KCNA - Wholesale Services Re-Bid

The Kentucky Communications Network Authority (KCNA), on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is soliciting proposals for a wholesale telecommunications services provider to lease dark fiber and lit fiber optic services on the KentuckyWired network to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other telecommunications entities. The 3,400-mile, state-owned KentuckyWired network spans all 120 Kentucky counties and currently operates at 99% availability with 33 core node locations capable of delivering 100G optical lambda transport services and managed Ethernet services up to 100G. The selected vendor will be responsible for marketing and commercializing excess fiber capacity on an open-access, non-discriminatory basis to expand broadband access throughout the Commonwealth while maintaining full compliance with applicable laws and KCNA system requirements. Qualified vendors must demonstrate extensive experience in middle-mile network commercialization, dark fiber and lit fiber service delivery, and open-access network management; must charge ISPs both non-recurring fees for construction and initial expenses alongside monthly maintenance charges and transport fees; and must utilize KCNA's Western Operations Center (KWOC) for network services provision. The initial contract term is ten years from the effective award date, with two optional five-year renewal periods available upon mutual agreement of the parties. The RFP was released on March 4, 2026, with vendor written questions due in two rounds (March 16, 2026, and April 6, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET), and proposals due by April 24, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Evaluation will be conducted on technical merit (1,700 maximum points) and cost/revenue proposal (1,000 maximum points), with potential oral presentations for the top three vendors adding up to 500 additional points, for a total maximum of 3,200 points; proposals scoring less than 50 percent of maximum technical points will not be considered for award. Technical evaluation criteria include Executive Summary (400 points), Company Background (300 points), Technical Approach (200 points), Implementation Plan (300 points), Timeline for Milestones/Deliverables (200 points), and Project Management Plan (300 points).

No incumbent vendor information is disclosed in the procurement documents, as this is a re-solicitation of RFP 758 2600000154, which closed on December 17, 2025, without award; open records requests for documents from the original RFP will not be released until an award is made under the new RFP. The Commonwealth has not identified set-asides for disadvantaged businesses, nonprofit organizations, or other restricted vendor categories; however, bidders claiming resident bidder status must demonstrate authorization to conduct business in Kentucky, prior-year filing of corporate income taxes, Kentucky unemployment insurance fund contributions, and active workers' compensation insurance. The vendor must maintain Commercial General Liability Insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate throughout the contract term and may be required to provide Automobile Liability Insurance depending on contract performance requirements. Pricing shall be submitted on a revenue share basis, with vendors required to provide separate percentage rates for Dark Fiber Services and Lit Fiber Services for each year of the contract term; the Commonwealth is tax-exempt, and vendors must exclude Federal Excise Tax and Kentucky Sales or Use Tax from all quoted prices. The RFP does not specify an overall budget or contract award value; rather, proposals will be evaluated based on the proposed revenue share percentages and technical merit. All bidders must comply with mandatory requirements including submission of a completed Mandatory Requirements Checklist, Kentucky Tax Registration Application (Revenue Form 10A100), Certificate of Authority for foreign entities if applicable, required annual affidavits certifying campaign finance compliance and resident bidder status, and adherence to the Service Level Agreements specified in Attachment I, which establish performance metrics for network availability, response times, and restoration timelines with financial penalties ranging from $200 to $1,000 per event depending on service level and restoration duration.