KETS Network Products and Services Rebid

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet is requesting proposals for KETS Network Products and Services Master Agreements on behalf of the Kentucky Department of Education, with proposals due September 28, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. ET. This is a rebid for up to five Master Agreements serving Kentucky's 175 public school districts, the Kentucky School for the Blind, and the Kentucky School for the Deaf through the federal E-Rate program.

The scope encompasses enterprise-level network solutions including switches, routers, wireless access points, firewalls, SD-WAN hardware, software licenses, installation services, and maintenance support. All proposed solutions, including user-facing interfaces and dashboards, must comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and WCAG 2.0 at Double-A conformance level or greater. Vendors must meet NIST SP 800-53 moderate-level controls and provide SOC 2 Type 2 compliance reporting. All Commonwealth data must remain within the contiguous United States. Vendors must establish an account team with a designated Single Point of Contact possessing comprehensive knowledge of the KETS contract, Kentucky public school systems, the E-Rate program, and the KETS Master Plan. Equipment deliveries must occur within thirty calendar days of purchase order receipt.

Only original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) may bid directly; each OEM is limited to one bid and may propose up to three authorized agents or resellers. Vendors must comply with all E-Rate program requirements and provide one year of Primary Service Coverage and maintenance included in initial purchase cost, with optional Extended Service Coverage available through year two and beyond.

The initial contract term runs through September 30, 2029, with four optional two-year renewal periods. Pricing shall be discounts off manufacturer's suggested retail price for both E-Rate eligible and non-E-Rate eligible products and services. The Commonwealth is tax exempt; federal excise tax and state sales or use tax should not be included.

A Vendors' Conference is scheduled for September 3, 2026, 8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ET via MS Teams; registration is due by 8:00 a.m. ET September 2. Written questions are due by 9:00 a.m. ET September 2, with Commonwealth responses provided by September 11. Bidders claiming resident bidder or qualified bidder status must complete notarized affidavits and comply with campaign finance attestations under 200 KAR 5:410(3).