Summary

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) for Internet Web Hosting and related services under ARFP solicitation number EDD2600000002. The procurement seeks a prime vendor/systems integrator to provide comprehensive broadband internet access, web hosting, domain name services, and listserv support for all public PK-12 schools statewide, serving approximately 850+ entities across 55 county school districts, two state school districts, and three Educational Services Cooperatives with approximately 248,000+ students and 38,000+ staff members. The vendor must function as the single point of contact and assume technical responsibility for all service components. The contract term runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with renewal options available for up to seven successive one-year periods. Bids must be submitted electronically through wvOASIS by November 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM ET. The technical evaluation will be scored out of 70 points, with cost evaluation at 30 points, for a total of 100 possible points. Vendors must achieve a minimum acceptable score of 70% (49 points) on the technical evaluation to proceed to cost evaluation. A pre-bid meeting is not required. Oral presentations may be requested at the agency's discretion.

Pricing must remain fixed or lower throughout the contract term and must comply with the Federal Communications Commission's Lowest Corresponding Price (LCP) requirements for E-Rate eligible services. The vendor must provide monthly discounted billing for E-Rate services and carry accounts receivable while awaiting reimbursement from the Universal Service Administrative Corporation (USAC), estimated at $800,000 to $2.4 million. The contract is open-ended with no minimum order requirements, and the WVDE retains the right to cancel services with 30 days' notice. The current incumbent provider serves the existing PK-12 network infrastructure; however, the vendor must absorb all transition costs with no additional expense to the state or school districts. Critical requirements include maintaining 99.95% uptime, providing service level guarantees with outage credits, achieving a July 1, 2026 cutover date, and ensuring background checks for all staff and subcontractors entering school facilities. The vendor must maintain all necessary E-Rate program compliance documentation and demonstrate eligibility for USAC reimbursement through FCC Form 498 registration, FCC Form 473 annual certification, and electronic funds transfer setup.