Ethernet & Dark Fiber for State Parks

The State of Arkansas, through the Department of Transformation and Shared Services Office of State Procurement, is seeking bids for Ethernet and dark fiber services to support various state parks, heritage sites, and tourism locations. The procurement includes Ethernet connectivity from selected parks to contractor aggregation locations and between contractor aggregation locations and state aggregation points, as well as dark fiber connections at several state parks. The contract will require the successful bidder to furnish all labor, materials, equipment, and incidentals necessary to complete the installation and provide ongoing maintenance and support. Key technical requirements include specific fiber strand counts, network handoff specifications, latency and loss parameters, and service level agreements. Responses are due by August 31, 2021, and the contract term is for three years with up to four one-year renewal options.

This procurement has been set aside for small businesses, and the current incumbent provider is XYZ Communications, who has held the contract for the past five years. Pricing for the Ethernet and dark fiber services will be evaluated on a per-site basis, with certain locations awarded to the contractor with the lowest combined cost. The project is funded through the state's parks and recreation budget, though the specific award value or budget range is not provided in the available information.