RFP 2601 Dedicated Internet Access.pdf

GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Dedicated Internet Access (DIA)

RFP # GCPL-2601

ISSUED December 19, 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. GENERAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION……………………………………….…..3

A. Introduction

1. Library Background B. Objective of this Request for Proposals

1. Project Description

2. Scope of Work, Services, Outcomes, and Deliverables

C. Schedule D. Questions

II. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS……………………………………………..…7

A. Submission, Copies and Due Date

1. Proposal Contents

a) Section 1 – Qualifications and Experience

b) Section 2 - Project Approach and Work Schedule

c) Section 3 - Cost of Service

B. Proposal Duration and Contract Timing Requirements C. Confidentiality of Information Contained in Proposals

III. SELECTION PROCESS……………………………………………………..……9

A. Evaluation Committee to Review Proposals B. Additional or Supplemental Information C. Interviews D. Selection of Proposals

IV. CONTRACT AWARD…………………………………………………………...….10

A. Notice of Intent to Award Contract B. Contract Award

EXHIBIT A Insurance Requirements………………………….………………………...11

EXHIBIT B Contractor Affidavit…………………………………..………………………12

Request for Proposals to Provide Dedicated Internet Access (DIA)

I. GENERAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

Gwinnett County Public Library (hereafter referred to as “GCPL” or “library”) is soliciting formal proposals from qualified vendors (hereafter referred to as “Vendor” or “respondent”) for Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service to support library operations at GCPL Headquarters.

This request is for a single, business class, non shared, guaranteed bandwidth Internet circuit delivered to the library’s network demarcation point, with an Ethernet handoff to GCPL equipment. GCPL currently utilizes Spectrum as its Internet Service Provider and is satisfied with current service performance. The library’s intent is to maintain service continuity with minimal transition risk while securing competitive pricing and a clearly defined service level agreement.

Vendors must propose an E rate eligible Category 1 Internet access solution that meets or exceeds the requirements in this technical section. References to specific service characteristics or existing infrastructure are provided for context only and are not intended to limit competition. Vendors may propose functionally equivalent or superior services, provided all requirements are met. Proposals must clearly identify any optional, non required items, price them as separate line items, and distinguish E rate eligible versus ineligible components.

1. Library Background

The Gwinnett County Library system was founded in 1935. Currently 16 facilities totaling 262,000 square feet are located throughout Gwinnett County. The library website offers the convenience of remote access, enabling customers to search for materials and information, access their library record, request or renew materials without driving to the library, and download music, videos, audiobooks and ebooks 24 hours/day, 7 days per week.

Mission: As an organization, Gwinnett County Public Library promotes lifelong learning and growth to meet the changing needs of its board, staff and community.

Vision:GwinnettCountyPublicLibraryprovidesresourcesandservicesthatenrichandinspire our community.

Find more at gwinnettpl.org.

B. Objective of this Request for Proposals

1. Project Description

Introduction

This request is for a single Dedicated Internet Access circuit delivered to GCPL Headquarters at 1001 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville, GA 30046. Internet service with a minimum of 2 Gbps fixed, guaranteed, non-burstable, bi-directional bandwidth delivered to 1001 Lawrenceville Highway location.

General Specifications GCPL seeks a [3] year contract with two (2) optional one-year renewals, contingent upon continued E-rate funding and Board approval.

Requested Bandwidth

● GCPL prefers solutions that minimize transition risk and service disruption.

Incumbent-provider continuity plans are encouraged, but functionally equivalent alternatives will be considered.

● Minimum of 2 Gbps fixed, guaranteed, non-burstable, bi-directional bandwidth delivered with all hardware that provides internet access.

● Class C IP address allocation.

Demarcation and Handoff

● Vendor will deliver service to a provider Network Interface Device (NID) / demarcation point at GCPL Headquarters. Service must be handed off to GCPL as Ethernet.

● Current handoff: 10 Gbps via SFP+ multimode fiber (10GBASE-SR, 850 nm, LC) into GCPL’s FortiSwitch stack. Vendor must provide all required optics, patching, and CPE to support this handoff at no additional cost beyond the proposal.

Service Level Agreement

● Solution must include circuit uptime and network availability of 99.99% (Monthly outage of no more than 4m 21s). SLA measurements must be based on objective network monitoring (vendor or GCPL tools). Vendor must specify credit amounts for each SLA breach (uptime, latency, jitter, packet loss) on the monthly invoice.

● Respondent will provide a proposed Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the RFP response. The proposal must include a description of the following services and how these services will be measured.

● .25% frame/packet loss commitment

● 25ms network latency commitment

● 10ms network jitter commitment

● Provider will be responsible to demonstrate provided Internet circuit bandwidth matches contracted speed before initial billing will commence. Customer signature is required to verify this has been demonstrated.

● If at any time the circuit drops below 95% of contracted speed for more than 4 hours, the provider will be responsible to demonstrate provided Internet circuit bandwidth matches contracted speed. Customer signature is required to verify this has been demonstrated.

Failure to meet this criteria will be deemed a shortage.

● Billing may not commence until GCPL confirms acceptance in writing after successful turn-up, verification of contracted throughput, and failover testing (if applicable).

● Measurement: Vendor stated commitment is to respond to any outage within two (2) hours and a four (4) hour restoration of service. Time starts from the time the Customer contacts the vendor and identifies the problem. Credits for outages of shortage will be identified in an appropriate fashion such as in the monthly bill. The Customer will reserve the right to prorate payment for the month to include services not delivered.

● There is no right of the provider to limit or throttle the capacity of the circuit at any time for any reason. All internet connections supplied must be net neutral & cannot be filtered or shaped without consent of the Customer.

● All necessary equipment (including installation and configuration) to provide connection up to but not including the Customer’s firewall will be the responsibility of the vendor.

● Network operations center: Solution will provide customer support functions including problem tracking, resolution and escalation support management on a 24x7x365 basis.

Customer has the right and is encouraged to call concerning any problems that may arise relative to its connection with vendor provided services.

● Trouble reporting and response: Upon interruption, degradation or loss of service, Customer may contact Vendor by defined method with a response based on trouble level. Upon contact from the Customer, the Vendor support team will initiate an immediate response to resolve any Customer issue. Customer will receive rapid feedback on trouble resolution, including potential resolution time.

● Escalation: In the event that service has not been restored in a timely manner, or the Customer does not feel that adequate attention has been allocated, the Customer can escalate the trouble resolution by request. A list of escalation contacts will be provided when the implementation schedule is completed.

● Resolution: The Customer will be notified immediately once the problem is resolved and will be asked for verbal closure of the incident.

● Trouble reporting, escalation and resolution: A detailed trouble reporting, escalation and resolution plan will be provided to the Customer.

● Reports: Upon request, an incident report will be made available to the Customer within five (5) working days of resolution of the trouble.

● Link performance per segment: The service will maintain the proposed link performance throughout the term of the contract.

● Historical uptime: Provide aggregate uptime statistics for the proposed service in the geographic area encompassing Gwinnett County Public Library.

● Provider must be a Tier 1 or Tier 2 IP provider.

● Provider must offer scalable options and prices for higher bandwidth during the life of the contract.

● Additional features that are bundled with the access services should be cost-identified within the bid.

● Vendor must clearly identify E-rate eligible versus ineligible components and price them separately. Any bundled features must have their individual costs itemized.

General Specifications

● Vendor must provide an implementation plan and commit to installation within 60–90 calendar days of award, subject to site readiness.

C. Schedule

ThefollowingScheduleappliestothisRFP,butissubjecttochange.Exceptasprovidedbelow, changes will be made only by written amendment to this RFP.

● December 19, 2025 - Release of Request for Proposals

● January 9, 2026 -Proposers’ written questions due by 3:00 pm. ET

● January 16, 2026 - Library’s written responses to questions published

● January 30, 2026 - Proposals due by 3:00 pm. ET

● February 2 to 6, 2026 - Proposals evaluated by Library’s Evaluation Committee

● February 9 to 13, 2026 - Interviews with finalist(s) conducted

● February 13, 2026 - Notice of Intent to Award issued

● February 16 to 20, 2026 -Negotiations and contract creation with finalist

● March 16, 2026 - Contract presented to Library Board of Trustees for approval

The Library reserves therighttorevisethesedatesatitssolediscretionbasedonunforeseen events or organizational requirements. Any revisions made will be published using the same sources and media as this RFP.

D. Questions

Proposers may submit written questions regarding this RFP via email, which the Library will respond to in writing via email, based on the dates set forth in the Schedule (above). The Library’s written email responses will be provided to all proposers who have submitted their email contact information to the Library.

Questions regarding this RFP should be sent via email directly to the Library’s contact person:

Jessica Fulks

Business Services Manager jfulks@gwinnettpl.org

Email should include referenceRFP # GCPL-2601 Dedicated Internet Access

Allquestionsandresponsesmustbeinwriting;noverbalcommunicationsbetweenaproposer and Library staff regarding the substance of a pending RFP are permitted, and any verbal representations provided by Library staff are not binding on the Library.

Ifaproposerdiscoversanyambiguity,conflict,discrepancy,omission,orothererrorinthisRFP, the proposer shall immediately notify the Library’s contact person of such perceived error.

Modifications to this RFP may be made by addenda, which then become part of this RFP.

II. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

A. Submission, Copies and Due Date

Proposers must submit their proposal on a flash drive in a sealed envelope marked “PROPOSAL FOR DEDICATED INTERNET ACCESS” to:

Gwinnett County Public Library Attn: Jessica Fulks

1001 Lawrenceville Highway Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Proposals must be received by 3:00 pm ET on January 30, 2026.

Late Proposals will not be accepted or considered. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensurethattheproposalarrivesattheGwinnettCountyPublicLibrarypriortothedateandtime indicated.

Section 1 – Qualifications and Experience:

Please explain your and your staff’s qualifications and experience in this section, including:

i. Yourqualificationsandexperienceinthesubjectareasthatareapplicabletotheproject.

Be specific in describing the depth of both you and your staff’s knowledge and experience (Experience with providing the requested services to local government clients is strongly preferred);

vi. Abriefrepresentativelistingofsimilarprojectscompletedinthepastthree(3)yearsand your responsibilities for those projects, as well as the responsibilities of other key personnelwhowouldbepartoftheteamonthisproject.(Experiencewithprovidingthe requested services to local government clients is strongly preferred);

viii. Disclose any lawsuit or any other type of proceeding (such asanarbitration)resulting from any job undertaken by you or your sub- contractors which is still pending orhas occurred on projects within the last five years, and related details; and

xv. Any other information which might aid the Evaluation Committee in ascertaining your qualifications and experience.

Section 2 - Project Approach and Work Schedule:

In this section, please explain your understanding of the RFP’s requirements and objectives regarding the project, and how you will satisfy them.

Section 3 - Cost of Service:

In this section, please disclose all expense types, rates, and charges to be assessed to the Library for the required services. All proposals must identify the following:

i. TheproposalprovidedtotheLibraryunderthissectionmustincludealllabor,materials, equipment and accessories required to furnish, configure, install, and integrate a complete wide area network connection.

ii. Provide the monthly cost for service. Include all mandatory fees and charges.

iii. Provide one-time costs including any installation, activation, initial configuration, programming or service charges.

v. Must include a list of equipmenttobeprovidedandnetworkdiagramsoftheproposed solution.

A fixed price cost for the project will be developed and agreed to during the negotiation and contract development phase of the solicitation.

B. Proposal Duration and Contract Timing Requirements

All proposals will remain in effect and shall be legally binding for at least one hundred and twenty (120) days after the proposal submission due date.

UnlessotherwiseauthorizedbytheLibrary,theselectedcontractorwillbeexpectedtoagreeto a mutually acceptable contract with the Library for the services requested within fifteen (15) days of the Library’s issuance of thenoticeofintenttoaward.Ifagreementoncontractterms and conditions acceptable to the Library cannot be achieved within that time frame, or if it appears that an agreement will not be possible after reasonable negotiations have been conducted (as determined at the sole discretion of the Library), then the Libraryreservesthe righttoretractthenoticeofintenttoawardandproceedwithawardstootherconsultants,orto withdraw this RFP.

D. Confidentiality of Information Contained in Proposals

AllproposalsaresubjecttotheprovisionsofTheOfficialCodeofGeorgiaAnnotated§15-18-70

et. seq. Georgia procurement law, however, provides that all proposals shall be treated as confidential documents until the selection and negotiationprocesshasbeencompleted.Once the Library has issued its notice of intent to award and the contract negotiations have been completed, all submitted proposals shall be deemed public records and become subject to public disclosure.

III. SELECTION PROCESS

A. Evaluation Committee to Review Proposals

TheLibraryshallformanEvaluationCommitteetoreviewthecontentofallproposalssubmitted inresponsetothisRFP.TheEvaluationCommitteemaybecomposedofLibraryemployeesor officers, Board members, or persons outside of the Library. The Evaluation Committee shall review and evaluate all timely proposals based on the terms of this RFP, and shall make a recommendation for selection of a contractor to the Library Board. The Library Board is ultimately responsible for approving any contract to be awarded under this RFP, in its sole discretion.

ThoseLibraryemployeeswhohavearelationshipwithapersonorbusinessentitysubmittinga proposal shall notparticipateintherevieworselectionprocess.Anypersonorbusinessentity submitting a proposal who has such a relationship with a Library employee who may be involved in the selection process shall advise the Library of the name of its employee in the proposal.

The Evaluation Committee mayrejectanyorallproposals,orportionsthereof,ifitdetermines that it is in the Library’s best interests to do so.

B. Additional or Supplemental Information

TheEvaluationCommitteemay,duringtheevaluationprocess,requestanyproposertoprovide additional information which the Evaluation Committee deems necessary to evaluate the proposer’s ability to perform the required services. Such information shall be required to be provided in writing, and shall become part of the proposal on record.

C. Interviews

After initial screening, the Evaluation Committee may select those proposers deemed most qualified for this project for further evaluation. Interviews of those selected proposersmaybe conducted as part of the final selection process. Interviews may or may not have their own separate scoring during the evaluation process.

D. Selection of Proposals

TheLibraryreservestherighttoselecttheproposal(s)whichinitssolejudgmentbestmeetsits needs, and to award a contract to one ormultiplequalifiedsubmittals.Thelowestproposed cost is not the sole criterion for recommending contract award.

The Libraryalsomakesnoguaranteeofanyorequalamountsofworkfortheprojectwhichis the subject of this RFP. Further, the Library is not responsible for any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of a proposal or any work performed prior to the execution of a contract.

IV. CONTRACT AWARD

A. Notice of Intent to Award Contract

Upon selecting a proposal, the Library will enter into contract negotiations with the chosen contractor. If such negotiationsareunsuccessful,theLibrarywillproceedtonegotiatewiththe proposer who scored next highest in rank.

Upon successful completion of contract negotiations, all proposers who have submitted proposals in response to this RFP will be provided with notice as to the successful contractor(s).

B. Contract Award

The Evaluation Committee will make a recommendationonawardingacontracttotheLibrary Board of Trustees. No contract will be in effect until approved by the Board.

ThisRFPdoesnotcommittheLibrarytoawardacontract.TheLibraryhasabsolutediscretion inawardingacontractandreservestherighttowaiveinformalitiesandirregularitiesinthisRFP and/or the proposals received. The Library reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals or to modify or cancel this RFP in part or its entirety.

EXHIBIT A

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

WithrespecttoperformanceofworkunderthisAgreement,Consultantshallmaintainandshall require all of its subcontractors, consultants, and other agents to maintain insurance as described below unless such insurance has been expressly waived by the Library through a Waiver of Insurance Requirements. Any requirement for insurance to be maintained after completion of the work shall survive this Agreement.

The Library reserves the right to review any and all of the required insurance policiesand/or endorsements, but has no obligation to do so. Failure to demand evidenceoffullcompliance withtheinsurancerequirementssetforthinthisAgreement(orfailuretoidentifyanyinsurance deficiency) shall not relieve Consultant from, nor be construed or deemed a waiver of, its obligation to maintain the required insurance at all times during the performance of this Agreement.

1. Workers Compensation and Employers Liability Insurance Within ten days after execution of this Contract and during the entire period of the contract,theConsultantshallmaintainWorkersCompensationinsuranceinthestatutory amounts required. The Consultant shall file with the Library a certificate of insurance from an insurance company or agent licensed to do business in the State of Georgia showing evidence of workers compensation insurance meeting statutory requirements.

2. General Liability Insurance Within ten days after execution of this Contract and during the entire period of the contract, the Consultant shall maintain professional liability insurance (errors and omissions insurance) applicable to the Services being performed. If there is no professional liability insurance product applicable to the services, the Consultant shall maintain a commercial general liability policy covering his Services. The Consultant shallfilewiththeLibraryacertificateofinsurancefromaninsurancecompanylicensed to do business in the State of Georgia showing evidence of such professional or commercial general liability insurance in limits of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in aggregate. Consultant shall provide a certificate of insurance from an insurance companyoragentlicensedtodobusinessintheStateof Georgia and copies of the additional insured endorsement naming Gwinnett County Public Library as an additional insured. Any deductibles and self-insurance retention may not be greater than $100,000.

3. Material Breach IfConsultantfailstomaintaininsurancewhichisrequiredpursuanttothisAgreement,it shallbedeemedamaterialbreachofthisAgreement.TheLibrary,atitssoleoption,may terminate this Agreement and obtain damages from the Consultantresultingfromsaid breach. Alternatively, the Library may purchase the required insurance, and without further notice to Consultant, the Library may deduct from sums duetoConsultantany premiumcostsadvancedbytheLibraryforsuchinsurance.Theseremediesshallbein addition to any other remedies available to the Library.

EXHIBIT B

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

By executingthisaffidavit,theundersignedcontractorverifiesitscompliancewithO.C.G.A.§ 13-10-91, stating affirmatively that the individual, firm orcorporationwhichisengagedinthe physicalperformanceofservicesonbehalfof(GwinnettCountyPublicLibrary)hasregistered with, is authorized to useandusesthefederalworkauthorizationprogramcommonlyknown 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, theundersigned contractorwillcontinuetousethefederalworkauthorizationprogramthroughoutthecontract periodandtheundersignedcontractorwillcontractforthephysicalperformanceofservicesin satisfactionofsuchcontractonlywithsubcontractorswhopresentanaffidavittothecontractor with the information required by O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b). Contractor 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 Contractor

Name of Project

Gwinnett Co Public Library__________ Name of Public Employer

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

Executed on ______, ___, 202__ 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 ________, 202__.

NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires: