FTTH_Construction_Storm_Maintenance_RFP_EREC_2026.pdf

1 Confidential Document – Conexon, LLC

May 14, 2026

FTTH Storm Maintenance Request for Proposal for Escambia River Electric Cooperative

You are invited to submit a proposal for the Escambia River Electric Cooperative Fiber Storm maintenance project in accordance with the requirements set forth in the attached Request for Proposal (RFP).

If you intend to respond to the RFP, a letter of intent must be submitted to Conexon by e-mail to Steve Thomas at steve.thomas@conexon.us with cc to Lanie Sells at lanie@erec.com no later than May 20, 2026. The letter of intent is not binding but will assist Escambia River Electric Cooperative in planning for proposal evaluation.

Escambia River Electric Cooperative may not accept your proposal if you do not return the LOI within the specified time period. Those submitting a letter of intent will be supplied with labor units in an Excel spreadsheet format, estimated construction materials to be stored locally, map of the area, total fiber miles and specifications.

Your proposal must be received no later than May 27,2026 at 5:00 PM CT or your proposal will otherwise be disqualified. We anticipate that the contractor whose proposal is the best solution for this project will be selected by June 1, 2026. We will notify all bidders whether they were selected or not.

Upon selection of contractor, contract negotiations may begin immediately.

Thank you for your interest in this maintenance project. Please address all questions to Steve Thomas at steve.thomas@conexon.us with cc to Lanie Sells at lanie@erec.com. All updates, questions, and answers will be provided to all contractors providing a LOI.

Steve Thomas Construction Program Supervisor Conexon, LLC steve.thomas@conexon.us 850-8493133

1) Introduction mailto:lanie@erec.com

2 Confidential Document – Conexon, LLC

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals and pricing from qualified fiber construction companies for storm damage restoration and repairs to the Outside Plant (OSP) for the given fiber network.

Proposals are being requested for the following segments of work:

☒ Fiber Storm maintenance: Storm damage restoration and repair aerial and underground FTTH OSP.

2) Proposal Guidelines

Your construction proposal including necessary attachments as described shall be sent via email by close of business (5:00 PM CT) May 27, 2026 to Steve Thomas at steve.thomas@conexon.us with cc to Lanie Sells at lanie@erec.com.

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. Escambia River Electric Cooperative prefers that the winning bidder use at least 50% in-house employees. If this is not possible, Escambia River 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. Escambia River Electric Cooperative reserves the right to dismiss any subcontractor from its project.

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 Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s legal counsel and will include scope, budget, schedule, insurance, bonding, and other necessary items pertaining to the project.

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.

Escambia River Electric Cooperative plans to supply their own material for this project.

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

3) Bidder Qualifications

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

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

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

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

● Examples of FTTH OSP maintained by your organization.

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

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

3 Confidential Document – Conexon, LLC

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

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

● 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.

● 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.

4) Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Escambia River 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:

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

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

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

● 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.

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

● 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).

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

4 Confidential Document – Conexon, LLC

5) Scope of Work

This project includes fiber optic storm damage restoration and repairs that will consist of aerial and underground plant. Construction specifications will be provided to all bidders returning a LOI.

Construction Summary

OSP storm damage restoration and repairs.

Labor Units will be provided on bid sheets once LOI’s are received.

FTTH Storm Maintenance Request for Proposal for Escambia River Electric Cooperative