2027-C2 Ripple Academy

Ripple Academy in Davis County, Utah is requesting proposals for E-Rate Category 2 network equipment and internal connections for Funding Year 2027–28, with proposals due November 26, 2026 and a mandatory site visit on October 19, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. MST at the NDPA JH Campus in Layton.

The scope includes cabling, firewalls, network switches, routers, transceivers, uninterruptible power supplies, and wireless access points, with estimated quantities ranging from single units to 56,000 linear feet of Category 6 cabling. Applicant reserves the right to purchase some, all, or none of awarded products and services, and may adjust quantities to remain within Category 2 budget constraints. All submissions must be completed through the Bonfire e-procurement portal; proposals received after the deadline, via email, or through other methods will be disqualified.

The contract term runs from April 1, 2027 through September 30, 2029, with a one-year extension option through September 30, 2030 contingent on E-Rate program funding approval and FCC/USAC compliance. Vendors must possess valid FCC Form 498 identification numbers (SPIN), FCC registration numbers, and green light compliance status; vendors in red light status must explain remediation steps. Pricing must be submitted in Excel format with itemized costs, E-Rate eligibility percentages, quantities, units, contract terms, and a presumed 25 percent tariff as a separate line item for foreign-manufactured equipment. All costs must be clearly allocated between E-Rate eligible and ineligible items, and vendor pricing must remain firm for the contract duration.

Evaluation prioritizes price of E-Rate eligible items (30 points), prior experience (20 points), technical merit (20 points), responsiveness (15 points), personnel qualifications (10 points), and other costs (5 points). Service providers must submit bills of materials within one week of award, maintain documentation for ten years, invoice USAC via Form 474 within 120 days of service completion, and cooperate with E-Rate audits. Questions are due October 23, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time.