ISSUED DATE: May 18, 2026

BID NUMBER: 2026-04

BID NAME: FTTH Maintenance and Construction

TERRITORY DESCRIPTION

Glades Electric Cooperative, Inc. (GEC) provides power to over 19,000 accounts over 2,600 miles of electric line in portions of Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties. We are based in Moore Haven, Florida with an additional office in Lake Placid. The Cooperative was formed as a corporation in the state of Florida in 1940, and in 1944 was recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as being federal income exempt tax under section 101(10) of the Revenue Act of 1939 (now section 501 (c) (12) of the Internal Revenue Code). GEC is a distribution cooperative and does not generate its own electricity. GEC purchases wholesale electricity from Seminole Electric Cooperative headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Over the last few years, GEC has installed fiber optics to provide broadband internet service to our members. We currently have about 4,500 active customers and are connecting many more members each month.

Today, GEC maintains a highly respected position within its local community, and within the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, for its dedication to reliable electric service and forward-thinking initiatives.

GEC and its representatives have exercised due care in preparing this Request for Proposal (RFP). All information contained herein is believed to be substantially correct. However, bidders should verify information independently if desired. GEC and its representatives do not warrant the accuracy of information contained herein.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

GEC is seeking proposals from qualified fiber construction contractors to maintain our existing aerial and underground fiber optic system as well as install drops and add additional fiber to our system as needed. Any new drops and additional fiber added to our system will be classified as “new construction”. The Contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, and supervision necessary. This work will be across our whole service territory which covers parts of Glades, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee counites in the state of Florida. The intended period for this contract will be 3 years in which the executed contract will expire on December 31, 2028. Please see more detailed information on page 6 of this document.

This document is a request for proposal (RFP). This RFP establishes minimum requirements a bidder must meet to be eligible for consideration as well as information to be included in the Contractor’s bid response. The work shall be completed in conformance with these specifications and all other provisions of the contract documents. All amendments and modifications to this contract must be made in writing.

Invoices must be sent regularly and for no more than 30-day periods unless agreed upon by both parties. Work may not be subcontracted.

CALL FOR BIDS

Glades Electric Cooperative, Inc. (GEC), hereby gives notice to prospective bidders that proposals will be received by GEC, via: myvendorlink.com until the due date in the below schedule:

Anticipated Solicitation Schedule:

Monday, May 18, 2026 Call for Bid Friday, May 22, 2026 @ 12pm Questions Due Tuesday, June 2, 2026 @ 5pm Bids Due Thursday, June 11, 2026 Intent to Award Mid-June 2026 (can adjust as needed) Estimated Start Date December 31, 2028 Contract Expiration

In order to insure an open and full competitive bidding process, GEC has instituted VendorLink to provide current information to potential bidders. This system will allow you to receive bid information quickly and at your convenience twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Specifications may be obtained from their website at myvendorlink.com. Registered vendors will be notified automatically of all Requests for Proposals. All bidders are required to submit their bid electronically via myvendorlink.com. Each proposal should constitute an offer to GEC, as outlined therein, and should be irrevocable after the time announced for the opening thereof.

GEC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive irregularities and informalities in any or all proposals, and to separately accept or reject any item, items, bid schedule or bid schedules of the proposal which GEC deems to be in the best interest of GEC. It is the sole responsibility of each Bidder to deliver its Proposal to GEC at the place designated for receiving Proposals and prior to the time for opening Proposals last announced to Bidders. Any Proposal received after the time last announced for opening Proposals may be retained by GEC or returned to the Bidder, but such Proposal shall be rejected as not responsive.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Submittal of Company Overview and References (please see details in pages 5-7 of this

RFP)

Please use the Excel rate sheet template to complete your bid. Please note there are rates for both maintenance and for new construction work.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

GEC will entertain questions for clarification until the due date in the above schedule. All questions must be submitted through myvendorlink.com and will be answered publicly on the website. No questions will be answered after that date.

ADDENDA AND SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Any and all addenda to the RFP will be provided to all Proposers who received the initial RFP and provided contact information to GEC, should it become necessary for GEC to make revisions, request additional information, or respond to written inquiries relating to the RFP. It is the responsibility of potential proposers to timely submit contact information to facilitate receipt of addenda and supplemental information requests, if issued.

EVALUATION AND AWARD

GEC’s designated selection committee will review responses to the solicitation. Selections will be based on completeness of proposals and on which bidders demonstrate the best combination of cost and experience. GEC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive irregularities and informalities in any or all proposals, and to separately accept or reject any item, items, bid schedule or bid schedules of the proposal which GEC deems to be in the best interest of GEC. GEC reserves its right to award the contract to other than the lowest priced offeror.

A Selection Committee appointed by GEC will evaluate and rank each Proposal. The Selection Committee will evaluate and score proposals on the basis of the responsiveness to the requirements of this RFP. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

Qualifications of the Firm and Staff 40 Relevant Past Performance 30 Cost Proposal 30

TOTAL 100

WORK SCHEDULE

GEC’s work schedule is Monday through Thursday. The start time for this schedule is 6:30 a.m.

and the stop time is 5:00 p.m. Contractor is expected to work the same hours as GEC’s in order to maintain contractor oversight. Any work outside of these hours must be approved by the Cooperative.

GEC observes the following holidays (no work outside of outage support services will be allowed on these holidays to prevent disturbances to our members).

New Year’s Day Martin Luther King Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

RESULTING CONTRACT

If a contract is awarded, the selected bidder will be contacted by GEC. Please note all terms and conditions included in the Master Service Agreement (provided in bid solicitation documents) become binding on a selected bidder once GEC sends a signed document to that entity.

The issuance of this solicitation does not obligate GEC to award a contract. GEC reserves the right, and has absolute and sole discretion, to cancel this solicitation at any time prior to execution of the contract. Bidders should be advised that the selected bidder must execute a Firm Fixed Price agreement with GEC.

MISCELLANEOUS

Any costs incurred by Respondents in responding to this solicitation are the sole responsibility of the Respondent. GEC assumes no responsibility for any such costs incurred by the Respondent. The Respondent also agrees that GEC bears no responsibility for any costs associated with any administrative or judicial proceedings resulting from the solicitation process.

All materials submitted in response to this solicitation become the property of GEC. GEC has the right to use any or all ideas presented in any response to this solicitation, whether amended or not, and selection or rejection of a proposal does not affect this right. No variances to this provision shall be accepted.

FTTH MAINTENANCE AND CONSTRUCTION REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

SPECIFICATIONS AND ADDITIONAL TERMS

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

1. If the organization submitting a proposal must outsource or contract any work to meet the requirements contained herein, this must be clearly stated in the proposal. Glades Electric Cooperative prefers that the winning bidder use at least 50% in-house employees. If this is not possible, Glades Electric Cooperative will be notified and have the option to approve the additional contracted employees. Any proposals that call for outsourcing or contracted work must include a name and description of the organizations being contracted. Glades Electric Cooperative reserves the right to dismiss any subcontractor from its project.

2. Final contract terms and conditions will be negotiated upon selection of the top contenders of this RFP. All contractual terms and conditions will be subject to review by Glades Electric Cooperative’s legal counsel and will include scope, budget, schedule, insurance, bonding, and other necessary items pertaining to the project.

3. The winning entity will be required to establish a local office with indoor warehousing and laydown yard located within close proximity to Glades Electric Cooperative’s service area within 30 days of contract award date. Office must be staffed with a supervisor or project manager capable of making field decisions. The contractor will be expected to represent Glades Electric Cooperative in a professional manner. The appearance of site locations, equipment and material storage is expected to be clean and organized. The highest level of professionalism is expected regarding contact with the public and membership, including dealing promptly with customer complaints and restoration.

4. All proposals are to be made on a per unit basis. Only the units included in the body of this proposal are to be submitted. The unit identifiers are for proposal purposes only and may be changed prior to a contract. Glades Electric Cooperative plans to supply their own material for this project.

5. The bidder must ensure the submitted bid is inclusive of all labor costs, fees, overheads and profits for the work and all applicable taxes.

BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

Bidders should provide the following items as part of their proposal for consideration:

1. Description of experience in building fiber and/or fiber to the home systems.

2. List of how many full-time, part-time, and contractor staff in your organization.

3. Examples of 3 or more FTTH construction projects successfully completed by your organization.

4. Examples of FTTH OSP maintained by your organization.

5. Anticipated resources you will assign to this project (total number, role, title, experience).

6. Ability to meet Insurance requirements. A current Commercial General Liability and Workmen’s Compensation certificate must be supplied prior to commencing any project work.

7. Acknowledgement that the winning contractor will acquire all licenses and business permits required to perform the job.

8. Acknowledgement that weekly invoicing will be submitted with supporting deliverables in SharePoint each Thursday.

9. Acknowledgement that copies of contracts between co-op and contractor will be provided to Conexon for the purpose of invoice validation. All amendments, pricing changes, line-item additions, etc. must be approved by the co-op and provided in writing to Conexon for the purpose of invoice validation.

10. Acknowledgement that the most current construction specifications will be shared with all contractors working on the project (in-house and subcontractors) and specifications will be followed accordingly.

PROPOSAL EVAULUATION CRITERIA

Glades Electric Cooperative will evaluate all proposals based on the following criteria. To ensure consideration for this RFP, your proposal should be complete and include the following criteria:

1. Overall proposal suitability: Proposed solution must meet the scope and needs included herein and be presented in a clear and organized manner.

2. Organizational Experience: Bidders will be evaluated on their experience pertaining to this project's scope.

3. Previous work: Bidders will be evaluated on examples of their work pertaining to fiber construction experience, experience maintaining OSP, qualifications and references.

4. Value and cost: Bidders will be evaluated on the cost of their solution(s) based on the work to be performed in accordance with this project's scope.

5. Technical expertise and experience: Bidders must provide descriptions and documentation of staff technical expertise and experience.

6. Work will be performed in the communication space (not above the neutral) not less than 40” below the power neutral or secondary conductor. Distance may be reduced to 30” for power neutrals meeting NESC rule 230 E.1. Crews must be prepared to follow co-op safety requirements (for example: appropriate PPE such as fall protection, etc.) which will be provided to all bidders submitting an LOI if available. Bid submissions must include the bidder’s plan to meet safety requirements. Selected contractors will ensure workers will be trained to the expectation of the tasks being conducted. The Contractor must follow all State, Local, and Federal safety, health, and environmental standards, laws, and regulations (i.e., NESC, OSHA, EPA, DOT).

7. Safety records: Include copies of OSHA reportable incidents for the last 3 years.

SCOPE OF WORK

1. Glades Electric Cooperative is looking for a long-term partner to maintain 1650 miles of OSP as well as building additional plant extensions as required.

2. The area of this construction maintenance bid will be in Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and

Okeechobee counties in the state of Florida. This project includes fiber optic maintenance and plant extensions that will consist of aerial and underground plant.

Specific specification will be provided to the winning bidder.

3. Underground construction will be primarily placed in 1.25” PVC duct at least 24” below grade, above grade pedestals, pedestal / vault combinations, and grade level handholes. Vaults will be no more than 36” deep. Specific specification will be provided to the winning bidder.

4. The project may require the winning company to submit construction permits to local, county and state departments for approval in Glades Electric Cooperative’s name.

5. Contractor shall have 1 crew at all times available for emergency call out.

CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY

1. Maintain existing OSP – including damage restoration and routine maintenance repairs.

Build new aerial and underground residential and commercial plant extensions as required.

2. Current Number of Active Services: 4,500

a. Estimated Number of New Services per Year: 900

3. Current Miles of Fiber: Overhead: 1,550 Underground: 100

a. Estimated Number of New Miles per Year: 15-25 miles

4. Average Span Length between splices/storage: 1,500’ – 2000’