Leased lit fiber, dark fiber and network equipment for Western Wayne Schools

Bidders are advised that this project will be contingent upon the successful obtaining of E-Rate funding and an Applicant-issued Notice to Proceed, and the contract agreement between the Applicant and the selected vendor must recognize that contingency. Sites to be connected to the head-end are listed below. 1. Lincoln Middle High School, 205 E Parkway Dr, Cambridge City, IN 47327 In each building, the selected vendor will demarc the service in an existing network closet to be designated by the Applicant. Refer to building maps for locations of current service entrance points and desired demarcation points. Building maps may be requested via e-mail to the contact listed herein. For security purposes, this is the only way to obtain these maps. The Applicant is seeking two options for bids. Respondents may bid either or both options. 1. The first option is a fully managed, leased lit fiber transport service from the hub site/s to the specified eligible applicant sites. Any one-time special construction can be bid separately from the Service Providers proposed monthly recurring cost for the fully-managed leased lit service. 2. The second option is for a leased dark fiber solution that may include special construction, the monthly lease fee, monthly maintenance and operations fees, and can, as an option, also include pricing for the purchase of equipment necessary to light the fiber. Any one-time special construction costs must be bid separately from the monthly lease fee. Monthly recurring maintenance and operations fees should be itemized separately from monthly recurring dark fiber lease fees. Questions/Site Visits A voluntary site visit will be held at Lincoln Middle High School, 215 E Parkway Dr, Cambridge City, IN 47327, in the Multipurpose room (Please enter through Door 29 on the back side of the building, at the east end of the football field off Lincoln Drive) at 10:00AM (EST) on October 30, 2026. This will be the only opportunity to ask questions or to receive answers to questions related to this RFP. Respondents choosing not to attend in so doing acknowledge their understanding that they were offered and voluntarily declined the opportunity. Proposal Delivery The Applicant reserves the right to reject each and every bid, and to waive informalities, irregularities, and errors in the bidding to the extent permitted by law. This includes the right to extend the date and time for receipt of bids. In the event that a responsible bid is not received or if it is determined that the low bid received is too high, the bid received will be rejected and the project will be cancelled or re-bid. Bids should be e-mailed to the office of Benjamin Burris, Director of Technology, at [email protected] by 2:00PM (EST) on December 1, 2026. State or local procurement rules: All proposals must reflect the LCP (Lowest Corresponding Price), GSA pricing, and any available governmental unit discounts including existing state purchasing agreements or contracts when applicable. Any proposal referencing an existing state purchasing agreement or contract must include that information in the proposal. Bid prices must be complete for the services proposed and shall include all associated costs, even if the amounts are estimates based upon current applicable taxes, surcharges, or fees. No proposal can be submitted that includes equipment or components for equipment from companies deemed to provide a national security risk as defined by FCC Order 19-121. Response Format Your response should describe the network topology being proposed, whether the circuits are dedicated end-to-end for the Applicants use, and whether there are any mid-path electronics necessary to provision the circuits. You should describe all proposed handoffs, including whether you are handing off multiple connections at the head-end or a single, aggregated connection. Please indicate and specify all service provider owned onsite equipment necessary to hand off service to the Applicants LAN equipment. Service provider should provide this information in the form of a network WAN diagram. Additionally, all proposals must include the following information: 1. A description of services to be provided with detailed information regarding any required construction, including the timeline for completion of every phase of work engineering, manufacturing, construction, permitting, electronics delivery, maintenance. 2. Complete pricing for the services described herein. Your proposal must clearly indicate which option it is a response to, and must provide detail regarding special construction, and non-recurring and recurring costs for the service being proposed for each site requested. If your proposed agreement has a built in price escalator clause, that escalator must be detailed within your bid response (not merely mentioned in your sample agreement). a. When submitting a proposal including special construction, respondents must complete the pricing matrix located in Appendix A: Special Construction Pricing of this RFP. 3. Proposed network diagram. a. For dark fiber responses, respondents must include identification of aerial vs. buried fiber segments, detailed drawings showing fiber and equipment locations, and other pertinent details as outlined in Appendix B: Common OSP Installation Specifications for E-Rate Proposals. Any deviations from the specifications in Appendix B should be clearly noted in your response. 4. Proposed Service Level Agreement. 5. Length of time your company has provided such services. 6. Three (3) reference sites where your company has performed a similar service, including business name, contact name and contact information. It is preferable that at least one reference should be for a school district of similar size within 100 miles of the Applicant. If your proposal is for more than one option (e.g. lit fiber service as well as leased dark fiber), provide 3 references for each. 7. Your E-Rate SPIN Number. (You must have a current SPAC form on file with USAC.) 8. A ready-to-execute contract which includes the proposal requirements and the E-Rate contingencies outlined herein. (Failure to provide a contract in a timely fashion may be considered grounds for disqualification.) The Applicants review of information will be primarily focused on the substance of the details provided in response to the requirements herein including but not limited to pricing and terms, technical details, SLA, experience and references, and compliance with the requirements laid out in this document. Proposal Delivery The Applicant reserves the right to reject each and every bid, and to waive informalities, irregularities, and errors in the bidding to the extent permitted by law. This includes the right to extend the date and time for receipt of bids. In the event that a responsible bid is not received or if it is determined that the low bid received is too high, the bid received will be rejected and the project will be cancelled or re-bid. Bids should be e-mailed to the office of Benjamin Burris, Director of Technology, at [email protected] by 2:00PM (EST) on December 1, 2026. Eligible entities: 4.