E-Rate Eligible Wide Area Network (WAN) and Internet Services

The William S. Hart Union High School District is soliciting proposals from qualified E-Rate Service Providers to furnish Wide Area Network (WAN) and Internet Services across its educational infrastructure. This Request for Proposal (RFP2601A) seeks telecommunications providers to support the district's strategic technology plan, which involves connecting local area networks across 18 school sites and administrative facilities serving approximately 22,000 students. The procurement requires providers to deliver comprehensive telecommunications services, including Point-to-Point Wide Area Network connectivity options ranging from 10 Gbps to 100 Gbps and Ethernet Private LAN Mesh configurations, along with Primary Internet Services from 20 Gbps to 40 Gbps. Proposers must demonstrate E-Rate eligibility, provide written evidence of California Teleconnect Fund discount qualification, and submit detailed pricing for both eligible and ineligible services. The evaluation criteria will heavily weight cost of E-Rate eligible products (44.6%), technical requirements compliance (19.8%), vendor capability and references (19.8%), and system compatibility (10%). Key dates include an optional site walk on January 6, 2026, question submission deadline of January 8, 2026, and proposal submissions due by January 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM PST.

The contract opportunity does not specifically mention set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. Proposers must maintain valid USAC Form 498, Form 473, and Form 499, with current FCC Green Light Status, and provide comprehensive insurance coverage including $1,000,000 in commercial general, auto, and professional liability. The contract offers two potential terms: either three years with two optional one-year extensions or a five-year term beginning July 1, 2026, with provisions to increase bandwidth and modify site configurations. Successful vendors must provide customer premise equipment (CPE) at no cost, ensure 99.9% uptime availability, and commit to specific response times for technical support, including a one-half hour initial response and four-hour on-site response for network outages. The project is contingent upon E-Rate funding approval, and the anticipated Governing Board award date is February 18, 2026. While a specific budget range is not explicitly stated, vendors must submit fully burdened annual pricing projections, with price increases limited to the Los Angeles area Consumer Price Index and requiring prior district approval.