E-Rate Category 2

Hays Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) in Kyle, Texas, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for E-Rate Category 2 wireless services and network infrastructure equipment. The procurement seeks proposals for network switching hardware, licenses, power supplies, cables, connectors, and transceivers necessary for district-wide infrastructure across 28 facilities spanning Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Uhland, and surrounding areas in Hays County. Specific deliverables include 57 Extreme Networks 5420M-16MW-32P-4YE switches, 55 5420M-48W-4YE switches, 3 and 9 units of 4220-series switches, 112 ExtremeCloud IQ pilot licenses with AI Expert and ExtremeWorks subscriptions for five-year terms, 112 power supplies, and various cables and transceivers. The procurement must comply with E-Rate regulations, including lowest corresponding price requirements and FCC supply chain security rules prohibiting equipment from Huawei and ZTE. Questions were required to be submitted by December 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. CST, with proposals originally due January 15, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. CST but rescheduled to January 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. CST to Anston Shockley, Senior Buyer, at the HCISD Purchasing Department. The contract award period runs April 1, 2026, through September 30, 2028, with an option to extend through September 30, 2029, contingent upon fund availability and mutual agreement. Evaluation criteria include purchase price, vendor reputation and past performance, quality, compliance with district needs, long-term costs, and impact on historically underutilized business compliance.

The procurement includes a mandatory requirement for vendors to submit signed acknowledgment of Addendum 1, which clarifies technical specifications and equipment requirements. Pricing must be submitted on the required Attachment B Pricing Sheet and should include delivery, assembly, and all applicable fees, with prices meeting or exceeding State of Texas DIR contracted prices for like services. Vendors may propose functionally equivalent products to specified Extreme Networks and Juniper Networks equipment if documentation demonstrating equivalency is provided. All bids must certify compliance with federal certifications including non-collusion, debarment status, anti-lobbying provisions, and prevailing wage standards. The procurement is eligible for adoption by other Central Texas Purchasing Alliance member districts under the same or better pricing terms, with no obligation for either party to participate absent mutual agreement. The district reserves the right to award contracts to one or multiple vendors and may adjust quantities or award partial or no quantities. Specific budget ranges or award values are not listed in the available procurement documents.