ACE 2026 Network RFP.pdf

May 14,2026

The Academy for Classical Education

Vendors:

The Academy for Classical Education (ACE) is soliciting separate sealed proposals for technology products and services, including network switches and modules, wireless access points, firewall and related necessary equipment for the school. An award will be made to the vendor offering the proposal which is the most advantageous and represents the best total value to the School as determined by the enclosed criteria.

ACE reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or any portion of said proposals, to waive technicalities, and to make any and all purchases to the best interest and advantage of the School District.

Any questions concerning this proposal should be sent via Email to:

Pat Kelly Chief Financial Officer pat.kelly@acemacon.org https://www.acemacon.org/ https://www.acemacon.org/

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL INFORMATION:

ACE is soliciting bids for wireless networks, network switches and a firewall.

PROPOSAL FORMAT:

Proposals must be submitted in the format outlined in this document. Each proposal will be reviewed to determine if it is complete prior to actual evaluation. Proposals not containing the information requested will not be considered. Respondents shall use the prescribed format to clearly indicate their experience and qualifications, describe their technical approach to the project and fully describe their proposal. Proposals will be evaluated in light of the material and substantiating evidence presented in the proposal and not on the basis of what is inferred.

PROPOSAL(S) MUST BE RECEIVED BY:

Sealed proposal(s) are due by 2:30 p.m. on May 29, 2026 to be considered, each proposal must be physically in the possession of the school at that time. Proposals received after that date and time will not be considered.

The Academy for Classical Education ATTN: Pat Kelly 5665 New Forsyth Road Macon, Georgia 31210

A searchable PDF digital copy of the proposal must also be sent electronically to Pat Kelly (pat.kelly@acemacon.org) AFTER 2:30 p.m. May 29, 2026 but not later than 5 pm May 29, 2026.

A signature of a person authorized to contract for the company is required. The signature must be in ink.

You will need to provide two (2) original printed copies of your proposal. If additional copies are required ACE will request the number needed in writing.

Please insert the exact company name and the signature of a responsible person to contact on your quotation. Please include an email address and direct phone number.

mailto:hugh@k12-consultants.com

GENERAL CONDITIONS

ACE is located at 5665 New Forsyth Road, Macon, Georgia 31210 and the school buildings include the Main School, kindergarten, and a modular building.

2. Scope of Work The following are the General Conditions for the work to be performed as outlined in the Specifications.

It is understood that except as otherwise specifically stated in the contract, the Vendor shall provide and pay for all material, labor, tools, equipment, transportation, temporary construction of every nature and all other services and facilities of every nature whatsoever, necessary to execute, complete and deliver the work within the specified time. Permits and licenses necessary for the execution of the work shall be secured and paid for by the Vendor.

3. Change in Contract The Owner will not be responsible for any change in the work involving extra cost unless approval in writing is furnished by the Owner before such work is begun.

4. Affidavits Before acceptance of work by ACE, the Vendor will be required to furnish affidavits on enclosed forms.

5. Payments Payment will be for each job only after inspection and approval by an approved ACE employee assigned by the Superintendent. Such approval will be given only after all debris, equipment, materials, etc. are removed from the property, all cleaning completed, and any damage repaired.

Provisions for deposits must be clearly explained.

6. Application for Payment All applications for payment shall be submitted, signed by the Vendor and mailed to:

Academy for Classical Education Business Office 5665 New Forsyth Road Macon, Georgia 31210

7. Addenda Any addenda issued during the time of the request for proposal shall be covered in the proposal, and in closing the contract they shall become part thereof.

8. Contract Award and Interpretations ACE may accept any RFP offered on an all, part, or none basis, whichever is in the best interest of the School System. ACE reserves the right to reject any or all RFPs and to accept that RFP which will, in its opinion, best meet the needs of the system.

ACE reserves the right to waive any technicalities and formalities in the proposals.

By submission of this RFP the proposer acknowledges that ACE has the right to make any inquiry or investigation they deem appropriate to substantiate or supplement information supplied by the proposer.

9. Company Responsibility The selected Company will be required to assume total responsibility for all services offered in this proposal. The selected Company will be considered the prime Company and the sole point of contact with regard to all contractual matters. The Company shall submit periodic progress reports.

10. Taxes, Fees, Code, Compliance, Licensing The Company shall be responsible for payment of any required taxes or fees associated with the contract. These taxes and/or fees will be clearly noted within the proposal. The Company shall be responsible for compliance with all applicable code and statutes and permitting requirements. All engineering, design-installation and construction work shall be done by Companies licensed in the State of Georgia.

11. Vendor's Qualifications

Vendors may be required, before awarding of contract, to demonstrate to the complete satisfaction of ACE, that vendor has the necessary facilities, ability and financial resources to execute the work in a satisfactory manner and within the time specified; that vendor has had experience in construction work as same or similar nature; that vendor has past history and references which will assure ACE of his qualifications for executing the work; that the vendor is an authorized reseller or representative for the products being proposed..

12. Specifications The vendor will provide materials as specified in this RFP. Any substitutions must be approved in writing by ACE.

13. Warranty Warranty terms on the hardware and any associated software should be clearly defined and must include a parts and labor warranty for one year with statement of costs for renewals of support.

14. Accident Prevention Precautions shall be exercised at all times for the protection of persons (including employees) and property and hazardous conditions shall be guarded against or eliminated.

15. Indemnification Vendor agrees to hold ACE harmless and to indemnify ACE from every expense, liability or payment arising out of or through injury (including death) to any person or persons or damage to property (regardless of who the owner may be of the property) of any place in which work is located arising out of or suffered through any act or omission of the Vendor or subcontractor.

16. Insurance Contractor shall maintain the following insurance (a) comprehensive general liability, including blanket contractual, covering bodily injuries with limits of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, and property damage with limits of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence; and (b) commercial automobile liability, including blanket contractual, covering bodily injuries with limits of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, and property damage with limits of no less than $1,000,000 per accident (c) statutory worker’s compensation insurance, including $1,000,000 employer’s liability insurance (d) employee dishonesty and/or crimes coverage with respect to personnel of Contractor having access to County buildings, with limits of no less than $50,000 per occurrence.

All insurance shall be provided by an insurer(s) acceptable to the County, and shall provide for thirty (30) days prior notice of cancellation to the County. Upon request, Contractor shall deliver to the County a certificate or policy of insurance evidencing Contractor’s compliance with this paragraph. Contractor shall abide by all terms and conditions of the insurance and shall do nothing to impair of invalidate the coverage.

17. Vendor's Representative ACE reserves the right, with sole discretion, to refuse to allow any representative of the Vendor to service the contract in any manner. In this event the Vendor shall furnish another representative that is acceptable to ACE. Representatives will be expected to pass a sexual offender check through the system’s Checkmate Pro visitor check-in service at the schools.

18. School LEA Regulations The Vendor and his representatives shall follow all applicable ACE regulations while on school district property, including the no smoking, no weapons and drug-free policies. No work shall interfere with school activities or environment unless permission is given by the CFO or an approved ACE employee assigned by the CFO.

19. Governing Law All RFPs and related documents submitted to ACE by vendors are governed under the laws of the state of Georgia.

20. Work hours All work performed will be in coordination with and at the convenience of the Academy for Classical Education..

21. Georgia Open Records Act All proposals submitted in response to this solicitation may be subject to the Georgia Open Records Act, which permits any member of the public to inspect and/or copy documents prepared and maintained or received in the course of the operation of the public office or agency.

22. Contract Form Upon Contract award, the standard written Purchase Order form or completely executed contract mailed, or otherwise furnished, to the successful vendor results in a binding contract.

23. Proposal Format All proposing vendors must provide at a minimum, the following information. Any portion not included will be cause for possible elimination from the proposal process. Each response will be reviewed to determine if it is complete prior to actual evaluation. The information should be organized as indicated below. Clarity and brevity are considered important in proposal preparation.

The intent of ACE is that all responses follow the same format in order to evaluate each response fairly. Proposals will be evaluated in light of the material and substantiation evidence presented in the proposal, and not on the basis of what is inferred.

a. Table of Contents Responses shall include a table of contents properly indicating the section of the information included.

b. Understanding of the Project

Each company shall complete a concise abstract stating the respondent’s overview of the project. Clearly state all Form 470 Applications Numbers you are responding to in your proposal(s).

c. Company Qualifications

The Proposing vendor should submit a company profile; an organization chart; a statement of qualifications; vendor relationships; staff certifications; and resumes of Account Executives, Project Managers, and key systems engineers.

d. Company Client Base/References

If ACE does not have previous experience with the Company, the Company must have a minimum of three (3) references of jobs completed within the past two years. These references must be school districts. Please include Job Description Job Location Contact name, email address, and telephone numbers Date Completed

e. Completed affidavit sheets

f. Cost Proposal

ACE is seeking a firm, fixed price proposal. Proposals received must include an itemized listing of any and all charges associated with completion of the project to include parts, installation, tax, project management, per-diem, travel, insurance, rentals and miscellaneous expenses. ACE will make any changes, additions or deletions to the RFP, in writing. All companies are solely responsible for the accuracy of all measurements and counts.

g. Statement of Warranty

24. Withdrawal of Proposal A proposal cannot be withdrawn after it is filed, unless Vendor makes a request in writing to Ace prior to time set for opening of RFP, unless ACE fails to accept bid within one hundred and twenty

(120) days after date fixed for opening of RFP.

PROJECTED TIMELINE:

May 14, 2026 RFP Posted

May 29, 2026 2:30 p.m. Proposals due

June 5, 2026 Award date

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Each response will be reviewed prior to the selection process for completeness and adherence to format. A response will be considered complete if all requested sections are included in the proper order and properly completed. The company may also provide any and all recommendations for consideration such as installation, maintenance, support and design that is relevant to the total successful solution of the school district technology needs.

Evaluation of all proposals will be based on the following criteria:

Factor Weight Price 50% Integration of solution within environment and interoperability with existing systems

30%

Prior experience/references 20%

Total 100%

ORAL INTERVIEW / PRESENTATION

If information is needed in addition to the proposals, ACE reserves the right to bring in the top candidates for interviews/presentations.

ACE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS—CONTACT FORM

(INCLUDE WITH PROPOSAL)

Please check ( ) all that apply:

( ) Application Description: Network Switches and Modules

( ) Application Description: Firewall

( ) Application Description: Wireless

Name of Company: ___________________________________________________

Service Provider Information Number: ___________________________________

Contact Person, including title: _________________________________________

Address for contact person: ___________________________________________

Email address for contact person: _______________________________________

FAX number for contact person: ________________________________________

Telephone number for contact person: ___________________________________

SCOPE OF WORK

Introduction ACE is a Private K-12 school, serving over 1,800 students.

An illustration of the school campus is provided at the end of this RFP

ACE currently receives 5 Gbps of internet bandwidth.

WIRELESS

Wireless Network Please provide a single quote for the wireless project, including wireless management and onboarding-authentication solution per the Pricing Summary below:

Pricing Summary

1. Total Cost of Hardware

2. Cost for configuration and installation

3. Annual Cost for Warranty, Support & Licensing

4. Cost for additional individual access points and any required license.

Wireless access network specifications:

1. Wireless coverage to support student, faculty, and guest access to the wireless network.

2. Support for role-based user authentication using existing Active Directory accounts

3. Centralized control of the wireless network to include firmware upgrades, configuration changes, policy changes, etc.

4. Quantities of licenses sufficient to cover all wireless access points.

5. One WIFI6E access point per classroom, an estimated 165 WAPS needed for the entire school.

6. Wireless access points should be able to support up to 3 devices per student and teacher in each classroom.

7. Wireless access point solution should provide coverage in these areas

a. main office

b. guidance office

c. multipurpose room/building

d. Small section of parking lot

8. All other instructional areas will require 6 additional AP

NETWORK SWITCHES

ACE solicits proposals for 50- 48 port switches for our local area network.

Vendors must quote all necessary modules and accessories for these switches.

The main school building has 6 wiring closets.

The network must support over 1,800 students plus teachers and staff. Vendors will provide a solution that they believe will best suit the school’s needs. More than one solution is allowed if the vendor chooses to submit multiple bids.

ACE has no brand preference; each vendor must quote their best solution with details about why their solution is an optimal fit for this project.

FIREWALL FOR THE SCHOOL

ACE solicits proposals for ONE Firewall for the local area network.

No brand preference is given for a firewall, but it must support over 1,800 students plus teachers and staff.

The school currently receives 5 Gig Internet Service.