Solicitation List of Respondents.docx

This is a Solicitation List of Respondents document issued by the State of Nebraska, Department of Administrative Services State Purchasing Bureau, for Solicitation Number 124043 O5 addressing High Speed Transport Services. The procurement seeks qualified vendors to provide leased lit fiber circuits with Ethernet-based, layer-2 high-speed data connectivity to Network Nebraska, a statewide telecommunications network serving 294 educational entities across the state. The solicitation was released on December 18, 2025, with an electronic bid submission deadline of January 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. The initial contract term is four years, commencing July 1, 2026, with four potential one-year renewal options. All new circuits must be operational by the first Friday in August of each service year. Participating entities include K-12 school districts, educational service units, public and private colleges, universities, public libraries, and some municipalities across approximately 25 participating entities.

Nine responsive solicitation responses were received from qualified vendors: Allo Communications, Glenwood Telecommunications, Inc., Great Plains Communications LLC, Hamilton Long Distance, Windstream Services LLC, Midstates Data Transport LLC d/b/a Stealth Broadband, NebraskaLink LLC d/b/a OPTK Networks, Unite Private Networks LLC d/b/a Segra, and Viaero Fiber Networks LLC. One non-responsive submission was received from Charter Communications Operating LLC. Vendors must provide bandwidth options ranging from 100 Mbps to 100,000 Mbps, comply with FCC E-Rate requirements, and possess a Service Provider Form 498 I.D. (SPIN). All costs, including equipment, hardware, installation, cross-connects, and maintenance, must be bundled into circuit costs with service level guarantees requiring 99.99% uptime, maximum 15-millisecond latency, and 24-hour trouble response. Awards may be made to one or multiple vendors, with total 48-month costs calculated through a specific pricing methodology including monthly recurring charges, non-recurring charges, and applicable taxes. The state reserves the right to conduct annual technology refresh reviews and may impose liquidated damages for E-Rate eligibility failures.