2026 JWP_Switches_RFP.pdf

Decatur County School System

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Network Switches

For Jones-Wheat Primary School

E-Rate Funding Year 2026-27

Released on:

February 13, 2026

Proposals Deadline:

March 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST

For all questions about this RFP contact:

Jason Logue, Director of Technology jlogue@dcboe.com

All correspondence must be in writing.

mailto:jlogue@dcboe.com

Project Objectives:

1.0 Objective

The Decatur County School System intends to upgrade the network switches and battery backup units at

Jones-Wheat Primary School, 1401 E. Shotwell St, Bainbridge, GA 39819.

1.1 Evaluation Methodology

Each proposal will be evaluated based on criteria and priorities defined by the Decatur County Schools

Board of Education and SLD requirements. The BOE will decide on the best submissions that are in the best interest of the long-term technology plan, not necessarily the lowest price. Proposals will first be evaluated based upon the base requirements. The evaluation criteria include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Vendors overall performance record based on available references, reliability, and meeting of the requirements as described in this RFP.

2. Vendor’s ability to meet all the requirements detailed in the RFP.

3. Vendor’s proposed hardware meets the specifications requested in this RFP.

4. Ability to have an engineer for warranty service within four (4) hours of Bainbridge.

5. Best overall value and in the best interest of the Decatur County Schools Board of Education

6. Vendor agrees to provide a completed Category Two – Internal Connections (V21.0 or greater)

USAC approved template for uploading to EPIC. Template and directions can be found at https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/applying-for-discounts/fcc-form-471-filing/#bulk-upload-templates

7. New equipment will be installed and configured by vendor’s licensed engineer according to

Decatur County Schools’ Technology Department specifications. Subcontractors will not be allowed.

8. Decatur County Schools will only accept discounted billing. Vendor agrees to bill Decatur County

School System for the “non-discount amount”.

https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/applying-for-discounts/fcc-form-471-filing/#bulk-upload-templates https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/applying-for-discounts/fcc-form-471-filing/#bulk-upload-templates

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Response Submission

Responses to this RFP must be submitted and delivered to the Decatur County School Board of

Education by no later than 2:00 pm on March 16, 2026. It is the sole responsibility of the respondents to ensure that their responses arrive in a timely manner. The Customer reserves the right to reject all late arrivals. Envelopes containing RFPs shall be so marked as to be easily identified as containing RFP proposals. The outside of the envelope shall be identified as follows:

RFP ERATE 2026 JWP Network Switches Mr. Jason Logue, Technology Director

Decatur County Schools Board of Education

1417 Dothan Road

Bainbridge, Georgia 39817

NOTE:

Envelopes/packages incorrectly labeled may be rejected.

Each package submitted must include BOTH a hard copy of the proposal and an electronic copy of the proposal and a completed Category Two – Internal Connections (V21.0 or greater) USAC approved template for uploading to EPIC. The electronic media must be stored on either a CD/DVD or USB drive.

The package must also include the following completed forms:

• Certificate Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility (Appendix A)

• E-Rate Certification (Appendix B)

• Vendor Affidavit (Appendix C)

Oral, telephone, email, or fax bids shall not be considered, nor will modifications of proposals by such communication be considered. Delivery of the proposals will be considered authorized by The Vendor to supply SLD approved contract (s) for 471 use, if awarded. Vendor agrees to supply the BOE with all required 471 paperwork in approved format to meet filing deadlines.

2.1 Bidders’ Conference/Site Visit

Vendors are welcome to view the school location(s) as necessary for equipment planning. Appointments may be made by contacting Jason Logue at the email address jlogue@dcboe.com. Vendors who schedule appointments must be qualified as per vendor qualifications listed in this RFP.

mailto:jlogue@dcboe.com

2.2 Subcontractors

Subcontractor work is not acceptable by the Decatur County BOE for technology projects. We expect

The Vendor to perform all services with in-house personnel. Appropriate switch channel partners and licenses, Microsoft Engineers, RCDD and Ga. Low Voltage holders must be full-time employees. Each vendor must be contractor certified in their respective hardware (i.e., cable, patch panels, fiber, etc.). All employees must be insured. Borrowed certifications will result in bid rejection and certification proof will be checked by the Decatur County BOE.

2.3 Addenda

Any interpretation, correction, or change of the RFP will be made by updating the RFP on the DCBOE

Request for Bids/Proposals web site. It is the responsibility of vendors to check for changes made to the

RFP.

2.4 Financing

After notification of award, The Vendor will receive purchase order(s) for the products and services for which The Vendor will be responsible as a result of the RFP. This project is projected to be funded through ERATE. The actual installation of this project is totally contingent on ERATE approval. Each vendor must supply a SPIN number on your bid response. Purchase order(s) will show the amount that is the responsibility of the local school system. The final payment of this project will be made only after an extensive final walk-through at the completion of the installation. The Decatur County BOE will strictly enforce the bid guidelines and the quality of the installation. Final testing will take place in the presence of a designated technology staff member. The Decatur County Schools Technology Staff will have total discretion to request any needed changes to meet current national, state, or industry standards.

2.7 Warranty

The Vendor shall fully warrant with the manufacturer’s warranty all items provided under this RFP against defects in material and workmanship for the ERATE funding year. The primary warranty response is to come from the awarded vendor and should be on a per equipment basis on the RFP and detailed in the Bid Proposal. The vendor will also be expected to provide on-site service in addition to the manufacture warranty, so please list this service in detail.

2.8 Right to Reject

The BOE reserves the right to accept or reject all proposals or sections thereof and when the rejection is in the best interest of the Decatur County School District. The Customer reserves the right to award without further discussion. Therefore, responses should be submitted initially with the most favorable terms that The Vendor can propose.

The BOE reserves the right to reject the proposal of a Vendor whom in the opinion of the Technology

Department cannot adequately perform the contract.

Contracts will be awarded to the highest ranked Vendor using an ERATE formula where it is in the best interest of the Decatur County School System.

2.9 Discount Billing

Decatur County Schools will only accept discounted billing. This method is known in the ERATE program as “Service Provider Invoicing” (SPI). Vendor agrees to bill Decatur County School System for the “non-discount amount”.

3.0 Vendor Certification

Included within Vendor’s Bid Packages, vendors must submit a declaration of Vendor’s ability to meet all the requirements detailed in the RFP and submit certification requirements as listed in session 2.2

Subcontractors.

4.0 Bid Scale

In addition to meeting the specifications described in this RFP, evaluation of all proposals will be based on the following grid criteria:

Factor Weight Price 40% Technical Qualifications 30% In-Area Engineer 20% Prior E-Rate experience with DCBOE 10% Total 100%

SCOPE OF PROJECTED WORK

Jones-Wheat Primary School

The scope of this project is to upgrade the network switches and battery backup units throughout Jones-

Wheat Primary School.

A detailed parts list and pricing of ALL items to be installed must be included with the bid. This detailed parts list must be submitted using an approved USAC “Bulk Upload Template” Excel spreadsheet Attachment. Information can be found at https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/applying-for-discounts/fcc-form-471-filing/#bulk-upload-templates

Below are the hardware requirements for this project along with the individual specifications for the

MDF and each IDF. All proposed equipment must meet the capabilities described in this section. All equipment bids must be submitted as complete. Any additional components or licenses that are required to use and manage the listed equipment must be included in the bid.

NETWORK SWITCHES

DCBOE currently uses Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise network switches. If a different brand is proposed, vendor must provide a temporary demo unit for DCBOE to confirm its compatibility and functionality.

The school’s existing network switches are to be replaced with new network switches by vendor’s licensed engineer (no subcontractors). Vendor is to configure and test the new network switches.

All proposed network switches must support all the following requirements as well as the individual requirements listed on pages 8-10. These features and the ability to manage these features must not require the use of cloud-based services. Any required license to use and manage these features must be perpetual.

• Command-based management through a local console port

• Command-based management through a remote SSH connection

• Switch stacking

• VLAN port assignments

• VLAN trunking (802.1q)

• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) support

• Port teaming (LACP and static teaming)

• QoS

• 802.1X port authentication with VLAN assignment through a remote RADIUS server

• MAC-based port authentication with VLAN assignment through a remote RADIUS server

• The compatibility of any included SFP or SFP+ ports must not be locked to only work with modules from the switch manufacturer.

• Manufacturer-provided firmware for security updates and bug fixes during the duration of the warranty https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/applying-for-discounts/fcc-form-471-filing/#bulk-upload-templates https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/applying-for-discounts/fcc-form-471-filing/#bulk-upload-templates

UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES

All proposed uninterruptable power supplies must meet the requirements that are listed below, as well as the individual requirements specified on pages 8-10.

• 120-volt NEMA 5-15 for input and output

• Rack mountable

• Replaceable batteries

• Automatic voltage regulation (AVR)

• Output power as pure sine wave

• Equipped with a network management card which provides the following capabilities:

o Complete local network management with no requirement of cloud services o Ability to send all alerts including power events and battery replacement notices through an SMTP email server, SNMP traps, and remote syslog events.

MDF Rack 1

Item Qty

Network switch

• 48 total RJ-45 ports o All 48 ports should support 1000BASE-T and IEEE 802.3at PoE o Minimum of 16 ports should support 2.5GBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bt PoE

• 4 SFP+ ports supporting a speed of 10Gbit/s

• 2 QSFP+ stacking ports supporting a minimum speed of 20Gbit/s

• Capable of stacking with all other switches on this rack

• Redundant power supplies supporting the switch’s full PoE capacity

Direct attached stacking cable (for stacking between each switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 40cm

Direct attached stacking cable (for redundant stacking from top switch to bottom switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 100cm

10G SFP+ Multimode Transceiver 10

1ft CAT6 patch cable (the existing switches are part of a chassis unit and use longer cables) 336

Uninterruptable power supply

• 1500VA

• 120-volt input/output (NEMA 5-15)

MDF Rack 2

Network switch

• 48 total RJ-45 ports o All 48 ports should support 1000BASE-T and IEEE 802.3at PoE o Minimum of 16 ports should support 2.5GBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bt PoE

• 4 SFP+ ports supporting a speed of 10Gbit/s

• 2 QSFP+ stacking ports supporting a minimum speed of 20Gbit/s

• Capable of stacking with all other switches on this rack

• 1RU size

Direct attached stacking cable (for stacking between each switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 40cm

Direct attached stacking cable (for redundant stacking from top switch to bottom switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 100cm

10G SFP+ Multimode Transceiver 2

Uninterruptable power supply

• 1500VA

IDF-1 (Hall 311)

Network switch

• 48 total RJ-45 ports o All 48 ports should support 1000BASE-T and IEEE 802.3at PoE o Minimum of 16 ports should support 2.5GBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bt PoE

• 4 SFP+ ports supporting a speed of 10Gbit/s

• 2 QSFP+ stacking ports supporting a minimum speed of 20Gbit/s

• Capable of stacking with all other switches on this rack

• 1RU size

Direct attached stacking cable (for stacking between each switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 40cm

Direct attached stacking cable (for redundant stacking from top switch to bottom switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 100cm

10G SFP+ Multimode Transceiver 2

1ft CAT6 patch cable (the existing switches are part of a chassis unit and use longer cables) 192

Uninterruptable power supply

• 1500VA

IDF-2 (Hall 414)

Network switch

• 48 total RJ-45 ports o All 48 ports should support 1000BASE-T and IEEE 802.3at PoE o Minimum of 16 ports should support 2.5GBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bt PoE

• 4 SFP+ ports supporting a speed of 10Gbit/s

• 2 QSFP+ stacking ports supporting a minimum speed of 20Gbit/s

• Capable of stacking with all other switches on this rack

• 1RU size

Direct attached stacking cable (for stacking between each switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 40cm

Direct attached stacking cable (for redundant stacking from top switch to bottom switch)

• Minimum speed 20Gbit

• Minimum cable length 100cm

10G SFP+ Multimode Transceiver 2

Uninterruptable power supply

• 1500VA

IDF-3 (Gym 130C)

Network switch

• 48 total RJ-45 ports o All 48 ports should support 1000BASE-T and IEEE 802.3at PoE o Minimum of 16 ports should support 2.5GBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bt PoE

• 4 SFP+ ports supporting a speed of 10Gbit/s

• 2 QSFP+ stacking ports supporting a minimum speed of 20Gbit/s

• Capable of stacking with all other switches on this rack

• 1RU size

10G SFP+ Multimode Transceiver 2

Uninterruptable power supply

• 1500VA

IDF-4 (Lunchroom 116B)

Network switch

• 48 total RJ-45 ports o All 48 ports should support 1000BASE-T and IEEE 802.3at PoE o Minimum of 16 ports should support 2.5GBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bt PoE

• 4 SFP+ ports supporting a speed of 10Gbit/s

• 2 QSFP+ stacking ports supporting a minimum speed of 20Gbit/s

• Capable of stacking with all other switches on this rack

• 1RU size

10G SFP+ Multimode Transceiver 2

Uninterruptable power supply

• 1500VA

NOTE: DCBOE reserves the right to adjust the quantity of products according to individual product cost. This adjustment will be based upon USAC’s Allocated Pre-Discount amount.

Appendix A

Certificate Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility

The Decatur County School District is a recipient of Federal monies. As such we require that participating vendors not be debarred, suspended, ineligible or excluded from doing business with the Federal government or any agency thereof.

The prospective participant certifies, by submission of the proposal, that neither it, nor its principals, is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency.

Organization Name

Name(s) and Title(s) of Authorized

Representative(s)

Signature(s)

Date

Notary

Date

Appendix B

E-RATE CERTIFICATION

I, __________________________________, certify that ________________________________, is a

(Print or Type Name) (Company Name)

Service Provider as defined by the E-Rate Program and has not been suspended or disbarred from participating by the Federal Communications Commission. Our SPIN # is __________________, and

(Type Service Provider ID) we have operated under this SPIN for ______years.

(number)

I also certify to the acceptance of the following:

1. All information necessary to respond to any PIA (Program Integrity Assurance), Item 25 Selective

Review, or Audit performed by the FCC, the SLD, or their designated authority, will be furnished completely and in a timely manner sufficient to meet the any response deadlines;

2. In the event an appeal is necessary, all the information necessary to complete the appeal will be furnished completely and in a timely manner to the Decatur County School System, it’s attorney(s) or authorized agent;

3. Any contract awarded based upon this RFP in contingent upon the receipt of a Funding

Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) from the SLD that awards the requested discounts in full. In the event that partial funding or no funding is granted, the Decatur County School System reserves the right to cancel the contract in whole or in part;

4. The Decatur County School System will be invoiced for the only the matching funds portion, and it our responsibility, as the E-Rate Service Provider, to invoice the SLD for the remaining “non-discount” portion. This billing method is known as the SPI (Service Provider Invoice) method;

5. In the event the Decatur County School System wishes to perform a SPIN change, as afforded by the COPAN decision, permission will be granted within the contracted terms, provided 14 days prior written notice is given.

(Original Signature in Blue or Black Ink)

(Today’s Date)

(Print or Type Name)

(Title)

Appendix C Vendor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b)(1)

By executing this affidavit, the undersigned Vendor verifies its compliance with O.C.G.A. § 13- 10-91, stating affirmatively that the individual, firm or corporation which is engaged in the physical performance of services on behalf of Decatur County School District has registered with, is authorized to use and uses the federal work authorization program commonly known as E-Verify, or any subsequent replacement program, in accordance with the applicable provisions and deadlines established in O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91. Furthermore, the undersigned Vendor will continue to use the federal work authorization program throughout the contract period and the undersigned Vendor will contract for services in satisfaction of such contract only with sub- Vendors who present an affidavit to the Vendor with the information required by O.C.G.A. § 13- 10-91(b). Vendor hereby attests that its federal work authorization user identification number and date of authorization are as follows:

Federal Work Authorization

User Identification Number

Date of Authorization

Name of Vendor

Name of Project

Decatur County School District________ Name of Public Employer

I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on ______, ___, 2026 in ____________________(city), ______(state).

Signature of Authorized Officer or Agent

Printed Name and Title of Authorized Officer or Agent

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN BEFORE ME ON THIS THE ______ DAY OF ______________,2026.

NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires:________________________________