Structured Cabling RFP

Lake Orion Community Schools in Macomb County, Michigan issued a Request for Proposals for comprehensive structured cabling infrastructure upgrades across seven school buildings: Early Childhood Center, Lake Orion High School, Paint Creek Elementary, Stadium Drive Elementary, Webber Elementary, Carpenter Elementary, and Orion Oaks Elementary. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to provide a complete turnkey solution including Category 6 UTP horizontal cabling (with Category 6A available as an add-alternate), single-mode fiber optic backbone cabling, network closet renovation and creation, wireless access point infrastructure, patch panels, power distribution units, and all associated materials and labor. The project deliverables encompass 1,402 general data cable drops, 376 audio/visual and data cables, 445 PA/clock cables, 240 wireless access point cables, renovation of 14 existing network closets, and creation of 3 new network closets across all facilities. The selected vendor must provide design services, permitting, installation, comprehensive testing, as-built documentation, training, and demolition of existing cabling infrastructure. All proposed cabling systems must include a manufacturer-certified 15-year performance guarantee with one-year workmanship warranty on fiber installations. The RFP was issued December 1, 2020, with a non-mandatory vendors' conference held December 7, 2020, a question deadline of December 8, 2020, and an initial proposal deadline of December 18, 2020 at 10:00 AM Eastern Time, with an anticipated award date of January 2021 and implementation scheduled from Spring 2021 through Fall 2022, with all 2021 work required completion by August 15, 2021. Vendors must be certified by the cabling manufacturer, possess tools to certify Category 6A infrastructure, provide three project references, and demonstrate appropriate bonding and insurance capabilities with performance and labor/materials bonds equal to total contract value required upon award.

The RFP documentation does not specify disadvantaged enterprise set-asides or restrictions limiting bidder eligibility, though Lake Orion Community Schools indicated it would apply a local preference resolution to all proposals. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information was identified in the RFP materials. The District requires integration with existing network closet bus bars and coordination with District-designated audio/visual and PA system vendors for component placement and installation considerations. Vendors must hold pricing through 2025 to accommodate phased renovations across all buildings or provide guaranteed pricing reductions on educational list prices or maximum percentage increases for future cabling costs, with extended unit pricing available to other Oakland County school districts. The District reserves the right to adjust quantities upward or downward by 25% without modifying unit prices and may award to multiple vendors or reject any or all proposals. The RFP includes specific award and implementation dates with performance penalties of two hundred dollars per day for delays within the contractor's control beyond the required completion date. While no specific budget range was disclosed in the RFP documents, pricing is structured as a fixed not-to-exceed amount inclusive of all taxes, shipping, materials, and bonds, with progress billing permitted at up to ninety percent monthly based on completion percentages and ten percent retainage payable within thirty days of final system acceptance.