WAN and Internet Services

The Paulding County School District (PCSD) in Georgia is seeking proposals for a comprehensive Wide Area Network (WAN) and Internet services procurement through RFP 26-250716. The district requires a managed, leased lit fiber solution to provide network connectivity for 41 district sites, including five high schools, fifteen middle schools, twenty elementary schools, and auxiliary support facilities. The proposed solution must support a minimum of 10 Gigabytes of bandwidth per site, with separate VLAN network architecture, and include installation, hardware, software, maintenance, and support services. Vendors must provide a network design that meets or improves the existing infrastructure, with specific requirements around bandwidth, connectivity, and data center redundancy. The proposal evaluation will follow a 100-point system, with 65 points allocated to non-cost factors (technical specifications, implementation approach, support methodology) and 35 points for cost. The RFP response submission deadline is August 15, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. ET, with an intended service start date of July 1, 2026, and a primary contract term of five years, with optional pricing for seven and ten-year terms.

The procurement is funded through a combination of local funds and the Federal E-Rate program, with strict eligibility guidelines for vendors. While no specific set-aside designations are mentioned, vendors must complete various compliance forms, including Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance documents, Non-Collusion Affidavits, and Civil Rights Assurance certifications. The current network infrastructure includes two data centers (PCSD District Office and Dianne Wright Innovation Center) with existing Comcast and Zayo/GA PeachNet internet connections. Vendors must hold all necessary regulatory licenses and certifications and provide fault tolerance guarantees and service level agreements. The network currently operates with 10 GB and 13.3 GB bandwidth connections and requires vendors to propose solutions that maintain or improve the existing network design. Although specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the pricing proposal form allows for detailed cost submissions across 5-, 7-, and 10-year contract terms, with options for 10GB, 20GB, and 40GB Internet service configurations.