Coffee Fiber Connections FY26

The Coffee County School System, located in Douglas, Georgia, is issuing a Request for Proposal for fiber optic connectivity services to support its district operations under the E-Rate Category One program. The procurement seeks vendors to provide 10 Gbps fiber optic connectivity connecting multiple on-campus facilities to the district local area network across three locations: Jardine Stadium, Coffee High School Tennis Facility, and Coffee Middle School Field House and Soccer Facility. Vendors may submit proposals for Dark Fiber services supporting a self-provisioned network, Leased Lit Fiber services, or both options. All equipment must be new, factory-sealed, and currently available from manufacturers, with used or refurbished equipment explicitly prohibited. Vendors must hold valid service provider credentials with USAC and the FCC, possess appropriate licenses and insurance, and provide W-9 and E-Verify documentation. The evaluation criteria, weighted in descending order of importance, include cost effectiveness (50 points), adequacy of response to RFP specifications (20 points), satisfactory previous business relationships (15 points), references (10 points), and local or in-state vendor status (5 points). A mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for February 18, 2026, at 9:00 AM Eastern Time at Jardine Stadium, with sealed proposals due no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 10, 2026, to Logan Evans, Director of Information Systems at the Coffee County Board of Education. Bid opening will occur at 3:05 PM on March 10, with committee recommendations, board presentation, and approval scheduled for March 19-20, 2026, and the winning bidder to be notified by March 20, 2026.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to particular categories of organizations, though local or in-state vendor status provides a modest competitive advantage through the five-point evaluation criterion. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documentation. The contract term corresponds to the E-Rate funding year 2026-2027, running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with project work preferably completed during the district's summer schedule between May 29 and July 23, 2026. Proposals must remain valid for 60 days from delivery and must comply with all FCC E-Rate program rules; vendors must clearly identify E-Rate ineligible items as separate line items and provide detailed quote sheets showing the price of parts and service for each location. The project is contingent upon E-Rate funding approval; however, should funding become unavailable, the district stands ready to pay the full contracted amount. Specific award values or budget ranges are not disclosed in the RFP documentation provided.