Request for Proposal

Jackson County School System in Georgia is requesting proposals for Wide Area Network services covering 16 school locations and the Board of Education office, with proposals due November 3, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EST and written questions due October 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The contract is contingent upon 100% E-Rate funding approval through the Universal Service Fund's Schools and Libraries Program; the district reserves the right to reject all proposals, cancel the project in whole or in part, or proceed regardless of E-Rate approval, with all bidder costs borne solely by the vendors.

The district prefers a single service provider. The scope is leased lit fiber WAN connectivity with bandwidth flexibility between 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps, provisions for adding or closing school sites during the contract term without additional charges or new contracts, one-time connection charges, special construction, design and engineering, and project management. Service commences July 1, 2027 and concludes June 30, 2028 to align with the E-Rate funding year. Vendors must submit pricing in 5 Gbps increments (10 Gbps through 40 Gbps) with separate unit costs for port and circuit charges and itemized costs for all installation and initial configuration services.

The contract term is one year with four voluntary one-year extensions; voluntary extensions must be clearly identified with specified durations and cannot include automatic or evergreen renewal terms. All proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to dirvin@jcss.us.

Evaluation allocates 40 points for cost of eligible goods and services, 20 points for meeting minimum specifications, 20 points for vendor experience with the district, 10 points for ability to deliver service by July 1, 2027, and 10 points for ineligible goods and services. Service providers must comply with FCC rules, the Lowest Corresponding Price Rule under 47 CFR Part 54 Section 54.500(f), and USAC's Free Services Advisory, and must complete invoicing to USAC within 120 days from the last day of service.