Internet & Wide Area Network Service Provider (RFP 26-021-073)

Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) in Georgia issued Request for Proposals 26-021-073 to procure Internet and Wide Area Network (WAN) service providers for all district schools and facilities. The solicitation, released on February 27, 2026, seeks E-rate eligible Internet access and WAN transport services with specific bandwidth requirements: a minimum committed bandwidth of 10 Gbps for core Internet connectivity at the primary facility (scalable to 20 Gbps and 40 Gbps), aggregated 10 Gbps WAN service for 28 remote campuses (scalable accordingly), dedicated 1 Gbps connections to the core network for 26 remote campus locations (scalable to 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps), and 2 Gbps WAN connections for two administrative locations requiring network resiliency. All service handoffs must be delivered via Fiber or equivalent medium, and FCPS strongly prefers a single service provider for both Internet and WAN services. Respondent questions were due by 9:00 AM ET on March 9, 2026, with proposals due by 9:00 AM ET on March 27, 2026. The contract term begins upon award through June 30, 2027, with four optional renewal periods extending through fiscal year 2031. Submissions must include a detailed cost proposal with all line-item costs clearly separated, minimum three letters of recommendation from clients dated within two calendar years, a completed Solicitation Response Form, current Certificate of Insurance naming FCPS as additional insured, IRS W-9 Form, and E-Verify compliance documentation including notarized contractor and subcontractor affidavits as required by Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act. The evaluation committee assessed proposals on an "Excellent" (four points), "Good" (three points), "Fair" (two or one point), or "Poor" (zero points) scale, with weighted criteria addressing cost (35 points), technical integration (30 points), customer service and references (25 points), and other criteria (10 points).

The procurement documents do not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting response to particular enterprise types, suggesting the opportunity is open to qualified service providers generally. The incumbent vendor was identified as Comcast Business, which scored 80 points during evaluation compared to the awarded vendor's perfect score of 100 points. The award was made to Zayo Education, LLC, with final monthly pricing of $17,190 for 28 sites with 1 GB capacity and two sites with 10 GB managed Internet access, compared to Comcast's proposed pricing of $24,024 for the same configuration. Zayo's superior technical integration score relative to cost competitiveness demonstrates the district's emphasis on service quality and infrastructure compatibility alongside pricing considerations. Contract questions and project coordination inquiries should be directed to Jim Farmer (Chief Technology Officer) and Matthew D. Roberts (Purchasing Manager), with billing inquiries directed to the Finance Department's Accounts Payable division.