Last Mile Wired & Wireless Internet for KY K-12 Students

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, specifically the Kentucky Department of Education, is seeking multiple vendors to provide last mile wired and wireless internet services to K-12 students in 171 public school districts, the Kentucky School for the Blind, and the Kentucky School for the Deaf. The procurement focuses on delivering internet connectivity to eligible students who currently lack home internet access, with services including hardware like mobile hotspots and monthly internet connectivity at no cost to students. Required services must meet FCC broadband standards of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds, provide unlimited data, and support Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliance through district internet filtering services. Vendors must designate a single point of contact with K-12 account management experience and provide dedicated account teams. The solicitation is structured in two phases, with Phase I proposals due September 4, 2020, at 3:30 PM EST and Phase II proposals due December 1, 2020, at 3:30 PM EST. Proposal evaluation will be based on technical requirements (pass/fail) and cost (100 points maximum), with potential oral presentations worth an additional 50 points.

The contract opportunity does not specify explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though the RFP suggests openness to various types of internet service providers, including wired access (cable, fiber, DSL), wireless access via hotspots, cellular hotspots, and satellite providers. The Commonwealth has allocated $8 million in Governor's CARES Funds for this initiative, with funding to be distributed to districts based on total student enrollment and free and reduced lunch program percentages. The goal is to reduce internet service costs from the current average of $20 per student monthly to $10 per month, exclusive of taxes and fees. The initial contract term is one year from the award date, with options to renew for four additional one-year periods upon mutual agreement. School districts will determine eligible student recipients and pay vendors directly for services, with pricing expected to be equitable across all districts within a vendor's service territory. The Commonwealth reserves the right to negotiate with the highest-ranked vendor and proceed down the vendor list if necessary, and retains the right to reject all proposals.