·         Before the listed deadlines, all Questions and Bids must be submitted using the on-line IFCB system. Bids submitted before the bid deadline outside of this system will be disqualified. If the system is down before the deadline, please email your bid to info@crwconsulting.com or fax it to 918.445.0049. Bids or questions submitted in this fashion will be disqualified if the on-line system is active at the time of submission. The applicant reserves the right to request and obtain bids outside of the website system if the bid deadline has passed and zero or one bid is received (the intent for this is to follow USAC guidance on obtaining cost-effective bids).

·        For all requested services and/or products listed on this IFCB: proposals that include generic/encyclopedic price lists will be considered non-responsive and will be disqualified. SPAM and/or robotic responses will not be considered valid bid responses and will be disqualified from consideration.

·         Bidder must agree to participate in USF Program (AKA “E-rate”) for the corresponding funding year.

·         Please include the correct Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) on your bid.

·         By submitting a bid, bidder certifies that the bidder does have a valid (non-red light status) SPIN for the E-rate program at the time of submission. Should the Applicant discover that the bidder is on red light status, or if the FCC classifies the bidder as on red-light status before work is performed and invoices are paid, the contract will be null and void and the applicant will have no payment obligations to the bidder.

·         Bidder is expected to provide the lowest corresponding price per E-rate rules.  See https://www.usac.org/e-rate/service-providers/step-2-responding-to-bids/lowest-corresponding-price/ for details.

·         Contracts must not prohibit SPIN changes.

·         Bidder must agree to provide the Applicant the choice of discount methods (SPI or BEAR).

·         Bidder will be automatically disqualified if the District determines that the bidding company has offered any employee of the District any individual gift of more than $20 or gifts totaling more than $50 within a 12 month period. This does not apply to the recent FCC exemptions of the Gift Rule for the COVID pandemic.

·         All contracts awarded will be contingent upon E-rate funding and final board approval.  The applicant may choose to do all or part of the project upon funding notification.

·         All applicable fees, surcharges, and taxes must be identified on the bid. E-rate rules require the applicants to evaluate the price of eligible goods and services that will be listed on the 471 application during the competitive bidding process. Fees and surcharges that apply but are not listed on the bid will be the responsibility of the bidding company, should their bid be awarded.

·         If there is a request for Internal Connections (Category Two) equipment, or Category One equipment listed on this IFCB the applicant will accept bids for functionally equivalent equipment.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Any and all installation charges must be identified on your bid. If you submit a bid indicating that installation charges may apply without listing those charges, we will consider your bid incomplete and disqualify your bid.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Vendors must bid all connections. If vendors submit a bid missing any connection, we will consider your bid incomplete and disqualify your bid.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Bids submitted for services to incorrect addresses will be disqualified.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: If the bidder is under FCC red light status or does not have an FCC Form 498 ID (service provider identification number), the bidder will be disqualified by the applicant.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Bidder must include a project timeline.  Preference is given to responses with a service start of July 1, 2025. If the awarded bidder is not the incumbent provider, transition of service must be completed by the later of July 1, 2025 or the contract expiration date associated with the services currently under contract.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: If the bidder is not able to commence service by the date listed in the bid specifications, the bidder will be disqualified by the applicant.

·         LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: If the bidder is not eligible to provide Oklahoma Universal Service Fund support for eligible services, the bidder will be disqualified. 

·         The winning vendor will be required to complete the USAC approved Item 21 template for the project within 7 working days after notification that the vendor has won the bid.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: The applicant will not accept bids from manufacturers of equipment deemed a national security threat by the Federal Communications Commission. The list of prohibited equipment is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist. Vendors that submit bids that include these manufacturers will have their bids disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Vendors must complete and include the C2 Cover Page with their bid. Bids received without the cover page will be disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: It will be the bidder’s responsibility to provide documentation about the compatibility requirements listed in this IFCB. Vendors that submit bids without documentation demonstrating the required compatibility listed in this IFCB will have their bids disqualified, unless that vendor has bid the preferred make/model number listed.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: If the bidder is under FCC red light status or does not have an FCC Form 498 ID (service provider identification number), the bidder may be disqualified by the applicant.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: If at any time during the contract period the service provider is red lighted, debarred, or otherwise no longer eligible to participate in the E-Rate program, the applicant reserves the right to terminate the contract.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS PROJECT A ONLY: Vendors who wish to bid must attend one of two mandatory site visits. Vendors who submit a bid but have not attended a meeting will be disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Applicant will not accept bids for refurbished equipment. Any bids containing refurbished equipment will be disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Service providers are required to bid an entire Project A, Project B, Project C or Project D.  Bids for individual components of a single project will be disqualified.

UPDATE 8/1/24: Q&A from the site visits are now available to download.

UPDATE 8/1/24: The bid deadline has been extended to August 29, 2024.

UPDATE 7/29/24: Building palns and layouts will be provided during the mandatory walkthroughs. Due to security concerns we will not make these publicaly available.

Category 1

Leased Wide Area Network Circuits - 3 connections any delivery/technology type. Leased dark fiber bidders should bid one pair of fiber strands. Lit leased fiber bidders should bid 10 Gbps - 25 Gbps, please provide bids at 10 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB and 25 GB. District would like a 5 year term.

Hub – Admin Building at 1401 N Little Axe, Cushing, OK 74023 (35.99322222246896,-96.7683705687523)

To the following sites, all in Cushing, OK 74013

1.       Elementary School: 527 S Harmony Road (35.973690504539235,-96.73715154987207)

2.       Middle School: 521 S Harmony Road (35.97713782080696,-96.73710399866103)

3.       High School: 1700 E Walnut St (35.98316247687993,-96.74203321789932)

·         Pricing proposed by the bidder must include all costs.  All costs include special construction or non-recurring charges (NRC) required by the service provider to provide the product or service and all monthly recurring charges (MRC) including estimated surcharges and fees.  Price increases are not allowed during the term quoted. Prices may be lowered based on market conditions.

·         Bidders for services other than tariff or month-to-month arrangements, must include a contract or legally binding agreement in response to this IFCB with signature block for both service provider and applicant.  The agreement should be provided in form only and will not be completed and executed until after bids are awarded by applicant and negotiations completed as applicable. Quotes are not considered a legally binding agreement.

·         Bidder will provide a description of their proposal for all services and solutions. Description will include an overview of the proposal, any deviations from the requested architecture, design or requirements, assumptions made, and any other details that may be useful or necessary for proper evaluation of the proposal.

·         The applicant will follow the purchasing policies of their governing board and requirements and procedures of the FCC’s E-Rate program as administered by USAC to be eligible for all available funding. The implementation of any associated contracts resulting from this competitive bid process will be dependent on the applicant’s issuance of a written Notice to Proceed. E-Rate funding notification alone will not signify Notice to Proceed. The applicant will have the right to allow the contract to expire without implementation if appropriate funding does not become available.  Any projects requiring special construction are also contingent on issuance of funds from Oklahoma Universal Services Fund.  The applicant will have the right to allow the contract to expire without implementation if this specific funding does not become available.

·         Bidders for broadband data services (e.g. Internet Access, wide area network connections) must comply with the following:

o   Bandwidth Range. If the applicant specifies a bandwidth range for broadband data services, the service provider may propose incremental pricing for the bandwidth levels specified or the next highest bandwidth level at the service provider’s standard bandwidth level offerings.

o   The applicant may need to add, remove or move sites as well as increase or decrease bandwidth levels during the contract term.  Accordingly, bid responses should address allowances for site and service substitutions during the contract term.

o   Bidders for broadband data services must include a network diagram displaying the paths to be used to serve the specified sites. 

o   Bidders for broadband data services shall provide a proposed Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the bid response. The proposal must include a description of the following services and how these services will be measured.

§  Network Availability: the provider will make all reasonable efforts to ensure [99.9-99.99]%network availability of each circuit.

§  Internet and Operations proposals only: Frame/packet loss Commitment

§  Internet and Operations proposals only: Network Latency Commitment

§  Internet and Operations proposals only: Network Jitter Commitment

§  There is no right of provider to limit or throttle the capacity of the circuit at any time for any reason

·         In addition to the required services, the proposal may include the following:

o   Network Operations Center: Solution will provide customer support functions including problem tracking, resolution and escalation support management on a 24x7x365 basis. Customer has the right and is encouraged to call concerning any problems that may arise relative to its connection with Vendor provided services.

o   Trouble Reporting and Response: Upon interruption, degradation or loss of service, Customer may contact service provider by defined method with a response based on trouble level. Upon contact from the Customer, the service provider’s support team will initiate an immediate response to resolve any Customer issue. Customer will receive rapid feedback on trouble resolution, including potential resolution time.

o   In the event that service has not been restored in a timely manner, or the Customer does not feel that adequate attention has been allocated, the Customer can escalate the trouble resolution by request. A list of escalation contacts will be provided when implementation schedule is completed.

o   The Customer will be notified immediately once the problem is resolved and will be asked for verbal closure of the incident.

o   A detail trouble reporting, escalation and resolution plan will be provided to the Customer.

o   Vendor stated commitment is to respond to any outage within two (2) hours and a four (4) hour restoration of service. Time starts from the time the Customer contacts the service provider and identifies the problem. Credits for Outages of shortage will be identified.

o   Reports: Upon request, an incident report will be made available to the Customer within five (5) working days of resolution of the trouble.

o   The service will maintain the proposed Link Performance throughout the term of the contract.

o   Provide aggregate uptime statistics for the proposed service in the Customer’s geographic area.

·         All solutions must terminate service or infrastructure to an existing network closet inside of the site specified. Solutions bringing service to the property line but not inside of the DMARC address are not acceptable.

·         Special construction refers to the upfront, non-recurring costs associated with the installation of new fiber to or between eligible entities. Applicants may seek funding for special construction charges in connection with leased lit fiber, leased dark fiber, and self-provisioning. Special construction charges eligible for Category One support consist of three components: (1) construction of network facilities; (2) design and engineering; and (3) project management.

·         Bidders for special construction should provide or be prepared to promptly provide the following information:

o   A map file of the proposed fiber route in KMZ format.

o   The average cost per foot of fiber including detailed breakout of costs for aerial fiber, buried fiber, and buried fiber in conduit:

§  Fiber material (fiber cable)

§  Fiber placement (placing or pulling fiber through conduit, attaching fiber to poles, placing fiber cables in the ground)

§  Buried Conduit (direct bury installations conduit)

§  Trenching (cost of digging trench, cost of machinery needed, permitting cost)

§  Structure Material (conduit, handholes, vaults, markers)

§  Structure Placement (labor and permitting for placement of all structure materials)

§  Pole Make Ready (enhancement needed on carrier owned poles such as addition of guy or anchor or clearing)

§  The cost per foot of outside plant materials (conduit, handholes, aerial make ready materials)

§  The cost per foot of outside plant (trenching, handhole and marker installation, installation of aerial make-ready materials)

o   Cost allocation detail for fiber strands that will not be placed in service for the exclusive use of the applicant by June 30 of the E-rate program year.

·         The applicant may request that bidders allow for the non-discount share of special construction charges to be paid in installments up to four years from the first day of the relevant funding year. Bidders are not required to offer installment payments, but if they choose to do so they must disclose the material terms, including the interest rate and terms of the payment plan, in their bid submission. 

·         Non-recurring capital costs must be amortized over a period of three years for charges of $500,000 or greater.

·         In order to be compliant with the bidding process specified in 17 O.S. § 139.109.1(B)(5), the applicant school or library will accept bids for any type of technology that provides the required level of broadband service and will accept bids from any OUSF eligible provider as defined in 17 O.S. § 139.102(11).

o   Bidders may provide bid responses for the bandwidth listed in the bidding specifications section or the next highest standard bandwidth level offered by the service provider.

o   The bidder must be capable of providing eligible services under the Universal Service Support Mechanism and must be an eligible provider for receiving funding from the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund.

o   The bidder must include all costs in the bid.

o   The bidder must separate ineligible services.

o   Monthly recurring charges must be devoid of construction.

o   The awarded bidder must file for OUSF support within 90 days of the start of the OUSF-eligible service.

·         Service provider shall provide all warranty and product documentation related to products or services sold to the applicant.

·         Service provider shall retain all documentation related to the purchase and payment, including Forms 474 and receipt of payment from USAC, for all products and services provided to the applicant. Related documentation must be retained for a period of TEN years from the last date of service.

·         If the applicant is audited by the Administrator of the program, the service provider shall fully cooperate with the applicant to provide any documentation related to the provision of discounted products and services as requested.

NOTE: Applicant will accept any technologies bid. It is our intention to meet all OUSF Fair and Open Competitive Bidding requirements. If you are a NECA/tariffed company, bids for your tariffed rates are allowed. If any of the specified bandwidth speeds are not a tariffed/NECA rate, please bid the closest rate you have available, within the limits of the bandwidth range specified on the 470.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Any and all installation charges must be identified on your bid. If you submit a bid indicating that installation charges may apply without listing those charges, we will consider your bid incomplete and disqualify your bid.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Vendors must bid all connections. If vendors submit a bid missing any connection, we will consider your bid incomplete and disqualify your bid.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Bids submitted for services to incorrect addresses will be disqualified.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: If the bidder is under FCC red light status or does not have an FCC Form 498 ID (service provider identification number), the bidder will be disqualified by the applicant.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Bidder must include a project timeline.  Preference is given to responses with a service start of July 1, 2025. If the awarded bidder is not the incumbent provider, transition of service must be completed by the later of July 1, 2025 or the contract expiration date associated with the services currently under contract.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: If the bidder is not able to commence service by the date listed in the bid specifications, the bidder will be disqualified by the applicant.

LEASED WIDE AREA NETWORK CIRCUITS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: If the bidder is not eligible to provide Oklahoma Universal Service Fund support for eligible services, the bidder will be disqualified. 

Bus Wi-Fi

The district is requesting bids for wifi services for 35 buses.  The district is requesting service plans with a minimum 3G bandwidth and maximum 5G bandwidth.  The district is also requesting equipment (antenna, modems, routers, etc) necessary to make the service functional for 35 buses.

Please include any installation, activation, configuration costs in your pricing.  Please include separate pricing for any CIPA/filtering costs. 

There is a document available to download with a map of the coverage area needed.

Category 2

Project A – Cabling

MANDATORY SITE VISIT PROJECT A

Vendors wishing to submit bids for Project A must attend one of two mandatory site visits. The site visits will be held on July 25, 2024 at 10:00 am and July 29 at 1:00pm. Vendors will meet at Cushing Middle School Parking Lot (521 S Harmony Rd) and we will go to Cushing Elementary (located south of this lot) for the walk-through. PPE IS REQUIRED (Hard Hat and High Visibility Safety Vest). Any measurements needed must be taken at this time. Construction management firm will be on site providing walk-through oversight. Check in with Justin Annis. Please RSVP to Otis_rfp@cushingtigers.com which meeting you plan to attend. THIS EMAIL IS TO RSVP ONLY. ALL QUESTIONS AND BIDS MUST STILL BE SUBMITTED VIA THE IFCB. BIDS NOT SUBMITTED VIA THE IFCB WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Bids from vendors who did not attend either of the site visits will be disqualified.

Project B – UPS

No installation or configuration is needed for Project B.

Project C – Switches and Access Points

Installation and configuration are needed for Project C.

NOTE: We are requesting WAP or switch licenses on this IFCB, which sometimes may be categorized as BMIC or MIBS by USAC (the BMIC and MIBS boxes on the 470 have been checked to cover this scenario).

Project D – Racks

No installation or configuration is needed for Project D.

COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENT

All network equipment must be compatible with existing Ubiquiti Unifi Network Controller. 

Additional Category 2 specifications:

·         The applicant school or library reserves the right to accept some, all or none of the items included in the proposal.   Notification of bid acceptance or bid rejection will be provided at the discretion of the applicant.

·         Pricing proposed by the bidder must include all costs.  All costs to provide the product or service should be included in the pricing schedule.  Price increases are not allowed during the term quoted. Prices may be lowered based on market conditions.

·         Bidders for services other than tariff or month-to-month arrangements, must include a contract or legally binding agreement in response to this RFP with signature block for both service provider and applicant.  The agreement should be provided in form only and will not be completed and executed until after bids are awarded by applicant and negotiations completed as applicable. Quotes are not considered a legally binding agreement.

·         Bidder must clearly define contract terms for all pricing submitted.

·         Bidder will provide a description of their proposal for all services and solutions. Description will include an overview of the proposal, any deviations from the requested architecture, design or requirements, assumptions made, and any other details that may be useful or necessary for proper evaluation of the proposal.

·         The applicant will follow the purchasing policies of their governing board and requirements and procedures of the FCC’s E-Rate program as administered by USAC to be eligible for all available funding. The implementation of any associated contracts resulting from this competitive bid process will be dependent on the applicant’s issuance of a written Notice to Proceed. E-Rate funding notification alone will not signify Notice to Proceed. The applicant will have the right to allow the contract to expire without implementation if appropriate funding does not become available.

·         Bids for equipment should clearly list the location where the equipment will be installed.

·         Bids should meet industry standards and comply with applicable local, state and federal codes and regulations. For example, network wiring/cabling should meet or exceed EIA/TIA standards and National Electrical Code standards.

·         Equipment should be properly configured, installed and tested.

·         Include all items necessary for equipment to be fully operational including necessary cabling, connectors, components, installation, configuration, travel, per diem, and any other applicable fees.

·         All installed equipment and cabling should be labeled.

·         In addition to standard labeling (i.e. patch panels labeled with cable number), all installed equipment must be labeled with E-Rate information as follows:

o   Funding Request Number (FRN)

o   Form 471 Application Number

o   Purchase Order Number

o   Installation Date

·         Bidders must include a statement of work (SOW)

·         Bids for new equipment should include standard manufacturer’s warranty (up to three years)

·         The value of any free products and/or services must be deducted from the cost of the proposal.

·         Bids should include installation and configuration unless otherwise noted.

·         Bids should clearly describe all costs including installation, configuration, shipping and handling charges.

·         The District hereby provides notice to all interested vendors that site and/or service substitutions may be necessary during the term of the contract.  Any agreement signed as a result of this RFP should contemplate the possibility of the District changing products or services within the guidelines set forth by the FCC. All vendors are also hereby provided notice that the District may add new locations to its network during the life of the contract, and existing sites may move or close.  The contract(s) entered into as a result of this RFP should allow for said site/service substitutions. Vendors are to describe their process for amending the contract to accommodate site/service substitutions during the contract term.

·         During the E-Rate application process and prior to issuance of E-Rate funding, the applicant may need to make changes to the quantities and items selected in order to stay within their category two budgets. The applicant may contact the awarded bidder to adjust quantities in order to meet the Category 2 budget.

·         The selected service provider is expected to respond timely with revised proposals and contracts for the applicant to ensure that the selected products and services are at or below the applicant’s budget cap.  The selected service provider will need to provide all information necessary regarding reduction in quantities and associated installation, configuration, shipping and handling charges.

·         Service provider shall provide all warranty and product documentation related to products or services sold to the applicant.

·         Service provider shall retain all documentation related to the purchase and payment, including Forms 474 and receipt of payment from USAC, for all products and services provided to the applicant. Related documentation must be retained for a period of TEN years from the last date of service.

·         If the applicant is audited by the Administrator of the program, the service provider shall fully cooperate with the applicant to provide any documentation related to the provision of discounted products and services as requested.

·         All ethernet cables must be made of 100% pure bare copper wire, copper clad aluminum is not permitted.

·         Cat6 6” Orange Patch Cable, UTP, 24AWG, 550MHz, Pure Bare Copper, Snagless RJ45, Flexboot Series Ethernet Cable (Monoprice Product #9844) or equivalent Flexboot type connector for all terminations at the patch panel.

·         All cables terminations must be clearly labeled for identification using district standards (ROOM#-JACK#)

o   Label cables with panel identifiers and port numbers on the cable jacket at the device end.

o   Label cables terminated at wall plates using a plastic type label maker.

o   Ensure clear and durable labels on both the wall plates and cable jackets.

·         Cable Testing

o   Test each cable to verify continuity and adherence to required standards.

o   Ensure cables are terminated using the T568B wiring standard at both ends.

o   Provide test results for verification.

·         Project Completion Submittals

o   Upon project completion the vendor shall provide the applicant the following documentation.

§  Installed Equipment Documentation Spreadsheet in Excel or CSV file format containing the information listed below.

·         E-Rate Year

·         Funding Request Number (FRN)

·         Budget School (Site Name)

·         Equipment Description

·         Make

·         Model

·         Serial Number

·         Date of Purchase

·         Service Provider Invoice Number

·         Installation Date

·         Original Location (Install Location Site & Room Number)

·         E-Rate Tag Number (CPS Asset Tag Number)

·         Notes (MAC Address for AP’s, UPS’, etc. & warranty term separated with a “ | “

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: The applicant will not accept bids from manufacturers of equipment deemed a national security threat by the Federal Communications Commission. The list of prohibited equipment is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist. Vendors that submit bids that include these manufacturers will have their bids disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Vendors must complete and include the C2 Cover Page with their bid. Bids received without the cover page will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: It will be the bidder’s responsibility to provide documentation about the compatibility requirements listed in this IFCB. Vendors that submit bids without documentation demonstrating the required compatibility listed in this IFCB will have their bids disqualified, unless that vendor has bid the preferred make/model number listed.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: If the bidder is under FCC red light status or does not have an FCC Form 498 ID (service provider identification number), the bidder may be disqualified by the applicant.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: If at any time during the contract period the service provider is red lighted, debarred, or otherwise no longer eligible to participate in the E-Rate program, the applicant reserves the right to terminate the contract.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS PROJECT A ONLY: Vendors who wish to bid must attend one of two mandatory site visits. Vendors who submit a bid but have not attended a meeting will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Applicant will not accept bids for refurbished equipment. Any bids containing refurbished equipment will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Service providers are required to bid an entire Project A, Project B, Project C or Project D.  Bids for individual components of a single project will be disqualified.