled, in whole or in part, or all proposals are rejected, there shall be no liability on the part of RCPS for any costs incurred by offerors or potential offerors in relation to the solicitation.

7. Rights and Remedies

The rights and remedies of RCPS provided above shall not be exclusive and are in addition to any other rights and remedies provided by law or under the contract.

8. Proprietary Information

Proposals are subject to the Georgia Open Records Act and may be provided to anyone properly requesting the RFP after contract award. RCPS cannot protect proprietary data submitted in a proposal.

9. Georgia Law The laws of the State of Georgia shall govern the contract between Rockdale County Public Schools and the offeror. In the event of litigation, the exclusive venue and place of jurisdiction shall be Rockdale County, Georgia. Each offeror is responsible for having knowledge and understanding of any Georgia laws, Department of Education regulations or policies, and Rockdale County Public Schools regulations or policies pertaining to RCPS requirements.

10. Delivery Failure of the offeror to adhere to delivery schedules as specified or to promptly replace rejected Wide Area Network services shall render offeror liable for all costs in excess of the contract price when alternate procurement is necessary either by replacing the Wide Area Network Services provider with the next higher level available from offeror or from another Wide Area Network Services provider. Excess costs shall include administrative costs.

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Additional Conditions

1. Contract Type The contract type contemplated for this requirement is a Requirements Contract.

2. Contract Timeframe

Contract period shall be for five years subject to Paragraph 3, Options below.

3. Options

In addition to the base period of five years, there are four (4) renewal options of one-year length to be exercised at the sole discretion of RCPS at the same terms and conditions of the base year.

4. Categories of Award

RCPS reserves the right to award to a single offeror, multiple offerors, or to no offerors if it is deemed to be in the best interest of RCPS.

5. Other Procedures

a. Requirements Contract This is a Requirements Contract for Wide Area Network Services.

There are no guarantees as to the amount RCPS will purchase over the time period stated, and therefore, no liability for non-purchase. More or less of the estimated quantity may be purchased.

Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by Purchase Orders issued by the RCPS Department of Technology. The offeror shall furnish to RCPS all services specified in the schedule of the order issued by RCPS.

b. Professional Liability Insurance

Contractor will maintain at its expense: Professional Liability Insurance, with a minimum AM Best Rating of A, VII, in the amount of $5,000,000.00 including coverage for errors and omissions caused by Contractor’s negligence in the performance of its duties under this agreement. Proof of insurance shall be provided within fifteen (15) days of the date of written notification to the offeror.

RCPS shall be covered as an Additional Insured under any and all insurance required by the contract documents. Confirmation of this requirement shall appear on all certificates of insurance and on any and all applicable policies.

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6. Receipt of Addendum Clause Addenda issued to solicitations will be available on the RCPS web site, at https://www.rockdaleschools.org/departments/financial-services/purchasing/bid-opportunities. Addenda will also be uploaded to the E-Rate Productivity Center. The RCPS Department of Technology shall not bear responsibility for receipt of addenda by mail. It is the responsibility of the offeror to obtain copies of the addenda. If offerors do not acknowledge receipt of all addenda, the bid may be determined nonresponsive.

7. Debarment Status

By submitting a bid, all offerors certify that they are not currently debarred from submitting bids or proposals on contracts by any agency of the State of Georgia and the federal government, nor are they an agent of any person or entity that is currently debarred from submitting bids on contracts by any agency in the State of Georgia or the federal government. (Please complete the Debarment Certification form.)

Any offeror on a contract exceeding $25,000 will be checked for debarment and suspension action in compliance with 7CFR 3017. The website www.epls.gov/ will be the official record of debarment and suspension activities.

8. Contract Award

The offeror with the best value will be notified by award letter. The award letter does not serve as notice to proceed or authorize delivery of the services/commodities. The purpose of the award letter is to advise the offeror that the contract has been awarded to their company. The award letter is not a guarantee that services/commodities will be ordered. A purchase order will be issued to authorize the purchase of the services/commodities. Delivery/release of services/commodities is not authorized until the issuance of a purchase order.

9. Submittals

Offerors are responsible for submitting bids/offers/submittals to reach the RCPS Department of Technology office by the time and date specified in the solicitation regardless of the method of delivery (i.e. commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service). If using a commercial delivery service, the offeror is responsible for informing the commercial delivery service of all delivery requirements and for ensuring that the required address information appears on the outer wrapper or envelope used by such service.

RCPS shall not be responsible for the premature opening of a bid/proposal not properly addressed and identified, and/or delivered to the incorrect destination.

http://www.epls.gov/

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10. Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act All offerors providing services/commodities and/or making deliveries to any RCPS facility shall be in compliance with O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91 and Georgia Department of Labor Rule 300-10-1.02 which are conditions for contract award.

Failure to complete, sign, notarize and return the Immigration and Security Form (Appendix B) with your bid/proposal shall result in your bid being declared nonresponsive.

11. Mandatory Forms

The following forms must be completed and submitted with your proposal:

● Request for Sealed Proposal

● Commitment to Perform as Proposed

● Offeror’s Checklist

● Immigration & Security Form

● Contractor Affidavit & Agreement

● Subcontractor Affidavit & Agreement

● Debarment Certification

● Anti-Collusion Certification

● Required Forms Checklist

● W9 Form

Failure to submit these forms may result in your proposal being deemed ineligible for award.

12. Owner Representative

The owner’s representative, Michael Rotjan, Chief Technology Officer, will perform supervision of the contract.

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Request for Proposal

Rockdale County Public Schools invites proposals for: Leased Lit Fiber Solution (Managed WAN)

1. Purpose

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) is soliciting offers from qualified firms interested in providing a multi-site Wide Area Network (WAN) serving approximately 23 locations.

The intent of this RFP is to obtain best-in-class solutions, support and pricing options to architect a leased lit fiber solution. The successful offeror is expected to provide the WAN network infrastructure, implementation plan, network connectivity, network hardware, and network monitoring required for a fully managed service.

2. Background

RCPS currently serves about 15,000 students and roughly 1,500 teachers, administrators and supporting staff members.

RCPS and the Department of Technology are committed to providing staff and students with the resources needed to be productive and effective in their daily processes. RCPS school sites are currently equipped with campus-wide local area network (LAN) and wireless (WLAN) network infrastructure. RCPS network infrastructure currently consists of a 10GB link to each location from the main Data Center located at Central Office, 960 Pine Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012 and is supported by a 10GB backbone inside the data center.

RCPS presently utilizes a WAN solution hosted by Clearwave Fiber. The network infrastructure is a hub and spoke design with Central Office serving as the data center and network hub. The spokes Clearwave Switched Ethernet on Demand consisting of 10GB fiber deployed to all sites scalable in 1GB increments from 10GB to 30GB.

The wired network equipment consists of primarily Aruba switching equipment with a 10GB WAN connection to the RCPS Data Center. Connection speeds to the MDFs are 10GB and to the desktops are 1GB. The wireless network consists of Aruba wireless access points (AP). APs are primarily 802.11ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz) throughout all buildings. The Aruba hardware mainly consists of Aruba chassis switches in the data center and in the school MDFs and IDFs.

3. Scope

RCPS is seeking proposals for a leased lit fiber solution that falls into the federally subsidized E-Rate program’s definition of a Wide Area Network services to allow RCPS to provide a communications infrastructure to locations throughout the district. Also, details and specifications for managed router solutions should be included. The goal of

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 this RFP is to source the best solution for high bandwidth circuits, in federally subsidized E-Rate packages.

RCPS plans to use the proposed service to transport real-time applications including Voice and Video along with traditional data including Email and Web traffic, as well as IT administration and support applications. Support for multicast routing for applications like video communications as well as software deployment is essential. RCPS is currently supporting VoIP communications and live classroom video streaming and plans to implement multicast video and software deployment with the proposed solution.

Offerors are strongly encouraged to propose a best-in-class managed leased lit fiber solution to accommodate Rockdale County Public Schools’ highly demanding 24x7 environments.

4. Minimum Requirements

The Offeror shall:

∉ Be a telecommunication provider operating under the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission, the Telecommunication Act of 1996.

∉ Have the sole responsibility for service procurement, implementation, support, and will be responsible for performance of any 3rd parties utilized to deliver service.

∉ Direct billing will be made to the customer and offeror will support BEAR reimbursement from USAC through FCC Form 472 (BEAR).

∉ Agree that all work is subject to E-Rate approval and that Rockdale County Public

Schools will not be responsible for any work completed prior to E-Rate approval.

∉ Offeror must agree to participate in the E-Rate Program for the corresponding funding year and do the following:

○ Have a valid SPIN and include this SPIN on your response,

○ Have a current Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC) filed with the

USAC by July 1 of the corresponding funding year,

○ Provide Lowest Corresponding Price

○ Comply with E-Rate gift rules.

** Failure to meet the minimum requirements shall render your bid non-responsive (ineligible for award). **

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

A. Offeror’s Responsibility:

It shall be the responsibility of the selected offeror to meet all specifications and guidelines set forth herein. No offer will be considered that does not provide a serious and reasonable proposal to the solicitation. Each proposal will be evaluated in its entirety.

B. Oral Interview:

Rockdale County Public Schools may require qualified offerors to participate in a detailed oral interview to fully discuss their proposal and qualifications for this project and to answer questions posed by RCPS. A final selection may be based upon the evaluation of both the written and oral responses of each offeror.

C. Submission of Proposal:

Proposals shall be submitted in three (3) sections: (1) technical capability, (2) business stability, and (3) price. Four (4) proposals (one (1) original, three (3) copies) shall be provided in a loose-leaf, three-ring binder. No prohibition shall be placed by this solicitation as to the concept of service the Offeror may choose to propose; however, the concept shall be placed within the framework of the three (3) sections.

D. Basis of Award:

Proposals will be evaluated on a combination of factors with the price of the eligible goods/services being the most heavily weighted factor. The evaluation factors are (1) Price, (2) Technical Merit, (3) Support and Service Level Agreement, (4) Business Stability, and (5) Local or In-State Preference.

● Evaluation Criteria

○ Price – 45 points

○ Technical Merit – 25 points

○ Support and Service Level Agreement (SLA) including response time - 10 points

○ Business Stability – 15 points

○ Local or In-State Preference - 5 points

E. Preparing the Proposal:

Begin each section on a separate page. Number the pages in each section consecutively.

If any confidential and/or proprietary information is included, then each page containing such information must be stamped “proprietary”. It is not acceptable to label the entire proposal as confidential and proprietary.

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

F. Executive Summary:

An executive summary of not more than two (2) pages stating the offeror’s overview of the project shall precede the specific required sections.

G. Additional Terms/Contract/Objections to RCPS Terms and Conditions

RCPS shall not be bound by any terms, conditions or contracts included in any offeror’s packaging, service catalog, brochure, technical data sheet or other document which attempts to impose any conditions at variance with or in addition to the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the RCPS purchase order related to this solicitation or contract.

If the offeror objects to any term or condition that shall relate to a contract resulting from this solicitation or the offeror is proposing an additional contract, the objection and/or contract shall be clearly stated on a separate page entitled “Objection to Term or Condition” and placed in the proposal immediately after the executive summary.

If the objection is accepted by RCPS, it will be communicated in writing to the offeror. If not accepted in writing, the terms and conditions shall remain as written in the solicitation.

The Contractor must adhere to the Service Level Agreement as provided in Section 19 of the Capabilities portion of Section 1 – Technical Capabilities. Failure to do so shall result in a collaborative incident review and possibly prorated fees.

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

Section 1 - Technical Capabilities

A. Methodologies:

In this section, the Provider shall describe in detail the methodology and procedures that are to be used to accomplish the RCPS requirements for this RFP. Provide information regarding the footprint of your service offering, including detailed maps for the region or county. Provide an overview of the proposed network architecture and a detailed description of the services offered by location. This description should also include:

● Clarification on how the Offeror shall proactively monitor and manage the network and deliver services in a timely fashion with minimal unplanned outages.

● Explain why you believe your organization is the best fit for RCPS.

● The overall reliability, serviceability, and longevity of the network is paramount.

The offeror should describe how they plan to provide a highly available network that is scalable to meet the increasing needs of Rockdale County Public Schools.

B. Capabilities:

1. Provide a sample project plan with a timeline from award through user training with clearly identified roles and responsibilities for provider and client to include planning, provisioning, installation, etc.

2. Provide details on how services will be brought online by July 1, 2026 without interruption of current service. If services are not online by July 1, 2026, provide information on when services will be available and solution to provide services during the gap between July 1, 2026 and stated completion date.

3. Describe experience offering leased WAN services in K-12 education environments.

4. Describe all levels of account support you can provide to include account manager, service manager, etc.

5. Describe your network service monitoring, alert levels, and procedures for proactive customer notification of preset alert levels.

6. Describe escalation process to include contacts (name, title, address, phone number, cell phone, email address) for provisioning, implementation, billing and trouble issues.

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

7. Describe support hours of operation and include details on the level of support available during 24-hour time period.

8. Describe offeror response time for emergency/critical requests.

9. Describe provisioning and installation process to include all phases and intervals for newly added services.

10. Describe provisioning and installation process to include all phases and intervals for moves, additions, and changes for location with existing service.

11. Describe performance remedies and SLAs for circuits that do not meet provisioning intervals.

12. Describe resources available for installation and provisioning for the services being proposed.

13. Describe the process for handing newly added services over to the customer after installation and provisioning.

14. Describe how the offeror will ensure the security of all network equipment that is managed remotely.

15. Describe the security measures the offeror has in place to protect networking infrastructure.

16. Describe authentication methods and tools for network infrastructure access.

17. Describe ability to support “Quality of Service” (QoS) for voice, video and priority applications to include any limitations for end-to-end support for QoS.

18. Describe ability to support multicast communications.

19. Describe “Service Level Agreement (SLA)” to include end to end availability, guaranteed time to repair, end to end packet delivery, end to end latency, end to end jitter, etc.

20. Describe equipment to be located at Data Center location and equipment to be located at remote sites.

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

21. Describe ability to support high availability and diverse path entry into BOE Data Center location at 960 Pine Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012.

22. Describe ability to support customer access to offeror-managed equipment.

23. Describe ability to support customer monitoring of network traffic for all spokes of the WAN at Data Center location.

24. Describe customer billing process to include a sample bill identifying charges by service location, type of service, and all associated taxes and fees.

25. Describe ability to support online billing.

26. Describe customer’s ability to withhold payment on disputed charges until the dispute is resolved without penalty or interest.

27. Describe limitations on how far back customers can audit and dispute erroneous charges.

28. Describe the offeror’s back-billing policy.

29. Describe ability to provide monthly management reports to include monitoring of contract compliance, invoicing, billing summaries, trouble-ticketing, usage, and service inventories, etc. Specify if there are additional charges for this reporting.

30. Describe offerors’ awards, authorizations or certifications as they relate to this service offering.

31. Describe any additional awards, authorizations or certifications.

32. Describe ability to support a single commitment level for all sites within Rockdale County Public Schools.

33. Describe the process for adding or removing sites under single commitment level as new locations are built within or removed from the RCPS district. Describe RCPS’ ability to service sites, that in the future, might not be E-Rate eligible.

Confirm that should this occur, these sites can be invoiced separately.

34. Describe if any individual circuit terms will apply for data services depending on the date of activation.

35. Describe how the offeror will allow for adjustments to commitment level based on Rockdale County Public Schools’ need to disconnect locations before end-of-commitment date. (Are early termination fees charged for

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 disconnection of

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012 service? Is there a minimum l evel of service that must be maintained under the terms of the commitment?) Describe how the offeror will allow for adjustments to locations whose E-Rate eligibility changes during the contract period.

36. Describe chronic failure guarantees and the ability to terminate service based on failure to meet SLA threshold for two consecutive months.

37. Describe ability to terminate commitment due to more than 10% of services not meeting SLA threshold for any 2 out of 6 consecutive months.

38. Describe ability to upgrade or downgrade level of service during commitment period. (i.e. Upgrade from 10 Gbps to 30 Gbps or downgrade from 30 Gbps to 10 Gbps at any RCPS location)

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960 Pine Street, Conyers, GA 30012

Section II - Business Stability

1. History and Organizational Structure of the Firm

Provide a cover letter introducing the company and including the corporate name, address and telephone number of the corporate headquarters and local office. The name and phone number of one individual who will be the company’s primary contact with RCPS for contract negotiation and the name of the project manager.