Rfpfw kent ISD FY27

Kent Intermediate School District is requesting sealed bids for network firewall equipment and related technical services under an E-Rate funded RFP, with bids due October 27, 2026 and an Intent to Bid Form also due October 27, 2026. This procurement is contingent upon Kent ISD receiving a Funding Commitment Decision Letter from USAC/SLD under the Universal Service Fund E-Rate program (Form 470 – 270001171).

The scope encompasses one Fortinet FG-1200G-BDL-950-60 firewall unit or equivalent with FortiCare Premium and FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection on a five-year term; two Cisco QSFP-100G-CU5M and two Cisco QSFP-100G-CU3M 100G passive direct attach copper cables; two Juniper JNP-100G-DAC-0-5M-PRO and two Juniper JNP-100G-DAC-0-3M-PRO compatible 100G DAC cables; and associated technical services. All eligible equipment bids must include basic project management, design and engineering, installation, activation, initial configuration, basic training, and a three-year warranty per the USF E-Rate Eligible Services List. Bidders may submit materials and labor combined, equipment only, or labor only as separate line items and may propose acceptable product substitutions. Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections services for the 2027–2028 funding year must be separately itemized with estimated hours and materials. USF E-Rate ineligible products and services must be listed separately.

The contract term runs July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028, with installation beginning July 1, 2027 and completion by September 30, 2027. A five percent bid bond is required unless the total base bid is less than $31,321.00. Prevailing wage rates under Michigan Public Act 10 of 2023 apply to Kent County. Bidders must obtain workers' compensation and liability insurance and criminal history clearances for on-site personnel. The district anticipates contract signature by December 3, 2026. Sealed bids in duplicate are submitted to the Administration Building, 2930 Knapp Street NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with an electronic copy to the Triple R bidder portal by 2:00 PM on October 27, 2026. Bids will be opened November 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Bidders should contact Jeremy Flores at jeremy@triple-r.us for portal access.